Official TJ Admissions Decisions Results for the Class of 2025

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public education =/= sports.

In any way.

However there are many ways you can foster your child’s educational success with money. It’s just a public high school should at least strive for equity in admissions.

That’s where people disagree. In a public school sports, spelling bees, band, cheerleading, etc. usually have a try out and the top performers get selected. You just don’t want that to apply to TJ. I find your argument of striving for equity to be better placed by advocating shutting down TJ since there isn’t room for everyone. It’s not equitable if only a handful of the student body of Fairfax gets to go.

I see sports and bees as more trivial. Not everyone is even interested. And everyone knows the money, time, and effort goes into sports and other competitions. That amazing piano kid at your school? Tons of money, time, and effort poured into her. We know this. We also know that’s what’s happening with many of these super wonder TJ applicants. Where we fall off the rails is how this phenomenon is absolutely shutting poor and URM kids out of this amazing opportunity. They can not compete because those with money, time, and effort will continue to push the bar higher. Public education opportunities cannot favor the wealthy or disfavor certain minorities, which is exactly what is occurring.

It's different because it's different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public education =/= sports.

In any way.

However there are many ways you can foster your child’s educational success with money. It’s just a public high school should at least strive for equity in admissions.

That’s where people disagree. In a public school sports, spelling bees, band, cheerleading, etc. usually have a try out and the top performers get selected. You just don’t want that to apply to TJ. I find your argument of striving for equity to be better placed by advocating shutting down TJ since there isn’t room for everyone. It’s not equitable if only a handful of the student body of Fairfax gets to go.

I see sports and bees as more trivial. Not everyone is even interested. And everyone knows the money, time, and effort goes into sports and other competitions. That amazing piano kid at your school? Tons of money, time, and effort poured into her. We know this. We also know that’s what’s happening with many of these super wonder TJ applicants. Where we fall off the rails is how this phenomenon is absolutely shutting poor and URM kids out of this amazing opportunity. They can not compete because those with money, time, and effort will continue to push the bar higher. Public education opportunities cannot favor the wealthy or disfavor certain minorities, which is exactly what is occurring.

This type of comment acts like the other FCPS high schools are garbage. They just aren't and everyone attending FCPS gets to take AP level classes whereas not everyone gets to participate on the baseball team even at all. Going to TJ requires a ton of work. And a specific interest which many people even upper income people don't have. If you don't get into TJ you can still take an AP course at your high school. The idea that everyone must be given rights to an elite stem school is wacked.

If they've been identified as gifted and interested in stem to the point of making it a focus of their life in middle, lets find a way to get them into TJ. Otherwise, I really don't care what your race or income is. You don't really need to go there.

OR let’s get out of the horrendous practice of specializing in middle school, which overwhelmingly is parent-driven, not student-driven.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone get accepted from the waitpool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

There is a rubric that the essay graders used. The essay graders are FCPS teachers. Would not be surprised in the least if that rubric is quietly “shared” w/ prep companies by at least one teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

Not only Curie, other prep center's students too .. easier to prep a subjective essay !!

I heard Curie is better in Math prep compared to others ... so now TJ cake is for all the prep centers with less work and same fee!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats to the Lottery Class of 2025 who got into the Karen Keys-Gamarra School of Diversity & Equity!

Remember, potential future applicants - we're serious about not letting people get away with buying admission anymore by spending thousands of dollars on prep. If you want to buy admission now, you'll have to donate your thousands directly to the school board members instead

Even if this were true and it isn't. A lottery would be a better way to dole out seats than using a fake merit system where only those who can afford to buy the test get in.

No, you're absolutely right. That's never something that happens when you switch to fewer merit-based acceptance criteria, nor when something sought-after gets decided by crapshoot.

[Anonymous]

Responding to: This type of comment acts like the other FCPS high schools are garbage. They just aren't and everyone attending FCPS gets to take AP level classes whereas not everyone gets to participate on the baseball team even at all. Going to TJ requires a ton of work...."

Actually that is not quite right. Our base high school does not offer AP courses. It offers the IB curriculum. And it does not offer Physics at the High Level (HL), or HL Chemistry. The only science offered at the HL is Biology. It stinks because UVA only provides college credit for HL courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone get accepted from the waitpool?

yes

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Did anyone get accepted from the waitpool?[/quote]

what is the time given to accept/reject wait list offers? Is it 2 weeks or less?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Did anyone get accepted from the waitpool?[/quote]
yes[/quote]

Did anyone get off the waitlist this week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

There is a rubric that the essay graders used. The essay graders are FCPS teachers. Would not be surprised in the least if that rubric is quietly “shared” w/ prep companies by at least one teacher.

in exchange for generous $$$.... Let's be honest with thousands of families shelling out $4K+ for prep to buy their children TJ admissions this is a big business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

There is a rubric that the essay graders used. The essay graders are FCPS teachers. Would not be surprised in the least if that rubric is quietly “shared” w/ prep companies by at least one teacher.

in exchange for generous $$$.... Let's be honest with thousands of families shelling out $4K+ for prep to buy their children TJ admissions this is a big business.

Uncle. I've seen references to the purchase of test answers, but can someone point me to the source of this accusation? Or is it just alleged without any evidence? As a father whose daughter has take summer and weekend classes to ensure competency, I grow weary of these types of comments...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curie apparently got at least 95 seats in the class of 2025. The “buying” of seats (whatever that is!) was not particularly impacted by the new policy.

Families can move. Families can self-classify as low income. Families can hire a nanny that speaks something other than English and classify their child as ESOL. It's still entirely gameable.

The only real answer is to either 1) go to a lottery or 2) change TJ to an academy model.

Looks like Curie would have gotten the same number of students if they didn't have the per school quota.
Perhaps Curie got in more students because they got rid of the test, and it is easier to prep a subjective essay.

There is a rubric that the essay graders used. The essay graders are FCPS teachers. Would not be surprised in the least if that rubric is quietly “shared” w/ prep companies by at least one teacher.

in exchange for generous $$$.... Let's be honest with thousands of families shelling out $4K+ for prep to buy their children TJ admissions this is a big business.

Uncle. I've seen references to the purchase of test answers, but can someone point me to the source of this accusation? Or is it just alleged without any evidence? As a father whose daughter has take summer and weekend classes to ensure competency, I grow weary of these types of comments...

It's not quite correct to say that folks who went to Curie paid $4-5K for the answers to the old TJ exam.

What is correct is that students who took the TJ exam in the class of 2023 and 2024 reported having seen the questions that were on their TJ exam (specifically on the Quant-Q, which is supposed to be a secured exam with no prep available) during their time at Curie. Now, whether they actually did or not is another question entirely, but it's hard to imagine why a TJ student would openly admit that they had seen the questions before in a public forum if it weren't true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Uncle. I've seen references to the purchase of test answers, but can someone point me to the source of this accusation? Or is it just alleged without any evidence? As a father whose daughter has take summer and weekend classes to ensure competency, I grow weary of these types of comments...

It's not quite correct to say that folks who went to Curie paid $4-5K for the answers to the old TJ exam.

What is correct is that students who took the TJ exam in the class of 2023 and 2024 reported having seen the questions that were on their TJ exam (specifically on the Quant-Q, which is supposed to be a secured exam with no prep available) during their time at Curie. Now, whether they actually did or not is another question entirely, but it's hard to imagine why a TJ student would openly admit that they had seen the questions before in a public forum if it weren't true.

More likely students saw similar questions. Curie either had previous exams, or they made up their own exams based on either previous exams they got a hold of or what students told them about the exams. It's also possible the Quant-Q people were so lazy they just reused questions verbatim.