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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How hard is it to get into the most competitive privates, really?

Sometimes I hear it's practically impossible in high school, sometimes I heard that it's more like 50/50. I'm talking about the most competitive ones - STA, NCS, Sidwell, Maret, GDS, Holton.

Does anyone have real data on this?[/quote]

Maret is very transparent about it, and told me they plan on admitting about 40 kids out of 300+ applications. 
GDS told me they plan on admitting only 50-60 out of a predicted 500 applications. 
Sidwell and STA are more opaque, but I'd guess it's similar odds.

My recommendation would be to cast a wider net than these schools. If your kid is qualified for these places, they'll easily get into the other DC privates like Landon, Field, Burke, etc. In many cases, families are happier at the less "elite" private schools than the families at the precious "Big 3"[/quote]

My DC is a current 9th grader at Sidwell, and he was admitted from public school. Sidwell received over 500 applications, and there are 45 new 9th graders. However, I’m not sure how many students were admitted to yield 45 (Sidwell’s target). I also heard (second hand, so…) that Sidwell did not have to go to its waitlist.

Btw, my son’s unscientific observation is that most of the new 9th graders are:
1. Younger siblings of current Sidwell students;
2. Children of Sidwell alums; and/or
3. Recruited athletes.
My son is none of those 3 things. [/quote]

One more (one more) thing 😊:
My son said that more than any other demographic, most of the new 9th graders came from private schools (mostly K-8th). 
He also just counted the new 9th graders from the directory. As far as he can remember, 10 (out of 45) are younger Sidwell siblings and/or children of alums. [/quote]

Not surprising at all. The k-8's advocate for their students. They start early in the 8th grade year having meetings with the families to discuss the process, the types of schools that would be a good fit, etc. They guide them through the process and meet with the admissions staff at the receiving schools. I'm guessing they help with essay writing. Coming from public, you're on your own. It's definitely possible, but you are at a disadvantage from the start without a k-8 school's support. We got in from public but it was a lot of work. Do your research. Show up at the tours, open hours, etc. Make sure you let the schools know why you think the school is the best fit for your kid and that it's a top choice. Be genuine. Most importantly, let your kid know that the odds are not good and it has nothing to do with them if they don't get in. It's a numbers game most of the time. Have a back up you are comfortable with.[/quote]

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