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[quote=Anonymous][b][/b][b]Hi, I am the 12:02 poster.  My post was so darn long that I did leave some things out, but I will try to respond to the new questions.  I would add that I only worked at a couple of places, and my experiences may not have been typical in all ways (although I suspect there are some verities that cut across the schools in DC, at least.)
--WPPSI scores and the pre-K level: I was dealing with slightly older kids, so I can't say for sure other than anecdotally based on conversations with other admissions types.  My sense is that they are just part of the picture; it is know that for younger kids in particular they can really miss the boat depending on the child's attention span/state of mind at the moment (who among us hasn't had our bright-eyed little child have the occasional day when he/she just does not want to deal with questions from adults!).  So I wouldn't give up if they young 'un isn't a 99th percentile!
--Playdates: It's probably a little frustrating that I can't give an iron-clad answer on this, but basically my experience was that yes, they mattered some, but more as corroborating material (for example, a clearly bright and engaged and articulate youngster as seen on a play date can counteract a somewhat lower test score).  If the child is a little bit shy or reserved (or even gets upset) that's not fatal by any means -- these folks do know kids and understand they have off days!  (For younger kids, my best advice is to try to ensure they've had a enough sleep and to eat -- I too get cranky when I'm tired or hungry.  The cheese stick in the purse isn't a bad idea!)
--Parental status: Like most of these other things, it matters at the extreme upper end: any school in town would have loved to take the Obama kids, test scores be d-----!  (Shoot, even St. Albans might have been tempted to make a special one-time exception to the all-boys set-up!)  But below the level of, say, a senator, I honestly don't think it matters much.  Often a compelling narrative (single parent without a college education, or working class parents reaching out for an educational dream by applying to private school) is more powerful to the people on the admissions staff.  Moreover, even where the parent is high-level high-status (Senator McStately), these schools know that if the child would truly be miserable at the school (usually because it isn't a great academic fit), they can be buying trouble by admitting them in pursuit of the status but then having to deal with the consequences of a possibly unhappy youngster over months or years.  For money to matter (the fabled "development case") I think it has to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars/donate a new building category to matter, and the same still holds true that the schools don't want to have an unhappy child of Daddy Warbucks if the school is truly not the right fit for the youngster.  
--Siblings and legacies: I would say that siblings and legacies get put into that "middle pile" where they will get the benefit of a full discussion even if the might otherwise be in the clear-cut reject/waitlist pile.  the schools are senstitive that it can be very upsetting and even hurtful to reject a sibling or the child of a devoted alum, but they also really want to get "new blood" and bright students.  So not infrequently the result of the longer discussion is still reject or waitlist, but the decsion may be communicated by the Admissions Director (or even the Head of School) directly to the family in question so that they don't have to open a letter to get the news.  For siblings, if the current child is doing very well at the school (academically, in the arts, athletically), that can help the younger sib, and yes, sometimes you'll hear comments along the lines of "what a great family."  But if the schools really think it wouldn't work for the younger child, they'll hold the line.
--Gender balance: My sense is that most of these schools don't worry TOO much about this year-to-year, because their applicant demographics are fairly stable from year to year, but that they might pay more attention in outreach and recruiting if they see application levels from boys or girls drop over a several year period.  
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