Reply to Sidwell vs. Georgetown Day School -- pros and cons

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[quote=Anonymous]Sidwell is more traditional and has strong name recognition outside of DC. It produces great college outcomes, but mostly for the top 25% of the class, who typically go to Ivy League schools or other top 20 universities. GDS is the same. These students are extremely smart, often “whiz kids,” and will stand out academically. If your child is in this category, you’ll already know it—if you don’t, they may not be in the advanced group. These students handle high levels of stress well, often because they can do less work or at least work with less time/pressure while still excelling. The remaining 75%  of students tend to get into schools ranked around the top 50 -75 (more or less), similar to other students in the DMV area. So now we're talking how much homework and stress is worth similar outcomes to other schools with 1/2 the pressure cooking atmostphere.

GDS, on the other hand, offers more freedom but has less school cohesion. It’s a smaller, quirkier environment that’s less focused on sports. While the school has its strengths, it tends to give out more homework than you'd probably like for your child. I attended GDS and later Yale, and I’ll note that GDS doesn’t have the same national recognition as Sidwell, particularly after the Obamas made Sidwell even more well-known. GDS may be stronger in the humanities or at least used to be and has a social justice focus, but neither school is particularly strong in STEM compared to other local schools. Both schools can feel like pressure cookers with more homework than is really worth it.

If you had to choose, Sidwell is probably the better option. You’ll face similar pressures at both schools, but Sidwell carries more prestige, which can be important in the real world. GDS, though once a great school, has seen better days.[/quote]

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