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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’ve been looking through the forums and past posts as I try to get a general idea of the private school landscape for our Northern Virginia family. We’re in Arlington and thought the kids would go to public schools because ‘the schools were great’. At some point in time we learned that the high schools were not as great and we might want to consider private for that. We made ourselves to the idea that we would apply private for middle school or high school.  And then the last two years happened and now we’re wondering if we should consider private sooner since it sounds like admissions have gotten much more competitive.   I’m trying to come up to speed on this earlier than I expected.

My questions:
a) I kept reading about going to school close to where you live. Obviously there is Potomac. What are other options in this area? Madeira is all girls so that’s not an option for one of our kids. Langley sounds great, but I’m weary about doing the application again in HS especially for my kid who is not super social - seems rough to pull them out of public, then Langley, then somewhere else for HS but maybe people do It and it’s fine.  We like where we live and moving for a school seems daunting 
b) Are there set “entry years” when more spots open up usually or does it vary at all schools? Does it make more sense to apply for K (missed that boat), 6th, or 9th grade?
c) We’re Catholic but I hadn’t really considered Catholic schools - I’m not sure why. I think maybe I inadvertently ranked schools in my head as public, then Catholic and then independents like Potomac and if we’re gonna pull them out of public then try to go all the way. But I’m open to suggestions if there are exceptional ones to consider. Is it common that catholic school families would apply /  get into Potomac type schools for HS?

We want solid academics with less emphasis on devices and more emphasis on textbooks. Child loves learning and is not an athlete. We’re big on social Justice values (I feel a little guilty about potentially going private) and educating the whole child / inculcating values. And we’re minorities so a bit concerned about that as well, though I’ve mostly come to terms that private schools will not have the level of diversity I would prefer in an ideal world.

All suggestions welcome but please be kind to this newbie [/quote]

Entry years are the years to apply to private for better odds. For Potomac (since you mentioned that school) that is K, 4th, 7th and 9th. NOT 6th. They do add a handful at 6th (but like 4) but 7th is the real entry year (and 4th). So try for an entry year otherwise odds are slim. Tons of Arlington kids at Potomac. The school is like 60% NVA with McLean, Arlington, Falls Church and Vienna making up the bulk. If you are Catholic, you might want to look at Bishop O'Connell in Arlington. It's close and less expensive/easier to get into than Potomac (but its only high school). If your kids are already in 4-5th I would not bother with Langley since it only goes to 8th...if they are younger (i.e. 2nd or 3rd) that could be a nice optoin that would cover you for 5 years. St John's is also a Catholic school in McLean (right on Arlington border) that could be an option before high school. good luck! [/quote]

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