Anonymous wrote:GDS is known nationally. Similar to Sidwell. Maret is a local school with less cache if that matters. It is not in the same category as GDS/Sidwell/Potomac. We do through this every year and every year, stats show us that this is correct. Plus...Whittle thing is just strange.

GDS parents are flattering themselves if they think they have the same national name recognition as Sidwell.
Why is Potomac mentioned here at all?!? It appears that a Potomac parent wrote this fan fiction.

We live in Virginia and are looking at Maret. I was shocked that Maret’s literature states: 8% of students reside in Virginia. That has to be the lowest of the Sidwell, GDS, STA/NCS cohort? I tried to look up the others but without success.

GDS is known nationally. Similar to Sidwell. Maret is a local school with less cache if that matters. It is not in the same category as GDS/Sidwell/Potomac. We do through this every year and every year, stats show us that this is correct. Plus...Whittle thing is just strange.

Anonymous wrote:Academics at Maret are similar to GDS. Definitely not a different tier. Similar college lists. GDS is bigger and less structure. Had one kid at both. They fit both kids and their specific needs and wants. Both great schools from my perspective.

My experience was that college counseling was much better at Maret.

Academics at Maret are similar to GDS. Definitely not a different tier. Similar college lists. GDS is bigger and less structure. Had one kid at both. They fit both kids and their specific needs and wants. Both great schools from my perspective.

Well, one has a cafeteria and the other doesn’t so there’s that

My child didn’t like the idea of calling their teacher by their first name

We looked at both. Maret has a nice community feel. Got the sense the high school academics were a little less intense there which would be nice. It is a little smaller and that can be an issue particularly for those who start young. Both are great schools.

GDS is a better school by far and much harder to get into and consistently rated as a top 3 school whereas Maret is 2nd tier but very convenient.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that there are pages of opinions on Sidwell vs GDS but this thread is quiet.

This comparison just isn’t as interesting. 🤷‍♂️

Interesting that there are pages of opinions on Sidwell vs GDS but this thread is quiet.

Anonymous wrote:If you go to one you probably don’t know that much about the other….i guess if you have kids at both those are the only parents with worthwhile info

That said, I think conventional wisdom (we have a child at one of these schools) is that Maret is less pressure

Nitty gritty feedback, yes. But parents will gather information over the years from other families that attend both schools. Through athletics, friendships, community gatherings, there is a ton of social circle overlap with Maret, Sidwell, GDS, NCS, STA, etc. But it's true that people without any direct experience with these schools will contribute (in threads like these) to stir the pot with misinformation.

Op here. We’re looking at 6th and 9th grades.

You need to specify what grades you're asking about. Both schools have more similarities than differences but the division (lower, middle, high) matters with this question. My understanding is that the biggest difference is the size (student population). Both schools are demanding with great course offerings. They're also both on urban campuses and this comes with advantages and draw backs. Parent and student community is generally similar, I believe.

If you go to one you probably don’t know that much about the other….i guess if you have kids at both those are the only parents with worthwhile info

That said, I think conventional wisdom (we have a child at one of these schools) is that Maret is less pressure

Spinning off another thread: In what ways are GDS and Maret's approaches different and in which ways are the same?

Can you give specific examples of how these schools differ in their approach as opposed to your opinion about which one is better. I know both are socially progressive. GDS seems a little less traditional/structured than Maret. Maret’s grade is also smaller than GDS (90ish versus 120ish kids in 9th). What else would you say are meaningful differences between the two schools?