Anonymous wrote:The issue at Woods is that many girls peel off to Stone Ridge or Holy Child early on, figuring that it's easier to get in earlier. There are fewer, if any, Catholic schools that follow the K or 6th through 12 model.

There are so many Woods boys with sisters at SR that there's a daily bus from SR to Woods so parents don't have to make two drop offs.

PP here. Mind you, there are girls who join in 6-7th as well, as they want a smaller middle school experience and a school that can set them up better for private HS later on.

The issue at Woods is that many girls peel off to Stone Ridge or Holy Child early on, figuring that it's easier to get in earlier. There are fewer, if any, Catholic schools that follow the K or 6th through 12 model.

There are so many Woods boys with sisters at SR that there's a daily bus from SR to Woods so parents don't have to make two drop offs.

Anonymous wrote:Any coed lower school will be boy heavy. There is a reason boy parents leave publics faster than girl parents. Public and private schools have a boy problem so unfortunately, joke’s on them that small class sizes and an extended recess won’t solve all of their boy’s problems

I don't think this is true at more competitive schools because they can control the gender balance

Any coed lower school will be boy heavy. There is a reason boy parents leave publics faster than girl parents. Public and private schools have a boy problem so unfortunately, joke’s on them that small class sizes and an extended recess won’t solve all of their boy’s problems

We looked at Woods and thought it was a lovely school, despite the gender imbalance. What was more problematic to us is that a lot of the kids seemed to be related to the teachers and administrators. I’m sure this is true at a lot of schools, but it was more apparent at Woods during our tour and in conversations with parents.

Anonymous wrote:Woods has had a gender imbalance for over a decade. It used to be the most noticeable in the upper grades.

Agree with the above poster who thinks it draws in a lot of families who believe that small and nurturing classes will help fix whatever challenge their child is facing.

Interesting. Many years ago, we pulled out our DS iat the Woods bc it was too girl heavy and not many male teachers in the upper school. We put him at Mater Dei but left our 2 daughters at the Woods.

I think the relationship with SR plays a huge role in the imbalance. Girls peel off in the lower grades to ensure admittance at SR. The girls that stayed with our DD had no interest in SR.

Woods has had a gender imbalance for over a decade. It used to be the most noticeable in the upper grades.

Agree with the above poster who thinks it draws in a lot of families who believe that small and nurturing classes will help fix whatever challenge their child is facing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went to open house today and noticed that each classroom was boy heavy. Is this changing at all for lower schools?

Interesting, OP. Not at Woods but my son's K-8 is boy heavy also. Unsure if others are chosing all girls schools, more girls are thriving in public, or does this area have more young boys?

Schools that have a more nurturing outlook tend to attract more boys- they get a lot of boys whose parents are seeking a smaller environment for all kinds of reasons, including HFA, mild learning disabilities, behavioral stuff, or just not wanting a place that’s more about competitive academics and rigor. Sometimes because of the attached preschool you get a lot of 5 year old boys who need another year of pre-k and “the gift of time.” I’m not saying Woods doesn’t have rigor or serves only those kinds of boys, but rather that it can attract more families who are worried that they’ll need a bit more than other schools.

We visited Woods a couple of years ago when considering options for our DS. It did appear a bit boy heavy in the upper grades especially, but overall we thought it was a lovely school (the commute just wasn't going to work for us). I forget her name but their director of admissions was extremely helpful and honest throughout the process. We really had a great experience with the school and would consider it in a heartbeat under different circumstances.

Oh interesting. My daughter's DMV private on the other hand is girl heavy...so if we get a few more anecdotes like mine, then we will know the girls are just spread out at other schools.

Anonymous wrote:Went to open house today and noticed that each classroom was boy heavy. Is this changing at all for lower schools?

Interesting, OP. Not at Woods but my son's K-8 is boy heavy also. Unsure if others are chosing all girls schools, more girls are thriving in public, or does this area have more young boys?

Not at Woods but at a similar school in New England (relocated from DMV). We learned the hard way that a slight gender imbalance can become a dramatic one in 1-2 years if the cohort has even the tiniest social challenges.

On the other hand, I would also be open in asking admissions about gender numbers by grade. At our current school and in my DD’s grade, you would think the classrooms were 2/3rds boys. They’re actually 2/3rds girls but the boys seem to make up for their small numbers with noise and movement.

The Woods Academy gender imbalance was one of the reasons we left. My daughter's class only had a few girls spread between two classes and none of them were particularly that nice.

Went to open house today and noticed that each classroom was boy heavy. Is this changing at all for lower schools?