Anonymous wrote:I don’t know much about it but find it odd that they advertise so heavily and sponsor events. Is that typical?

I’m the previous poster who commented on having moved from a top-3 school to BISW. It’s funny that you say this because since we moved to BISW, my constant criticism to the administration has been on why they do not promote the school more and they do not more heavily promote themselves like other top DC schools do. The response I get is that they cater to a specific market (international/expat community) and they have to be careful not to change the fabric and identity of the school community.

The school is part of a larger family of schools around the world (Nord Anglia), which owns and runs usually the top schools in countries they go in (from Latin America to Asia). Nord Anglia is a for-profit company. I guess if it was in their business interest, they would promote more, and if they don’t, it must not make business sense.

I don’t know much about it but find it odd that they advertise so heavily and sponsor events. Is that typical?

Anonymous wrote:It has a terrible reputation among teachers.

As a longtime expat and teacher at international schools in multiple countries, I know a lot of teachers and worked with some who had done a stint at BIS. In addition, there is a website called International Schools Review on which teachers can leave anonymous reviews on international schools around the world. BIS has multiple reviews here by teachers who have worked there, several quite recently/this year. It would be worth the $30 for an ISR subscription to see them.

It would be far better to choose a reputable independent school in the area.

I’m a teacher at the school and was surprised by this comment. I went on the International Schools Review and did not see anything that is particularly worse than what has been said about any other school. If anything, it had much better reviews relative to most others. The school is not perfect as an employer but nowhere is. I find it much better than most other schools I’ve worked at. I have been here now for six years, and I have 16 years of experience across three continents. BISW had a relatively low turnover of teachers compared to most other schools I know. The main reason people leave is usually for family and personal reasons.

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t apply there, but my impression from many families looking for schools is that is not attractive enough. If there is an option for an international school, parents prefer WIS.

When I was searching for schools, my impression was that is was a very commercial place (for profit school, which is not bad, but mainly for profit). This is purely my impression based on no facts. Maybe a parent from BISW can tell you actual details.

WIS is very toxic. Three families in my daughter’s class at BISW came over from WIS just to get away from it all. A couple of kids from her grade went from BISW to WIS last year and are regretting it. The culture of bullying is very heavy at WIS and it often goes unnoticed.

OP here…If the rankings are so perception-based, and in the case of a school with little responses largely inaccurate, and if the lower ranking of the school is driven by lack of responses to surveys and not due to academic or other serious deficiencies, I prefer to maintain this lower ranking. It will keep the school truly a “hidden gem” and will continue shielding our school from the toxic culture that infests other DC private schools. I would rather keep us under the radar screen than to see kids and families from other schools pouring in. I think the school is smart in not promoting the school further.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is our third year at this school and we love it! We moved from a top-3 school to escape the toxic environment dominating many private schools. Our kids are much happier and the academics is much more rigorous. Teachers actually teach which means that unlike most other DC private schools, parents don’t have to pay thousands of dollars a year for private tutors and enrichment courses, and still their kids get into top universities! It’s a very expat/international school so parents don’t really care about US rankings and ratings (hence far fewer responses on sites like Niche, which directly affects the school’s rankings; and very few comments and views on platforms like DC Urban Moms and Dads). This lack of visibility and staying under the radar screen truly makes it a hidden gem. I hope it stays this way.

The school prepared the kids for IB well and in grades 11 and 12, the school offers IB, which is very appealing.

Two negative things are: weak sports facilities (although the new gym has helped a lot); no good varsity teams; and due to its largely expat community, many families are transient so kids may lose their friends after 3, 4 years. This is, of course negative and positive. The positive is that kids will have friends all over the world and stay well-connected through social media. More importantly, there is no “dominant” culture or group of kids usually which helps to minimize the toxicity and toxic environment that exists in many other DC private schools, especially for girls. Having uniforms also helps greatly in mitigating this toxicity!

Overall, compared to our previous top-3 school experience, we as a family are much happier at BISW and our only regret is not having made the switch sooner! Sure, the downside is that we can no longer brag about our kids going to a top-3 school but for the mental health and sanity of our kids, this is truly a small sacrifice.

maybe this is the problem

….Be honest to yourself…The prestige and the social “bragging” is one of the main reason families put their kids in these schools .

I think what the Poster meant is why the school is not ranked higher, and not so much the “bragging”. And the answer to that is in fact quite simple: Niche ranks schools predominantly based on survey responses and parent/student feedback on its site. There is very little other and external data is used especially for private schools, where test results, admissions and other info is not readily available. And BISW has far fewer survey responses and comments from parents (mainly because as an earlier person said, it caters to an international community that does not know or care about US rankings). Niche’s methodology “shrinks” scores toward the average if there aren’t enough responses—so fewer surveys = lower rankings, regardless of the actual quality of the school.

Here is a breakdown of their ranking methodology based on info available on their website:

K-12 Public & Private High Schools

Factor: Academics
What it measures: For public schools, this includes standardized state test scores, college enrollment rates, AP/IB participation, and survey data on academic quality. SAT/ACT scores were removed starting in 2023–24. For private schools, since they don’t report state test or college data consistently, the academics score is largely survey-based. Parent and student surveys on academic quality carry most of the weight, supplemented only by self-reported information like AP/IB or advanced course availability, faculty credentials, student–teacher ratios, and college matriculation data if the school chooses to provide it, which most private schools don’t report.
Relative Weight: ~ 60 %

Factor: Culture & Diversity
What it measures: Racial/economic diversity; student/parent views about culture & diversity
Relative Weight: ~ 12.5 %

Factor: Parent/Student Surveys on Overall Experience
What it measures: Satisfaction / experience from people in the school
Relative Weight: ~ 10 %

Factor: Teachers
What it measures: Teacher salary (public), absenteeism (public), or survey feedback and credentials (private); parent/student feedback on teachers
Relative Weight: ~ 10 %

Factor: Clubs & Activities
What it measures: Number, quality, cost, participation; feedback from community
Relative Weight: ~ 2.5 %

Factor: Facilities & Resources
What it measures: Physical resources, staffing, school infrastructure; survey feedback
Relative Weight: ~ 2.5 %

Factor: Sports
What it measures: Athletic programs, participation, facilities; survey responses
Relative Weight: ~ 2.5 %

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is our third year at this school and we love it! We moved from a top-3 school to escape the toxic environment dominating many private schools. Our kids are much happier and the academics is much more rigorous. Teachers actually teach which means that unlike most other DC private schools, parents don’t have to pay thousands of dollars a year for private tutors and enrichment courses, and still their kids get into top universities! It’s a very expat/international school so parents don’t really care about US rankings and ratings (hence far fewer responses on sites like Niche, which directly affects the school’s rankings; and very few comments and views on platforms like DC Urban Moms and Dads). This lack of visibility and staying under the radar screen truly makes it a hidden gem. I hope it stays this way.

The school prepared the kids for IB well and in grades 11 and 12, the school offers IB, which is very appealing.

Two negative things are: weak sports facilities (although the new gym has helped a lot); no good varsity teams; and due to its largely expat community, many families are transient so kids may lose their friends after 3, 4 years. This is, of course negative and positive. The positive is that kids will have friends all over the world and stay well-connected through social media. More importantly, there is no “dominant” culture or group of kids usually which helps to minimize the toxicity and toxic environment that exists in many other DC private schools, especially for girls. Having uniforms also helps greatly in mitigating this toxicity!

Overall, compared to our previous top-3 school experience, we as a family are much happier at BISW and our only regret is not having made the switch sooner! Sure, the downside is that we can no longer brag about our kids going to a top-3 school but for the mental health and sanity of our kids, this is truly a small sacrifice.

maybe this is the problem

….Be honest to yourself…The prestige and the social “bragging” is one of the main reason families put their kids in these schools .

For my daughter in Y3 and my son in Y9, teachers have been the best part of the overall experience. I could not ask for happier and better teachers. I’m sure there are disgruntled teachers in every school though. But so far, after four years at this school, I can only say positive things about the teachers, the kids, the academics and the overall experience. We are re-locating to Europe and are very sad to have to leave the school next year.

It has a terrible reputation among teachers.

As a longtime expat and teacher at international schools in multiple countries, I know a lot of teachers and worked with some who had done a stint at BIS. In addition, there is a website called International Schools Review on which teachers can leave anonymous reviews on international schools around the world. BIS has multiple reviews here by teachers who have worked there, several quite recently/this year. It would be worth the $30 for an ISR subscription to see them.

It would be far better to choose a reputable independent school in the area.

Anonymous wrote:This is our third year at this school and we love it! We moved from a top-3 school to escape the toxic environment dominating many private schools. Our kids are much happier and the academics is much more rigorous. Teachers actually teach which means that unlike most other DC private schools, parents don’t have to pay thousands of dollars a year for private tutors and enrichment courses, and still their kids get into top universities! It’s a very expat/international school so parents don’t really care about US rankings and ratings (hence far fewer responses on sites like Niche, which directly affects the school’s rankings; and very few comments and views on platforms like DC Urban Moms and Dads). This lack of visibility and staying under the radar screen truly makes it a hidden gem. I hope it stays this way.

The school prepared the kids for IB well and in grades 11 and 12, the school offers IB, which is very appealing.

Two negative things are: weak sports facilities (although the new gym has helped a lot); no good varsity teams; and due to its largely expat community, many families are transient so kids may lose their friends after 3, 4 years. This is, of course negative and positive. The positive is that kids will have friends all over the world and stay well-connected through social media. More importantly, there is no “dominant” culture or group of kids usually which helps to minimize the toxicity and toxic environment that exists in many other DC private schools, especially for girls. Having uniforms also helps greatly in mitigating this toxicity!

Overall, compared to our previous top-3 school experience, we as a family are much happier at BISW and our only regret is not having made the switch sooner! Sure, the downside is that we can no longer brag about our kids going to a top-3 school but for the mental health and sanity of our kids, this is truly a small sacrifice.

maybe this is the problem

This is our third year at this school and we love it! We moved from a top-3 school to escape the toxic environment dominating many private schools. Our kids are much happier and the academics is much more rigorous. Teachers actually teach which means that unlike most other DC private schools, parents don’t have to pay thousands of dollars a year for private tutors and enrichment courses, and still their kids get into top universities! It’s a very expat/international school so parents don’t really care about US rankings and ratings (hence far fewer responses on sites like Niche, which directly affects the school’s rankings; and very few comments and views on platforms like DC Urban Moms and Dads). This lack of visibility and staying under the radar screen truly makes it a hidden gem. I hope it stays this way.

The school prepared the kids for IB well and in grades 11 and 12, the school offers IB, which is very appealing.

Two negative things are: weak sports facilities (although the new gym has helped a lot); no good varsity teams; and due to its largely expat community, many families are transient so kids may lose their friends after 3, 4 years. This is, of course negative and positive. The positive is that kids will have friends all over the world and stay well-connected through social media. More importantly, there is no “dominant” culture or group of kids usually which helps to minimize the toxicity and toxic environment that exists in many other DC private schools, especially for girls. Having uniforms also helps greatly in mitigating this toxicity!

Overall, compared to our previous top-3 school experience, we as a family are much happier at BISW and our only regret is not having made the switch sooner! Sure, the downside is that we can no longer brag about our kids going to a top-3 school but for the mental health and sanity of our kids, this is truly a small sacrifice.

Both my kids went there for High School. We have been very happy with the quality of the actual teaching. Downsides are already mentioned- sports, which are obviously crappy, and support for university applications, which could be stronger. The latter matters much less for the UK than the US. And even for the US I am not sure that it made that much difference in the end.

Our kids were there from K through 8th grade. Pros: low-stress admissions; high caliber of academically-motivated students; committed teachers; well run; convenient location. Very international mix drawn from embassy, media, WB/IMF, legal.

Cons: way undersourced with athletic facilities and organized sports (so closer to a european model); the classes really shrink in high school; and college exmissions for the US at least should be much better than they are.

Didn’t apply there, but my impression from many families looking for schools is that is not attractive enough. If there is an option for an international school, parents prefer WIS.

When I was searching for schools, my impression was that is was a very commercial place (for profit school, which is not bad, but mainly for profit). This is purely my impression based on no facts. Maybe a parent from BISW can tell you actual details.

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if anyone here has or used to have kids at BISW, especially for high school? We are relocating back to DC, and its an attractive option for us, but would be really grateful for any feedback. Bonus if there's experience there with learning support, since its for an ADHD kid. Thanks so much in advance!