Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 14:09     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We got waitlisted at Sidwell, GDS, and St Albans. No waitlist movement at all and we even had our DS send a letter every month with updates. Once we realized that the waitlist thing is a joke, we applied to a few other schools. These schools have waitlists, but still told us they have space. We applied and were accepted at 2 schools.

We’re shocked, but very happy that we have a place for our son. However, we now understand that at most schools the waitlist is definitely a soft rejection.


Curious where you applied for high school and were accepted after the deadlines this spring.


We applied to Landon, Georgetown Prep, and SJU. Don’t want to say where we got in for privacy reasons, but considering the fact that all of these schools have healthy waitlists, finding out that they still would not only consider our son but also get us a decision within a week was very telling about how this whole thing works.


Interesting because we know people who were WL at two of those schools, but I really think the waitlist is truly a soft rejection most places.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 13:14     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:2 off the waitlist for Gonzaga


WOW! Really? We got an email saying they were still oversubscribed.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 13:11     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:We got waitlisted at Sidwell, GDS, and St Albans. No waitlist movement at all and we even had our DS send a letter every month with updates. Once we realized that the waitlist thing is a joke, we applied to a few other schools. These schools have waitlists, but still told us they have space. We applied and were accepted at 2 schools.

We’re shocked, but very happy that we have a place for our son. However, we now understand that at most schools the waitlist is definitely a soft rejection.


What grade? Some grades did not have many spaces in the first place.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 10:00     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We got waitlisted at Sidwell, GDS, and St Albans. No waitlist movement at all and we even had our DS send a letter every month with updates. Once we realized that the waitlist thing is a joke, we applied to a few other schools. These schools have waitlists, but still told us they have space. We applied and were accepted at 2 schools.

We’re shocked, but very happy that we have a place for our son. However, we now understand that at most schools the waitlist is definitely a soft rejection.


Curious where you applied for high school and were accepted after the deadlines this spring.


We applied to Landon, Georgetown Prep, and SJU. Don’t want to say where we got in for privacy reasons, but considering the fact that all of these schools have healthy waitlists, finding out that they still would not only consider our son but also get us a decision within a week was very telling about how this whole thing works.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 09:46     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:We got waitlisted at Sidwell, GDS, and St Albans. No waitlist movement at all and we even had our DS send a letter every month with updates. Once we realized that the waitlist thing is a joke, we applied to a few other schools. These schools have waitlists, but still told us they have space. We applied and were accepted at 2 schools.

We’re shocked, but very happy that we have a place for our son. However, we now understand that at most schools the waitlist is definitely a soft rejection.


Curious where you applied for high school and were accepted after the deadlines this spring.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2025 09:42     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
We got waitlisted at Sidwell, GDS, and St Albans. No waitlist movement at all and we even had our DS send a letter every month with updates. Once we realized that the waitlist thing is a joke, we applied to a few other schools. These schools have waitlists, but still told us they have space. We applied and were accepted at 2 schools.

We’re shocked, but very happy that we have a place for our son. However, we now understand that at most schools the waitlist is definitely a soft rejection.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2025 21:24     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Some schools make room for the right families who apply during summer, waitlist or not. It’s about fit and money.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2025 21:06     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
This is the time of year that all of the people who claim waitlists often move are conspicuously silent. No doubt, there is and will be anecdotal evidence of a a handful of people getting off a waitlist. At the same time 98% of people in the waiting pools will not move and never had a shot. Schools continue to think it’s better to mislead parents into thinking they have a chance than to just be honest and say no.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2025 18:17     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^by extension, that doesn’t translate into a lot of waitlist movement because families offered a spot after June 1 would still have to pay full tuition at the school they signed with. Not often do people want to do that, unless they are rolling in cash or kid was headed to public school before getting off a list.


Isn’t there also a tuition insurance option?

Tuition insurance only kicks in after a student has attended for two weeks, so it isn’t very helpful if you just change your mind late and want to enroll somewhere else. Most schools start about the same time, so unless a family got extremely lucky with the academic calendars of the two schools, this kid would likely miss at least a few days and as much as two weeks of school, and most private schools would frown on that.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2025 17:33     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Many schools still have openings, even in their entrance grades. Don’t let a waitlist scare you. It was the school’s soft way of rejecting the early applicants.
Anonymous
Post 06/06/2025 16:10     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:^by extension, that doesn’t translate into a lot of waitlist movement because families offered a spot after June 1 would still have to pay full tuition at the school they signed with. Not often do people want to do that, unless they are rolling in cash or kid was headed to public school before getting off a list.


Isn’t there also a tuition insurance option?
Anonymous
Post 06/03/2025 18:38     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
2 off the waitlist for Gonzaga
Anonymous
Post 06/03/2025 18:11     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
^by extension, that doesn’t translate into a lot of waitlist movement because families offered a spot after June 1 would still have to pay full tuition at the school they signed with. Not often do people want to do that, unless they are rolling in cash or kid was headed to public school before getting off a list.
Anonymous
Post 06/03/2025 18:09     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Anonymous wrote:Any recent movement on private high school waitlists? I think many schools had deposits due on June 1, and there was some chatter that waitlists might move thereafter.

Deposits are generally due at contract signing back in March. Many schools in this area put families on the hook for full tuition if they don’t withdraw by June 1, however, which I assume is what you’re thinking of.
Anonymous
Post 06/03/2025 16:13     Subject: Any movement on HS waitlists?
Any recent movement on private high school waitlists? I think many schools had deposits due on June 1, and there was some chatter that waitlists might move thereafter.