Anonymous
05/20/2026 22:50
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:People in boundary for those schools have more money than others.
Those are two of the best elementary schools in the city, and so yes privates are more likely to prefer kids from those schools because they'll have a better baseline than a kid from another ES in a poorer part of the city.
Some of the parents at those schools are still super stressed about getting into the "right" private because they are competitive, so they pull their kids out early (usually 4th grade) to get ahead of the ms & hs scramble.
All of it basically comes down to the fact that those schools zipcodes are filled with people who have both money and ambition.
Very few people apply to those schools, and the schools need students to pay the bills. I think the main qualification for getting in is whether your check will clear.
Sidwell’s acceptance rate is 7-15 percent. GDS is higher but hovers around 25.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 19:53
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:People in boundary for those schools have more money than others.
Those are two of the best elementary schools in the city, and so yes privates are more likely to prefer kids from those schools because they'll have a better baseline than a kid from another ES in a poorer part of the city.
Some of the parents at those schools are still super stressed about getting into the "right" private because they are competitive, so they pull their kids out early (usually 4th grade) to get ahead of the ms & hs scramble.
All of it basically comes down to the fact that those schools zipcodes are filled with people who have both money and ambition.
Very few people apply to those schools, and the schools need students to pay the bills. I think the main qualification for getting in is whether your check will clear.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 17:26
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
People in boundary for those schools have more money than others.
Those are two of the best elementary schools in the city, and so yes privates are more likely to prefer kids from those schools because they'll have a better baseline than a kid from another ES in a poorer part of the city.
Some of the parents at those schools are still super stressed about getting into the "right" private because they are competitive, so they pull their kids out early (usually 4th grade) to get ahead of the ms & hs scramble.
All of it basically comes down to the fact that those schools zipcodes are filled with people who have both money and ambition.
Those are two of the best elementary schools in the city, and so yes privates are more likely to prefer kids from those schools because they'll have a better baseline than a kid from another ES in a poorer part of the city.
Some of the parents at those schools are still super stressed about getting into the "right" private because they are competitive, so they pull their kids out early (usually 4th grade) to get ahead of the ms & hs scramble.
All of it basically comes down to the fact that those schools zipcodes are filled with people who have both money and ambition.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 17:02
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
It’s about the relative price of the housing stock in each catchment, that’s all.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 16:03
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:Best admissions strategy is to just start at private in elementary, with a K-12 or K-6/8.
And if you can't do that, consider hiring a top private school consultant. It's not cheap but it's cheaper than 6 years of private elementary school tuition.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:59
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Best admissions strategy is to just start at private in elementary, with a K-12 or K-6/8.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:57
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Could it be because of the financial make up of those who are inbound to those schools? They may have more financial resources to send their students to private starting in middle school. Perhaps check with other NW DCPS ES’s to find out how many of the students then go on to private to get a better idea if it is the school vs financial resources.
But is your concern why those kids don’t go on to attend Deal or Hardy? It may be good to ask specific questions about those middle schools. Or if you are wanting your kiddo in private for MS then ask about best way to prepare your student for private?
But is your concern why those kids don’t go on to attend Deal or Hardy? It may be good to ask specific questions about those middle schools. Or if you are wanting your kiddo in private for MS then ask about best way to prepare your student for private?
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:39
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You have no clue what the actual percentages are and are guessing and being ridiculous.
Not the OP but sheesh...
1. Why do you have to be so rude? Were you raised in a barn?
2. You can infer a lot from the edscape data enrollment patterns (https://edscape.dc.gov/page/enrollment-patterns-index) - we know that 50% of kids at Key and Mann did not go into DCPS or public charters for MS and HS last year, and so therefore they are either going to private schools, moving to the burbs, or being homeschooled. We don't know exactly what proportion of each of those things, but it is reasonable to assume that a large proportion are going to private schools.
Because it’s a silly question
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:38
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You have no clue what the actual percentages are and are guessing and being ridiculous.
OP here. I asked the registrars of each school, and they told me that since COVID, approximately half of their graduates go onto private school.
No they didn’t.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:35
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
I do not think private schools care very much which specific DCPS elementary the kids come from. They're pretty similar in Ward 3.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:33
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:You have no clue what the actual percentages are and are guessing and being ridiculous.
Not the OP but sheesh...
1. Why do you have to be so rude? Were you raised in a barn?
2. You can infer a lot from the edscape data enrollment patterns (https://edscape.dc.gov/page/enrollment-patterns-index) - we know that 50% of kids at Key and Mann did not go into DCPS or public charters for MS and HS last year, and so therefore they are either going to private schools, moving to the burbs, or being homeschooled. We don't know exactly what proportion of each of those things, but it is reasonable to assume that a large proportion are going to private schools.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:32
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:You have no clue what the actual percentages are and are guessing and being ridiculous.
OP here. I asked the registrars of each school, and they told me that since COVID, approximately half of their graduates go onto private school.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:30
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
Anonymous wrote:
After touring most NW DCPS ES, it appears that the greatest percentage of families that send their kids to private schools — around 50% — is at Key and Mann.
Does this mean that children from these schools will face a much tougher battle getting into top private schools from these schools, if they have no sibling or legacy preference there?
Or does it mean that these schools prepare kids better for privates (somehow) and private school admissions teams prefer them?
Whether someone applies and whether they get in is highly correlated with being loaded.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:27
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
You have no clue what the actual percentages are and are guessing and being ridiculous.
Anonymous
05/20/2026 15:23
Subject: Strategy for private MS and HS
After touring most NW DCPS ES, it appears that the greatest percentage of families that send their kids to private schools — around 50% — is at Key and Mann.
Does this mean that children from these schools will face a much tougher battle getting into top private schools from these schools, if they have no sibling or legacy preference there?
Or does it mean that these schools prepare kids better for privates (somehow) and private school admissions teams prefer them?