Anonymous wrote:My DD came from a DCPS and started NCS in 4th grade. She came in with an iq score in the 99th percentile, excellent grades, and is an urm (under represented minority). The other girls that entered with her were from suburban public schools. The rest from Beauvoir.

Magic words- underrepresented minority
To get in at middle school means you better have something that they're looking for. Sometimes it's athletics sometimes it's minority status sometimes it's just money.

It's not easier in PreK or K. It is just more random since there is no real academic record to go on. If you think your DC is not likely to be top of the heap then it's better to apply now. If you think s/he will be top of the heap then the odds are just as good, if not better, later.

yes. Give her a good background in culture, music, sports, etc. and she'll fit in just fine. Save your pennies for private middle school, the wonder years...

Yes. It happens all the time. Just try to pick a decent elementary public, so that her preparation isn't hampered. Also, you can always supplement whatever she's getting at school through tutoring, working with her at home, things like Kumon, etc.

My DD came from a DCPS and started NCS in 4th grade. She came in with an iq score in the 99th percentile, excellent grades, and is an urm (under represented minority). The other girls that entered with her were from suburban public schools. The rest from Beauvoir.

Schools that have admission years (like 3rd grade) or expansion years (like 6th or 7th grade) are looking for diversity in where they bring in children from. (If you don't believe this, look at what the schools publicize about incoming classes for such years -- it will typically say that new students are coming from 12 different schools, born in 40 different states, represent 32 countries, etc.) Thus, if your DC is one of few (or the only) strong candidate from a public school, you have at least as good a chance of getting in than an applicant who is one of many from the same lower school.

Not sure I agree. The pressure and randomness of the process at preK and K seems extreme, and frankly at that point you really have no idea if your child will end up being a good fit for the private you send them to, even if it is a preK-12 school. A prior poster said the "lifers" sometimes clearly got in early and never would have gotten in later, in terms of their academic talents, however, I really wonder if those kids are well served by being in a place that they are not academically-successful at, and being at the very bottom of the class. I agree that the pressure of getting out of public for 6th can be stressful, but many kids have reasonable or very good experiences at Deal or at charters, and the expansion for most of the top private schools for 9th is quite large, and by then can really tell what schools makes the most sense for your child in terms of an academic, social, athletic fit. My kids were in privates throughout but were I to do it again I would have done charter or public for lower school and possibly middle. Both did change schools one during lower school and one between lower and middle, and it just didn't seem that bad a process, compared to the preK/K when feeling like the parents and not the child are being assessed, or the child but based on no reliable information.

Yes if you switch around Grade 2. No if you try to switch at Grade 6.

Yes, she has a good chance of getting into a good private if she proves to be a good student BUT if we had to do it over again, we would have applied at pre-K. It's definitely easier then. There are kids at top private schools that got in early that most likely would not have gotten in at middle school.

It's tough..posters should be honest..it's already tough if you go to a private school to get into schools like Maret later on. Can it be done..of course but it is a heck of a lot more pressure..we didn't want to go through that so we are sucking it up and paying now.

and YES.

and YES.

Yes

Yes.

We are planning to do DCPS to start (DD is 4) but I'm pretty sure by middle school I want her at a private school like maret, etc. does she have any chance of getting in if I don't start her now when it's easier to get into a top school?