Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

ok tell us what your scores your private school kid received.

Sound a bit bitter for alllllll that money you spent

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

God, please no more. So tired of "privates are not about test scores" BS. Yeah, I get it. Your kid who scores 1100 on SAT is somehow doing better than kids who scored 1500 on SAT from public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

If you think any of the selective independent schools are about boosting your child's SAT scores or solely about where they go to college, don't bother. Send them to public school and spend your money on cram classes and test prep. If you disagree, please tell the admissions officers when you visit that your priority in determining where to send your child is the school's average SAT score and college admissions. They will solve your search dilemma by not admitting your child. If you think that lying about your rationale for a school is better, why do you think it will provide something it doesn't like to emphasize?

Smart, thoughtful, motivated student may have high test scores but not all high scorers are particularly smart, thoughtful, or motivated. In putting together a diverse class, a private school may make room for a student who might climb far from where they came from, but not necessarily to the top 1% of test takers. They might have experiences and viewpoints that add to the richness of a class. Your child's scores don't impact mine at all, but the your child's potential ability to deepen intellectual conversations does. When the standardized tests provide insight into a student's creative thinking and leadership skills, I'll be on your side.

Anonymous wrote:LOL.

So hearsay from random parents that "Sidwell is a hippie school" or school visit propaganda about "heritage" and "distinction" = unimpeachable evidence.

But a list of which schools have the most National Merit scholars and highest SAT scores = "junk".

Duly noted.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

Anonymous wrote:2 Montgomery Blair Magnet 1488 25.69% 4.51% Not reported Magnet Silver Spring MD

17 Richard Montgomery High School 1190 6.22% 1.07% 4.45% Public Rockville MD

I don't know if the table is any good but I can tell you two schools I am familiar with (Blair and RM) are, at best, misleading.

For Blair Magnet
- 1488 is for SMAC kids
- 25.69% is for SMAC and PAC program combined.

For RM

- 1190 is entire school
- if you count just magnet (RM/IB), it's close to Blair
- 6.22% is wrong. RM/IB NMSF is over 40%

I guess what I am saying is the table seems to contain a lot of errors.

Anonymous wrote:
Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.

Anonymous wrote:This is silly and arbitrary. It relies purely on test scores - the SAT for Presidential Scholar candidates and the scores themselves, PSAT for National Merit - which isn't surprising for a test prep business.

Even worse, the data are unreliable. The privates do not report their SAT scores. The public schools claim different/higher scores than the College Board. The ranking table includes a percentage for the average number of students who go on to a top 15% college, but it doesn't include the number in the ranking. This number is not reported by any of the schools, so there is no reason to believe that it is particularly accurate. Even sillier, the top 15 college list doesn't include Stanford or Columbia.

Please don't use junk lists like this to figure out which private schools make sense for your child. Visit and talk to other parents.