our dc loves it and doesn't want to leave. the community of kids/classmates and families is wonderful. it's very rigorous and the demands build as kids get ready to transition to high school (for example, in 8th grade a 10 page research paper in history with thesis, formal biblio, cites etc). it seems like a lot of work to me, but apparently it prepares them well for high school. no tutor for our dc and don't hear much about them. our dc loves sports, arts and social, and so for him, life will stay balanced because he likes and needs the mix. but that also means he won't be the highest academic achiever in the class which is ok with him. my sense is that if your child is a perfectionist and really needs perfect scores on everything, that could make for some unhappiness because it will be a big grind (ie there are kids who will study over 10 hours for a history test--in 8th grade). these kids are so talented, but also really nice and interesting and supportive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Your poor kid. When do they have fun?

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Real dumb ass comment.

Everyone is different. My kid is a 9th grade @Sidwell and he also spends 4 hours of homework a night which is OK by me. He also has tennis, piano and guitar lessons during the week and more tennis lessons + tournaments + private tutoring on weekend so he has to manage his time wisely. Since he is not the smartest kid in his grade, he needs to work three or four times harder than the smart one. What's wrong with working hard? This country is built on hard work.

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

I have one in 7th right now. Homework at home is about an hour per night, often less. My child does do homework during the study period at school though and keeps current on long term projects so they don’t turn into emergencies, so that helps.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone even the smartest of the bunch have tutors to give them an edge. It’s a ridiculous environment to put a kid in. Even worse is it’s not so Quaker encouragement of rampant competition and self righteousness.

False. No tutors for any of ours, and they are doing very well.

I have a friend with two kids there. They are stressed and stretched to the max with 3-4 hours of homework a night, which started in 7th.. They are thinking of leaving because of the stress, but the kids adamantly want to stay for social reasons - they love their friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone even the smartest of the bunch have tutors to give them an edge. It’s a ridiculous environment to put a kid in. Even worse is it’s not so Quaker encouragement of rampant competition and self righteousness.

Absolutely not true. My dc has never had a tutor- except for me, occasionally- and does quite well.

+ My kid never has a tutor in Sidwell. Besides, we have not seen any competition among students or parents. Verh often, my kid tells us like " I am so glad a friend had a good score, or feel sorry for another friend who did not do well in a test". They do help each other.

Anonymous wrote:Life’s too short to put your kid through that pressure at such a young age. My friend interviews for Harvard and she says the Sidwell kids have not been very impressive particularly around a self congratulatory and entitled attitude.

“Interviews for Harvard.” What a joke. Speaking of self congratulatory.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone even the smartest of the bunch have tutors to give them an edge. It’s a ridiculous environment to put a kid in. Even worse is it’s not so Quaker encouragement of rampant competition and self righteousness.

Absolutely not true. My dc has never had a tutor- except for me, occasionally- and does quite well.

Life’s too short to put your kid through that pressure at such a young age. My friend interviews for Harvard and she says the Sidwell kids have not been very impressive particularly around a self congratulatory and entitled attitude.

Everyone even the smartest of the bunch have tutors to give them an edge. It’s a ridiculous environment to put a kid in. Even worse is it’s not so Quaker encouragement of rampant competition and self righteousness.

More joy?

Two kids there. Both very happy. We re-evaluate with them each year, and there has never been a question about returning.

It is a rigorous school, but the head of Upper School has been on a campaign to bring more joy into the building, which I think has been moving in the right direction. I have found the competitiveness to be more on the healthy side. The kids generally collaborate on things like outlines for tests and what not. It isn't a cut-throat competitiveness to my experience.

It does feel like a pressure cooker as the kids enter 9th grade. Before that kids don’t feel it as much. Elementary is not really advanced/ tracked.

We love the school’s values and curriculum, but are worried about excessive homework loads and a competitive culture (among both kids and parents). Would love to hear real-life experiences. Is your child enjoying their experience as well as their life outside of school? Are they overworked or overly stressed? Thanks!