Anonymous wrote:So GDS is an elite public school where you have the option of paying tuition?

Tuition is not an option - there are no comparable public school options for those living in DC, but a strong student would have a comparable experience at Whitman or Churchill IF they could attend those schools. I don't see BCC or WJ as being at the GDS level.

So GDS is an elite public school where you have the option of paying tuition?

Anonymous wrote:GDS has much better college counseling program.

+1 -- from a Sidwell parent. What's the secret sauce?

Georgetown Day School (GDS) was established in 1945 as DC’s first integrated school, with a focus on both academic excellence and equality. The school provided a private school option for Jewish and Black families that were closed out of the traditional private schools. When it was founded, GDS met a need that no longer exists. Today GDS serves an entirely different function: serving as an escape path from the atrocious DC public schools for smart kids who would not fit in to traditional private schools. GDS is the private school for smart kids who don’t want to attend private school. GDS lacks the distinctive character, traditions and campus of traditional private schools. Instead GDS is much more like a smaller version of elite publics such as Whitman or Churchill than it is like STA, Sidwell or NCS. If you take the top 1/3 or ¼ of Whitman or Churchill you have GDS. A school like today’s GDS could never survive in Montgomery County or Northern Virginia where there is a very strong public school option. But in DC where the public schools are subpar there is a need for a school that serves smart kids that don’t want to attend a traditional private school.

GDS has much better college counseling program.

Anonymous wrote:Sending my kids to GDS HS (one is now a junior in college; the other a freshman) was the single best thing I have ever done for them . . . and for our family generally. They both got into their 1st choice, ED schools. Neither was at the top of their respective classes, but the college counselors are spectacular.

But was GDS your/their first choice? I can't imagine anyone choosing GDS over Sidwell IF they had a choice. GDS seems to me to be "Sidwell-lite." Am I missing something? What does GDS offer that Sidwell does not?

Sending my kids to GDS HS (one is now a junior in college; the other a freshman) was the single best thing I have ever done for them . . . and for our family generally. They both got into their 1st choice, ED schools. Neither was at the top of their respective classes, but the college counselors are spectacular.

Anonymous wrote:I read that GDS was founded by Jewish and Black families that were excluded from other privates. Are both groups now equally represented among the student population?

As GDs became more competitive, the demographics shifted. Much more Jewish than AA now.

Well my DS is coming from a K-8 but it wasn't that hard so it must be a different one than the ones your girls went to.

I read that GDS was founded by Jewish and Black families that were excluded from other privates. Are both groups now equally represented among the student population?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! He is fine at writing and he likes being in class he just doesn't like lots of homework and gets stressed out and irritable about it. Glad to hear he will be fine and they have a track for kids who maybe aren't as strong academically.

Fwiw, 9th at GDS was easier than 8th at the two different K-8 schools that my daughters attended. He'll be fine.

Thanks! He is fine at writing and he likes being in class he just doesn't like lots of homework and gets stressed out and irritable about it. Glad to hear he will be fine and they have a track for kids who maybe aren't as strong academically.

Anonymous wrote:I am the PP and i was surprised he was admitted too. He did write a heartfelt letter to the school saying it was the perfect school for him and how he was just the perfect fit. He got in off the wait list. I am a little apprehensive myself knowing his study habits and previous grades but since they accepted him I am hoping the school will support him and somehow help him motivate to study harder.

GDS wouldn't have taken your son if they didn't think he would succeed there. There are easier and harder courses and tracks, brighter and less bright kids, kids who work hard and slackers at GDS. Remember, they take kids beginning in pre-K, when it is hard to determine how academic kids will be. If your son is a weak writer, he might struggle at first, but GDS teaches kids to write, so his writing will improve. It's a supportive place. Your son will be fine.

I am the PP and i was surprised he was admitted too. He did write a heartfelt letter to the school saying it was the perfect school for him and how he was just the perfect fit. He got in off the wait list. I am a little apprehensive myself knowing his study habits and previous grades but since they accepted him I am hoping the school will support him and somehow help him motivate to study harder.

Not the typical academic profile of a GDS HS student particularly those that come in for HS. Depends on his course selection, but the workload is very substantial and the classes generally quite challenging. Someone for sure saw a spark in him if he got in, but it could be a tough adjustment, and he has to want to work harder or he will be unhappy.