Yes

Don't know why so much Potomac hate. It really is up to you if P-mac is better than the "Big 3". As for is it better than public,VA folks have told me that they think its higher quality than Langley.....

Yes.

The only thing that is sad, PP, is that you cannot handle hearing that someone else has a lesser opinion of your school than you do. It seems to have struck a nerve, and fwiw my kids are at another private school, not public as you seem to have incorrectly inferred.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, you are still woefully ignorant.

As are you. But I'm not paying 35k a year for "Churchill."

Mostly because you can't get in.

No. Who would "apply" so that they could given permission to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a public school that they can get for free? Potomac has nothing to offer that we couldn't get in FCPS or MCPS.

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Sounds like you are trying to justify something to yourself. Sad.

We also know families that are very happy with Potomac and stayed until graduation. They have mentioned that there is a significant turnover in Upper School as many kids will go to boarding school in line with their family traditions. I don't believe that is so true at the big 3s at least not the one our kid attends.

Anonymous wrote:OP -- I assure you that I'm quite sincere. I'm not trying to brag about my child, particularly since this is an anonymous forum and it would be fairly pointless to try to seek kudos or admiration when nobody has any idea who I am! I purposely have been vague because I'm trying not to identify my child or family, and it is a small private school world. We love both schools and feel that he/she would get a wonderful education at both. However, when we have told friends or work colleagues what choice we most likely will make (i.e. Potomac), most seem to be surprised. I'm not trying to bash either school, and our indecisiveness is a reflection of our genuine respect for each school. I think most people on this board don't have ulterior motives other than seeking advice from people who have more experience with a particular school. If it helps, our child is at the older end of Lower School, so Middle School and Upper School are clearly factoring into the decision.

OP- it sounds like you are in a great position. You should go with your gut. Potomac may not be well known in some circles, but it has a great academic reputation. We hadn't heard much about it until we became immersed the application process. In the past three years we have met more and more families we respect who have or have had children at Potomac.

If commute is part of your consideration, the bus system at Potomac really makes things easier for parents, especially as kids get older.

We also know several families who have made the choice of Potomac over a "Big 3" and are very happy. Even know a family who left Potomac for a Big 3 and returned to Potomac.

Good luck with your decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, you are still woefully ignorant.

As are you. But I'm not paying 35k a year for "Churchill."

Mostly because you can't get in.

No. Who would "apply" so that they could given permission to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a public school that they can get for free? Potomac has nothing to offer that we couldn't get in FCPS or MCPS.

Anonymous wrote:We are about to do so, but wonder if we are making a bad decision.

Sounds like you might too insecure to decide based on other things than general reputation and what others say. If you can't be confident in choosing Potomac, which is clearly a terrific school in so many ways, then you might be better off at a Big 3 (such a stupid nickname) but that has nothing to do with Potomac being a lesser place.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Don't do it. No one had even heard of Potomac School until 10 yrs ago (and I grew up here.)

You must have been out of the independent school scene then as Potomac has been around since 1904. It did not have a HS til the late 1980s, but that does not mean it was not a good school then and now!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, you are still woefully ignorant.

As are you. But I'm not paying 35k a year for "Churchill."

Mostly because you can't get in.

No need to fight. I think because Potomac was known for such a long time as a pre-K through 8 school, it took time for it to be considered in the mix with the longer-established high schools. Imagine that, say, Norwood added a high school -- it would take a while for its high school's reputation to catch up to it's K-8 reputation.

Thirty years later, I think Potomac is "there." Very good facilities, faculty, and a strong cohort of kids. Potomac's location makes it a prime pick for Virginia families looking for independent education, and my sense is that plenty of those families in particular (and maybe a smaller number of DC families making the reverse commute) now pick it over some of the top options in DC itself.

It's obviously got a very different feel from a Sidwell or GDS and maybe even a Maret, but lots of families like it and the kids and families seem very happy with it.

And by the way, I'm a public school grad from a great public school system -- I would never dismiss a great public HS option, and we have lots of those around here too.

Anonymous wrote:No, you are still woefully ignorant.

As are you. But I'm not paying 35k a year for "Churchill."

No, you are still woefully ignorant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was there in the 80s, Potomac had many buses going into DC. It seemed like 2/3 of the students lived in DC. Potomac has a long tradition in the DC area.

It has a long tradition of being like a suburban public high school that people pay for.

This makes no sense. It was founded in DC in 1904 & only added a high school in the very late 80s. The first graduating senior class was in 1990.

Just remove the word "high" from school. Are you satisfied now?