Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

NPS placement is better than decent. Everyone ends up at a great school for them and a school they would not have necessarily gotten into not coming from NPS. That said, STA very tough for the unconnected top of class boys and some admits are (well connected) head scratchers.

It seems like many of the girls end up at Holton Arms. Do you have any insight as to why that would be?

It’s the next choice down for those whose DD can’t get into NCS.

Many NPS grads are interested in both, and many don't wish to attend either. Outplacement is not this sort of hierarchical thing where you move on to the "highest school in the land" just because. NPS really encourages and helps graduates to think about best fit as part of the outplacement process. NPS should publish both admission offers and student selections. Children are admitted to a wide range of schools, but can accept only one. It is a favor to both the child and next school that best fit is emphasized, and we found our child certainly had great options to choose from!

We are admitted to K. How is the current prek parents community?

Anonymous wrote:We had the choice and went to Beauvoir. No regrets. We didn’t know one way or the other about single sex for our individual children, but we weren’t close to it. Socially, Beauvoir being a little bigger is a plus. Lots of personalities and interests among the kids, and they mix everyone up each year, so there’s good fluidity. Our grades’ parent community has been largely very positive. One pp is right that there is a club subset (but that same subset is at nps and st pats), a subset of that subset does tend to keep closer to themselves. Not the whole subset, though, and later it tends to translate more into a set of hockey families. At least for our grades, it’s not a meaningful dynamic, and we’ve found the parents mix for school stuff.

Way more importantly, our children adored Beauvoir, loved going to school every single day, and wish they could do it all over again. As do we.

We also went with Beauvoir. Yes, there is a clubby set and also a wanna-be clubby set. They are people stuck in their teens.
Depending on what grade you’re in, you may have a lot of clubsters or very few.

Our children also adored Beauvoir. Now at Sidwell and STA, they still remember Beauvoir fondly. What I remember is that they loved learning, and it was fun and joyous. Not so true at Sidwell and STA. I’m happy their first years of schooling were at Beauvoir.

I had friends with kids at NPS and while it seemed like a great school, the kids didn’t seem to have the same attitude about learning being fun. Beauvoir kids love school.

We have the same decision to make. We are likely moving forward with NPS. Very similar academics. Of course, Beauvoir grounds are more impressive and NCS/STA placement is promising. Ultimately, we are drawn to the more down-to-earth community at NPS and the focus on the decade of childhood, rather than transitioning in 4th grade. We loved the focus on family at NPS and are excited for our kids to be at the same school community for a longer period of time. We also don’t feel we can be confident that single sex education will be right for our kids - time will tell!

NPS is a nice school, but going back to NPS BVR comparison, if you want Cathedral schools (or have a high chance of wanting this) I would go with BVR. There are also BVR kids who come to NPS from 4th and go onto great schools later for 7th, so you can even do both if you change your mind.

Two great choices. Congrats OP!

Anonymous wrote:NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

I have to disagree with this. My DS, an NPS alum, went through their program from K-6 and had stellar outplacement results (was admitted to every 7-12th grade private/ind school in DC including STA, as well as a few schools in MD). Our parent circle was very friendly, but we didn't compare notes on outplacement results...that being said, I believe many (if not all) of the boys did very well, and I think all of the kids (boys & girls) were accepted to multiple schools...incl STA, NCS, Holton, SFS, Field, Maret, Potomac, Visi and Landon. I credit the strong academic program; the diversified approach to teaching; a seasoned, vested, highly effective and (mostly) dedicated group of teachers; and a warm environment where kids feel supported and are inspired to learn.

My DS was a good student and worked hard, so he gets credit too, however...he was by NO means an athletic superstar. And we were not a legacy family, we were not well-connected at the time, we did not get a sibling preference, and we had no other "hooks" that helped him get accepted to any one of these schools. But what we did have was this...a bright kid who had a (relatively) well-balanced life, possessed a lot of grit, and had an authentic love of learning that kept growing (in large part) because it was nurtured, celebrated & rewarded at NPS.

I think the consistency that came from being at the same school from K thru 6th grade was a huge benefit when it came to outplacement. By the end of 5th grade, DS was well-rounded, well-spoken, and quite confident...he was not this way as an 8yr old 3rd grader, so I doubt we would've had the same results had we gone through the outplacement process three years earlier. Of course it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows, but no school is perfect. We had a few social issues with classmates here and there, and there may have been 1-2 teachers (over the course of several years) who weren't as impressive as the rest of the bunch, but overall, DS had a good experience and we loved the school. Congrats to you/your child on both of your acceptances...wishing you well as you make your decision!

Beauvoir is a much more sure thing, I’d do that OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

NPS placement is better than decent. Everyone ends up at a great school for them and a school they would not have necessarily gotten into not coming from NPS. That said, STA very tough for the unconnected top of class boys and some admits are (well connected) head scratchers.

It seems like many of the girls end up at Holton Arms. Do you have any insight as to why that would be?

It’s the next choice down for those whose DD can’t get into NCS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

NPS placement is better than decent. Everyone ends up at a great school for them and a school they would not have necessarily gotten into not coming from NPS. That said, STA very tough for the unconnected top of class boys and some admits are (well connected) head scratchers.

It seems like many of the girls end up at Holton Arms. Do you have any insight as to why that would be?

Anonymous wrote:We have narrowed our options to 2. We are so lucky to be in this position and are truly torn. The school admission events this week reminded us what we thought was special and unique about each school. NPS feels so warm and sincere (I teared up at the admissions event this week when the Malcolm spoke). Beauvoir was less warm but the presentation was more informative. NPS parents were more chatty and backgrounds were broadly more diverse. Beauvoir felt more clubby with kids from feeder preschools (which we are not) although people were still nice. Beauvoir appeared more racially diverse.

Our concerns are primarily outplacement- we are interested in the Cathedral schools but aren’t sure about single sex. We have two more kids so a strong sibling policy is a must. Secondarily, concerned about the community vibe- are there enough non clubby parents are Beauvoir that we could fit in? No so much for us but for our son’s benefit (are people open to new friends for their kids?).

Thoughts?

I’d have a hard time sending my DC to a school where the head of school is referred to as “the Malcolm”.

Anonymous wrote:NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

NPS placement is better than decent. Everyone ends up at a great school for them and a school they would not have necessarily gotten into not coming from NPS. That said, STA very tough for the unconnected top of class boys and some admits are (well connected) head scratchers.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am an NPS parent so biased there, because we love the school. However, I will say this - if you want, or think you want, the Cathedral schools for your kid(s), it will never be as easy to get in as it is right now, this year, when you are making a decision about Beauvoir. NCS/ STA will almost certainly take your kid in 4th grade from Beauvoir, unless there is a compelling reason for them not to. You will never have it that easy again.

I agree that 3rd grade is too early to decide about single-sex, but that's the way it works.

NPS, STP and all the others do get kids into the Cathedral schools, of course - BUT - it's much more difficult and there are many more than are turned away than admitted. Kids that get into the Cathedral schools non-Beauvoir almost always have a connection of some sort. You would be surprised at how many legacy kids are running around, and there are others who will have the social/ business connections to get their kids in. If your kid is not a superstar athlete or stellar academic or some other outstanding, desirable trait, it will be a difficult admit from NPS in the future without a connection. Your kid will be competing with classmates for those very few spots.

I know how hard it is to think ahead this far, but this is really what it comes down to. NPS is a fantastic place and I assume Beauvoir is as well. You can't go wrong with either school in the present, so try to give thought to what you want for the future.

+1 (another NPS parent)

NP, the above post is correct. If you are interested in Cathedral school, it’s really hard to get into them even from NPS. NCS is easier but STA is really really hard even if the child is spectacular kid. Many legacies are in NPS, too. I didn’t understand this before we started, but we observe that majority of STA admits from NPS are legacies/siblings, or really well connected families.

If you want other schools, then go with NPS. It has decent placement, but harder for boys.

Good luck!

As many pointed out, socially speaking the two schools are more similar than different.

OP, I am an NPS parent so biased there, because we love the school. However, I will say this - if you want, or think you want, the Cathedral schools for your kid(s), it will never be as easy to get in as it is right now, this year, when you are making a decision about Beauvoir. NCS/ STA will almost certainly take your kid in 4th grade from Beauvoir, unless there is a compelling reason for them not to. You will never have it that easy again.

I agree that 3rd grade is too early to decide about single-sex, but that's the way it works.

NPS, STP and all the others do get kids into the Cathedral schools, of course - BUT - it's much more difficult and there are many more than are turned away than admitted. Kids that get into the Cathedral schools non-Beauvoir almost always have a connection of some sort. You would be surprised at how many legacy kids are running around, and there are others who will have the social/ business connections to get their kids in. If your kid is not a superstar athlete or stellar academic or some other outstanding, desirable trait, it will be a difficult admit from NPS in the future without a connection. Your kid will be competing with classmates for those very few spots.

I know how hard it is to think ahead this far, but this is really what it comes down to. NPS is a fantastic place and I assume Beauvoir is as well. You can't go wrong with either school in the present, so try to give thought to what you want for the future.

Anonymous wrote:We are a current BVR family. We are not the clubby set and we have made a lot of friends. There are tons of normal, down to earth families who just want the best for their kids. The clubby set is small. I wouldn't say they are snobby but they aren't looking to diversify their social circle. If anything, they are kind of cartoonish.

One of the best lines ever !!! "I wouldn't say they are snobby but they aren't looking to diversy their social circle." (Do you work as a diplomat ?)