Anonymous wrote:Most DC private high schoolers get home by themselves either via public transit or driving once they are old enough. GDS has the least sports/PE requirements that I have heard of so maybe look there (even though it has been all but impossible to get into the last few years)

This was not true at Sidwell. Parents were mostly doing the driving until the kids could (and some kids didn't get licenses).

The GDS part is true - no afterschool requirement.

Sidwell's is also flexible. You need to earn 10 points of after school athletic credits over 12 trimesters. If you are on a JV/Varsity team after school, you earn 1.25 for the season. It will involve daily practice to 5:30 (or longer for football) and games/meets. But you can also fulfil by attending an after school activity (including dance, yoga, non-team tennis, ball hockey) that is often just a commitment of 45 minutes twice a week. It is also possible to be in the gym twice a week before school or during a free period. For these "twice a week" choices you earn 1 point for the season. It works out so that if you play two team-sports (with heavier commitment) a year, you can have a third season off in every year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Potomac the sports requirement can be fulfilled with theater and debate. An activities requirement can be fulfilled with robotics. So they say one sweaty sport and one activity, but it is very flexible as to what counts

The issue for some families is that any of these require staying beyond the end of the regular academic day. This can cause logistics issues where both parents work outside the home.

That’s why most private schools have a shorter school day. If they require sports it usually displaces PE in MS. So all 7/8th graders for example would go to sports practice at 2:30 instead of sitting in classes until 3:30

But they don't have shorter days in HS. In fact, our private ended at 3:30 and then sports would go to 5/5:30. Our public gets out around 2pm.

Anonymous wrote:At Potomac the sports requirement can be fulfilled with theater and debate. An activities requirement can be fulfilled with robotics. So they say one sweaty sport and one activity, but it is very flexible as to what counts

But - it's important to calculate that even if you are doing debate or theater, these are still amounting to a requirement to be in an activity after school that keeps you there for several hours. Important to calculate whether this will work for your child when they enter HS, especially at schools that are also going to give a lot of homework.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The key is that states have a requirement for PE to graduate high school. This has to be met, and private schools typically have students meet it through sports teams requirements.

State requirements of that kind do not apply to private schools, at least in VA for high school (9-12). My private in a different VA metro has PE only for 1st through 8th grade (and its fully integrated into the normal school day) and has no required sports after 8th (and has no other required after school activities after 8th either).

Yeah, I don’t think there are PE requirements that apply to private schools in DC either. There is so much variance. The legal requirements imposed on private schools in DC seems pretty generic and gives schools quite a bit of leeway and independence:

“Schools must provide satisfactory evidence to the superintendent of schools that the character of instruction includes acceptable subject matter and time devoted to the subjects. 5-E DCMR §2100.2.”

https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/non-public-education/regulation-map/districtofcolumbia.html

Anonymous wrote:The key is that states have a requirement for PE to graduate high school. This has to be met, and private schools typically have students meet it through sports teams requirements.

State requirements of that kind do not apply to private schools, at least in VA for high school (9-12). My private in a different VA metro has PE only for 1st through 8th grade (and its fully integrated into the normal school day) and has no required sports after 8th (and has no other required after school activities after 8th either).

Anonymous wrote:Most DC private high schoolers get home by themselves either via public transit or driving once they are old enough. GDS has the least sports/PE requirements that I have heard of so maybe look there (even though it has been all but impossible to get into the last few years)

No, they don’t.

The key is that states have a requirement for PE to graduate high school. This has to be met, and private schools typically have students meet it through sports teams requirements.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Potomac the sports requirement can be fulfilled with theater and debate. An activities requirement can be fulfilled with robotics. So they say one sweaty sport and one activity, but it is very flexible as to what counts

The issue for some families is that any of these require staying beyond the end of the regular academic day. This can cause logistics issues where both parents work outside the home.

I mean, for US students who are taking the bus I feel like it would be easier to find a carpool from the after activities bus all their friends are taking. There are three complete bus cycles so you don’t have to pick them up at school.

Some schools will give you a "waiver" if your kid plays a sport outside school.

Most DC private high schoolers get home by themselves either via public transit or driving once they are old enough. GDS has the least sports/PE requirements that I have heard of so maybe look there (even though it has been all but impossible to get into the last few years)

At Bullis it's an activity, not necessarily a sport. So my non-athlete did theater

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Potomac the sports requirement can be fulfilled with theater and debate. An activities requirement can be fulfilled with robotics. So they say one sweaty sport and one activity, but it is very flexible as to what counts

The issue for some families is that any of these require staying beyond the end of the regular academic day. This can cause logistics issues where both parents work outside the home.

That’s why most private schools have a shorter school day. If they require sports it usually displaces PE in MS. So all 7/8th graders for example would go to sports practice at 2:30 instead of sitting in classes until 3:30

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Potomac the sports requirement can be fulfilled with theater and debate. An activities requirement can be fulfilled with robotics. So they say one sweaty sport and one activity, but it is very flexible as to what counts

The issue for some families is that any of these require staying beyond the end of the regular academic day. This can cause logistics issues where both parents work outside the home.