Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.

We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

You aren't looking at all the data. The year that Gilman had 8 semifinalists was extremely unusual. Here is some more data:

Semifinalists at Gilman
2023 2 kids
2022 6 kids

Semifinalists at Bryn Mawr
2023 2 kids

Of course there is year to year variation. You seemed to have missed the point entirely in your last post. McDonogh has a larger class size than GIlman and Bryn Mawr, allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track. If you focus on the kids in the highest academic track, there is no difference between that track at McDonogh and that track at Gilman or Bryn Mawr.

Very true that Mcdonogh has cooled off, I’d be surprised if that 30 percent number is still accurate. It would have been 10 years ago when Mcdonogh was the hot school. Back then, the tri schools were spooked because even Calvert was sending a lot of kids to Mcdonogh. But that’s swung back in a big way.

Agree. I do not think that there is any evidence that Mcdonogh is more competitive than Gilman or Bryn Mawr. Other schools will be less competitive. We are very fortunate to have so many options here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that Mcdonogh draws a lot of kids from Howard and Carroll County, it’s really the only private that is convenient to these areas. With a large population from the exurbs, Mcdonogh is decidedly Trumpier than other Baltimore independents.

That doesn’t sound right. Howard and Carroll County have Glenelg Country School. Mcdonogh is no more Trumpy than Gilman or Bryn Mawr. It is just wealthier but don’t confuse that for Trumpier.

I know many parents at Mcdonogh who support Trump. This isn’t even surprising, one need only look at where Mcdonogh draws students from and how those areas vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Let’s look at the numbers and see who is “very out of touch:”

Gilman had 8 National merit semifinalists and 28 commended in a class of 118. So, 7 percent of class is a semifinalist and 24 percent are commended.

Bryn Mawr had 5 semi finalists and 14 commended in a class of 82. So 6 percent of class is a semifinalist and 17 percent are commended.

Mcdonogh has 6 semifinalists in a class of 166. That’s 4 percent of the class. They didn’t release commended students for this year yet, but last year, they had 11, which is 7 percent of the class.

Last year, Mcdonogh had 1 national merit semifinalist while Gilman had 5 and Bryn Mawr had 4. Keep in mind the Gilman class is smaller by more than 35 kids, and Bryn Mawr is roughly half the size of Mcdonogh.












We can also look at the average test scores of the top quarter

I have lived here 15 years and will never understand the weird investment Baltimorons have in "ranking" local private schools or propagating stereotypes of students at those schools.

Cue - outrage...

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

where is the eye roll emoji?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

McDonogh has a big regional draw, tapping heavily from Howard County, where private options are limited. It's coed and more traditional than Park or Friends with their reputation for progressive educations and politics. And, frankly, options are limited if you're looking for a coed high school that is also more traditional than not. The only option is actually McDonogh.

I do agree it doesn't mean the education is "better" because it isn't.

Glenelg Country School is the main private school for Howard County. It is coed and traditional. Like you said, other coed options include Park and Friends. There are actually lots of private school options in the Baltimore area.

Anonymous wrote:Agree that Mcdonogh draws a lot of kids from Howard and Carroll County, it’s really the only private that is convenient to these areas. With a large population from the exurbs, Mcdonogh is decidedly Trumpier than other Baltimore independents.

That doesn’t sound right. Howard and Carroll County have Glenelg Country School. Mcdonogh is no more Trumpy than Gilman or Bryn Mawr. It is just wealthier but don’t confuse that for Trumpier.

Anonymous wrote:Whatever it once was, it’s going down. Sizable drop off in births after 2008.
.

People are still moving to cities, so unless you live in a small town birth rates don’t impact you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Yes, actually the national merit semi finalist numbers are the same, even per capita, when you are comparing the kids on the advanced academic track.


As per the rest of what you are saying, you seem very out of touch with the private school scene in Baltimore.

Agree that Mcdonogh draws a lot of kids from Howard and Carroll County, it’s really the only private that is convenient to these areas. With a large population from the exurbs, Mcdonogh is decidedly Trumpier than other Baltimore independents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.

The national merit numbers are never actually as good, especially on per capita basis.

As for your last sentence, come on. Peak Mcdonogh was a decade ago, the last few years, it has been the second “hottest” school in the County to Saint Paul’s. Most people in the city no longer consider it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

McDonogh has a big regional draw, tapping heavily from Howard County, where private options are limited. It's coed and more traditional than Park or Friends with their reputation for progressive educations and politics. And, frankly, options are limited if you're looking for a coed high school that is also more traditional than not. The only option is actually McDonogh.

I do agree it doesn't mean the education is "better" because it isn't.

When my son applied to these schools, we compared the academic offerings of McDonogh to Gilman and did not like that Gilman had limited course offerings that required students to leave campus and take common classes at the sister schools. Very common courses were just not offered at Gilman.

You can define what a “better” education is yourself, but the academic rigor at McDonogh for kids on their highest level track is at least equal to that track at Bryan Mawr and Gilman.

If you want to know which of these three schools has the happiest students, spend time on their campuses and it becomes obvious. It is the school that is in the most demand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that McDonogh is so much more competitive. It's not one that we're interested in and I would not have assumed it was anywhere near as desirable as Bryn Mawr or Gilman. My perspective is probably just skewed by living much closer to those schools.

I don’t think that it is, in the sense that they don’t have higher academic standards. Mcdonogh does however, recruit much more aggressively for athletes than other Baltimore independents (the Catholic schools do as well, but much bigger classes) so there is going to be less room for normal “academic” candidates at both the middle school and upper school level.

Academically, the high school advanced track at Mcdonogh is similar to Bryn Mawr or Gilman. They produce similar numbers of national merit semi finalists and college outcomes are similar for students on that track. Of course there is year to year variation.

However, McDonogh also has a larger class size allowing it to cater to a wider range of students who are not all on the highest academic track.

The boarding program at McDonogh and their bus fleet allow them to capture students from a wider area than some of their peer schools.

Mcdonogh has the best athletics program in Maryland, a campus that rivals colleges, and is overall the most in-demand private school in the Baltimore area.