Anonymous wrote:Lowell has had bad results this year so far. Just objectively bad. One kid got in everywhere so the school will say they got kids into Sidwell, Maret, GDS but it’s all one kid. There were maybe 2 more in at GDS, 1 more in at Sidwell, and the rest of the class on the waitlist or just rejected. Some kids got in literally nowhere. Not good.

One kid getting shut out isn’t good, but it happens from time to time especially if the parents don’t follow school administrators’ advice, but more than one getting shut out is REALLY bad. Yikes.

Lowell has had bad results this year so far. Just objectively bad. One kid got in everywhere so the school will say they got kids into Sidwell, Maret, GDS but it’s all one kid. There were maybe 2 more in at GDS, 1 more in at Sidwell, and the rest of the class on the waitlist or just rejected. Some kids got in literally nowhere. Not good.

Anonymous wrote:We toured several K-8s a few years back. Every K-8 school said that “all” of their 8th graders were accepted to either 1st or 2nd choice HS for 9th grade.

We did not believe them. We might have believed “many” or “most”, but “all” just seemed so mathematically impossible. Also, when we looked at their lists of past matriculations, it appeared that the better HSs were taking 1–3 students from a given K-8 and were spreading their offers across several K-8s.

Maybe there is some unicorn K-8 that we did not visit sending 20 kids to Big-3 schools, not sure. YMMV.

Or maybe there are plenty of students for whom “big 3” aren’t their first or second choice.

Anonymous wrote:The kids who rise to the top in public are the crème de la crème for 9th grade admissions. Watch out K-8 schools!

Not sure if you are implying public school kids do better in private high school admissions (they don't) or if you are implying they do better once they get into the private high school (not necessarily).
The k-8s' ultimate goal is to get their students into private high schools and they are good at it. The relationship between the schools and individual student support makes getting admitted from a k-8 easier than from a public. The k-8's are a known entity for the private high schools--they know what to expect from them academically and get families who are used to paying tuition bills and who have reasonable expectations about what they will be getting out of a private school experience. Transitioning from public to private is totally doable but is a transition for students and families alike. Private schools expect participation and teachers provide a lot of feedback; students can't fly under the radar. Teachers expect students to meet with them outside of class. There is lots of attention to writing and presentation. It's an adjustment for those not used to it.

Anonymous wrote:We toured several K-8s a few years back. Every K-8 school said that “all” of their 8th graders were accepted to either 1st or 2nd choice HS for 9th grade.

We did not believe them. We might have believed “many” or “most”, but “all” just seemed so mathematically impossible. Also, when we looked at their lists of past matriculations, it appeared that the better HSs were taking 1–3 students from a given K-8 and were spreading their offers across several K-8s.

Maybe there is some unicorn K-8 that we did not visit sending 20 kids to Big-3 schools, not sure. YMMV.

I think both could be true. Not everyone's top choice is a big 3 school, especially by the time they are in 8th grade. Kids want high schools for different reasons. It could be a magnet school's arts program like Duke Ellington. Some families want to ensure their kids don't go to pressure cookers and actively avoid Big 3s. Some families might want their kids to go to Bullis for the track coach (who has trained two Olympians) or St. John's or Dematha for sports. So many different factors are at play.

We toured several K-8s a few years back. Every K-8 school said that “all” of their 8th graders were accepted to either 1st or 2nd choice HS for 9th grade.

We did not believe them. We might have believed “many” or “most”, but “all” just seemed so mathematically impossible. Also, when we looked at their lists of past matriculations, it appeared that the better HSs were taking 1–3 students from a given K-8 and were spreading their offers across several K-8s.

Maybe there is some unicorn K-8 that we did not visit sending 20 kids to Big-3 schools, not sure. YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:The kids who rise to the top in public are the crème de la crème for 9th grade admissions. Watch out K-8 schools!

Literally everyone we know going private from DCPS 8th is going to SJC. Selective public results haven’t come out yet, so it seems like a lot of kids from DCPS will go there.

The better question is are people from your 8th grade class happy with their options. School leaders can steer families toward schools that are more likely to admit a student, but if families disregard that advice, they might not be happy—and blame the school for “poor placement.” Schools often have the bigger picture and have a sense of who is more likely to be admitted where—both in terms of that students profile and in comparison to other applicants from the k-8. There are always some surprises of course but overall the families who are happy are those who followed the school’s advice in their applications.

Anonymous wrote:The only issue coming up is financial aid packages. More and more applicants are requesting it in its current price point and that can sometimes affect who is and who isn't admitted.

+1

Anonymous wrote:The kids who rise to the top in public are the crème de la crème for 9th grade admissions. Watch out K-8 schools!

Absolutely not the case at Sidwell for 9th. The entering 9th grade class during my kids’ years there have been largely comprised of grads from the best k-8s (but not all k-8s), then OOS kids from the Bay area or NY/NJ. THEN MoCo and far behind is DCPS.

IME the kids coming from MoCo transfer in at earlier points like fourth and sixth.

Anonymous wrote:Sheridan had another strong year and definitely a case where multiple kids were admitted to multiple top schools. Last year alone, 1/3 of the class was admitted to GDS, for example.

8th grade parent here and can concur. Class did great and kids/parents very happy.

The kids who rise to the top in public are the crème de la crème for 9th grade admissions. Watch out K-8 schools!

Of course they all did well. Where the heck do you think the private high schools get their students from???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a reason you care? Honest question

I’m the OP and I care because my older DC goes to a K-8 and I’m trying to decide whether to send my younger DC to the same school for family unity/logistics or to apply her to a top 3. Younger DC stands a much better chance of getting into a top school in K than my older DC did.

Different poster. OK but you know how your individual school has done so why do you care what happens at other schools? Are you looking at all K-8s for your younger?

The nosiness and competitiveness of this board never ceases to amaze me

The only issue coming up is financial aid packages. More and more applicants are requesting it in its current price point and that can sometimes affect who is and who isn't admitted.