Anonymous
04/09/2026 13:17
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Lewis is a feeder to NOVA and GMU.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 13:12
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Other than a school like Blair sending all those kids to MIT (that's really an incredible stat; I assume TJ has crazy stats but they have far more students), I don't think there are really feeder public high schools.
It's more that every year each top school will accept several kids from each of like 20-30 public high schools in the DMV, and those kids do well, so the school is comfortable accepting several kids year after year.
I do think if say you apply to Harvard from Bladensburg High, it's a tough lift for the Harvard AO to have to spend a ton of time figuring out if a top student from Bladensburg is really a "top" student considering many years not a single student will apply to Harvard, while they know a Whitman top student is a top student in general.
There are definitely feeder schools like Boston Latin sending more kids to Harvard than any other school in the country for no apparent reason other than their relationship. it's not that nobody from Boston Latin should get into Harvard but it is hard to explain without the concept of feeder schools. Going to Boston Latin is a hook for Harvard.
Well, OK...but this asked about feeder schools in the DMV.
For example, I don't know of any public DMV schools with a particularly special relationship with Georgetown. Like 10% of the Walls class gets an Associates Degree from GW and could get their bachelor's in another two years (though most don't)...I guess that is a special relationship though not sure if OP was thinking of a school like GW.
I think TJ students get into VT and WM at extraordinarily high rates considering their GPAs.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 13:07
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Other than a school like Blair sending all those kids to MIT (that's really an incredible stat; I assume TJ has crazy stats but they have far more students), I don't think there are really feeder public high schools.
It's more that every year each top school will accept several kids from each of like 20-30 public high schools in the DMV, and those kids do well, so the school is comfortable accepting several kids year after year.
I do think if say you apply to Harvard from Bladensburg High, it's a tough lift for the Harvard AO to have to spend a ton of time figuring out if a top student from Bladensburg is really a "top" student considering many years not a single student will apply to Harvard, while they know a Whitman top student is a top student in general.
It should be quite easy - look at the AP scores, SAT scores, academic ECs, etc.
Well...it's not because a kid from Bladensburg may have a 4.0 (even in AP classes) but only a 1300 and just a couple of ECs and may not have taken many or any AP exams because the tests are expensive and perhaps the school won't cover the cost.
The question is if someone coming from such a low performing school scoring a 1300 actually has more potential than kids from wealthier schools with all the advantages and a 1500.
There is also the factor of whether that kid knows what they are getting themselves into and can withstand the culture shock when they show up on campus. A large percentage of these kids drop out for non-academic reasons.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 13:02
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
No. What are being described are not feeder relationships, just that some colleges have mild preferences for particular high schools or patterns over the past few years, but few private schools are feeders anymore either.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 12:47
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Alexandria City is the best!
Can you expand on this? We are an ACPS family with two in middle school. Can a school that large really provide personalized college counseling to their thousands of students?
Can’t speak to the college counseling at Alexandria City, but my guess is that the college results there are due more to demographics than to amazing school based college counseling. Families with means will typically hire private counselors.
As a local whose kids went and are going through ACHS, I have noticed an above average number of kids go to UNC and Wisconsin compared to other local schools. Why I’m not sure …
Wisconsin and UNC are cheaper OOS than UCs and UofM, but still great schools. Makes sense for donut hole families.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 12:32
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Other than a school like Blair sending all those kids to MIT (that's really an incredible stat; I assume TJ has crazy stats but they have far more students), I don't think there are really feeder public high schools.
It's more that every year each top school will accept several kids from each of like 20-30 public high schools in the DMV, and those kids do well, so the school is comfortable accepting several kids year after year.
I do think if say you apply to Harvard from Bladensburg High, it's a tough lift for the Harvard AO to have to spend a ton of time figuring out if a top student from Bladensburg is really a "top" student considering many years not a single student will apply to Harvard, while they know a Whitman top student is a top student in general.
It should be quite easy - look at the AP scores, SAT scores, academic ECs, etc.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 12:27
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:You should see B-CC. We entered in 9th and college results are fantastic. I don't know about specific college connections but when you look at the admits there is something the kids are doing right. And each class has 600 kids and many of them don't post. Probably 100 total decide to post? I know 4 Ivy bound this year that have not posted and I hear there are more and can see from our Naviance. Best decision ever.
Look, B-CC is great, but its success and the success of J-R (and the success or lack of success of nearly all public high schools) is a function of parental income and education. They’re not feeder schools in the private school sense of having back door relationships between the high school CCO and the college AO that steer problem students to soft landing spots at respectable colleges, and sort out which of the top students will attend which T15 university.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 12:19
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:You should see B-CC. We entered in 9th and college results are fantastic. I don't know about specific college connections but when you look at the admits there is something the kids are doing right. And each class has 600 kids and many of them don't post. Probably 100 total decide to post? I know 4 Ivy bound this year that have not posted and I hear there are more and can see from our Naviance. Best decision ever.
+1. Great school with great results. Many headed to Ivies, 20 accepted to Michigan according to Naviance, etc. etc.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:57
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Alexandria City is the best!
Can you expand on this? We are an ACPS family with two in middle school. Can a school that large really provide personalized college counseling to their thousands of students?
Can’t speak to the college counseling at Alexandria City, but my guess is that the college results there are due more to demographics than to amazing school based college counseling. Families with means will typically hire private counselors.
As a local whose kids went and are going through ACHS, I have noticed an above average number of kids go to UNC and Wisconsin compared to other local schools. Why I’m not sure …
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:54
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
I don't think are any genuine public feeder schools in the DMV to particular selective colleges. There's no Boston Latin to Harvard kind of public school here for instance.
But the W schools tend to do very well. However, it'll be like 5 from Whitman to Yale one year, but zero the next year. But that same year they might get 5 to Duke and so on and so forth. So it's not a reliable conduit to any college in particular. But all the selective colleges are familiar with the W schools and those students tend to do very well with admissions.
But the W schools tend to do very well. However, it'll be like 5 from Whitman to Yale one year, but zero the next year. But that same year they might get 5 to Duke and so on and so forth. So it's not a reliable conduit to any college in particular. But all the selective colleges are familiar with the W schools and those students tend to do very well with admissions.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:41
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Other than a school like Blair sending all those kids to MIT (that's really an incredible stat; I assume TJ has crazy stats but they have far more students), I don't think there are really feeder public high schools.
It's more that every year each top school will accept several kids from each of like 20-30 public high schools in the DMV, and those kids do well, so the school is comfortable accepting several kids year after year.
I do think if say you apply to Harvard from Bladensburg High, it's a tough lift for the Harvard AO to have to spend a ton of time figuring out if a top student from Bladensburg is really a "top" student considering many years not a single student will apply to Harvard, while they know a Whitman top student is a top student in general.
There are definitely feeder schools like Boston Latin sending more kids to Harvard than any other school in the country for no apparent reason other than their relationship. it's not that nobody from Boston Latin should get into Harvard but it is hard to explain without the concept of feeder schools. Going to Boston Latin is a hook for Harvard.
Well, OK...but this asked about feeder schools in the DMV.
For example, I don't know of any public DMV schools with a particularly special relationship with Georgetown. Like 10% of the Walls class gets an Associates Degree from GW and could get their bachelor's in another two years (though most don't)...I guess that is a special relationship though not sure if OP was thinking of a school like GW.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:34
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Other than a school like Blair sending all those kids to MIT (that's really an incredible stat; I assume TJ has crazy stats but they have far more students), I don't think there are really feeder public high schools.
It's more that every year each top school will accept several kids from each of like 20-30 public high schools in the DMV, and those kids do well, so the school is comfortable accepting several kids year after year.
I do think if say you apply to Harvard from Bladensburg High, it's a tough lift for the Harvard AO to have to spend a ton of time figuring out if a top student from Bladensburg is really a "top" student considering many years not a single student will apply to Harvard, while they know a Whitman top student is a top student in general.
There are definitely feeder schools like Boston Latin sending more kids to Harvard than any other school in the country for no apparent reason other than their relationship. it's not that nobody from Boston Latin should get into Harvard but it is hard to explain without the concept of feeder schools. Going to Boston Latin is a hook for Harvard.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:26
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:HYP grad. I knew multiple GDS grads in my college class year.
How long ago though...things have changed
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:25
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
HYP grad. I knew multiple GDS grads in my college class year.
Anonymous
04/09/2026 11:21
Subject: Feeder public high schools in DMV
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Blair Magnet feeder to MIT - 11 last year
In 2025?
You sure you didn't mean to put a "+" sign between the ones. Because 1+1=2
https://www.polarislist.com/best-high-schools-in-maryland
This website must not be accurate because it says 3 went to Harvard from my DC’s school and none went in 2025.
Potomac and Georgetown Day are the only schools in the DMV that the site says sent 3 to Harvard in 2025. I think the Potomac number is correct, no idea bout Georgetown Day.
Not in DC