Wow. I was told that this thread existed from a parent that I know very well, and it is surprising that such experienced parents have not clearly written a list of the best ACADEMIC reputation, best ATHLETIC reputation, and best SOCIAL reputation.


ACADEMIC (BOYS):
-St. Anselm's
-Gonzaga College High School (Prep is interchangeable with Gonzaga)
-Georgetown Prep
-St. Alban's
-St. John's

(Those are the most discussed in DC/MD)




ACADEMIC (GIRLS)
-NCS (National Cathedral School)
-Holton Arms (interchangeable with NCS)
-Georgetown Visitation
-Holy Child
-Holy Cross
-Stone Ridge



ATHLETICS (BOYS)

-Gonzaga
-GP (again, interchangeable with Gonzaga)
-St. John's
-DeMatha
-Good Counsel


ATHLETIC (GIRLS)
**Depending on the sport, this list changes, and certain schools rank higher than others**

-St. Stephen's St. Agnes
-NCS
-GV
-Holton Arms
-Stone Ridge
-Holy Child

and so on...

(**NOTE!**)

Personally, I was raised in D.C, attended Stone Ridge since I was about three. After a couple years of high school, Stone Ridge had started to fall down in reputation, and now it has become a school that is merely advertising it's lack of applicants, as if it is something to be proud of. I transferred to a different school and continued my education at ivy league colleges (for my undergraduate and my graduate). My brother attended St. Anselm's but after his middle school experiences, he chose to attend Gonzaga. Not only did he love it, but he created a niche for himself, and returns every year for the famous Gonzaga v. St. John's game. He brings his children to the Gonzaga v. GP games, and his twin boys have already shouted that they want to be purple eagles. Gonzaga has the most amount of school pride of any school in the D.C area. Graduates adore it, boys want to be a part of it, and faculty stay there. After high school, because he was a high achiever, he went off to an ivy league school, and returned to a D.C college to do his graduate and doctorate.

Socially, the kids in the DC/MD area talk about the schools very differently. The auras of each institution have not changed since our parents attended these schools. Girls still want to either be a Holton girl, an NCS girl, but more importantly a "Visi" girl. Why? Visitation and Gonzaga are brother/sister, and Gonzaga is known as the most social. Holy Cross is a school, as is Holy Child, for being a school for nice girls. Gonzaga, and Prep are the most competitive for boys, but when it comes to sports, different schools are interchangeable with these two. St. Anselm's will never been known as an institution for the boys that want to throw ragers, but they will be the senior class with the highest number of National Merit finalists, and each graduate goes on to attend top institutions.

Anonymous wrote:I have to say I am surpised DeMatha isn't getting morelove on this thread. Sure, the Hyattsville location may not be all that amazing, but wow - it's a great school with a stellar academic program, musical focus, and superb athletics. It seems like they turn out really polite, ice, well rounded young men. And they go to amazing colleges...if I am not mistaken, they routinely have more ivy league acceptances than the other local Catholic boys' schools. Worth a further look for sure.

And only cost $12+k, with new facilities.

I have to say I am surpised DeMatha isn't getting morelove on this thread. Sure, the Hyattsville location may not be all that amazing, but wow - it's a great school with a stellar academic program, musical focus, and superb athletics. It seems like they turn out really polite, ice, well rounded young men. And they go to amazing colleges...if I am not mistaken, they routinely have more ivy league acceptances than the other local Catholic boys' schools. Worth a further look for sure.

No pp

Is it possible to do an apples-to-apples comparison of the academic success of the area high schools? Do the schools make SAT, AP, college matriculation data available?

As someone who long-ago dated a Gonzaga boy and was thus surrounded by Visi girls at social events, this thread really amuses me. Apparently I do still nurse a grudge for their cliqueishness! Ah, high school. Ok, carry on with the actual discussion.

Anonymous wrote:Many girls from my DD's school go to Visitation and my son has friends there. While I can't speak to their academic caliber because I don't know their grades, these are nice girls who take AP classes and work hard. That said, the first time I heard one of them refer to something as "not the Visi way" (she was being offered a less expensive option to something) I knew it wouldn't socially be the place for my DD. She is leaning toward Holy Cross.

Take a pass on Visitation completely - do not even apply. Holy Cross is a better choice. Holy Cross is a merit-based institution where young women challenge themselves to become better to make a better world through acting justly in every occasion. Visi first and foremost instills a sense of superiority for superiority's sake, with no concern for improving the lot of anyone other than themselves.

I am intrigued by this discussion of Visitation being academically rigorous. Our DD left Stone Ridge for Visitation precisely because it was less rigorous. Frankly, that was a selling point and the school sold it that way. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of as far as I am concerned. DD loved Stone Ridge but she just could not handle the academics and we were thrilled that there was another Catholic all girls school that matched her profile: bright, sweet, hard working but not able to keep pace with fast-paced, accelerated academics. Her younger DD has thrived at Stone Ridge and we are happy to have her finish up her secondary education there but it just eadn"t the right place for #1 DD.

As they say: different strokes for different folks.

And there are those who think in terms of "the Visi way" (and I imagine that you can find their ilk everywhere) but you can just ignore them and take the best the place has to offer. Our DD has.

Many girls from my DD's school go to Visitation and my son has friends there. While I can't speak to their academic caliber because I don't know their grades, these are nice girls who take AP classes and work hard. That said, the first time I heard one of them refer to something as "not the Visi way" (she was being offered a less expensive option to something) I knew it wouldn't socially be the place for my DD. She is leaning toward Holy Cross.

Anonymous wrote:To the OP: Please discount the posts that gripe about Visi taking legacies. It's not some third-rate boarding school. Some of us actually want our kids to grow up together going to the same school and if you have more than one daughter who can handle rigorous academics, you may find it the perfect place, as we did -- and we're not Visi caricatures by any stretch. Don't let the same old tedious Catholic-school stereotypes on DCUM influence your search. The top Catholic schools in the area do have different personalities (though pretty comparable academics) and it takes some legwork to get to know them and decide which ones fit. Good luck.

The reality expressed about the Visi legacy albatross strike a nerve?
No one said Visi is a third-rate boarding school, but Visi is a multi-generation in-bred institution.
The catholic elementary schools broadly generate intense social pressure to promote Visi propaganda of Visi's 'specialness'. Only a few girls from each catholic elementary are admitted to Visi. Few are admitted on merit. Those admitted are encouraged to develop an incredibly inflated sense of superiority, whereby previous elementary school friends not admitted to Visi become invisible to the Visi girls. Stop feeding the beast by refusing to even apply, lest you contribute to the perpetuation of the myth of Visi's specialness.

To the OP: Please discount the posts that gripe about Visi taking legacies. It's not some third-rate boarding school. Some of us actually want our kids to grow up together going to the same school and if you have more than one daughter who can handle rigorous academics, you may find it the perfect place, as we did -- and we're not Visi caricatures by any stretch. Don't let the same old tedious Catholic-school stereotypes on DCUM influence your search. The top Catholic schools in the area do have different personalities (though pretty comparable academics) and it takes some legwork to get to know them and decide which ones fit. Good luck.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]At blessed sacrament k-8 school(in chevy chase dc) the most desirable Boys school is gonzaga, and the most desireable girls school is visitation. The top coed school is St Johns (which isn't as hard to get into but still chosen by some who do get into gonzaga/visi).[/quote]

OP is not asking which is "most desirable." The question asked that recommendations be based on academics. Visitation is not an academically rigorous school. It has too many constituents to please and does not base its admissions on academic qualifications. It's a private school and has the right to do so. Their admissions process has served them well and I wouldn't expect them to change it. But when a school admits x number of students from this school and x number from that school, not too mention the legacies and money admits, you end up with a diluted student body when it comes to academics.

Visit the open houses, ask good questions and get as much hard data on academic stats as you can (SATs, AP scores, university admissions, etc). But don't confuse "most desirable" and "hard to get into" with academically challenging.[/quote]

I totally agree with the post above, having been through the process last year. The "dilution" factor at Visi is accurate.
Definitely take a good look at St. Johns. My child chose another school ultimately, but I think it is the up and coming school among the Catholic choices.

[quote=Anonymous]At blessed sacrament k-8 school(in chevy chase dc) the most desirable Boys school is gonzaga, and the most desireable girls school is visitation. The top coed school is St Johns (which isn't as hard to get into but still chosen by some who do get into gonzaga/visi).[/quote]

OP is not asking which is "most desirable." The question asked that recommendations be based on academics. Visitation is not an academically rigorous school. It has too many constituents to please and does not base its admissions on academic qualifications. It's a private school and has the right to do so. Their admissions process has served them well and I wouldn't expect them to change it. But when a school admits x number of students from this school and x number from that school, not too mention the legacies and money admits, you end up with a diluted student body when it comes to academics.

Visit the open houses, ask good questions and get as much hard data on academic stats as you can (SATs, AP scores, university admissions, etc). But don't confuse "most desirable" and "hard to get into" with academically challenging.

Given where they are looking to live, the 1st 2 schools I would look at are GT Prep for boys and Stone Ridge for girls. These are very solid Catholic high schools.

The next 2 schools would be Gonzaga and Visitation. These would be more of a commute. You will get different POV's on Gonzaga vs GT Prep - and the schools have a very different feel so I would recommend visiting to see which is a better fit. (for both the child and the family). For Visitation vs. Stone Ridge, Visitation has a reputation of a strong legacy student body. Some say that this dillutes the academics b/c the peers are not as stong.

The next schools to consider are St. Johns (co-ed) and St. Anslems (boys). I am only putting St. Anslem's here b/c of commute.

At blessed sacrament k-8 school(in chevy chase dc) the most desirable Boys school is gonzaga, and the most desireable girls school is visitation. The top coed school is St Johns (which isn't as hard to get into but still chosen by some who do get into gonzaga/visi).