DH and I looked only at private schools that were preK-8. Our goal for DC is a private boarding high school - HADES, one of which DH is an alum. We felt a school that ended in 8th would be an easier transition and DC was accepted at 2 schools. They had good placement and came highly recommended from friends whose children attended the schools. Ultimately, however, we chose a public language immersion school. Neither private had a foreign language starting in preK. So for us, early exposure to a foreign language is important.

There is nothing wrong with advertising especially a school's open house dates. If your school has something special (a program, an upcoming event, etc.) see if the media will do profile about your school and the event. When we were looking for a pre-school/elementary (level) school our top priorities included: safety, academics, opportunity for creative play, etc. When the decision came down between two schools, we choose the school were the kids seemed the most joyful. Our first impression list of things we noticed when we visited a school included: how diverse a school is and how well do the students seem to interact with each other (this was particularly important when looking at middle/upper schools); how warm/friendly the administration and staff are; the behavior of the students; and how the physical atmosphere felt. In addition to these "things", when we were looking at middle/upper schools the main critera was a strong academic program.

I think an Admissions Director or anyone else associate with a school should use this forum to seek information to help answer questions, just like any parents. This is the purpose for these forums. It's great that people are able to ask questions they might not otherwise be able to find answers to because they don't know anyone to ask or because they are too embarassed to ask or because asking might jepardize an admission offer. Of course you have to weigh the validity of each response. Good luck AD.

My child attends a school that matches OP's description to a T and also has a fairly new AD ... but the school is not underenrolled nor having problems getting people to come attend open houses. So I imagine it is not my school ... sorry, but can't resist being curious about which school it is!!

My advice is to encourage current parents to reach out to friends and associates to provide accurate and personal approach to spreading information about the school. I would also recommend focusing all direct and indirect marketing on what makes your school unique and desirable. As a prior poster stated, nearly all private schools say they offer the items you mention (good academics, convenient location, comparable tuition). If any of the items are missing then you have a problem, but it is the special features of your school that make the sale.

Do you provide a special arts program? Do you have a fantastic natural environment/science focus? Do you offer a broad range of competitive sports? Do a large proportion of your students achieve <insert desirable outcome here>? Do your alumni come back to campus 30 years later extolling the foundation they received at your school all those years ago? Do the children attending your school literally cry on the last day of school because they wish it was NOT the last day of the school year? (true story!) Paint a picture of life at the school that is far more appealing than just the items you highlighted in your post ... not that those things are in any way bad.

As you stated yourself, parents in Fairfax County have pretty good schools at their doorsteps, especially at the elementary level. So you have to give them some inspirational or aspirational goals to convince them to spend over $20k a year and take on daily carpooling!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No advertising - I automatically think a school that is advertising NEEDS to advertise. IE whiff of desperation.

We learned about the schools we're applying to through word-of-mouth and/or our preschool director. If you aren't already, you should be meeting with good preschools so the directors know about your program. Invite them to visit. There have been school directors tromping in and out of our preschool head's office since school started. If you require testing, the major testers should also be given a chance to learn about your program.

Then, help your parents and alums to be good ambassadors in the community. They can talk it up better than anyone else.

HAHAHAHAH - are you kidding? Pick up a copy of Washington Family or Washington Parent - any issue - and you will see ads for all the local areas privates including the infamous Big 3. I actually wonder why they bother to advertise at all but they do.

Good advice from the first PP here. I wouldn't rush to advertise; no one gets interested in a school because of an ad in the Washingtonian or anywhere else. I sometimes wonder if schools place these ads because they perceive it will get them editorial coverage. In any event, word of mouth--including what is posted on these boards--is far more powerful.

HAHAHAHAH - are you kidding? Pick up a copy of Washington Family or Washington Parent - any issue - and you will see ads for all the local areas privates including the infamous Big 3. I actually wonder why they bother to advertise at all but they do.

You bet they have to advertise. It's a competitive market and they need paying patrons. Have you ever checked out the endowment/pupil of these elite schools? This tells the whole tale.

After families visit the school, how many of them apply? I think that's a big piece to look at.

We visited a few schools and there were a couple that just rubbed us the wrong way. One was the head of the school and one was the smell and stuff everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:No advertising - I automatically think a school that is advertising NEEDS to advertise. IE whiff of desperation.

We learned about the schools we're applying to through word-of-mouth and/or our preschool director. If you aren't already, you should be meeting with good preschools so the directors know about your program. Invite them to visit. There have been school directors tromping in and out of our preschool head's office since school started. If you require testing, the major testers should also be given a chance to learn about your program.

Then, help your parents and alums to be good ambassadors in the community. They can talk it up better than anyone else.

HAHAHAHAH - are you kidding? Pick up a copy of Washington Family or Washington Parent - any issue - and you will see ads for all the local areas privates including the infamous Big 3. I actually wonder why they bother to advertise at all but they do.

AD, maybe instead of looking at other schools and asking what yours is missing, you should be looking at other schools and asking what niche you can fill that others aren't filling, and for which there is a demand. It seems to me there is already the "gifted" school (Nysmith), the "traditional" school (Westminster), the "whole child" school (Langley), and so on. I don't know if there is a niche that is not yet filled, or a demographic not being served, but it would be worth exploring.

I sincerely apologize to the AD... I also suspected that you were the notorious Langley hater just looking for a fight.

I think the PP gave some excellent advice.

A lot of wasted ink spilled on these pages castigating anonymous posters based on speculative guesses about their identity. You've discovered with egg on your face ... this is a wasted exercise. I'm sure this will not be the last time.

Anonymous wrote:No advertising - I automatically think a school that is advertising NEEDS to advertise. IE whiff of desperation.

I've seen recent ads in the NW Current and the Washington Post education supplement for Sidwell, Beauvoir, Washington International School, and NCS, none of which are hurting for applicants, so I think your assumption may be off.

I sincerely apologize to the AD... I also suspected that you were the notorious Langley hater just looking for a fight.

I think the PP gave some excellent advice.

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot be real. The OP is clearly talking about Langley and made it quite obvious. If she was trying to get real feedback under the radar, she could have just read the boards.

Maybe you should ask Jeff to check the OP's IP address to see whether it comes from a school.

It does come from a school and all of you who guessed have been wrong. Don't ask me which school though. That information will die with me.

Personally, I think the original poster has chosen a great method of obtaining honest feedback. Assuming the poster is familiar with this forum, it also shows significant intestinal fortitude.

OP here...

First, Thank you, Jeff. I had to think long and hard before I posted for the very reasons you are alluding to above. I ultmately decided it was important to have the candid feedback from the members of this forum to bring into discussions with my Board of Directors.

For the record, I do not work at Langley, but have tremendous respect for their program and their Admissions Director. What are we (my school) missing that Langley School has??? Two words: An endowment.

You know, there are a number of PS-8th schools in Fairfax Co. Yes Langley, but the minute the OP said they were competitively priced made me rule that one out. Other obvious options are Congressional and Green Hedges, both of which I would rank higher than Langley on the public transportation availability front. Also Vienna Town & Country, Merritt (I think?) and I'm sure there are others.

Langley is clearly the most well-known school meeting these criteria in Fairfax, OP, as you can see from the responses. Why don't you take a look at that school and see what your school is missing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot be real. The OP is clearly talking about Langley and made it quite obvious. If she was trying to get real feedback under the radar, she could have just read the boards.

Maybe you should ask Jeff to check the OP's IP address to see whether it comes from a school.

It does come from a school and all of you who guessed have been wrong. Don't ask me which school though. That information will die with me.

Personally, I think the original poster has chosen a great method of obtaining honest feedback. Assuming the poster is familiar with this forum, it also shows significant intestinal fortitude.

This seems doesn't seem authentic- reads like an underhanded attempt to denigrate Langley's rep.