Our DC class at Sheridan is 20% AA, + one (non-white) and it seems the 2nd, 1st and current K class are this way. I have HEARD - haven't investigated enough to confirm- that there is less diversity in the MS - that there has been a consistent and concerted effort to broaden diversity -

Anonymous wrote:PP, your description of the minorities at Lowell (don't know about Sheridan) does not square with my experience at all. There are substantial numbers of African American and Hispanic students at Lowell. The numbers on the website confirm this as there are listed 46 AA students, 15 Hispanic and 11 Asian American (there are also a lot of multiracial but you cannot tell what race those kids are). In last year's 8th grade there were at least 5 African American kids and at least two Hispanic kids and two Asian kids out of a class of 14 or 15. There is a broad socioeconomic range as well (not that many as high income as PP suggests with lots of two government employee families). It is true that most families had two working parents and not that many SAHMs, but some.

+1

PP, your description of the minorities at Lowell (don't know about Sheridan) does not square with my experience at all. There are substantial numbers of African American and Hispanic students at Lowell. The numbers on the website confirm this as there are listed 46 AA students, 15 Hispanic and 11 Asian American (there are also a lot of multiracial but you cannot tell what race those kids are). In last year's 8th grade there were at least 5 African American kids and at least two Hispanic kids and two Asian kids out of a class of 14 or 15. There is a broad socioeconomic range as well (not that many as high income as PP suggests with lots of two government employee families). It is true that most families had two working parents and not that many SAHMs, but some.

Like most privates, both schools are mostly white families with professional parents whose household incomes are in the $300-500K range. Minorities kids are mostly Asian or mixed race (white + Asian) kids, a few African Americans or Africans. A smattering of SAHMs.

Accepted Sheridan K family here. So happy to hear that my thoughts and feelings are confirmed with this thread. We choose Sheridan bc of the social justice and curriculum. I felt great about the school and all it has to offer my DD.

Anonymous wrote:Current Sheridan family here, I can't say enough wonderful things about the school. The academic rigor, love, care and support that the teachers have for the children, and the parent community has been hands down an all around perfect match for our family. You can't go wrong with picking Sheridan- it is truly a special place (that is about to build a new playground!).

What are the plans for the playground?

Current Sheridan family here, I can't say enough wonderful things about the school. The academic rigor, love, care and support that the teachers have for the children, and the parent community has been hands down an all around perfect match for our family. You can't go wrong with picking Sheridan- it is truly a special place (that is about to build a new playground!).

We are going to Sheridan next year. Didn't look at Lowell simply because the location wasn't convenient.

Both seem to be great schools. We would be interested in hearing about the new plans for differentiation there. How how cacademically advanced kids fared? I hear the enrichment programs are fantastic. Why are they so great?

We were at Lowell for 4 years and if there's one thing I miss, it's how wonderfully down to earth, progressive, and lovely the parents/community is at Lowell. My kid learned a great deal about empathy, community, social justice, sustainability, and more-- and she continues to express her commitment to these values. Even though we are now at a different school ( because of reasons not related to this) we continue to keep I touch w the families and participate in other activities. If it's close to your home, and you're looking for an environment that is respectful of the child and their perspective---this might be a good fit. But you need to also see what your kid needs-- whether a more traditional teacher led environment, or a more flexible/creative/child leD one. My kid ended up wanting something more traditional/structured/formal as she got older. Every kid is different.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about Sheridan but I'm very familiar with Lowell and three years ago we were faced with the same difficult decision you are facing. In the end we went with our gut feeling but also we looked at other things like the commute to school and work. We thought about how easy it would be to get to the school if one of the kids got sick. We thought about being able to attend school activities during the day while still needing to get to work or leave work to get to the events. I really feel we made the right decision and have had no regrets at all. The Lowell community is not snobbish at all, parents come from different walks of life and when it's karaoke time or another such function everyone comes together and has a great time. Since we have two there we and there are three K classes and three 1 grade classes it has given us the opportunity to meet and becomes friends with many of the families. There are families that we are still in touch with even if the kids are not in the same class. Good luck with your decision, from reading the posts about Sheridan it seems that you can't go wrong with either so it just comes down to the nitty gritty details

NP here. We are an incoming Lowell K family who also applied to Sheridan. I am so excited to read this, thank you for sharing your experience!!!

We applied to both, and the parent communities are quite similar in terms of being down to earth and welcoming. What I liked about both groups of parents is that they are full of families who made the conscious decision to choose progressive schooling for their children. This shared value really seems to united each community.

Lowell is closer to our home, but we chose Sheridan. Went with our gut feeling and haven't regretted it. I imagine that we would be happy at Lowell as well. You really can't lose. We felt lucky to have two excellent progressive schools to choose from.

Best of luck with your decision.

I don't know anything about Sheridan but I'm very familiar with Lowell and three years ago we were faced with the same difficult decision you are facing. In the end we went with our gut feeling but also we looked at other things like the commute to school and work. We thought about how easy it would be to get to the school if one of the kids got sick. We thought about being able to attend school activities during the day while still needing to get to work or leave work to get to the events. I really feel we made the right decision and have had no regrets at all. The Lowell community is not snobbish at all, parents come from different walks of life and when it's karaoke time or another such function everyone comes together and has a great time. Since we have two there we and there are three K classes and three 1 grade classes it has given us the opportunity to meet and becomes friends with many of the families. There are families that we are still in touch with even if the kids are not in the same class. Good luck with your decision, from reading the posts about Sheridan it seems that you can't go wrong with either so it just comes down to the nitty gritty details

Anonymous wrote:We are at Sheridan and love it and chose it over Lowell. The commute was better and we liked the facilities and the curriculum. We have a wonderful community - and at least in our grade there are politically progressives and politically conservative families as in liberals and Republicans.....

How many conservative families are at Sheridan? Is it a stretch for them to fit in?


Separately, would be grateful for posters to say what is the best thing about each school and what are the areas for improvement for each?

We are at Sheridan and love it and chose it over Lowell. The commute was better and we liked the facilities and the curriculum. We have a wonderful community - and at least in our grade there are politically progressives and politically conservative families as in liberals and Republicans.....

Have nothing to add about Lowell as we are at Sheridan and part of our choice was the diversity and social justice commitment so I do see that there too. My husband and I have remarked more than once about how there hasn't been any family that we haven't found to be nice, mostly approachable, kind. We haven't found "our" best friends (our DD has many!) but we enjoy the conversations we have and are friendly at the social gatherings, kids birthday parties etc. so maybe as the years go on. I very much assume that some families have wealth but there is no sense of it in our interactions and most seem to be two career/interesting people who value their kids and their being at a really really nice school. While there is a drop off it seems like most like us walk their kid to the front door if not (at least in early grades) to the class. Someone - usually the Head greets EVERY kid by name at front door with a kind word/hug/welcome comment. The aftercare is certainly a bonus - and I agree - getting DD to leave is the only downside of it. The new head of school has been a great fit and I see the school only getting better. Mountain Campus is amazing bonus. Sounds like you have good choices.