Trying to be a voice of reason here- first of all no school is perfect and all schools have their own issues. Many if not all private schools in this area have an element of a challenging, judgy and high-stake social scene based on wealth and competion.

Bullis gets attacked as a school that panders to athletes and has poor athletics- my experience with Bullis families I know, that sports is a strong element of the school BUT that academics are solid.

My (limited) impression (based on my friends/acquaintances at thw school) of what makes Bullis tough is that the social scene is pervasively cutthroat AND for some classes, that it tends to some parents as well.

Anonymous wrote:Bullis doesn’t get hate so much as disdain. Most people in the DC area private school world consider it a school of last resort. You only send kids there who get asked to leave other private schools or can’t get in to other private schools. Therefore many of the kids are either not very nice or not very smart. Not all of course but many.

Then of course there is also the whole issue of athletic competition and recruiting and that does garner hate from some parents because it impacts the overall private school athletic culture. For the poster above who claimed that Landon and Potomac recruit solely on the basis of athletic ability like Bullis does is flat out wrong. Neither do that and I have experience with both and kids who are athletes. Bullis does though and it just seems to be operated with a lack of high standards and that turns many people off.

See?? IRRATIONAL COMMENTS. Only kids who go there are asked to leave other privates or can't get in other private schools?? Your bitterness is ridiculous.

Bullis is sending 2018 grads to Brown, Cornell, Navy, Washington & Lee and a host of other great schools. Those kids, along with dozens of others in the class of 2018, could get in anywhere in DC. Why? Because they're great kids like most of the other kids at Bullis, who have a mix of talents in academics, the arts and athletics.

Disdain? The only disdain anyone needs to have is for dingalings like you who have such malice in their hearts and minds. Why don't you go write something positive about something you like? Instead of this drivel.

Bullis doesn’t get hate so much as disdain. Most people in the DC area private school world consider it a school of last resort. You only send kids there who get asked to leave other private schools or can’t get in to other private schools. Therefore many of the kids are either not very nice or not very smart. Not all of course but many.

Then of course there is also the whole issue of athletic competition and recruiting and that does garner hate from some parents because it impacts the overall private school athletic culture. For the poster above who claimed that Landon and Potomac recruit solely on the basis of athletic ability like Bullis does is flat out wrong. Neither do that and I have experience with both and kids who are athletes. Bullis does though and it just seems to be operated with a lack of high standards and that turns many people off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

I have a current Middle School student, but a boy so can't say if it's different for girls. They wear uniforms so very little opportunity to determine who dresses fashionably. Even shoes are mandated. Maybe at social functions, but so far for the boys that's been all athletic endeavours and they don't seem to care. I can't tell what is supposed to be a competitive social scene--there hasn't been anything yet, maybe high school will be different. Or my kid doesn't care, I don't really know.

I think even their strong sports they must save for high school, because the middle school is getting their rear ends kicked in everything.

It ramps up in the grades. Social media drives it. Kids know whose family has money based on homes, cars, travel.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of hate and jealously on DCUM about Bullis. Fantastic school, beautiful campus, brand new Discovery Center Building, lovely community. Our kids went to Middle School and Upper School and both went to Ivy League Schools. Don't listen to the haters. Visit the school and talk to Bullis families and good luck on your search.[/quote]

Jealousy, not so much. Direct experience, yes. They deserve my scorn. Trust me, they earned it. They have it all -

Bullies - check
Overpriced - check
Vacuous head of school - check
Money talks - check
Stupid, randomly enforced rules - check
Cold and uncaring - check
The latest in plastic surgery - check
Overwhelming vanity - check
Institutionalized hypocrisy - check

And so much more.
[/quote]


+1. That pretty much sums it up.[/quote]

I'd say so. (former parent)[/quote]

Trying to make yourself sound more knowledgable isn't working. Please go grind your ax elsewhere, it's really tiresome.

Anonymous wrote:I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

I have a current Middle School student, but a boy so can't say if it's different for girls. They wear uniforms so very little opportunity to determine who dresses fashionably. Even shoes are mandated. Maybe at social functions, but so far for the boys that's been all athletic endeavours and they don't seem to care. I can't tell what is supposed to be a competitive social scene--there hasn't been anything yet, maybe high school will be different. Or my kid doesn't care, I don't really know.

I think even their strong sports they must save for high school, because the middle school is getting their rear ends kicked in everything.

I have no beef with Bullis and share this based on my experience with other Bullis families (friends and neighbors) I’ve known as my three kids wen through private schools.

Bullis has a nice balance of solid academics, great facilities and strong sports. IMO (and I know this is a small sample size), many Bullis families are friendly; and even down-o-earth, despite what others may have said on this board. Where it seems to come apart is socially, esp. in Middle and High School. For kids that come from solidly wealthy backgrounds, who are outgoing/dress fashionably/at least decent looking to attractive/can hand with a faster crowd, the social scene is navigable with minimal drag. For kids who don’t have this combination, the social scene at Bullis can be painful and difficult, from what I have heard/observed from those families I know or have known at the school. Depending on your kid, the relatively high importance of and difficulties with the tight and competitive social scene can outweigh the school’s strengths.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Lots of hate and jealously on DCUM about Bullis. Fantastic school, beautiful campus, brand new Discovery Center Building, lovely community. Our kids went to Middle School and Upper School and both went to Ivy League Schools. Don't listen to the haters. Visit the school and talk to Bullis families and good luck on your search.[/quote]

Jealousy, not so much. Direct experience, yes. They deserve my scorn. Trust me, they earned it. They have it all -

Bullies - check
Overpriced - check
Vacuous head of school - check
Money talks - check
Stupid, randomly enforced rules - check
Cold and uncaring - check
The latest in plastic surgery - check
Overwhelming vanity - check
Institutionalized hypocrisy - check

And so much more.
[/quote]


+1. That pretty much sums it up.[/quote]

I'd say so. (former parent)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

Bullis parent with multiple kids that went through Lower, Middle and Upper School.

Don't listen to the hate. Most Bullis parents don't respond because they don't want to argue with stupid or bitter people. (You can't have a rational discussion about irrational things.)

Our family loves it and so do 99% of the families at school. There are definitely some families who don't enjoy Bullis, but I would assume that is the case with every school. Different strokes for different folks; schools don't work for every kid, but there are always other schools that do.

The school is about academic, artistic and athletic balance. If that works for you family, I think you will love the school.

Now, we cue the crazy people and their amazingly honest and factually correct retorts . . . .

Hi Bullis Mom (or Dad), I've responded. 02/02/2018 15:56 here. Usually too busy with my busy yoga and Botox regimen.

Thanks for mentioning this, I should have done that as well. One of the things we love--having kids who play soccer and dance and do Model UN, etc.

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

Bullis parent with multiple kids that went through Lower, Middle and Upper School.

Don't listen to the hate. Most Bullis parents don't respond because they don't want to argue with stupid or bitter people. (You can't have a rational discussion about irrational things.)

Our family loves it and so do 99% of the families at school. There are definitely some families who don't enjoy Bullis, but I would assume that is the case with every school. Different strokes for different folks; schools don't work for every kid, but there are always other schools that do.

The school is about academic, artistic and athletic balance. If that works for you family, I think you will love the school.

Now, we cue the crazy people and their amazingly honest and factually correct retorts . . . .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be a lot of Bullis haters on this board. Does anyone who is objective have any clue how many applicants they get for 9th grade? DC loved the school and it is our first choice. How hard is it to get in? I do know of one child who was rejected who I thought was a strong candidate. Thank you.

Bullis wouldn't recognize potential if it slapped them in the head. This is especially true in the lower school, about which I have nothing good to say. Upper school academic quality is lousy, as their current parents will tell you. They value the flashy and the bling - very little of substance.

See? That took a hot minute. Just go see the school and talk to actual parents there. Who cares what a bunch of bitter people whose kids apparently didn't get in (since Bullis doesn't recognize potential) have to say.

I've stepped up a time or two to refute it, only to be told my kid is obviously stupid, couldn't get in elsewhere, I'm vacuous, to go enjoy my yoga and Botox, etc.


In fact, I once mentioned to an enquiring poster that Bullis engenders a very bizarre amount of hatred on this board that I have never come close to encountering in real life, even years before sending my kid there. Many of the things that people accuse it of are simply not true, or are things that are just conjecture. ("kids are known to be more involved in drugs")

Similar things are often said about Langley HIgh, which is our zoned school. I guess I'm just impervious to it at this point because you can't convince people whose minds are closed anyway.


We like Bullis. The parents we've met for the most part have been friendly, the academics are good (easy enough to judge when we know tons of kids at other schools), and all the talk about the sports stuff is just that--talk. As if Potomac and Landon, for instance, don't recruit purely for sports. Yet only Bullis seems to receive scorn here on DCUM for it.

I have no dog in this fight and do not have the objective info OP was looking for, but I've always been surprised that Bullis receives a lot of hate on this forum and yet unlike other schools, not a lot of posters step forward to refute.

Maybe this is because there really isn't anything good to say or maybe ... families there are happy with their decisions, have no need to be insecure and defensive and have better things to do with their time than come here. Maybe it is an interesting group of people to be around. Just a thought.

I am not a Bullis fan. We have several friends with kids there and we toured it. It is a beautiful, impressive campus. It's more the kind of students and families it attracts. A lot of people very caught up in a Bethesda/Potomac version of social status and money. The kids are known to be more involved in drugs and partying than many of the other schools and seem to be faster to get into those things. It's unfortunate, but that's the main reason we decided it wasn't the right place for our kids.

A lot of boarding school kids who mess up end up at Bullis.