Anonymous wrote:Maret is very small, and it’s your son doesn’t fit in, he will be miserable.

Maret .... The school is unusually responsive to wealth, more so than other privates.

I’m not the earlier poster who said stay away from Maret, but would guess these are some of the reasons why they said stay away.

Another entirely new poster who completely agrees with this assessment. I will add, Maret rewards sportiness compared to the other schools in NWDC, save STA.

Feynman! That is what the school is all about.

St. Andrews?

Norwood parent here. One quirky, nerdy kid, another more social and athletic. Both girls. Both fit in well with their peers. I think Norwood does a good job making people feel accepted and celebrating differences. With that said, a lot can depend on the make up of your child's class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just keep in mind that second grade is NOT an expansion year at most schools. If you are intent on private, you should cast a very wide net.

Thank you, I didn't know that. What years are considered expansion years?

Third at school, 4th at others. Some not again until 6th. Call or look on their sites.

I have multiple kids at GDS and have seen no evidence over the years that supports what you’re claiming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS
I'm a nerd with a non-nerd kid. I loved GDS when we toured. My kid (jock) was accepted to the rest of the Big5 schools but not GDS. His close friends (nerds) were accepted to GDS.
It seems to be a type of kid that they select (of course not entirely (there are non-nerds there!), but in my kid's cohort it's completely what happened when all other things like grades and extracurriculars were even).

Thank you! Nerds unite.

For all the GDS posters (seems to be a consensus here) - are they good about dealing with bullying? That's a big concern of mine too, especially in MS.

They will be good about it as long as the child being bullied is African American. If it’s an African American kid doing the bullying, they will not be good about dealing with it. The school’s social justice mission creates blind spots.

Maret is very small, and it’s your son doesn’t fit in, he will be miserable.

Maret allows a lot of ugly social aggression to go unchecked, especially if the parents are wealthy. The school is unusually responsive to wealth, more so than other privates.

I’m not the earlier poster who said stay away from Maret, but would guess these are some of the reasons why they said stay away.

It sounds like your son would be an ideal St. Anselm’s boy when he is older.

In the meantime, add St. Andrews to the mix of Lowell, Norwood, Sheridan, and Field.

I would not include GDS in the mix. Could vary y class of course, but two friends with brilliant, quirky boys have had issues there. One left, the other is thinking about leaving. They found the boys and the parents very cliquish, not very welcoming,

Anonymous wrote:Norwood is also an option - especially so if he likes either music or art.

Thanks! Any other families with experience at Norwood for quirky kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS
I'm a nerd with a non-nerd kid. I loved GDS when we toured. My kid (jock) was accepted to the rest of the Big5 schools but not GDS. His close friends (nerds) were accepted to GDS.
It seems to be a type of kid that they select (of course not entirely (there are non-nerds there!), but in my kid's cohort it's completely what happened when all other things like grades and extracurriculars were even).

Thank you! Nerds unite.

For all the GDS posters (seems to be a consensus here) - are they good about dealing with bullying? That's a big concern of mine too, especially in MS.

I don't know, because that's not something we have experienced. But I will say that the range of "acceptable normal" is much greater at GDS than our public school, which is a powerful protective factor for my anti-sports boy.

Lowell
Sheridan
Sandy Spring
Burke
Field
GDS
St. Anselm
Milton JPDS

We didn't think Sidwell was good socially for our somewhat quirky kid and we left.

Anonymous wrote:Burke makes a good home for these types of kids.

Her child will be going into second grade next year. Burke is 6-12.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Where are you, OP and does location matter?

2. Stay far away from Maret.

OP here - Chevy Chase, MD. Would like to drive no more than 20ish minutes if possible; don't care which direction.

Thank you for all the responses!!

Then Lowell.

Anonymous wrote:1. Where are you, OP and does location matter?

2. Stay far away from Maret.

Can you elaborate regarding: Maret?