The problem is that people are claiming that everyone gets in therefore they assume the quality of the program is not good and/or that the kids are not smart enough to get into schools with supposedly more selective admissions. Facts can prove this incorrect on all levels.

The school attracts families looking for specific traits in a school. It will not attract the number of applicants that schools like Sidwell and Beauvoir attract. It is not trying to attract those numbers. So yes, the admissions are not as selective as some other schools that go up to 12 grade or that feed into these schools. However, there are kids that get waitlisted and rejected every year from PDS. The numbers have no relationship to the quality of the program.

As kids graduate after 2nd grade, they go to a variety of schools afterward, including some of the most selective schools in the area. If the program was not high quality and the students were not smart enough, they would not get accepted to top private schools after leaving PDS.

Two years ago, there were 6-7 kids from PDS accepted to Sidwell for 3rd grade. There are only 12-15 new spots available for incoming 3rd graders at Sidwell. I would say a 50% + yield rate from a single school is excellent outplacement results. But those type of facts are always ignored by people who want to attack the school.

Why can’t we all just stick to providing perspectives on schools we have actual experience with rather than bad mouthing schools we don’t actually know anything about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

in what world would someone mock a school by saying it's not selective if their own kid didn't get in? if they were bitter, wouldn't they focus on something else?

You would think. Yet here we are.

If you’re happy at the school why do you care if their admissions policy is lax? Serious question.

Because it isn't. Plain and simple. If you aren't at the school, why do you make false accusations?

A number of people seem to disagree. Why so insecure?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

in what world would someone mock a school by saying it's not selective if their own kid didn't get in? if they were bitter, wouldn't they focus on something else?

You would think. Yet here we are.

If you’re happy at the school why do you care if their admissions policy is lax? Serious question.

Because it isn't. Plain and simple. If you aren't at the school, why do you make false accusations?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

in what world would someone mock a school by saying it's not selective if their own kid didn't get in? if they were bitter, wouldn't they focus on something else?

You would think. Yet here we are.

If you’re happy at the school why do you care if their admissions policy is lax? Serious question.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

in what world would someone mock a school by saying it's not selective if their own kid didn't get in? if they were bitter, wouldn't they focus on something else?

You would think. Yet here we are.

They take everyone. Really. Except for when a grade is full.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

in what world would someone mock a school by saying it's not selective if their own kid didn't get in? if they were bitter, wouldn't they focus on something else?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

It's definitely true that not everyone gets in, which makes sense. It's not a fit for every family. There are other private schools nearby with play-based pre-k/K programs that tend to be a better fit for children of all abilities/needs. PDS is academic-based (with lots of play-based learning that makes it fun for children) and the interview process can be a bit rigorous for some children. It is a great fit for my kids who enjoy the academic aspect of the program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg this school is absurd. Wannabe fancy parents... yikes

What does that even mean? You either didn't get in, or have never even been remotely near the school. Seek counseling.

Everyone gets in.

Your kid didn’t.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And not good for their child. Play is so important at those ages so am wondering

I did not. Adequate play time in my opinion.

Why can't kids do both? Something is wrong at home if your kids don't get enough play time at home.

Trust me - they get TONS of play time at PDS. The academics especially in STEM are usually play-based learning techniques. Like playing with play dough to learn about the layers and core of the earth, or making foil puppet dioramas with a strobe light disco party to learn about shadows. In Kindergarten. Then they just have free play time during recess or free choice activities in the classroom. I’m sure that other schools are doing similar things, but I’m so glad that we chose PDS for our family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And not good for their child. Play is so important at those ages so am wondering

I did not. Adequate play time in my opinion.

Why can't kids do both? Something is wrong at home if your kids don't get enough play time at home.

Anonymous wrote:And not good for their child. Play is so important at those ages so am wondering

I did not. Adequate play time in my opinion.

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Anonymous wrote:That is a bizarre and laughable statement when outplacement from this school is to many of the areas top private’s -Sidwell, GDS, Holton, Landon, Norwood, NPS, Woods Academy, WES, etc. Many families also have siblings at these schools while the younger child attends PDS.
It is ridiculous when people say that the kids/families are not in the league of “fancy schools” but the same families already have older siblings at said “fancy schools” and then send their PDS graduate to said “fancy schools.”

Try using factual data to support your conclusions. Most people bad mouthing the school have no direct experience with the school.

PDS is a school that is attractive to families in a certain geographic area and that want small classes, 2 teachers, phonics based reading instruction, foreign language exposure, and their kids to develop a love of learning at a critical point in their development. It is not for everyone. Many parents apply to other schools because they don’t want to deal with the admission process again until high school. PDS parents are quite confident their kid will get accepted to a school that is the right fit for them at 3rd grade. I don’t want my kid in a school with 500-1000 kids. I chose to put my kid in a school of only 120 families. It is a fantastic experience that would not be found in many other places.

New money and think you’re better than others. Got it. Don’t you recognize that you are perpetuating that stereotype?

Actually, those that would criticize the families and kids at a school focused on children ages 4-8, and call them wannabes, fits a stereotype of someone who thinks they are better than others. It’s bizarre that people have to criticize a school they don’t have experience with to feel better about themselves.

+1 How bad of a place in life do you have to be to criticize a school/parent community of early elementary children? If it's not a fit for you, just move on. For my DD, it has been absolutely stellar.

+1 I find these comments absolutely bizarre... when looking at a school, we look at the academics, teachers, facility, etc and determine the place our child will thrive. It has nothing to do with what type of parents are there or any image I may or may not be trying to make of myself. If you are so fortunate to be in a place where you have options for your child's education, then the focus should be on that...not the parent community and your image. If this troll poster truly feels it is appropriate to type-cast and shame schools on an anonymous board than they have bigger issues to work through. I truly hope that anyone newly accepted to PDS who is reading this thread is not swayed negatively by these ridiculous posts. Do not let anonymous cowards influence your gut feeling about the best place for your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is a bizarre and laughable statement when outplacement from this school is to many of the areas top private’s -Sidwell, GDS, Holton, Landon, Norwood, NPS, Woods Academy, WES, etc. Many families also have siblings at these schools while the younger child attends PDS.
It is ridiculous when people say that the kids/families are not in the league of “fancy schools” but the same families already have older siblings at said “fancy schools” and then send their PDS graduate to said “fancy schools.”

Try using factual data to support your conclusions. Most people bad mouthing the school have no direct experience with the school.

PDS is a school that is attractive to families in a certain geographic area and that want small classes, 2 teachers, phonics based reading instruction, foreign language exposure, and their kids to develop a love of learning at a critical point in their development. It is not for everyone. Many parents apply to other schools because they don’t want to deal with the admission process again until high school. PDS parents are quite confident their kid will get accepted to a school that is the right fit for them at 3rd grade. I don’t want my kid in a school with 500-1000 kids. I chose to put my kid in a school of only 120 families. It is a fantastic experience that would not be found in many other places.

New money and think you’re better than others. Got it. Don’t you recognize that you are perpetuating that stereotype?

Actually, those that would criticize the families and kids at a school focused on children ages 4-8, and call them wannabes, fits a stereotype of someone who thinks they are better than others. It’s bizarre that people have to criticize a school they don’t have experience with to feel better about themselves.

+1 How bad of a place in life do you have to be to criticize a school/parent community of early elementary children? If it's not a fit for you, just move on. For my DD, it has been absolutely stellar.