Anonymous wrote:
In our experience, 98th percentile in 8th doesn’t really predict high school performance. With that said, I think you are right that your child’s college chances will be improved the better they do in school versus their classmates. While this can be impacted by classmates academic prowess, it’s mainly going to be impacted by your own child being in an environment where they are motivated to thrive. Does your child do best as the big fish in a little pond or are they motivated by others working hard around them or motivated by challenge itself, etc? Food for thought.

+1. This is one of the few things that you can (somewhat) predict. Focus on that.

It doesn't make sense to pick School A because you think your child will be the star there. Maybe a bunch of other similar kids will make the same choice at the same time! And it doesn't make sense to pick School B because several kids went to Harvard from there last year. Maybe one is a double-legacy and the other two are hockey recruits.

If you are fortunate enough to have choices, make one based on who your kid is now – not who they maybe might be in four years.

There is no way to ensure you’d be at the top at schools with less difficult admissions. The theory that a middle of the road Sidwell student would be at the very top at Bullis isn’t correct. It might be true for some kids and not for others. Go where they will thrive. You can’t game the grades. There is way more luck involved in teacher and course selection than you realize going in.

Here is my take:

Do no compromise on quality/fit. That’s simply poor parenting. However, you can game it a little by choosing a top tier school with a smaller student body.

A school like St. Andrew’s in DE graduates a quarter of the number of kids that Andover does. Standing out is not quite as difficult, nor will there be nearly as many classmates applying to your top choices. Yet, you sacrifice nothing when it comes to excellence. And the school is a phenomenal community. There are several other schools that might work similarly. Thacher comes to mind, among others.

I understand the desire to give your kid a top tier prep education and a best, next step after. But the small schools have very selective admissions, and he won’t be a legacy there. So choose more than one. Because a high SSAT score is not enough. They are looking very carefully at personality, kindness and character at these schools. One bad egg has an outsized impact. They screen for that as carefully as they do for academics.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t try to min/max your college outcomes in choosing a high school. Pick the right high school for your kid.

+1

In our experience, 98th percentile in 8th doesn’t really predict high school performance. With that said, I think you are right that your child’s college chances will be improved the better they do in school versus their classmates. While this can be impacted by classmates academic prowess, it’s mainly going to be impacted by your own child being in an environment where they are motivated to thrive. Does your child do best as the big fish in a little pond or are they motivated by others working hard around them or motivated by challenge itself, etc? Food for thought.

If your kid isn't already a shoo-in for whatever college you are dreaming about, it really doesn't matter where they go to high school: they aren't getting in. These colleges are not about being "98th percentile" anything anymore (if they ever really were).

This post is the perfect combination of elitism and ignorance that I love about DCUM.

Maybe a public school analogy would be helpful.

Example: UVA expects higher GPA, better SAT/ACT scores (if submitted), more AP courses, and better ECs from a student at Langley HS in FCPS than they expect from a student in a small rural county in SW Virginia coal country with limited rigor available.

To some degree, for college admissions a student is competing with classmates at their school.

Being top 5% at school A might have better college admissions chances than being in the 11-20% bracket at School B, assuming one is studying the same topics and is taking "most rigorous" options available at each school -- even when school A offers a bit less max rigor than school B does - and of course assuming same SAT/ACT scores by the student.

OP, are you aware that if your child goes to Andover his grades will drop relative to whatever school he was in? We looked at boarding schools for DS but he was put off by the fact that every good boarding school said thus. They were urging him to apply ASAP because grades will drop and that he should allow as many years as possible to bring his GPA back up. So he decided to stay where he was which, uktimately turned out to be smart because he did graduate no. 1 in his class and got into UVA, which was a great match

Anonymous wrote:What a cynical approach!

Not at all! I find it practical and refreshingly honest.

I would still go with your more competitive option, OP! Your "DC" may develop friends and lifelong contacts. It could be a better path in general regardless of college placement.

I get it OP--I've often wondered the same thing. Also wondered if it would have been better to move to a rural area and to have gone public there for top in state schools. Do you or your son regret having chosen STA? What would have done instead? Also, would public like Wilson be better for college outplacement?

No, he might as well go public.

Still trying to understand how OP is so sure this kid who is only 98th-%tile ls going to graduate with a 4.0 from anywhere besides DCPS or MCPS

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Anonymous wrote:What a cynical approach!

Agreed. But no different than the many parents who send their kids to private schools that are not a good fit but they want for the prestige and connections.

Holy false equivalence, Batman!

Not really. Picking a school boy because it’s the best fit for your kid but because it has the most cache or alumni network or potential college placement is all a variation of the same thing - considering some variation of “name brand” as more important than picking the right school for the individual.

That makes no sense. Picking a purportedly "less prestigious" school is the opposite of wanting a name brand.

You missed the point: A parent picking a school for reasons other than it is a good academic fit for a student. Reasons like prestige, connections, gaming college admissions.

Poor kid.

I disagree. They are going to find a fit I am sure -- but the mom is right, she saw her bright kid not get into top school despite being around the 75th percentile at STA. Sure, 75th perctile at the best schools may not be ivy level, but even 10 years ago you were going to end up at a UVA, Michigan, Middlebury etc. Now those strong kids are hoping to get into BC, BU, UMD, and they are still top 25%! Would it be a better choice stress-wise, personality-wise to be in th etop 10% at Bullis and end up at UVA or Davidson rather than struggle to be top 30% at STA and end up at UMD or Colby?

No, you can’t be sure they will find a fit if they aren’t looking for one. I know a kid an expensive local private who is so miserable but their parents insist they stay there because of the college matriculation list. They aren’t the only kid in this situation. OP’s kid may end up at “less prestigious” school because their parents insist they go there for the college matriculation list even though the school is a bad fit for them and they are miserable.

Anonymous wrote:omg helicopter parents to the max!

How is it helicoptering to be involved in the choice of high school for an eighth grader? Do you expect 12 and 13 year olds to do that entirely on their own? Whether the parents’ goal is best college placement or best fit or whatever criteria that not everyone will ever agree on, it is not helicoptering to simply be involved in where your kid goes to high school.

The helicopter parent phrase is becoming so overused.