Choose GDS if you want to pay the same amount as Sidwell for much worse college outcomes and a school with zero identity (other than being too lazy to offer lunch despite shelling out on a new building).

GDS has vending machines with salads/fresh lunches and food trucks outside often at lunch time - this convo about the lunch is almost funny to me.

GDS is differentiated - some very self-driven kids in the honors/extended track, and also a more laid back track. Lots of parties and social activities with all the kids at the other privates - Landon, WIS, Sidwell - the social lives of the kids are all kinda interconnected.

I think a could be happy at either, just a matter of where you get in; at GDS there is almost an embrace of a smart slacker culture, it is not cool to compete against other classmates, it is more about collaboration and growth together. Not sure but the stereotype of Sidwell is the intense compeititon/etc. Don't know if it is true or not.

I think both schools are great but they do have a different vibe as a previous poster said. My son has really enjoyed Sidwell and didn't like GDS after visiting. But he has friends that love GDS. Personally, I like the more traditional academic environment but I can also understand the appeal of GDS.

One thing I'll add is Sidwell has an open campus for lunch but they also have the option to eat at the cafeteria. I don't imagine that this is the deciding factor for many families, especially because there are real differences between the schools, but we think it's a nice middle ground between GDS (no cafeteria) and Maret (no open campus for lunch). We give my son monthly budget, which amounts to about 1 lunch out a week, and he can choose when to go out with his friends and when to eat in the cafeteria.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If logistics matter to you, GDS has a solid bus system that you only pay for when students use it. $2/am; $6/pm. It's good for 9th/10th before they can drive themselves.

Even in 11th and 12 grade most kids aren't driving themselves because there's no parking.

Not true. There is parking if kids carpool. My son has driven in both 11th and 12th. 10th graders with early birthdays are the ones who don't get parking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is also roughly $4k more per year than GDS for high school. That difference would fund UberEats for the entire year if lunch was your biggest concern.

Maybe, but who would want their kid eating from Uber Eats 5 days a week for four years?

The Sidwell daily lunch is very good, healthy and an enjoyable and important part of the day for the school community. They have a new chef this year that the kids really like.

Most GDS HS kids pack a lunch and eat out or get delivery occasionally--no one is getting uber eats everyday.

I have a senior now and am glad my kid has become completely responsible for figuring out his lunch everyday. If he wants to eat out, he pays. Would a cafeteria be easier? Yes, but the independence of the open campus has taught him some solid life skills too (responsibility, planning, accountability, etc). Kind of good to learn in HS prior to college where no one will make sure students go to class on time, etc.

If someone is truly selecting a HS based off cafeteria lunch, I believe Potomac and Holton are known for having the best cafeterias.

I think most high school students are able to manage getting food and coordinating with friends in terms of packing, ordering or going to a restaurant.

Anonymous wrote:Can families speak more to what they mean about GDS being more fun? I feel like I see a lot of folks describe it that way on DCUM but it could mean a lot of things.

Lots of community-building events and activities, more relaxed relationship between kids, teachers and admin, and the overall vibe is not as rigorously competitive or serious. Kids can come and go as they please as long as they're in class on time and complete their assignments. They hang out in the common areas (some like it's a second home) even after the school day. While GDS is a top school, it's not considered the #1 most highly-regarded school in DC so they don't have the same pressure that comes with maintaining that kind of reputation.

Anonymous wrote:Gds' lunch situation is fine if you have a stable home where someone makes lunch or keeps the fridge stocked. It's not great for kids who come from disorganized homes. This is not entirely an economic issue. Some parents are super busy, a single parent can be stretched. Not every household can afford to give a kid or two or three $10 each to buy lunch. I say this from experience. I went to GDS and often had to cadge lunch from friends.

Agree that it requires some planning, which we have our kid do. If your family situation is going to be your kid asking "what's for lunch" each morning at 8am, then it's probably not the ideal place for your family unless you are willing to give them $10-$15 a day for lunch. DCUM has this image of GDS HS kids strolling into Tenleytown every day for lunch. Most kids do that occasionally, but they also are too busy to do that with any regularity even if they wanted to and had the money. A lot of kids use lunch for meetings/clubs, working on group projects, or catching up on homework. It's how our kid keeps their homework situation under control.

Gds' lunch situation is fine if you have a stable home where someone makes lunch or keeps the fridge stocked. It's not great for kids who come from disorganized homes. This is not entirely an economic issue. Some parents are super busy, a single parent can be stretched. Not every household can afford to give a kid or two or three $10 each to buy lunch. I say this from experience. I went to GDS and often had to cadge lunch from friends.

Anonymous wrote:Does Sidwell not have similar fun traditions or just less frequent? At GDS do the students plan those activities or the teachers?

Yes Sidwell also has fun traditions like Quaker Day and various days where they sign up for things like podcast making or golf cart driving classes.

Does Sidwell not have similar fun traditions or just less frequent? At GDS do the students plan those activities or the teachers?

Anonymous wrote:Can families speak more to what they mean about GDS being more fun? I feel like I see a lot of folks describe it that way on DCUM but it could mean a lot of things.

I can only speak to HS, but my son loves that they organize sporting activities that the kids and faculty both participate in.
There was a pickleball tournament this year, with lots of respectful trash talking over email from both sides.
They're gearing up for fantasy football next year.
Also other "intramural" type sports with just the students...2 on 2 basketball right now, and they often put together teams from each grade for mini-tournaments...they had volleyball and flag football this year.
Outside of sports, they put together a three day "mimi-mester" each year with dozens of activities to choose from...anything from going to plays in NY, to cooking, to role-playing games.
They really do seem to lighten things up when they can, and the kids appreciate it.

As for the lunches, we give our son a budget, and we love that he's learning that kind of independence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If logistics matter to you, GDS has a solid bus system that you only pay for when students use it. $2/am; $6/pm. It's good for 9th/10th before they can drive themselves.

Even in 11th and 12 grade most kids aren't driving themselves because there's no parking.

You can apply for parking spots starting in 11th. It's expensive, but a lot of kids do it.

Anonymous wrote:Can families speak more to what they mean about GDS being more fun? I feel like I see a lot of folks describe it that way on DCUM but it could mean a lot of things.

Probably best to come from a family with kids at both schools (and there are more than few), but my kid is at GDS and they have a bunch of friends at Sidwell, so they compare notes. If those notes are to be believed, Sidwell has a more traditional feel, and apparently stricter with rules. GDS has a looser environment - rules, relationships with teachers, relationships with administrators, etc.. The kids at GDS can be very ambitious and hard working, and they are aware of how their classmates are doing (academics, awards, extracurriculars), but it is not a competitive environment, at least not overtly. Who knows whether that makes GDS more "fun," and those two schools are far more similar than they are different.

Can families speak more to what they mean about GDS being more fun? I feel like I see a lot of folks describe it that way on DCUM but it could mean a lot of things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vastly different philosophies and sports abilities. So what are you actually comparong?

Do you know what the word “vastly” means?

They are different, yes. They are not “vastly” different.

I beg to differ. No one’s recruiting for sports from Gds.

Huh, what? GDS didn't have the best volleyball team in the DMV area by luck. Now, they aren't like the WCAC and try to have championship teams in every sport.

Sidwell isn't really all that different. They try to be competitive across the DMV in basketball and tennis...but they aren't really recruiting much in football or baseball or many other sports where they field middle of the pack teams even in just their own conference.