Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the "public is not an option".

Does that mean there is no public school for your neighborhood?

Does that mean that if you don't get into private, your child doesn't go to school?

Does that mean that you are homeschooling?

Public wasn't an option for us either. I was not impressed with the public elementary, MS, or HS in my district. So, we make the commute for private. That is a viable option if you can swing it. Whether anyone does or does not understand that it isn't an option is irrelevant.

But, what is difficult to understand is why anyone would choose to live in a neighborhood where they felt "public wasn't an option." This is why we would never live in DC because, for us, the public schools are not an option.

Anonymous wrote:What are these really great under the radar gems?

Barnesville, but not sure if that works geographically for you.

For what it's worth we are in a similar boat in terms of he was waitlisted at 2 rejected at another 2. Called Barrie today they have spots for Pre-K.

Our son was waitlisted at 4 (4!!!) schools last year and I made one follow up phone call to say that one particular school was our top choice and very nicely to ask for them to keep him in mind. 2 weeks later the admin director called to say he was in. I think that the waitlist does move when some people offered slots don't accept, and it does not hurt to make a nice phone call about the wait list.

i'll endorse this. The schools have strong reasons to not have empty seats. The schools have budgeted for a rather specific student population, and they'll pay out nearly all those costs with or without filling the spare seats here and there, so they want to fill them.

They'll soon know their yield on acceptances and any school could have a spot or multiple spots.

It my exposure to a couple of schools, they sometimes have too many applicants in one grade, but a shortfall in another.

Admissions folks won't be mad at you for asking, it's their job to fill those spaces, and they have a process for it.

Some schools may still be able to add children, so I would call and ask. I have known of children applying and getting in to schools like Bullis, St. Andrews and WES well after decisions were mailed. Just for example, the Bullis admissions webpage has a message saying it is not too late, and they never discourage a family from applying. Not a guarantee of course, but you won't know till you ask.

The good news is that spots open up unexpectedly right up to when school begins, so be sure to let each school know that you are still interested and would be willing to sign a contract at a moments notice.We found a spot at a school we were happy with when we unexpectedly moved to the area in August several years ago. My child ended up staying through middle school because she thrived there. What schools did you apply to and at what grade level? Did you feel that each was a good fit for your child. Continue to stay in close touch with all of them. If the admissions officer did not fall in love with your family the first time around there is still time. Spread a wider net- perhaps even the Virginia and MAryland schools. Check out www.washingtonindependnet.org for the full list. Are you coming from another school where you have help with this? You can ask your counselor to call around and start to identify who has spots- but it may be too soon- families will start to make changes in the next few months. You can also hire a consultant if you think this is too much to do on your own.

Anonymous wrote:Sandy Spring Friends School still has openings in some grades, if Maryland is an option.

Public not an option usually means that the public school the kid is zoned for is sub par, and the kid lost the charter lottery. Happened to us in PG county. And also with PG, often the housing market hasn't recovered from the crash and people can still be underwater on mortgages and unable to sell and move. That was our situation when starting Pre K. And it could also mean the kid has needs that the local public, because it is already dealing with high needs kids or is sub par generally, will not be able to meet well...ADHD, dyslexia, etc. etc.

It's not always that a school is sub par. We are in MC, and the school didn't offer some of the advanced classes that DC would eventually need. Those needs were met at the private school. If you don't live in a certain district, it is almost impossible to go to another public in another district.

Maybe I missed your post OP, but what grade and what area are you looking at? for lower elementary montessori schools are nice.

Sandy Spring Friends School still has openings in some grades, if Maryland is an option.

Public not an option usually means that the public school the kid is zoned for is sub par, and the kid lost the charter lottery. Happened to us in PG county. And also with PG, often the housing market hasn't recovered from the crash and people can still be underwater on mortgages and unable to sell and move. That was our situation when starting Pre K. And it could also mean the kid has needs that the local public, because it is already dealing with high needs kids or is sub par generally, will not be able to meet well...ADHD, dyslexia, etc. etc.

Mater Amoris is so far.

For another hidden gem, look at Christ Episcopal School in Rockville. Not sure how many spaces are open for next year, but it's a really great school.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the "public is not an option".

Does that mean there is no public school for your neighborhood?

Does that mean that if you don't get into private, your child doesn't go to school?

Does that mean that you are homeschooling?

Not OP but we were going to homeschool if we did not get accepted.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the "public is not an option".

Does that mean there is no public school for your neighborhood?

Does that mean that if you don't get into private, your child doesn't go to school?

Does that mean that you are homeschooling?

Public wasn't an option for us either. I was not impressed with the public elementary, MS, or HS in my district. So, we make the commute for private. That is a viable option if you can swing it. Whether anyone does or does not understand that it isn't an option is irrelevant.

Lone Oak Montessori. They go up through 6th grade. Campus in Bethesda on Old Georgetown Road and Potomac on Democracy Road.

We attended through K. To this day (DC is in high school), I wish we had stayed through 6th grade. It was a good school and very nurturing.