One factor to consider for your kid is even if they go to one of the top schools for their sport, will they make the varsity team (ever)? That is one of the benefits of the smaller schools - they usually don't turn away a decent athlete for any sport and expert athletes make varsity as freshmen. At St Johns / OLGC even visitation that happens less often.

Anonymous wrote:So which private HS's are best for girls sports? I assume Holton?

Overall, you would say Holton is "fine but not great" at sports. They are average to okay at the marquee girls' sports of soccer/basketball/lacrosse, and tend to be strongest in sports (tennis and swimming) where they have nice facilities. They also are one of the few DC are schools to have ice hockey.

Overall the strongest program in the ISL (biggest private school girls' league) is Georgetown Visitation. They have won the award for best aggregate performance probably 7-8 out of the last 10 years. Big enrollment in the HS and sports-emphasizing culture. Very good in basketball and lacrosse but generally strong.

After that, it's about the sport, and things can still change year by year. Lacrosse and field hockey? SSSAS for about 20 years, with Visi winning last year in lacrosse and a few new winners (Episcopal, Bullis) in FH in recent years. Softball tends to be about great pitchers and who has them. Visi in basketball, with Bullis/NCS as runner-ups the last few years. Soccer has been NCS and Sidwell mostly in the last 5 years. Swimming Stone Ridge and Holton. Flint Hill for volleyball but strong programs traditionally at Maret and Madeira. Crew at NCS (not everyone has that). Tennis generally Holton. Track and cross-country NCS/Visi and GDS has built a nice program.

In terms of leagues, the ISL compares well for girls' sports with the WCAC (Catholic league) although the WCAC is stronger in basketball and has been a power (Good Counsel) in soccer in recent years.

Lots of good options, basically.

Depends on what sport?

Generally speaking, the Catholic Schools (i'm talking both boys and girls and co ed's) generally are more athletic centered than the smaller indepedent schools such as a Potomac, Maret, Sidwell, St. Albans, Landon, Flint Hill, St. Stephens and Episcopal.

Most of the Catholic Schools tend to have very large enrollments (DeMatha close to 1000 boys, Gonzaga over 950 boys, Prep over 500 boys, St. Johns 1000 students however its co - ed) Paul VI and O'Connell have enrollments over 1,200 students but then again they are co - ed.

Visitation and Holy Cross have much larger enrollments that most of the all girl schools.

Because most of these schools have larger enrollments, they generally are willing to make exceptions and lower the academic standards for a few stellar athletes whether it be in football or basketball.

So which private HS's are best for girls sports? I assume Holton?

Anonymous wrote:From the Washington Post

Boys Basketball
1 Paul VI Catholic 31-6
2 Wise 24-2
3 Potomac (Va.) 28-1
4 Riverdale Baptist 30-9
5 Bullis 25-4
6 Potomac (Md.) 23-5
7 Clinton Christian 22-9
8 DeMatha 29-6
9 Montrose Christian 20-5
10 Theodore Roosevelt 25-6
11 St. John's 28-6
12 O'Connell 20-12
13 National Christian 18-11
14 Maret 22-8
15 Wakefield 24-5
16 W.T. Woodson 21-9
17 Herndon 23-3
18 Springbrook 24-3
19 Lake Braddock 23-5
20 Westlake 22-4

Baseball
1 DeMatha 0-0
2 South River 0-0
3 Lake Braddock 0-0
4 Oakton 0-0
6 Madison 0-0
6 Riverdale Baptist 5-1
7 St. John's 2-0
8 Georgetown Prep 0-0
9 Maret 0-0
10 La Plata 0-0

Soccer:
1 Severna Park 17-0-2
2 St. Stephen's/St. Agnes 19-2-2
3 Sidwell Friends 16-3-2
4 DeMatha 15-4
5 Blake 15-4
6 River Hill 16-2
7 Marriotts Ridge 14-2
8 Georgetown Prep 11-4-1
9 Reservoir 12-3-2
10 Magruder 12-5-1

I didn't see this article so I don't know if it actually ranks schools by sports AND academics. If it does, it is clearly wrong with putting Montrose Christian School anywhere on the list. Montrose has been having serious problems for the past several years -- including financial problems that are affecting the quality of the education there. Enrollment is at an historic low and many veteran teachers have left (or been forced to resign), partly as a result of deep salary and benefit cuts. The school's renowned coach, Stu Vetter, left last year and won't even offer his yearly summer basketball camp at that location anymore. And just this month, the school principal resigned but the school has not informed parents even though families are making currently re-enrollment decisions. It's great you're doing your research first. Good luck.

No need to knock OLGC. The schools has improved over the last 20 years. That being said, it is not in the same league as STA, GP, or Landon. At the top level, students are just as strong as the three independents but overall, the academic strength of the student body is much weaker. Just compare average SAT scores. The average at OLGC is lower than the 4 W's. Also, re: athletics, the schools competes in football but I don't see it competing well in other sports. It is a large school so it should but Landon, STA, and GP produce more athletes across the board.

Is it full of kids who think they have hit a home run when in reality they started on third base? No. Are most parents there entitled 1%ers who are consumed with status? No.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I'm not kidding. As I said, OLGC's academics will get a stellar student where she/he wants to go. And I would take OLGC parents over "Big 3" parents any day of the week. Some kids who are exceptional athletes should play and compete with other exceptional athletes to maximize their potential. Basically anyone can play football at Sidwell. But if you are a really good football player you may aspire to play at a nationally ranked program like OLGC. Let me guess, your kid doesn't play football and you've never been to Olney.

OLGC also has the best campus in the area. GC atheletics is no joke plus a lot of kids/parents r turning down the big 3 schools to go there. You just don't walk on the field, especially football. I know a couple of parents who had to move there kids out because while they were stars in MS, they were just ok in HS. DD got accepted a couple years ago but we decided on another. However we have close friends with kids there, and they're being challenged both on and off the field.

Best campus in the area? Have you ever set foot on Episcopal's campus? As for "a lot of kids/parents r turning down the big 3 schools to go there", what planet are you living on?

Planet Reality!

Best Campus in the area? Really? WHAT are you on?

Does it have the National Cathedral on its grounds? Uh, no. Is it in a building that used to serve as the "Summer Whitehouse"? Is it Georgetown Prep, Landon, Holton, in other words not too far out and gorgeous? Ah no, no, no and he'll no. Freakin Good Counsel in bumf&@* nowheresville??? You are seriously delusional. It's not even a DC area school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I'm not kidding. As I said, OLGC's academics will get a stellar student where she/he wants to go. And I would take OLGC parents over "Big 3" parents any day of the week. Some kids who are exceptional athletes should play and compete with other exceptional athletes to maximize their potential. Basically anyone can play football at Sidwell. But if you are a really good football player you may aspire to play at a nationally ranked program like OLGC. Let me guess, your kid doesn't play football and you've never been to Olney.

OLGC also has the best campus in the area. GC atheletics is no joke plus a lot of kids/parents r turning down the big 3 schools to go there. You just don't walk on the field, especially football. I know a couple of parents who had to move there kids out because while they were stars in MS, they were just ok in HS. DD got accepted a couple years ago but we decided on another. However we have close friends with kids there, and they're being challenged both on and off the field.

Best campus in the area? Have you ever set foot on Episcopal's campus? As for "a lot of kids/parents r turning down the big 3 schools to go there", what planet are you living on?

Anonymous wrote:Above poster: why are you so mean? People are offering advice and naming schools. You don't have to say, " you've got to be kidding me". How would you feel if someone said that about your school? Your community? Just be nice! Aren't we talking about kids? What if your kid spoke that way to a peer at another school ? Sheesh

Good Lord, it isn't mean it, it's reality and the Good Counsel booster needs to find it, quick. For anyone who wants a great education for their kid, Good Counsel won't make the list. If anyone still wants their kid playing football, in light off all the evidence pointing to the high potential for massive and irreversible brain damaged in the sport, well, I guess it doesn't really matter where your kid is educated, his brain is clearly not your top priority.

Since when did school become the place to train athletes? It's to train the brain first folks.

I hear a lot of good things about Good Counsel, and someone has a child who is a high level Division I football prospect (or very strong athlete in a number of other sports) that's a good option. I would agree, however, that if someone is seeking more of the "school-sports" balance that the OP inquired about, either because they want more of an academic focus or less of a powerhouse sports program (think Ivy League for more academics or Stanford for academics plus strong sports), I think you would look at Gonzaga and Prep for the Catholic options; St. Albans and Sidwell for the "Ivy League model" (academics comes first but some very good athletes and very strong sports -- Sidwell is actually quite good in the sports the OP cited (soccer, basketball in particular) if not as strong in some other ones); and Landon as a secular option with some very strong teams and a good academic focus as well.

Hey, GC is a good school but let's be real. GC is not Gonzaga in terms of academics or sports. Dematha is much better across the board and St. Johns probably has a better reputation.

STA, Landon and GP are not the factories that the above schools are but are more balanced to the academic side. Yet, all three, probably have had better athletes come through the program than GC. Landon has two recent graduates playing in the NCAA tourney. Although he went to STA 20 years ago, Jonothn Ogden is an NFL Hall-of-Famer.

Sidwell has an okay program when it comes to sports. The school has competitive athletes in certain sports but sports at Sidwell are a tertiary interest. The focus is academics, academics and academics.

Anonymous wrote:No, I'm not kidding. As I said, OLGC's academics will get a stellar student where she/he wants to go. And I would take OLGC parents over "Big 3" parents any day of the week. Some kids who are exceptional athletes should play and compete with other exceptional athletes to maximize their potential. Basically anyone can play football at Sidwell. But if you are a really good football player you may aspire to play at a nationally ranked program like OLGC. Let me guess, your kid doesn't play football and you've never been to Olney.

OLGC also has the best campus in the area. GC atheletics is no joke plus a lot of kids/parents r turning down the big 3 schools to go there. You just don't walk on the field, especially football. I know a couple of parents who had to move there kids out because while they were stars in MS, they were just ok in HS. DD got accepted a couple years ago but we decided on another. However we have close friends with kids there, and they're being challenged both on and off the field.

No, I'm not kidding. As I said, OLGC's academics will get a stellar student where she/he wants to go. And I would take OLGC parents over "Big 3" parents any day of the week. Some kids who are exceptional athletes should play and compete with other exceptional athletes to maximize their potential. Basically anyone can play football at Sidwell. But if you are a really good football player you may aspire to play at a nationally ranked program like OLGC. Let me guess, your kid doesn't play football and you've never been to Olney.