Anonymous wrote:Strange to read these posts because Burke was the only school that rejected our gifted child with ADHD, and the impression we got was that it was related to her IEP. She had straight As and pretty great SSAT scores. We applied to various progressive schools and literally it was the only one the declined. Even got financial aid offers from all others. It was...odd. We could tell at the interview they couldn't provide any support. Still, overall, better to be clear so there are no surprises when you arrive.

I have heard about other very qualified applicants not getting into Burke, despite the fact that Burke often takes chances on applicants other schools reject. While I'm sure there were reasons for this, everyone should keep in mind that there are subjective and almost random considerations in all school admissions decisions. Burke's admissions office does a good job and tries hard. Inevitably, there will be cases where someone else from another school looks at the situation and sees a better fit. When that happens, "Burke's loss is Field's gain" (or Saint Andrew's gain or Sandy Spring's gain or Bullis's gain or Gonzaga's gain or Wilson High' School's gain, etc.). The same thing happens in the other direction.

Unpredictable decisions also happen at the family level. Every year, Burke loses kids to other schools and other schools lose kids to Burke.

Anonymous wrote:Strange to read these posts because Burke was the only school that rejected our gifted child with ADHD, and the impression we got was that it was related to her IEP. She had straight As and pretty great SSAT scores. We applied to various progressive schools and literally it was the only one the declined. Even got financial aid offers from all others. It was...odd. We could tell at the interview they couldn't provide any support. Still, overall, better to be clear so there are no surprises when you arrive.

Which schools?

Strange to read these posts because Burke was the only school that rejected our gifted child with ADHD, and the impression we got was that it was related to her IEP. She had straight As and pretty great SSAT scores. We applied to various progressive schools and literally it was the only one the declined. Even got financial aid offers from all others. It was...odd. We could tell at the interview they couldn't provide any support. Still, overall, better to be clear so there are no surprises when you arrive.

Wouldn’t it be great if being a school that was a gentle and kind place for lots of different kinds of learners was something every school wanted to be? The kind of school every parent wanted for their child? A place that is actually progressive, inclusive and diverse? Parents at Burke should be proud of the school. It walks the talk better than many of the schools discussed here.

BTW, Burke offers multivariable calc if your kid can handle it.

Anonymous wrote:great school if your child has special needs... but kids that dont need extra attention are not challenged at burke academically

Burke is NOT a special needs school.

Anonymous wrote:great school if your child has special needs... but kids that dont need extra attention are not challenged at burke academically

A lot of the kids at Burke do not have special needs. It is not a special needs school at all.

Anonymous wrote:great school if your child has special needs... but kids that dont need extra attention are not challenged at burke academically

We ended up choosing a different school because my child does have special needs and it was clear Burke would not be able to accommodate them, so I didn’t get that impression at all. It seemed like a very kind, gentle place. Probably not top of the pack in rigor, but if you are looking at Burke you probably don’t want that.

great school if your child has special needs... but kids that dont need extra attention are not challenged at burke academically

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:WTH! Why is Burke the only independent high school left in DC that still requires the SSAT??? The admissions website even acknowledges that it is difficult to get the test done in the middle of a pandemic, but then says go find a way to take it.

Yes, it does seem out of step with other schools because Burke says that it is hard to take the SSAT during the pandemic, and then directs applicants to a list of educational consultants that Burke says will charge an extra fee to provide a flex test version of the SSAT. I hope Burke reconsiders. We like the school a lot, but don't want to have to pay hundreds of dollars and risk our health to go to a testing center, when the other schools on our list for DC don't accept scores this year.

You don't need to - the SSAT can be taken at home, and I've seen a couple schools require that:
ssat.org/testing/home/guide-to-the-ssat-at-home

Don't see it as worth doing just for Burke when others aren't requiring it. No other school on our list is requiring it.

Burke's Applying page says they're not requiring it next year!

Great!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH! Why is Burke the only independent high school left in DC that still requires the SSAT??? The admissions website even acknowledges that it is difficult to get the test done in the middle of a pandemic, but then says go find a way to take it.

Yes, it does seem out of step with other schools because Burke says that it is hard to take the SSAT during the pandemic, and then directs applicants to a list of educational consultants that Burke says will charge an extra fee to provide a flex test version of the SSAT. I hope Burke reconsiders. We like the school a lot, but don't want to have to pay hundreds of dollars and risk our health to go to a testing center, when the other schools on our list for DC don't accept scores this year.

You don't need to - the SSAT can be taken at home, and I've seen a couple schools require that:
ssat.org/testing/home/guide-to-the-ssat-at-home

Don't see it as worth doing just for Burke when others aren't requiring it. No other school on our list is requiring it.

Burke's Applying page says they're not requiring it next year!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH! Why is Burke the only independent high school left in DC that still requires the SSAT??? The admissions website even acknowledges that it is difficult to get the test done in the middle of a pandemic, but then says go find a way to take it.

Yes, it does seem out of step with other schools because Burke says that it is hard to take the SSAT during the pandemic, and then directs applicants to a list of educational consultants that Burke says will charge an extra fee to provide a flex test version of the SSAT. I hope Burke reconsiders. We like the school a lot, but don't want to have to pay hundreds of dollars and risk our health to go to a testing center, when the other schools on our list for DC don't accept scores this year.

You don't need to - the SSAT can be taken at home, and I've seen a couple schools require that:
ssat.org/testing/home/guide-to-the-ssat-at-home

Don't see it as worth doing just for Burke when others aren't requiring it. No other school on our list is requiring it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTH! Why is Burke the only independent high school left in DC that still requires the SSAT??? The admissions website even acknowledges that it is difficult to get the test done in the middle of a pandemic, but then says go find a way to take it.

Yes, it does seem out of step with other schools because Burke says that it is hard to take the SSAT during the pandemic, and then directs applicants to a list of educational consultants that Burke says will charge an extra fee to provide a flex test version of the SSAT. I hope Burke reconsiders. We like the school a lot, but don't want to have to pay hundreds of dollars and risk our health to go to a testing center, when the other schools on our list for DC don't accept scores this year.

You don't need to - the SSAT can be taken at home, and I've seen a couple schools require that:
ssat.org/testing/home/guide-to-the-ssat-at-home

Anonymous wrote:If this is an issue for you you should definitely reach out and ask about this. The admissions folks are very flexible and I am sure they will work with you.

Looks like Burke is not posting its 2021-22 application yet. Let's hope that they line up with the other DC schools before they post the new application. It looks like the info on the website is more relevant to students entering this fall.

If this is an issue for you you should definitely reach out and ask about this. The admissions folks are very flexible and I am sure they will work with you.

Anonymous wrote:WTH! Why is Burke the only independent high school left in DC that still requires the SSAT??? The admissions website even acknowledges that it is difficult to get the test done in the middle of a pandemic, but then says go find a way to take it.

Yes, it does seem out of step with other schools because Burke says that it is hard to take the SSAT during the pandemic, and then directs applicants to a list of educational consultants that Burke says will charge an extra fee to provide a flex test version of the SSAT. I hope Burke reconsiders. We like the school a lot, but don't want to have to pay hundreds of dollars and risk our health to go to a testing center, when the other schools on our list for DC don't accept scores this year.