Anonymous
06/11/2026 10:54
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No where had more rigor than the Blair magnet, nowhere.
TJ has far more rigor.
Let's be honest here
What are you basing that on? Be honest.
DP
The scope of magnet courses at Blair is not as broad as the course selection available at TJ.
Post AP calc and pos AP Physics classes are more robust at TJ with better lab and research facilities.
This is probably a marginal difference but there is a difference.
No dog in this fight but… how do you know? You attended both schools at the same time?
No I look at the curriculum and Blair has fewer post Calc BC classes and fewer post AP physics CEM classes
They just don't have enough kids to offer as much variety as TJ.
High school is the time to build a strong foundation in the core subjects, especially language and math. There’s plenty to explore in college.
Anonymous
06/11/2026 10:26
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No where had more rigor than the Blair magnet, nowhere.
TJ has far more rigor.
Let's be honest here
What are you basing that on? Be honest.
DP
The scope of magnet courses at Blair is not as broad as the course selection available at TJ.
Post AP calc and pos AP Physics classes are more robust at TJ with better lab and research facilities.
This is probably a marginal difference but there is a difference.
No dog in this fight but… how do you know? You attended both schools at the same time?
No I look at the curriculum and Blair has fewer post Calc BC classes and fewer post AP physics CEM classes
They just don't have enough kids to offer as much variety as TJ.
Anonymous
06/11/2026 08:25
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:I would imagine places like TJ and Blair have really high rigor.
Amongst the privates -- Sidwell is at the top
among the DC publics -- BASIS is at the top for rigor
(former DC private school teacher, DCPS and DCPCS parent)
Do you mean Basis DC, the charter school? As opposed to the private Basis International McLean (BIM), which is often referenced as just Basis?
Anonymous
06/11/2026 08:22
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
TJ.
End of thread.
End of thread.
Anonymous
06/11/2026 08:21
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Have had two go through local independent schools. One went to what I'd say is an average rigor school (akin to a non-magnet public in a wealthy suburb). Kids took 5 to 6 APs at most. Classes were more lecture based. Kid did fine. Second went to a high rigor school. No humanities APs offered but top track kids took at least 5 or 6 APs. All classes throughout were taught like college seminars. Kid also did fine.
In each case, AOs judged the applicant's rigor against their peers. Not against other schools. First kid's schedule would have been considered lower rigor if taken at second kid's school (but, to be fair, first kid's schedule would have been more like second kid's if they went tot he same school). Second kid's schedule would have been the highest rigor (if it were attainable, which I don't think would have been the case, especially with regard to math.
I think even average rigor schools have more than 6 APs offered. I would say I went to an average rigor, semi-rural school that never sent anyone to HYPSM, nowhere near as competitive as the DMV are. I took 12 APs and I think there were at least 4 more APs I considered that I couldn’t fit into my schedule. And that was 25 yrs ago.
My kids go to a small private school in DC that doesn’t offer APs. I know the college counselor says all the students take “highest rigor” because there’s only one class offered per grade, but I rarely see any top college outcomes out of our school. I think there’s big a difference between underprivileged/rural kids whose school doesn’t offer rigorous classes, and small privates in an elite area. And regardless of rigor of classes offered, colleges still have to see evidence that the student would thrive in college level classes and are prepared.
Anonymous
06/11/2026 07:01
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Have had two go through local independent schools. One went to what I'd say is an average rigor school (akin to a non-magnet public in a wealthy suburb). Kids took 5 to 6 APs at most. Classes were more lecture based. Kid did fine. Second went to a high rigor school. No humanities APs offered but top track kids took at least 5 or 6 APs. All classes throughout were taught like college seminars. Kid also did fine.
In each case, AOs judged the applicant's rigor against their peers. Not against other schools. First kid's schedule would have been considered lower rigor if taken at second kid's school (but, to be fair, first kid's schedule would have been more like second kid's if they went tot he same school). Second kid's schedule would have been the highest rigor (if it were attainable, which I don't think would have been the case, especially with regard to math.
The question was: What schools in the DMV would be in the top echelon of highest rigor, assuming a kid takes the hardest classes there?
Anonymous
06/11/2026 06:41
Subject: Re:Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The rigor of the school doesn't matter just that you took the most rigorous courses available at your school. The Title 1 where I work always sends the top kids to elite colleges
This is completely wrong. Rigor of the school matters a huge amount. The Title 1 school may send a couple kids to elite colleges but TJ many times that number to top colleges. The percentage that Sidwell or Philips Exeter send to elite colleges is completely different from an average public high school. Yes yes, students are judged within the context of the school, but their school is also judged within the context of other schools.
This isn’t rigorous thinking. The student body at Sidwell or Exeter is incredibly different from “an average public school.” Same for a Title 1 school versus TJ. Assigning the difference in percentages going to elite colleges to the rigor of the high schools without adjusting for these other differences across high schools is faulty reasoning.
It sounds like you think I was criticizing and oversimplifying. I actually completely agree with you. I was just responding to the PP who said the rigor of the school doesn't matter when it absolutely does. And yes, so does the fact that there is vetting process to get into the school. And so do many other factors. But the school itself and it's rigor and the institution's history, of course they matter.
Anonymous
06/10/2026 22:42
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
DC's school is so rigorous. The most rigor. More than all the others, people can't even believe it. They say to me "we've never seen anything like this", the amount of rigor this school has. I call it "rigor more", because 'tis... "rigor more 'tis".
Anonymous
06/10/2026 17:41
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:^ The point is not to make your student take these. The school will encourage those that are ready! Teachers steer top kids into the hardest path, no parental intervention or knowledge about paths needed.
The point is to assess where your student falls in the context of what is possible at their school and have an honest conversation with the counseling dean on what is possible as foar as colleges for your student where they are not where you wish they were.
No sense pushing ivy+ on your kid with their 1520 and 12 APs that you think is max rigor when those APs are
AP precal, APGeo, Art History, AB cal, Stats, Econ, Gov, CompSci, APBio, APES, APush and APLit in 12th when the strong kids have it 11th.
They are not top rigor. They are likely a little above average or average rigor at most privates or magnets like TJ, MGLWS.
They are not on the path in line for UVA in-state, let alone T20/ivy+
Not true at all if you are in private school.
Anonymous
06/10/2026 17:34
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No where had more rigor than the Blair magnet, nowhere.
TJ has far more rigor.
Let's be honest here
What are you basing that on? Be honest.
DP
The scope of magnet courses at Blair is not as broad as the course selection available at TJ.
Post AP calc and pos AP Physics classes are more robust at TJ with better lab and research facilities.
This is probably a marginal difference but there is a difference.
No dog in this fight but… how do you know? You attended both schools at the same time?
Anonymous
06/10/2026 17:21
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No where had more rigor than the Blair magnet, nowhere.
TJ has far more rigor.
Let's be honest here
What are you basing that on? Be honest.
DP
The scope of magnet courses at Blair is not as broad as the course selection available at TJ.
Post AP calc and pos AP Physics classes are more robust at TJ with better lab and research facilities.
This is probably a marginal difference but there is a difference.
Anonymous
06/09/2026 09:46
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
I would imagine places like TJ and Blair have really high rigor.
Amongst the privates -- Sidwell is at the top
among the DC publics -- BASIS is at the top for rigor
(former DC private school teacher, DCPS and DCPCS parent)
Amongst the privates -- Sidwell is at the top
among the DC publics -- BASIS is at the top for rigor
(former DC private school teacher, DCPS and DCPCS parent)
Anonymous
06/09/2026 09:41
Subject: Re:Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The rigor of the school doesn't matter just that you took the most rigorous courses available at your school. The Title 1 where I work always sends the top kids to elite colleges
Do you track how they do one inside? How well does your school prepare them?
I have been teaching AP calc there for 8 years so all of the top kids come through my class. I've had the opportunity to run into them during their summers home or younger siblings who are now at the school. All are doing well. These kids have a work ethic and dedication to learning that I didn't see at my previous school. Also, getting into the college is the hard part A school like Yale has every support possible in order to make sure a kid is successful.
Anonymous
06/09/2026 09:33
Subject: Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Have had two go through local independent schools. One went to what I'd say is an average rigor school (akin to a non-magnet public in a wealthy suburb). Kids took 5 to 6 APs at most. Classes were more lecture based. Kid did fine. Second went to a high rigor school. No humanities APs offered but top track kids took at least 5 or 6 APs. All classes throughout were taught like college seminars. Kid also did fine.
In each case, AOs judged the applicant's rigor against their peers. Not against other schools. First kid's schedule would have been considered lower rigor if taken at second kid's school (but, to be fair, first kid's schedule would have been more like second kid's if they went tot he same school). Second kid's schedule would have been the highest rigor (if it were attainable, which I don't think would have been the case, especially with regard to math.
In each case, AOs judged the applicant's rigor against their peers. Not against other schools. First kid's schedule would have been considered lower rigor if taken at second kid's school (but, to be fair, first kid's schedule would have been more like second kid's if they went tot he same school). Second kid's schedule would have been the highest rigor (if it were attainable, which I don't think would have been the case, especially with regard to math.
Anonymous
06/09/2026 09:27
Subject: Re:Which schools in the DMV are really “highest rigor?”
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The rigor of the school doesn't matter just that you took the most rigorous courses available at your school. The Title 1 where I work always sends the top kids to elite colleges
This is completely wrong. Rigor of the school matters a huge amount. The Title 1 school may send a couple kids to elite colleges but TJ many times that number to top colleges. The percentage that Sidwell or Philips Exeter send to elite colleges is completely different from an average public high school. Yes yes, students are judged within the context of the school, but their school is also judged within the context of other schools.
This isn’t rigorous thinking. The student body at Sidwell or Exeter is incredibly different from “an average public school.” Same for a Title 1 school versus TJ. Assigning the difference in percentages going to elite colleges to the rigor of the high schools without adjusting for these other differences across high schools is faulty reasoning.