Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 16:07     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Anonymous wrote:How many years of graduates are accounted for in the Lowell list above? One or last 5, last 10?


Not one because there were no STA or NCS admits from this past year's class.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 15:03     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
How many years of graduates are accounted for in the Lowell list above? One or last 5, last 10?
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 14:38     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Parent of high schooler here whose kids graduated from one of the following k-8s in the last few years: Norwood, St. Pat's or Sheridan. Every single kid we've known personally -- so maybe 35? 40? -- said their #1 top choice for HS was Sidwell, Maret, GDS, or NCS. Maybe one said Potomac.

But only a handful of those 35+ kids would actually be a good fit for those specific schools (save Maret.) The workload and crushing high academic expectations would've been a terrible, terrible match for a lot of kids who swore they were Sidwell-or-bust.

A lot of these families were bitterly disappointed that they weren't admitted to certain target high schools and they'd tell you "it's a lottery" or they blame the outplacement individuals at the K-8. But it's not a lottery, and outplacement advisors can't make an 8th grader into something s/he's not just because their 'top choice' is a Cathedral HS.

In almost all cases, the most competitive-entry high schools selected the correct students from our K-8. That not every Sidwell applicant didn't get an offer doesn't reflect poorly on our school.

Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 14:28     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Nice job, Norwood!
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 14:09     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Anonymous wrote:Another takeaway is that one’s views of their K-8 experience likely turn on how happy they were with outplacement. The families that are happy of course think the K-8 model worked well for them. But are families whose kids were not admitted to their school of choice (whatever it was) still happy they chose the K-8 model?


For sure, outplacement plays a role in how people view the K8 in retrospect. But a lot higher percentage of people match at their first choice school at our K8 than you might guess just looking at a list. You have to remember these schools serve a variety of different levels of students. So students placing at, say, St. Andrews (which is a lovely school) are often hitting their preferred destination. Not everyone (or even a majority) is hoping for Sidwell and then going down the list of most prestigious or whatever. Sidwell would be a miserable placement for many kids at our school. At our school, my sense was that 70-80% or so hit their first course school or a school in the same range. But we are a smaller K8 so that might make it somewhat easier in some respects. Maybe about 20% were not happy with the outcome. But a good chunk of these are people that are just being unrealistic and are unusually vocal.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 13:22     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Another takeaway is that one’s views of their K-8 experience likely turn on how happy they were with outplacement. The families that are happy of course think the K-8 model worked well for them. But are families whose kids were not admitted to their school of choice (whatever it was) still happy they chose the K-8 model?
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 13:20     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:k-8 parent here with child at Big 3. Our experience at k-8 was great and our child did not find application process to be toxic. Our goal was NEVER Big 3 but best fit and we encouraged our child to do the same. We have another still at k-8 and they may or may not go to a Big 3.

Our child's cohort was very strong and over 30% of the class landed at STA/NCS, Sidwell, GDS. If you include Potomac/Holton/Maret it was 40%.

I agree with previous posters that it's typical that the top 20-25% of class will go to top schools but I will also say that these kids are high fliers (and that many parents think their kid is in the high flier category but the kid is not). That said - nothing is a guarantee; it also happens that (a) some kids get in that are not as academically strong (usually they have some special pull - whether known publicly or not) and (b) sometimes someone strong gets shut out for reasons unknown.

Bottom line is that, if your goal is Big 3 for HS, then try as early and as often as you can to apply there. A K-8 is not the place for you if you want this guarantee.

We'd never trade the k-8 experience but Big3 is not the priority.

What the PP did not disclose is how many of those admitted to top schools in 9th, from K8, were siblings or children or large donors. That plays a very large part and no one talks about it.

PP said it was a strong class. Unless you’re going to go back in time to enroll your own kid in that class, why does it matter?


Which K-8 - if you don’t mind sharing wildness like to know. 30-40% landing at those schools is very impressive.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:45     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
old boys society - they like to pick from the other privates
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:40     Subject: Re:Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids attended an upper NW DCPS elementary. Quite a few of the kids who couldn't hack it at our elementary and/or at Deal transferred into one K-8 or another along the way.
There are many smart kids at the K-8s (for sure), but they are also used by families as a softer alternative for kids who are struggling academically in public.
In contrast, the strongest public school kids all stayed in public through middle school.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that 20% heading on to the "Big3" from a K-8 is probably about right. The top 20% are probably appropriate for the elite, pressure cooker high schools. The K-8
schools have kids all over the academic spectrum, not unlike public schools.



My kids attended ... DCPS elementary. ... Anyway, what I'm saying is that 20% heading on to the "Big3" from a K-8 is probably about right.

"I'm saying that I'm confident that I know what happens inside the walls at private K-8 schools although I have no actual, direct experience with private schools."


I'm the DCPS poster that you're mocking. I have kids at two different Big3 privates who left from DCPS. One joined a Big3 in 7th and the other (a different Big3 school) in 9th.
I actually have a lot of experience in the private school application process and many friends who attend or attended the K-8 schools in lieu of DCPS (some joining at PK, some in 5th, some in 7th). Some I've met while they were in DCPS
and others since we've been at the two Big3 schools. You can mock me all you want but I stand by my view that it makes sense that about 20% of these K-8 school students are appropriate for the rigor of the top high schools. The yearly
admit rates from the K-8 schools bear this out. 20% may seem low but it's much higher than the admission rates from public schools. When you apply out from a public school you are often competing against 30 kids from your school for
what will turn out to be one spot (and all 30 kids will likely be among the highest flyers of the 600 kids in the grade). So 20% chance from a K-8 (if an elite high school is the goal) is quite good in comparison.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:26     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Norwood

CLASS OF 2021 MATRICULATION
Norwood graduates do not “feed” into a small group of high schools. In fact, graduates from the Class of 2021 attend 25 different high schools. That’s one of the distinguishing aspects of Norwood: graduates attend “best-fit” high schools where their unique talents, strengths, and gifts can continue to shine.

Students from the Class of 2021 were accepted at the following high schools and will attend those schools in bold:

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bullis School (12)
Chatham Hall (VA)
Connelly School of the Holy Child
Edmund Burke School (2)
The Field School
Flint Hill School
Georgetown Day School (5)
Georgetown Preparatory School
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
Holton-Arms School (3)
The Lab School of Washington
Landon School
Langley High School
The Madeira School
Maret School (3)
National Cathedral School (2)
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
Poolesville High School Magnet Program
The Potomac School (3)
Sandy Spring Friends School
Santa Catalina School (CA)
Sidwell Friends School (4)
St. Albans School
St. Andrew's Episcopal School (3)
St. John's College High School
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (4)
Thomas Wootton High School
Walt Whitman High School (2)
Washington International School
Whittle School & Studios
Winston Churchill High School
Woodberry Forest School (VA)
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:22     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
High Schools for St. Patrick's

https://www.stpatsdc.org/admission/high-school-placement
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:18     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Sheridan graduates are currently attending the following high schools:
BCC
Bullis
Burke
CAPS
Commonwealth
DeMatha
Field
GDS
Gonzaga
Landon
Latin
Madeira
Maret
McLean
NCS
Potomac
Sidwell
St. Albans
St. Andrew’s
St. John’s
Stone Ridge
Walls
Wilson
WIS
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:16     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
From the Lowell website.

HIGH SCHOOLS OUR GRADUATES ARE ATTENDING
Albert Einstein High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Brownell Talbot (NE)
Bullis School
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
École Jeannine Manuel (France)
Edmund Burke School
Elizabeth Seton
Field School
Fusion Academy
Georgetown Day School
Gonzaga College High School
Holton-Arms School
Holy Cross
Landon School
Madeira School
Maret School
Marin Academy (CA)
Montgomery Blair High School (CAP)
Montgomery Blair High School
National Cathedral School
New York Public High School
North Carolina Public High School
Sandy Spring Friends School
Sidwell Friends School
Siena School
St. Alban’s School
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
St. John’s College High School
St. Stephen's St. Agnes
Washington Waldorf School
Whitman
Whittle
Wilson High School
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:09     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
For folks checking out K-8 schools, this kind of information is interesting. Of course schools change over time as do strong cohorts. Regardless, it is a valid question.

Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:00     Subject: Which K-8 has the best high school placement?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:k-8 parent here with child at Big 3. Our experience at k-8 was great and our child did not find application process to be toxic. Our goal was NEVER Big 3 but best fit and we encouraged our child to do the same. We have another still at k-8 and they may or may not go to a Big 3.

Our child's cohort was very strong and over 30% of the class landed at STA/NCS, Sidwell, GDS. If you include Potomac/Holton/Maret it was 40%.

I agree with previous posters that it's typical that the top 20-25% of class will go to top schools but I will also say that these kids are high fliers (and that many parents think their kid is in the high flier category but the kid is not). That said - nothing is a guarantee; it also happens that (a) some kids get in that are not as academically strong (usually they have some special pull - whether known publicly or not) and (b) sometimes someone strong gets shut out for reasons unknown.

Bottom line is that, if your goal is Big 3 for HS, then try as early and as often as you can to apply there. A K-8 is not the place for you if you want this guarantee.

We'd never trade the k-8 experience but Big3 is not the priority.


PP said it was a strong class. Unless you’re going to go back in time to enroll your own kid in that class, why does it matter?


Which K-8 - if you don’t mind sharing wildness like to know. 30-40% landing at those schools is very impressive.