I don’t get what it even is? My Whitman kid is at a top SLAC and busted her ass and I never heard her mention this. Is it just for scholarships?

Are you implying that these students are intellectually and academically lesser in their latter 2 years of high while all the others are better?

Or do you mean that the PSAT does not factor other variables such as skin color, bank account, and skills in lacrosse?

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t the T30 (Ivys, S, MIT, top SLACs, etc) simply fill their schools with these high performers rather than affirmative action for Whites and all the rest?

Maybe because, while a deserved honor, this practice test in 11th grade is not the full sum of who a student is?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/33 6%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

I think PP was just guessing at class sizes since you can't really find it anywhere for every school. You can correct one you know.

Why don’t the T30 (Ivys, S, MIT, top SLACs, etc) simply fill their schools with these high performers rather than affirmative action for Whites and all the rest?

Highly intelligent and motivated kids indeed!

Basically these number directly correlate to the population of east and south asians (and maybe a smattering of Russians) in each school. My kid's DC private doesn't encourage prepping for the psat. My guess is most are similar. I also had two kids at Blair in Moco. The vast majority of kids who get nmsf semifinalist are the kids of first gen immigrants from certain countries. TJ is the exact same.

Montgomery County, MD public schools (non Potomac, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase)

Blair Magnet HS: 38 to 48% NMSF annually X 20 years

RM IB HS: 38 to 48% NMSF per year X 10 years

Poolesville Magnet 38 to 44% NMSF per year X 4 years

Anonymous wrote: Andover - 2
Philips Exeter -8
Dalton -13
Chapin - 1

Wow

Harvard-Westlake, 40 out of a class of 284 (about 14 percent)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

4/150 2.7%

I dont know why you are so invested in this. My DC is a senior at GDS and the kids couldn’t care less about the PSAT. The school does not push PSAT.
But if it makes you feel better…

In the same way denigrating the achievements of children from other schools makes you feel better?

Why can’t adults just be happy when kids do well and say congrats? Or at minimum, keep their mouths shut?

- a teacher at your school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walls: 6
Sidwell: 5
GDS: 4
STA: 3
Gonzaga: 3
NCS: 2
SAAS: 2
Basis DC: 1
JR/Wilson: 1
Maret: 1
WIS: 1
Whittle: 1

Impressive results for DC public schools:

Public: 8
Private: 22

Walls beat every private school in the DC—kudos to them!

And, for privates, Gonzaga bested NCS and SAAS.

What does this look like per capita?

Whittle 1/20 5%
Sidwell: 5/125 4%
Walls: 6/150 4%
SAAS: 2/50 4%
STA: 3/80 3.75%
GDS: 4/125 3.2%
NCS: 2/80 2.5%
Basis DC: 1/50 2%
Gonzaga: 3/225 1.3%
WIS: 1/80 1.3%
Maret: 1/125 0.8%
JR/Wilson: 1/375 0.2%

GDS has 125 students in class 2023? Isn't each grade in GDS upper school ~150 students?

4/150 2.7%

I dont know why you are so invested in this. My DC is a senior at GDS and the kids couldn’t care less about the PSAT. The school does not push PSAT.
But if it makes you feel better…

Most there don’t. Too busy saving America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.

Do you not like money? There are lots of corporate scholarships awarding money solely based on National Merit status.

Where?

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.

Do you not like money? There are lots of corporate scholarships awarding money solely based on National Merit status.

Anonymous wrote:

Minimum score on PSAT for NMSF is the same everywhere. Achieving NMSF approximately means the student scored at 99.5th percentile on their PSAT.

NM Commendation is still very good, but has a lower threshold.

Totally wrong. NMSF varies by state and DC is set at the same level as the highest state cutoff. Commended is a lower number set by National percentage.

+1. I am so amazed by so many people on DCUM who just open their mouths without the basic knowledge of the topic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about this. College admissions to top schools have nothing to do with NMSF.

I don’t agree with this. While NMSF is perhaps not more than another feather in the cap of these high performing kids, elite colleges do care very much about high SAT scores, and those who perform well on psat are very likely to do the same on SAT.

My kid didn't qualify for NMSF but got 1600 on the SAT. That's what matters for college admissions.