It is great to hear that some of you have good experiences at Wilson. My kid is in 10th grade and I worry that Wilson has made her jaded and cynical before her time. She is always having to argue with teachers and redo work because they lost her hw. She is a perfectionist and teachers get mad when she asks them why she got a B+ or A- in an exam because they always say you should be happy with your grade, we are worried about kids who are failing and don't have time for kids who are doing fine. She gets placed in random electives that she doesn't want and her counselor just shoos her off and says sorry, nothing can be done. English has been very weak in 9th and 10th which worries me because you need to be a good writer to do well in college. I guess some smart kids are able to do well in college despite their Wilson experience rather than because of it. I'm hoping that 11th grade will be better.

Another happy Wilson parent here. While I may have worried about how good the education was at Wilson, when my first kid was going through, now I know there was nothing to worry about. The bottom line is that Wilson kids, for the most part, do great in college. I think parents take for granted the exposure that our Wilson kids get to serious issues, debate, reading, discussions, analysis, etc. And that is happening every day at Wilson, in pretty much every class, in my experience. So maybe they're not being beaten over the head with homework like at Walls (which I have seen crush many a Walls kids' spirit and love of learning). Maybe to your outside eyes, it doesn't seem all that rigorous. I know that my friends and relatives in Fairfax, Loudon and Prince Wiliam Co schools would all love it if their kids were pushed and could have the experiences that the vast majority of Wilson kids get. It's a special place, and yeah, it's not perfect, but you're dreaming if you think any high school- public, private or charter, is.

This thread is crazy.

As a parent and step parent of kids at (or who have been at) Wilson and Whitman I can tell you that both school are great. Both schools have issues -- different but don't be fooled by thinking Whitman is all a bed or roses over there.

Wilson definitely requires a more self starter type of student but by far prepared kids for college much better. Academically and socially. Whitman drove me crazy (much like Deal does) with the very laid back approach to turning in homework which doesn't prepare kids well for college. They become lazy. Smart kids don't become lazy at Wilson, too much other stuff going on.

Regardless, the top of both schools apply are accepted into and attend the same schools. We have seen many more Wilson kids turn down an acceptance for scholarship money at a different school. Whitman top kids tend to know where they want to go and will go there if they get in.

Anonymous wrote:Some of you posters would like to dismiss all criticism of Wilson as being from MC parents. There are many Wilson parents who would like the school to be better and pay more attention to high achieving students. There is no reason Wilson cannot be on par with good high schools in other states. Unfortunately there is a lot of apathy and disinterest in Wilson from the central office and even Wilson administrators.

I am the parent of a Wilson junior. And I say that what is being dismissed in this thread is the success of the top students at the school - which was the point of the thread.

No one said Wilson is perfect. It is a very unique place. The school definitely has issues that are very challenging to address. If you are a disenchanted parent, get organized, connect with the PTSO, create a set of actionable steps you want to see the school take. But don't dismiss the accomplishments of the top students who are thriving there.

Anonymous wrote:We could debate this forever, but we already know the bottom line: Wilson has flaws, but a top-notch student with a good chance of getting into Ivies at the best Bethesda high school would also be a top-notch student with good chance of getting into Ivies at Wilson.

The rest, as they say, is commentary.

Thank you! I have a very happy mediocre kid at Wilson. He would also be mediocre at a Bethesda HS. It's interesting though. When my older son was in high school, we lived in CC MD. He ended up going to private. He would not have been able to handle any large HS - DC or Bethesda. I realized that even if you are in a great school district, sometimes your kid still needs something different. It really depends on your kid.

We could debate this forever, but we already know the bottom line: Wilson has flaws, but a top-notch student with a good chance of getting into Ivies at the best Bethesda high school would also be a top-notch student with good chance of getting into Ivies at Wilson.

The rest, as they say, is commentary.

Anonymous wrote:Some of you posters would like to dismiss all criticism of Wilson as being from MC parents. There are many Wilson parents who would like the school to be better and pay more attention to high achieving students. There is no reason Wilson cannot be on par with good high schools in other states. Unfortunately there is a lot of apathy and disinterest in Wilson from the central office and even Wilson administrators.

+1. I agree that the tone of some of the Wilson parents is overly negative, but the school does have a lot of issues. Standards all around are way too low (for students, teachers, and administrators). If you know other high-functioning schools well, it's hard to accept Wilson as it is. The principal has made clear that her focus is elsewhere; raising academic standards does not seem to appear anywhere on her agenda, let alone rank as a priority. My kid has straight As in a raft of AP classes and barely has to lift a finger. I'm afraid that his education in no way matches up to what kids are experiencing in the top public and private schools in the region, and I worry about how he will do in college.

And yes, we do think he's on track to get in to a very good college, but merit aid will play a large role in our decision, so he may well turn down a higher-ranked school for a nearly-as-good one that offers merit aid. That's just the reality when you're in our income bracket and have multiple children headed to college.

Anonymous wrote:Some of you posters would like to dismiss all criticism of Wilson as being from MC parents. There are many Wilson parents who would like the school to be better and pay more attention to high achieving students. There is no reason Wilson cannot be on par with good high schools in other states. Unfortunately there is a lot of apathy and disinterest in Wilson from the central office and even Wilson administrators.

No, I think everyone agrees tat there is always room for improvement at every school. But some people just spout random rumors and trash the school like it is a sport, without a care that it reflects on other people's children.

Some of you posters would like to dismiss all criticism of Wilson as being from MC parents. There are many Wilson parents who would like the school to be better and pay more attention to high achieving students. There is no reason Wilson cannot be on par with good high schools in other states. Unfortunately there is a lot of apathy and disinterest in Wilson from the central office and even Wilson administrators.

Anonymous wrote:You guys are nuts. I am a Wilson parent and am not impressed. It is mediocre at best and yes, my kid has all As.
I wish we were at a Bethesda HS. Probably made a mistake not moving. My kid should get into a good college with his GPA but there is so much more to HS than getting As.

I don't believe you're a Wilson parent. Trolls are tricky. I'm a parent at a Bethesda hs and I wish we would have stayed in DC.

You guys are nuts. I am a Wilson parent and am not impressed. It is mediocre at best and yes, my kid has all As.
I wish we were at a Bethesda HS. Probably made a mistake not moving. My kid should get into a good college with his GPA but there is so much more to HS than getting As.

It's their loss PP. We know what we have at Wilson! But, I agree with other PP, shhhhhhhhh.......

Anonymous wrote:I agree PP. People really seem to root against Wilson. Sad.

But, hey, lets not tell them what we know and maybe it will help wth the crowding?

Not really. The haters live in MC and want to continue their fantasy that DC doesn't compare to their white washed school. It makes them sleep better about their real estate/suburbia choices.

I agree PP. People really seem to root against Wilson. Sad.

But, hey, lets not tell them what we know and maybe it will help wth the crowding?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Yale part is more true than the jail part.

This is for the class of 2016: http://www.wilsonhs.org/ourpages/auto/2011/4/15/39942607/Wilsonprofile2016-17webreduced.pdf

Mind you, this is where they actually went. Kids get into schools hoping for financial aid packages that may not work out, or they get a full ride to a less prestigious school and take it (smart move).

67 seniors with straight As? Jesus.

67 seniors with straight As....but only about 12 to 14 seniors went to elite schools (Ivy + UNC, Berkely, Stanford, G'town and similar)

So going to Wilson to earn higher grades doesn't directly translate into elite school acceptance. There must be more

it's not 67 seniors with straigh A's - its 67 seniors with more than a 4.0. If you are taking AP classes and your GPA will always read higher. It does not mean they all 67 had straight A's. Someone posted earlier for 2015 and 2016 9 Wilson students enrolled in Ivy League schools (MIT+ Stanford) this [/b]does not[b] include other schools like G'town. Michigan etc. As stated earlier - use Naviance to see the real stats.

As stated earlier, the "real" stats on Naviance rely heavily on self-reporting on the part of students.

Get that. But then you need to throw outthe MOCO stats too. Don't get the hate for Wilson. Kids go to Ivies from Wilson. My kid is one. Hate how folks on this thread want to diminish the accomplishments of the top students at Wilson.