ATL Private school - Lovett vs Westminster recent comparison (Atlanta: neighborhood, assessment)

[ATLBraves]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Native

It's not public school, they can't "accept" every applicant. Not sure what's B.S. about that - it's how every single private school works. My suggestion is that if you have a problem with it, save your money and send your kid to public school.

I have a problem with how they "accept" some children at these private schools. If children were accepted based on how they performed on JATP testing, interviews and previous school recommendations/transcripts then I wouldn't have any issues with it. Instead, it's more about the parents, recommendations from existing parents, legacy, contributions etc. That's what's B.S. about it. It's not about the child, it's about the parents and how hard they'll try to be part of the club.

[CMMom]

Originally Posted by ATLBraves

I have a problem with how they "accept" some children at these private schools. If children were accepted based on how they performed on JATP testing, interviews and previous school recommendations/transcripts then I wouldn't have any issues with it. Instead, it's more about the parents, recommendations from existing parents, legacy, contributions etc. That's what's B.S. about it. It's not about the child, it's about the parents and how hard they'll try to be part of the club.

Although this sounds like something that could be true, it's really much less true than you think it is. With the recent DEI initiatives, these schools are actively seeking more diversity (I don't just mean racial diversity; I mean geographic, class/SES, and nationalities) and are always trying to attract new families into their communities. Do siblings and legacies receive preference? Yes, but only to a point. These schools need "new blood" in order to survive and thrive and they fully recognize that. I have known PLENTY of families with no connections, new to Atlanta, etc... whose kids got into these schools. They had NO insider knowledge or help. There's no conspiracy to keep out "undesirables" or anything like that; there just isn't.

[Atlanta-Native]

Originally Posted by CMMom

Although this sounds like something that could be true, it's really much less true than you think it is. With the recent DEI initiatives, these schools are actively seeking more diversity (I don't just mean racial diversity; I mean geographic, class/SES, and nationalities) and are always trying to attract new families into their communities. Do siblings and legacies receive preference? Yes, but only to a point. These schools need "new blood" in order to survive and thrive and they fully recognize that. I have known PLENTY of families with no connections, new to Atlanta, etc... whose kids got into these schools. They had NO insider knowledge or help. There's no conspiracy to keep out "undesirables" or anything like that; there just isn't.

Correct.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by ATLBraves

I have a problem with how they "accept" some children at these private schools. If children were accepted based on how they performed on JATP testing, interviews and previous school recommendations/transcripts then I wouldn't have any issues with it. Instead, it's more about the parents, recommendations from existing parents, legacy, contributions etc. That's what's B.S. about it. It's not about the child, it's about the parents and how hard they'll try to be part of the club.

Your characterization of the process is totally off base. Maybe that's the way it was decades ago when some of these schools were founded, but not now. My family went through this process about seven years ago for elementary school, and we're preparing to go through it for high school in a couple of years. We were new to the city and didn't know a soul at any of these schools but got accepted to three out of five.

One thing that may ring true is a bit of self-selection of the types of families/students attracted to certain schools. If you're considering Paideia, you're more likely to be cross-shopping with Galloway or Children's School for their experiential learning and progressive leanings. If you're considering Lovett, then Westminster and Pace have similar traditional classroom pedagogy and social scenes. The admissions process can be a bit of a black box, but the results have created some of the best schools in the state and nation (#1 and #55 respectively for Westminster).

[ATLBraves]

Originally Posted by cparker73

Your characterization of the process is totally off base. Maybe that's the way it was decades ago when some of these schools were founded, but not now. My family went through this process about seven years ago for elementary school, and we're preparing to go through it for high school in a couple of years. We were new to the city and didn't know a soul at any of these schools but got accepted to three out of five.

One thing that may ring true is a bit of self-selection of the types of families/students attracted to certain schools. If you're considering Paideia, you're more likely to be cross-shopping with Galloway or Children's School for their experiential learning and progressive leanings. If you're considering Lovett, then Westminster and Pace have similar traditional classroom pedagogy and social scenes. The admissions process can be a bit of a black box, but the results have created some of the best schools in the state and nation (#1 and #55 respectively for Westminster).

It's a numbers game. You are correct that if there are seats available they are open to new blood. With COVID, all private schools are seeing a huge surge in applications. When you have 5 seats open and 10 applications of which 5 kids are above average (JATP testing, grades, scores, interviews, sports etc.) and 5 kids that are average but have connections with the school (legacy, recommendations from existing parents, contributions).. they will pick a couple above average children and the rest will be connection based. It is what it is, and I agree that private schools can't admit all children based on the child's credentials. It's a private institution so it's a business model where they have to ensure they market their services and appeal to a wide range of people as well as keep their funding. I'm not upset by it, i'm just stating that private schools have less regulations and there's BS that comes with it. I'm not originally from Atlanta and I can say for a fact that the private schools in Atlanta are not offering any sort of exceptional education.

[ATLBraves]

Originally Posted by CMMom

Although this sounds like something that could be true, it's really much less true than you think it is. With the recent DEI initiatives, these schools are actively seeking more diversity (I don't just mean racial diversity; I mean geographic, class/SES, and nationalities) and are always trying to attract new families into their communities. Do siblings and legacies receive preference? Yes, but only to a point. These schools need "new blood" in order to survive and thrive and they fully recognize that. I have known PLENTY of families with no connections, new to Atlanta, etc... whose kids got into these schools. They had NO insider knowledge or help. There's no conspiracy to keep out "undesirables" or anything like that; there just isn't.

What i'm stating is more common at Westminster than other private schools. Because Westminister has fewer seats than other private schools, the parents have to show some effort beyond just a bright child to get in be it recommendations from existing parents or contributions prior to the child getting in.

[Atlanta-Native]

Originally Posted by ATLBraves

What i'm stating is more common at Westminster than other private schools. Because Westminister has fewer seats than other private schools, the parent's have to show some effort beyond just a bright child to get in be it recommendations from existing parents or contributions prior to the child getting in.

How does Westminster have fewer seats?

[ATLBraves]

Originally Posted by Atlanta-Native

How does Westminster have fewer seats?

Fewer available seats in their non-expansion years. It's the #1 ranked private school in Atlanta so they get more applications in general.

[Atlanta-Native]

Originally Posted by ATLBraves

Fewer available seats in their non-expansion years. It's the #1 ranked private school in Atlanta so they get more applications in general.

With it being a larger school than any of the other Buckhead privates, I'd say there probably isn't a huge difference in applicants, in relation to school size of each. Most parents aren't necessarily going to apply their child to all 3 of the Buckhead privates because they all are a different fit.

[CMMom]

Originally Posted by ATLBraves

It's a numbers game. You are correct that if there are seats available they are open to new blood. With COVID, all private schools are seeing a huge surge in applications. When you have 5 seats open and 10 applications of which 5 kids are above average (JATP testing, grades, scores, interviews, sports etc.) and 5 kids that are average but have connections with the school (legacy, recommendations from existing parents, contributions).. they will pick a couple above average children and the rest will be connection based. It is what it is, and I agree that private schools can't admit all children based on the child's credentials. It's a private institution so it's a business model where they have to ensure they market their services and appeal to a wide range of people as well as keep their funding. I'm not upset by it, i'm just stating that private schools have less regulations and there's BS that comes with it. I'm not originally from Atlanta and I can say for a fact that the private schools in Atlanta are not offering any sort of exceptional education.

So if you were the Admissions Director and it was your complete choice to make the decisions, which five of the 10 kids mentioned above would you accept? Rate the criteria by which you would make your decision. In other words, how do you think they SHOULD be making decisions? Should siblings/legacies receive NO preference? Because if that were the case, there would be a lot more attrition (e.g., people yanking the older sib to go to whatever school the younger sib winds up at after not being accepted). How does that business model make sense?