Private School Decisions 2022 (Dallas, Huntsville, Howe: live in, versus, moving)

[KidsMom16]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse2

Sorry, it was the WPPSI-IV. Not sure on what qualifies as "abilities", but if I were to try to pick something out, when the pandemic started, school was closed, both parents trying to work from home, we handed him an iPad with an app called reading eggs, and he completely taught himself to read. We literally didn't lift a finger to help at all. When school started back up, he was the only child who entered PK4 already knowing how to read.

I highly doubt applying for financial aid makes any difference, but I don't have a ton of visibility into how the sausage is made.

Thanks for the info. That is great to hear he learnt on his own to read!!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by DallasDadofTwo

Adding some stats...

Daughter with summer birthday
Hockaday PK waitlist last year / PK admit this year
ESD K admit this year
LL K waitlist this year

Son with late winter birthday
St. Mark's 1st decline this year
ESD 1st admit this year
LL 1st waitlist this year

Congrats, Dad! I heard there were about 85 applications for ESD 1st for only 4 spots so congrats to your son! Are you leaning towards both kids at the same school or taking the Hockaday Pk? It’s a good place to be either way.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by KidsMom16

Congratualations!!

We are an out of state application for K applied only GH but declined. Last year also we applied but got only waitlisted. Any idea if out of state applications will be given less priority?
…..
Any information will be helpful. Main draw back in our case I see is out of state application. If we move to state and then if we apply would we able to get a seat?

Some schools are reporting upwards of 20-40% of applications coming from out of state now. I don’t know how that’s translating to admissions offers but definitely OOS kids are getting in to our local private schools. Honestly, my gut says GH would see your application as a “red flag” if you applied from OOS 3 years in a row….I think they would be wondering how serious you actually are about moving to Dallas. Even with an impeccable application, schools want high yield rates and your repeated OOS application looks like you’re just kicking the tires.

Where do you live now and why don’t you just move here if this is where you want to live?!

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Some schools are reporting upwards of 20-40% of applications coming from out of state now. I don’t know how that’s translating to admissions offers but definitely OOS kids are getting in to our local private schools. Honestly, my gut says GH would see your application as a “red flag” if you applied from OOS 3 years in a row….I think they would be wondering how serious you actually are about moving to Dallas. Even with an impeccable application, schools want high yield rates and your repeated OOS application looks like you’re just kicking the tires.

Where do you live now and why don’t you just move here if this is where you want to live?!

That last line, right there. It probably wasn’t a point against you the first time you applied out of state but three years in a row? Just makes you look indecisive.

[KidsMom16]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Some schools are reporting upwards of 20-40% of applications coming from out of state now. I don’t know how that’s translating to admissions offers but definitely OOS kids are getting in to our local private schools. Honestly, my gut says GH would see your application as a “red flag” if you applied from OOS 3 years in a row….I think they would be wondering how serious you actually are about moving to Dallas. Even with an impeccable application, schools want high yield rates and your repeated OOS application looks like you’re just kicking the tires.

Where do you live now and why don’t you just move here if this is where you want to live?!

We live in a small town north of Minnesota. My H is applying for a tenure track soon, last year it was a kind of situation he will move in year or two now in a year. Eventually we are planning to move to warmer state. So if we would have get admitted me and kid wanted to move to Dallas and H will follow us in a year. When we did not get into the applied school we thought we would stay as a family instead of moving.

Applying for multiple years is good amount of effort and money. I thought it would be counted as continued interest in the school. Thanks for the other point of view the school might have on repeated application. Will try to skip GH and apply other schools next year, in case if we again apply as a OOS.

[DallasDadofTwo]

Thanks! I know it was competitive but there must have been more than 4 open spots. I was estimating 10-12 based on website figures (and I'd heard that Primer was filled with existing families, which should have opened up a couple extra spots in 1st grade). We are learning toward sending both to ESD. Hockaday is great, but we'd rather have our daughter move to K than do PK again, and it will be nice to have them both at the same school.

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Congrats, Dad! I heard there were about 85 applications for ESD 1st for only 4 spots so congrats to your son! Are you leaning towards both kids at the same school or taking the Hockaday Pk? It’s a good place to be either way.

[widespreadfan]

Originally Posted by KidsMom16

We live in a small town north of Minnesota. My H is applying for a tenure track soon, last year it was a kind of situation he will move in year or two now in a year. Eventually we are planning to move to warmer state. So if we would have get admitted me and kid wanted to move to Dallas and H will follow us in a year. When we did not get into the applied school we thought we would stay as a family instead of moving.

Applying for multiple years is good amount of effort and money. I thought it would be counted as continued interest in the school. Thanks for the other point of view the school might have on repeated application. Will try to skip GH and apply other schools next year, in case if we again apply as a OOS.

The private schools typically do not admit students that do not live here locally already. The reason being they have no guarantee if they admit your child that you will actually make the move. So, therefore they prefer to admit students that already live here. If you are serious about moving then make the move and worry about the school thing after you have established your residence. We have many wonderful public schools in addition to the private schools.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by KidsMom16

We live in a small town north of Minnesota. My H is applying for a tenure track soon, last year it was a kind of situation he will move in year or two now in a year. Eventually we are planning to move to warmer state. So if we would have get admitted me and kid wanted to move to Dallas and H will follow us in a year. When we did not get into the applied school we thought we would stay as a family instead of moving.

Applying for multiple years is good amount of effort and money. I thought it would be counted as continued interest in the school. Thanks for the other point of view the school might have on repeated application. Will try to skip GH and apply other schools next year, in case if we again apply as a OOS.

Don't skip applying to GH if that's where you want to go because strangers on an internet forum suggested it wouldn't be looked upon favorably. You asked whether an out of state applicant might be looked down upon and the answer, in general, is no. Last year, GH told existing parents at a meeting that 20% of applications for the 2021-2022 school year were from California, and they accounted for about 20% of the admits. So they seem to be fairly neutral where that is concerned.

As a broader comment given your additional info, I have friends who are tenured professors and that market is so hyper competitive that it makes elite Dallas private school admissions look like a walk in the park. Unless he is so specialized and prominent in his field that he would have his pick of locations and schools, you're going to want to wait and make life decisions about location when and if he secures a tenure track job. I have friends who went that path and either didn't get tenure track jobs or got them in places like Huntsville TX or Fort Myers FL. Their spouses work in jobs that are either remote or do things like public school teacher that will find a job anywhere. Those people all got their PhDs from Ivy league programs that are considered among the best in the country in their respective fields. The first year one applied for a job, there was 1 tenure track opening nationwide in his field. Don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of other attractive jobs in Dallas that a recent PhD could land. But if tenured professor is the goal, I'd focus on what that means for your family in the next couple years before worrying about private schools for the kids. Again, just the opinion/viewpoint of someone you don't know on the internet, so take that for what it's worth.

[admit2022]

Originally Posted by KidsMom16

Congratualations!!

We are an out of state application for K applied only GH but declined. Last year also we applied but got only waitlisted. Any idea if out of state applications will be given less priority? Next year planning to apply for St. Marks, GH and other Schools. We are non Christians so don't want too religious schools. Next year I am planning to apply for 5 schools. Can u pls suggest few more schools for grade 1.

Our kid is gifted academically. Can write letters in 5 languages. Can read fluently, Maths regrouping addition and Subtraction, Multiplication (except 9) division (single digit), understands fraction. Can do small animation projects in Scratchmit.edu which is for 8-16 years old. Can identify numbers till billions, understands concepts of physics and biology cell structure, cancer bacteriophage etc. Can name 70% of elements in periodic table. Kurzgesagt, ScienceMax, Aumsum, crash course on biology, anatomy are his favorite programs.

Any information will be helpful. Main draw back in our case I see is out of state application. If we move to state and then if we apply would we able to get a seat?

Would any other schools tier below these schools accept application past March?

Thanks

Just curious about your kids' CATS score. I had to read your posts 3 times to ensure you are talking about a 4-5 yr old in Pre-K going to K next yr knowing concepts of physics/biology and whatnot. I am sure your kiddo is super bright but assuming you wrote your essays in a similar style about what your kid "knows", I would venture a guess that the admissions office is not buying it. I am no admissions expert but at this age, once you prove your kid is smart through the CATS test, you should stop talking about how smart he/she is and talk more about softer characteristics that would play a part in observations and ensuring the recos are solid from teachers. So I don't think your issue is as much being OOS as some of the above. Sorry if anything I wrote offended you but my two cents.

[KidsMom16]

Originally Posted by widespreadfan

The private schools typically do not admit students that do not live here locally already. The reason being they have no guarantee if they admit your child that you will actually make the move. So, therefore they prefer to admit students that already live here. If you are serious about moving then make the move and worry about the school thing after you have established your residence. We have many wonderful public schools in addition to the private schools.

Thanks for the reply. I get your point after the results of this year. Will focus on the move first.