Does Highland Park fit this description? (Dallas, Jefferson: house, best school, to live in)

[Big G]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

I don't believe, unless something has changed, that you can just walk in a get your kid in to St. Marks or Hockaday, or Greenhill.

I believe they all have waiting lists.

It's way beyond a "waiting list". That implies that if you sign up, eventually your kid will get in. Not the case.

All 3 of these schools are extremely selective, taking maybe 20% of those who apply. Your kid will have to be extremely talented (or you will need to be well-connected) to gain admission. St Mark's, for example, each year admits maybe 3 or 4 new kids in each grade, with a few more at the start of middle and high school. There are dozens of kids in each grade vying for these coveted spots.

I chuckle a bit at the posts with people assuming they can just show up mid-summer and get their kid enrolled in schools like these.

[FarNorthDallas]

Oh, it's possible to get into these schools at the last minute.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

Oh, it's possible to get into these schools at the last minute.

Obviously, if you want to throw a ton of money in "donation" format, then sure.

But in general, you can't. The poster who responded to me summed it up best.

I know my old school, Winston, only enrolls about 250 - 300 students, and it's my understanding the last time I visited that the waiting list was about 400 or 500 kids.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

Obviously, if you want to throw a ton of money in "donation" format, then sure.

But in general, you can't. The poster who responded to me summed it up best.

I know my old school, Winston, only enrolls about 250 - 300 students, and it's my understanding the last time I visited that the waiting list was about 400 or 500 kids.

Yes, but The Winston School is necessarily a small school that serves a very specific student population; you cannot really compare it to St Marks or Hockaday, it is drawing from a completely different student population, i.e. students with ADHD, dyslexia, etc.

[getmeoutofhere]

St. Marks only serves a small percentage of the population, too.

Smart and wealthy, or stupid and stupid-rich.

[jm_in_texas]

I've been in Dallas a long time. Without exception, EVERY St. Mark's graduate I have had the opportunity to know has been a sincere, grounded, "deep" individual of obvious character. I don't think there's any rationale for snide remarks about St. Mark's here. Yes, it's hard to get in. Yes, you get what you pay for. Yes, they strive to have a diverse student body. I have absolutely no affiliation to the school by the way.

[Big G]

My impression of St. Mark's is that just being smart isn't enough to get in. They are looking for future "alpha dogs". Also, I doubt you can buy your way in. Maybe some other schools, but St. Mark's doesn't have to play that game.

I'm not saying that a phone call from the right person won't get an application to the top of the pile. When ExxonMobil brings a new high-level executive to town in May, I'm sure his son's late application will be considered, probably favorably. But let's be honest - if you're a whoop-de-doo executive, your kids are quite likely to be as smart and driven as you are. You can't drive up with a pile of cash and a boy with rocks in his head and make anything happen.

That said, I agree with jm_in_texas. I've only known one former St. Mark's student who wasn't a man of character. And he had been kicked out.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jm_in_texas

I've been in Dallas a long time. Without exception, EVERY St. Mark's graduate I have had the opportunity to know has been a sincere, grounded, "deep" individual of obvious character. I don't think there's any rationale for snide remarks about St. Mark's here. Yes, it's hard to get in. Yes, you get what you pay for. Yes, they strive to have a diverse student body. I have absolutely no affiliation to the school by the way.

One of the biggest a-holes I have ever met is also a St. Mark's graduate who is 6 years older than I am, and does the same job I do.

[theloneranger]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

St. Marks only serves a small percentage of the population, too.

Smart and wealthy, or stupid and stupid-rich.

I believe you are confusing St. Mark's with ESD on this one.

The only way you can be stupid and attend St. Mark's is if you got in for 1st grade and have somehow managed to stay in since then. It is an excellent, excellent school--its academics are really second to none in the Metroplex, excepting maybe Cistercian, and it has amazing extracurricular offerings for a school of its size.

If you move to Highland Park, there is absolutely no reason you should enroll your child in private school unless you think that a school with 1900 kids will be too large. The public schools are excellent and you will already be paying a giant mortgage and insane property taxes.

In Lakewood and Preston Hollow, it's a little different. The elementary schools are incredibly well-regarded, the secondary schools much less so. However, it's absolutely possible to get a great education at Long and Woodrow if your kids are hard workers. The schools are also adding an IB program which would make a big difference in their academic reputation. Preston Hollow is very similar except Hillcrest and WT White are not as well regarded academically, so virtually all families in the neighborhood send their children to private schools.

Most of the religiously-affiliated private schools are not ultraorthodox. St. Mark's is non-denominational Christian, ESD is Epsicopalian, and Jesuit, Cistercian and Ursuline are Catholic, and all this means is that the schools have daily or weekly chapel services, and may require the study of theology. They absolutely are not going to indocrinate your child with any religious ideas during the course of their academic studies. Some of the smaller "Christian schools" may be a little different, but the older, established private schools in Dallas aren't like that at all. They are as well regarded as private schools anywhere in the country, and their graduates get in to some of the top colleges in the nation.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by theloneranger

Preston Hollow is very similar except Hillcrest and WT White are not as well regarded academically, so virtually all families in the neighborhood send their children to private schools.

I did not attend any of those schools but this is the first I have heard that Woodrow is more highly-regarded academically than White or Hillcrest. All three I think are about equal in terms of their makeup and results, certainly their TEA rankings. I think all three are only "Academically Acceptable."

I think the big difference is that a lot of people in Lakewood are supportive of public schools whereas Preston Hollow people are not.