Burke, Field, St Andrews

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrews has gone away from wanting kids with learning needs. As soon as I said my kid had one they literally told me not to apply.

We had a similar experience at Burke. They did not flat out tell us not to apply, but we got a very negative vibe about them regarding kids with learning needs (in our case, ADHD with pretty standard accommodations like extra time on tests).

That's opposite anything else I've heard about Burke.

When we were looking both St. Andrew's and Burke were anti the disruptive ADHD types

Yeah, they'll work with your kid with a mild issue, but they are not interested in disruptive, non mainstream-able kids.

[Anonymous]

My very - ADHD kid is not disruptive!

[Anonymous]

You’re asking for percentage of quirky kids at each school? That is not data that anyone compiles and sadly the term is becoming more and more loaded and pejorative.

I can’t tell if you’ve applied and had a student already admitted or are just starting your research. Field/Burke have more commonalities and are part of the same sports league but also their own personality and vibe.

From our experience with a child there, I can say that Burke is very much a mainstream school. They do accommodate kids with ADHD with very standard accommodations (extra time and preferential seating) but it may not be the best place if a kid is disruptive and has serious behavior issues. Some people on this board occasionally mistakenly suggest it is a special needs school and it is not. They can and do accommodate minor learning challenges.

[Anonymous]

Burke has been great in supporting DS with ADHD and Executive Functioning skills. His confidence has increased and that is priceless.

[Anonymous]

These days SAES is more comparable to something like Bullis or SSSAS. Not really the same population of students as Burke or Field anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These days SAES is more comparable to something like Bullis or SSSAS. Not really the same population of students as Burke or Field anymore

I think that's accurate, particularly because of where the schools are (urban vs suburban).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These days SAES is more comparable to something like Bullis or SSSAS. Not really the same population of students as Burke or Field anymore

I think that's accurate, particularly because of where the schools are (urban vs suburban).

Agree, the kids that attend SAES vs Burke are different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrews has gone away from wanting kids with learning needs. As soon as I said my kid had one they literally told me not to apply.

We had a similar experience at Burke. They did not flat out tell us not to apply, but we got a very negative vibe about them regarding kids with learning needs (in our case, ADHD with pretty standard accommodations like extra time on tests).

That's opposite anything else I've heard about Burke.[/quote

Well, it was the opposite of what we had heard too, which is why we applied there. Imagine my surprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrews has gone away from wanting kids with learning needs. As soon as I said my kid had one they literally told me not to apply.

We had a similar experience at Burke. They did not flat out tell us not to apply, but we got a very negative vibe about them regarding kids with learning needs (in our case, ADHD with pretty standard accommodations like extra time on tests).

That's opposite anything else I've heard about Burke.

There is a whole thread currently on DCUM about Burke being the go to for “quirky “ / unusual kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My very - ADHD kid is not disruptive!

If that's true, your child likely has inattentive-type ADHD. The poster was clearly referring to Hyperactive-Impulsive type.


My child has severe ADHD as well, but they're 2E and have inattentive type, so they do well at their mainstream school, where hyperactive/impulsive kids have been counseled out.


It can be hard to hear but I also wouldn't wan't my inattentive-type ADHD kid in a class with kids who are distractions/going to take away teacher attention, it would make things worse for my kid too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrews has gone away from wanting kids with learning needs. As soon as I said my kid had one they literally told me not to apply.

We had a similar experience at Burke. They did not flat out tell us not to apply, but we got a very negative vibe about them regarding kids with learning needs (in our case, ADHD with pretty standard accommodations like extra time on tests).

That's opposite anything else I've heard about Burke.

There is a whole thread currently on DCUM about Burke being the go to for “quirky “ / unusual kids.

Yeah by "quirky" they mean "I like [insert obscure artist] instead of Taylor Swift, want to create my own major with two hyphens in it at NYU and have no aspirations for a T25, play the banjo, and the idea of a dress code gives me hives," not "can't work well in a mainstream prep school."

McLean, Lab, Sycamore, etc are where those kids go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feels like this is a humblebrag by a parent whose kid got into all three.

This is not a trio I would humblebrag about, but to each their own I guess.

Sounds like OP is trying to suss out where their kid a) won't get lost academically (and subsequently counseled out) and b) bullied.

[Anonymous]

We were between Field and Burke, and went with Field. We are very happy as a family but more importantly our child is happy and thriving. I was not thrilled with Burke's location, both the commute and kids roaming that part of DC, lack of a campus, etc but otherwise really liked the teachers and extra curriculars they offered.

[Anonymous]

If your child doesn't like the idea of a small school, Field or Burke may not be the way to go. St. Andrews feels much bigger than those two and is more the size of an average private school.

We love the size of the school at Field - it's a real community - but that isn't for every kid.

[Anonymous]

I know quirky/artsy kids are SAES and they reminded me of Burke kids. There's a lot of overlap among these three. We are an urban family and preferred Burke, mostly because it is a little more traditional academically than Field and more diverse than both Field and SAES.