Burgundy Farms vs. Alexandria Country Day vs. Browne vs. SSAS

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any thoughts on the comparison of these four schools? Is St Stephen St Agnes considered the most elite of the 4?
We are new to the area, trying to figure it all out.........Thanks.

[Anonymous]

The kids at Alexandria Country Day don't like margaritas or tequilas.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure what the previous responder meant, but it is my understanding that SSAS is considered the top one of the 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am not sure what the previous responder meant, but it is my understanding that SSAS is considered the top one of the 4.

I meant exactly what I said. The kids at Alexandria Country Day don't like margaritas or tequilas. That's a good thing, isn't it? They are, after all, underage.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58074-2004Sep28.html

[Anonymous]

The four schools are largely similar in terms of quality of academics, in my opinion. St. Stephens obviously has more of a religious component, including coursework on religion and required chapel. Burgundy has a huge emphasis on natural sciences, environmentalism, and progressive education techniques. Brown has a very nice music program, a smaller campus, and slightly more traditional teaching style. ACDS seems much more traditional to me, including having the kids wear uniforms. My sense of the snob factor is that it is highest at St. Stephens, then Browne, then ACDS, and then Burgundy where it is almost nonexistent. So for those seeking high "prestige", the same order pertains and for those trying to avoid certain types of parents, perhaps start at the other end of the list. But again, all four schools are very nice and will provide excellent education for DC.

[Anonymous]

All four have fairly similar exmissions, which although imperfect as a measure of quality, seems like a reasonable way to compare. Another comparison I like to use is how successful are candidates from these schools at getting into TJHSST. Kids from Burgundy and Browne do well and kids from St. Stephens and ACDS do not. Not that many apply from any of these schools, so again, not that great of a measure. Difficulty to get in is sort of meaningless, because the reasons people want their children to attend are all over the place. Some people are attracted to a school for that very reason, while others are geographically close, are parish members, or think the school is a perfect fit for their DC. So I wouldn't recommend using that information to judge quality, although you certainly want to know it in terms of how hopeful to be or how many other schools to apply to for your DC.

[Anonymous]

The link provided by 19:44 was hilarious! I think some of the posters on this site could use a little of that "limeade" to help them settle down about this whole private school thing!

[Anonymous]

I've been wondering about TJ admits from the Alexandria schools as well. Could the previous poster elaborate? One thing I'm wondering is whether St. Stephen's kids switch to TJ because St. Stephen's goes all the way through 12the grade (while Burgundy and Browne do not) so perhaps kids from St. Stephen's aren't applying with the same frequency as kids from the other schools who need to find another school for high school. I have no idea whether anyone would have any sense if this is the case, but would appreciate any feedback. Also, is there a way to find out what schools and in what numbers TJ kids come from?

[Anonymous]

City of Alexandria residents are not eligible for Thomas Jefferson, though pretty much the rest of Nova and the ex-burbs are. The recently fired/not renewed Alexandria school chief believed it would gut the Alexandria public school system of its best students.

Anyways, SSSAS and ACD are actually in the City of Alexandria and draw many more City of Alexandria residents (thus ineligible for TJ) than Browne and Burgundy Farms, which are actually located in Fairfax County. I think this would account for the higher TJ students from Browne and Burgundy Farms over SSSAS and ACD.

[Anonymous]

sorry, what is thomas jefferson?
new to the area.....

[Anonymous]

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. It's a public magnet school in Fairfax County and its for the ulta smart students. A large percentage of their students get into elite schools like Ivies, MIT, UVA, etc.

http://www.tjhsst.edu/

[Anonymous]

See the discussion on Burgundy Farm posted in another thread, where Burgundy is compared to Green Acres and Lowell, I think. We send our children to Burgundy and are thrilled with it. I can't imagine sending them to another school, and we will not be looking at St. Stephens next year. Sidwell, GDS and Maret, yes. St. Stephens, no.

[Anonymous]

PP, why not st stephens? is it geography or some other reason?

[Anonymous]

The mood at St. Stephens is completely different from that at Burgundy. It is extremely sports-oriented, traditional, and, I fear, status-obsessed. The gala that raises funds for the school every year routinely offers "naming rights" to one of their streets for the parents who pony up enough cash. Also, check out the college stats for St. Stephens seniors. Top seniors at TC Williams (Alexandria's public high school) get into better colleges than St. Stephens' students. If we choose to send our child to high school in Virginia, she'll be going to TC.

[Anonymous]

TO PP 18:56/13:00: What is your sense for how much Burgundy helps its students/families during the admission process for private high school (e.g., preparing for admissions testing, helping to determine where the student might fit well, advocating for the student by talking to admissions offices, and so forth)?