McLean HS vs. Bishop O'connell

[Anonymous]

Could anyone with experience at Mclean please give an opinion of how it might compare to Bishop O'Connell? I'm a graduate of Catholic schools and my husband is a graduate of Mclean - he believes Mclean is just as good as a private, but I don't. However, he never went to private, and I didn't experience public. So we don't really know. DS is very introverted, and a good but not great student. He's at a small private now and doing really well. Any opinions or experiences at Mclean to share?

[Anonymous]

What a strange post. It's hard to believe that it's in good faith.

[Anonymous]

McLean is certainly a more academically rigorous school then BOC. Now if your child needs a small environment because of anxiety or what not, BOC would be a better choice — McLean is large and competitive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean is certainly a more academically rigorous school then BOC. Now if your child needs a small environment because of anxiety or what not, BOC would be a better choice — McLean is large and competitive

A lot of kids who missed the cut for TJ go to McLean and Langley. I agree that the academics are strong. We moved our kids from a small private to public schools, and there was way more differentiation in the public schools and better paid teachers. There were large groups of very smart kids in the public, not just a few like at the private school. It's also nice to live close to your friends.

[Anonymous]

McLean does have a stronger academic reputation than O’Connell but that’s not the only consideration. What does DS want? It seems an introverted kid might want to stay with as many of his current friends as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a strange post. It's hard to believe that it's in good faith.

What's not in good faith is this pointless post. If you have nothing helpful to say, then just don't respond.

[Anonymous]

McLean is not as good as all privates, but it’s probably on par or even better than O’Connell. Gonzaga is a different league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean is certainly a more academically rigorous school then BOC. Now if your child needs a small environment because of anxiety or what not, BOC would be a better choice — McLean is large and competitive

A lot of kids who missed the cut for TJ go to McLean and Langley. I agree that the academics are strong. We moved our kids from a small private to public schools, and there was way more differentiation in the public schools and better paid teachers. There were large groups of very smart kids in the public, not just a few like at the private school. It's also nice to live close to your friends.

This is the opposite of what our elementary experience was like. The public elementary had a mix of good and bad teachers, some so bad that the principal expressed verbally that she wished she could fire them but central administration wouldn't allow it. The classes were overcrowded - 30 in K, for example - so all of the attention went to the super gifted kids and the problem kids. Any kid in the middle, like mine, was completely ignored and had to fend for himself. When we switched to private, there was a lot more personal attention, since only 10-12 kids were in a class. He learned a lot more and finally gained some of the academic skills that the public wasn't even teaching, like writing an essay and giving a presentation. I had imagined public HS would be similar, so I'm surprised to hear that Mclean would be more rigorous - unless it's a case where, like in our elementary, it's only the really self-motivated and self-advocating students that get enough attention to learn anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean is not as good as all privates, but it’s probably on par or even better than O’Connell. Gonzaga is a different league.

Can you provide any details? I had heard good things about BOC. It's college acceptance stats and scores look just as good as Mclean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean does have a stronger academic reputation than O’Connell but that’s not the only consideration. What does DS want? It seems an introverted kid might want to stay with as many of his current friends as possible.

It's not an option. They are scattering to different public schools, none of which we are zoned for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean is certainly a more academically rigorous school then BOC. Now if your child needs a small environment because of anxiety or what not, BOC would be a better choice — McLean is large and competitive

A lot of kids who missed the cut for TJ go to McLean and Langley. I agree that the academics are strong. We moved our kids from a small private to public schools, and there was way more differentiation in the public schools and better paid teachers. There were large groups of very smart kids in the public, not just a few like at the private school. It's also nice to live close to your friends.

This is the opposite of what our elementary experience was like. The public elementary had a mix of good and bad teachers, some so bad that the principal expressed verbally that she wished she could fire them but central administration wouldn't allow it. The classes were overcrowded - 30 in K, for example - so all of the attention went to the super gifted kids and the problem kids. Any kid in the middle, like mine, was completely ignored and had to fend for himself. When we switched to private, there was a lot more personal attention, since only 10-12 kids were in a class. He learned a lot more and finally gained some of the academic skills that the public wasn't even teaching, like writing an essay and giving a presentation. I had imagined public HS would be similar, so I'm surprised to hear that Mclean would be more rigorous - unless it's a case where, like in our elementary, it's only the really self-motivated and self-advocating students that get enough attention to learn anything.

It's well known that APS does a better job with ES than FCPS, and that FCPS does a better job with HS than APS. And McLean HS is considered one of, or the, best HS in FCPS and probably Nova.

Comparing an overcrowded kindergarten class to McLean is just apples to a good pork loin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean is not as good as all privates, but it’s probably on par or even better than O’Connell. Gonzaga is a different league.

Can you provide any details? I had heard good things about BOC. It's college acceptance stats and scores look just as good as Mclean.

DP but McLean had 22 National Merit Semifinalists in the Class of 2023. O’Connell had one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean does have a stronger academic reputation than O’Connell but that’s not the only consideration. What does DS want? It seems an introverted kid might want to stay with as many of his current friends as possible.

It's not an option. They are scattering to different public schools, none of which we are zoned for.

In that case I’d go with McLean. It’s apparently your base school, it’s stronger academically than O’Connell, and it has lots of ECs where an introverted kid can find his niche.

[Anonymous]

OP sure send your kid to a school that supports the cult Maga.

over McClean where your kid can learn facts hum....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP sure send your kid to a school that supports the cult Maga.

over McClean where your kid can learn facts hum....

McClean? Any relation to McLovin?