Parents of Upper School Flint Hill
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Anonymous
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Can you tell me a bit about your experience with HS. Looking to better understand parent community and kids at school. Matriculation looks very good/diverse. Seems like they are focused on the “right fit” and have a pretty solid college prep program? How is the student body? Are your kids happy there? Do they feel challenged and engaged with teachers? What is the social life outside of school like for your kids?
Thank you! |
Anonymous
Have you not toured there? All of this is pretty obvious if you go during a school day. |
Anonymous
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Solid academics. From regular to honors to AP.
Diverse student body. Easy to find your ‘tribe’. Great sports opportunities Great robotics program Great Arts and dance programs Active parent programs It has something for every kid. That said, some people say it’s a Jack of all trades type of school rather than having a more narrow focus. How you feel about that is up to your family. Do you want a school of kids with the same stats across the board or do you want a school of kids with varying degrees of interests and stats? I think that since there are few independent privates in NoVa, there is more need to serve the greater population so having something for everyone works unless you want to commute to DC or Md. |
Anonymous
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👆🏻
agree w above the community is great and student body diverse in every way not a pressure cooker if you don’t want it. can be as rigorous as student wants it to be learning center for those who need it college counseling seems solid (we have a junior) most teachers are good. some exceptional and a few not so great. kid easily found their place in the school it is one of the more $$ schools and lots of people on this platform love to hate this school because it is not one of the big 3/5 or whatever. my |
Anonymous
| Not a pressure cooker is code for mediocre. |
Anonymous
That’s cute. Pressure cooker means the atmosphere is such that the majority of kids are gunning for the same goal. Taking as many AP or honors classes as possible, T25 and Ivy or bust mentality. That’s not the case at FH. There are a a group of kids that are exceedingly smart. Taking high level classes early on and are on that path of the most rigorous all the time. A school full of this type of kid would be a pressure cooker. There are a good number of these kids there but that is balanced with ‘regular’ kids, artsy kids, athletic kids, etc. There’s space for growth and different interests. To you that may equate to mediocre but to me, Flint Hill walks the talk with regards to developing teenage minds and mental health. |
Anonymous
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Truly is a "choose your adventure" school.
Very nurturing enviornment, and clubs/activities/classes for every kid. Great for kids who need extra support, or on the other side kids who want to attend top colleges. It is what they make of it given the wide range of resources... We have loved the supportive family feel and it has worked for my more laid-back and my more high strung kids. |
Anonymous
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I have two boys in the Upper School. They are both very happy there and both really quickly found a good friend group. I have one child who excels academically, and one who has ADHD and is in the Learning Center (which is fabulous if your child needs this). Most days one or both stays late and takes the late bus home, just to hang out with friends and play football or soccer, or watch whatever FH game is happening at the school that afternoon. The school also strongly encourages kids to use teacher office hours to do their homework or get additional help- they frame it as an important way to get to know the teacher and enhance their learning, rather than just a place to go if they're struggling. As for the parents, they have all been down to earth and friendly. There are many different ways to get involved and meet other parents, all without dedicating much time and energy, like volunteering for a shift in the Igloo (the concession stand) either during the day or at sports games. There are Upper School parent coffees that occur maybe once a month or so, that are based on a presentation of a topic of interest, followed by Q&A.
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Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
If your scorecard is based on test scores and how many hours your kid can work in one week, probably so. If you care about anything else in life for them, not so much. Parents who love pressure cookers will never see it any other way, of course. |
Anonymous
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Not OP but another parent interested for my two boys. I have one shy academic kid and one social butterfly. Both kids play a lot of sports.
Can anyone share what life is like socially? I’m concerned kids will be geographically far apart and harder to hang out. I’m especially concerned for my shy kid. Afraid he won’t have any friends outside school. |
Anonymous
The one universal thing I hear from parents and has also been our experience is that it’s so easy to make friends. Since they don’t have a one size fits all mentality, they have a wide variety of kids so your social butterfly will find his group and your shy guy will find his group. |
Anonymous
+100 It's a very narcissistic viewpoint, no? The inability to even imagine parents would choose something other than a grinder school for their kids. |
Anonymous
the kids are very friendly and it’s nice that the incoming 9th grade doubles in size so a large group coming in. Kids come all over from mostly NOVA a few from MD. My teen has friends close and 39 mins away out past the beltway. It could be worse and have to cross the bridge to MD on very bad traffic all the time |
Anonymous
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Kids love the school, that's for sure. My son loves it.
However, I'm not happy that they have almost a month less school days than the FCPS. What are we paying so much for???? Seriously! |