New to the area: Browne v. Congressional

[Anonymous]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get your thoughts on a school for my DS who will enter 3rd grade this fall. We've applied to both. Assuming we get into both, which one would you recommend? Some background information about him/our family:

DS is a little shy, sensitive, and loves to read and do arts & crafts. We've had him in a private school since pre-K. In 1st grade, the "jocks" excluded him from recess sports and that impacted him a lot, confidence-wise, unfortunately. He is actually decent in sports (currently in a neighborhood swimming league & on a soccer team) but still refuses to play sports at school during recess. As we are relocating from another state and do not know a soul, we are hoping to find a school that will be welcoming, caring, and will pay attention to him. Academics are important too of course but we prefer not to put him in a ultra competitive setting.

We will be in Alexandria and are zoned for Samuel Tucker ES which I actually heard is decent for Alexandria. We have not completely ruled it out, therefore, but considering his personality, etc. we think a private school will work out better. Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Tucker is on a modified calendar (ie. year-round with shorter breaks throughout rather than a traditional summer break), so that's also something to consider if you are thinking about public.

The drive to Browne is going to be easier than to Congressional. Did you not look at the other privates in Alexandria? St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, Alexandria Country Day and Burgundy Farm Country Day. The application deadline has past, but it might be worth a call to the admissions offices to see if they'd take a late application from someone relocating.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious as to why you picked Browne and Congressional? Seems a bit odd to me, especially since they aren't even geographically close to each other. Why didn't you look at Alexandria Country Day, SSSAS, or Burgundy Farm? I've either, had kids, or have known kids at all 5 of these schools and neither Brown or Congo would have risen to the top for me. Of the 2, I would choose whichever one was going to be closer, which I imagine would be Browne.

[Anonymous]

Browne has historically been pretty tiny in terms of number of students per grade. I think having a limited peer group can be tough for some kids.

I would definitely consider Burgundy for a child with your profile. This is where our kids attend. They sometimes have spots in certain grades so contact admissions and ask.

Congressional seems like a good school, but the location wasn’t as convenient for us from Alexandria so we ended up not applying.

[Anonymous]

If you're zoned for Tucker, from where you will be in Alexandria, both Browne and Congressional will have similar commutes. Getting outside the beltway can be difficult, especially if you need to head down Duke to Telegraph. Congressional might be slightly longer, but we applied there and live not far from where you'll likely be, and the commute isn't bad. Browne is much smaller than Congressional. They seem to be going through a renewal, but there current 8th grade class has 16 students while Congressional has two classes of 18-20 in their 8th grade. They both have great campuses and resources available. I do agree with some of the other PPs though that you might also want to consider Alexandria Country Day School. The commute to Russell Rd is a little easier than either Browne or Congressional.

[Anonymous]

Cameron Station to Burgundy or Browne is a quick 15 mins. Have been doing it for years! Congressional is more out of the way through Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners, which can get pretty jammed up with a lot of traffic and busy intersections.

[Anonymous]

We absolutely loved Congressional, but honestly, these schools are similar in many ways (they also have differences, of course, but that only matters if the area of difference is meaningful to you). I think commute is an underrated factor in choosing schools, especially in the early grades when you’ll be doing a lot more driving to play dates and school events. Give extra points to the closest school when making your decision.

[Anonymous]

Of the two, Browne is probably more nurturing with fewer jocks, but at both schools it will depend a lot on the class makeup.

Surprised to hear that you picked those two as opposed to ACDS or Grace Episcopal, both of which are known for being more nurturing.

[Anonymous]

I have friends who have a child in Samuel Tucker. They love it. They live in Cameron station. I would try there first. Neither Browne nor congressional are anything special, and they are expensive. They literally have the same curriculum as public school.

[Anonymous]

I’m also curious if you looked at Burgundy Farm or Alexandria Country Day School? We live near Congressional but chose Burgundy for our DC. The commute was worth it for us.

[Anonymous]

These two schools differ in size, campuses and general academic offerings. Personally, I would choose Congressional School as it has more opportunities socially and academically per grade (as two classes per grade versus one).

Both are great schools and have kids from all over. I would not limit myself due to geography but consider best overall fit.

[Anonymous]

Congressional was great for us but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that 95% of our initial decision boiled down to proximity.