Bishop Ireton vs. SSSAS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From their Wiki site:

The Middle School, representing grades 6 through 8, has 306 students total with the following breakdown: 97 in Sixth Grade, 99 in Seventh Grade, and 110 in Eighth Grade. The Upper School, representing grades 9 through 12, has 453 students total with the following breakdown: 114 in Ninth Grade, 106 in Tenth Grade, 115 in Eleventh Grade, and 118 in Twelfth Grade.[1]

I have an 8th grader at SSSAS now and it is a gigantic grade and has been oversubscribed since K. As of today the directory says they have 103 students, while the 9th grade has 114 (so a difference of only 11). For comparison, the 7th grade has 94 and 6th has 86. In the past there has been an 8th grade exodus for boarding schools and some of the big Catholic boys schools (like Gonzaga) but I have no idea how many people are applying out. The 8th grade is also very girl heavy, I believe it is about 2/3 girls in the grade.

Also you should talk to some current 8th grade parents re that grade as the majority of them will probably still be there in 9th. There are some strong cliques and other issues that seem to be specific to that grade, I am not sure if it is due to the fact that it is so large for SSSAS or the gender imbalance or what, but everyone knows about it and IMO it's a real problem.

Another 8th grade parent here. Agree w PP about gender imbalance which has been there since lower school and we've had a lot of turnover in the grade due to covid. Admissions could have tried a lot harder to restore gender balance in this class. I'm a boy mom and many boys are looking at boarding school, boys schools, etc.

As to cliques - there are longstanding friendships from kids that have know each other since kindergarten. That's a fact of life at any K-12 school. That doesn't mean that new kids are excluded, but there is shared history among the long-time students which is a feature not a bug.

It may be a positive feature for the lifers, but it is definitely a bug for those new to the school in 9th!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From their Wiki site:

The Middle School, representing grades 6 through 8, has 306 students total with the following breakdown: 97 in Sixth Grade, 99 in Seventh Grade, and 110 in Eighth Grade. The Upper School, representing grades 9 through 12, has 453 students total with the following breakdown: 114 in Ninth Grade, 106 in Tenth Grade, 115 in Eleventh Grade, and 118 in Twelfth Grade.[1]

I have an 8th grader at SSSAS now and it is a gigantic grade and has been oversubscribed since K. As of today the directory says they have 103 students, while the 9th grade has 114 (so a difference of only 11). For comparison, the 7th grade has 94 and 6th has 86. In the past there has been an 8th grade exodus for boarding schools and some of the big Catholic boys schools (like Gonzaga) but I have no idea how many people are applying out. The 8th grade is also very girl heavy, I believe it is about 2/3 girls in the grade.

Also you should talk to some current 8th grade parents re that grade as the majority of them will probably still be there in 9th. There are some strong cliques and other issues that seem to be specific to that grade, I am not sure if it is due to the fact that it is so large for SSSAS or the gender imbalance or what, but everyone knows about it and IMO it's a real problem.

Another 8th grade parent here. Agree w PP about gender imbalance which has been there since lower school and we've had a lot of turnover in the grade due to covid. Admissions could have tried a lot harder to restore gender balance in this class. I'm a boy mom and many boys are looking at boarding school, boys schools, etc.

As to cliques - there are longstanding friendships from kids that have know each other since kindergarten. That's a fact of life at any K-12 school. That doesn't mean that new kids are excluded, but there is shared history among the long-time students which is a feature not a bug.

My oldest was a newcomer in 9th and had zero trouble making friends. We have all loved our experience at Saints.

[Anonymous]

I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

Another Saints parent here.

No, I’m sure that wasn’t anyone from admissions. The school isn’t for everyone (what school is?) but there are many families who LOVE it. It’s a real community, and Alexandria is like a small town right outside a big city. Anyone considering the school should talk to current parents.

[Anonymous]

My DC has visited SSSAS and BI and really liked them both. Episcopal is amazing too if you are open to boarding. We are lucky to have 3 great private high schools in Alexandria!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

How so? Did they pay for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

How so? Did they pay for it?

Not sure. How much do you pay for DCUM access?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

Haha..wouldn’t doubt it! The admission office is so fake. Most of the administrators are as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

Haha..wouldn’t doubt it! The admission office is so fake. Most of the administrators are as well.

How hard is it to get into SSSAS? The admissions office left me feeling so positive and that my DC will definitely get in. Was that the same feeling they give to everyone? Do many kids get rejected or WL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

Haha..wouldn’t doubt it! The admission office is so fake. Most of the administrators are as well.

How hard is it to get into SSSAS? The admissions office left me feeling so positive and that my DC will definitely get in. Was that the same feeling they give to everyone? Do many kids get rejected or WL?

We live in Alexandria and everyone we know who has applied has gotten in. A lot of our friends use it as a safety when applying to other schools. Before the crazy boosters jump down my throat, there’s no denying that people got in as new applicants even over the summer the last 2 summers. Either they aren’t full or have no waitlists or increase class sizes as people apply. These were all K-5 spots. Upper school may be slightly harder to get in?

[Anonymous]

Uh no, I know several families this past year that tried to get in after the debacle of ACPS online learning and couldn’t get spots. They did add extra classrooms to let in more students because they had the space. This is the lower school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Uh no, I know several families this past year that tried to get in after the debacle of ACPS online learning and couldn’t get spots. They did add extra classrooms to let in more students because they had the space. This is the lower school.

Niche has the school ranked high

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uh no, I know several families this past year that tried to get in after the debacle of ACPS online learning and couldn’t get spots. They did add extra classrooms to let in more students because they had the space. This is the lower school.

Niche has the school ranked high

Niche? This is how you are doing your school search? SMH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I have two children who started SSSAS in 9th and they have thrived, found great groups of friends and had amazing teachers in an incredible community! Great academics- get spirit!
The parents I have met are phenomenal.

the previous post was sponsored by the SSSAS Admissions Dept...

Haha..wouldn’t doubt it! The admission office is so fake. Most of the administrators are as well.

How hard is it to get into SSSAS? The admissions office left me feeling so positive and that my DC will definitely get in. Was that the same feeling they give to everyone? Do many kids get rejected or WL?

That’s how the admissions office acts. It’s not fake, I think, it’s just positive / optimistic. They don’t know who will be admitted until they gather info from ALL applicants.