Glenelg Country School

[Anonymous]

With SSFS closing, it seems a lot of families (mine included) are considering Glenelg Country school in Howard County. I have always heard rumors that this school leans conservative and snobby. Can anyone here speak to these rumors? I also have gotten the sense that the school is just a straight up college prep private school with no real signature or hallmark to it. For example, Barrie School's signature is that its Montessori in lower school and project based learning in upper school. Obviously SSFS's signature was that it is Quaker. Burke seems to champion a democratic and participatory approach to education (i.e. John Dewey). Not that there's anything wrong with just being a straight up college prep private school but I'm just curious if that's correct about Glenelg. Anyone with insights about this school, please share.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this. Does anyone on these forums have experience with Glenelg? Really love to hear from you.

[Anonymous]

Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

Appreciate your post! Hoping to hear from more.

[Anonymous]

I only know one kid who goes there, but I would not describe her as snobby or conservative at all. And I don't think her parents would place her somewhere with an environment that skews that way either.

[Anonymous]

Like most schools you have a mix of kids. There were kids with all lives posters, sports team pictures placed on wanted posters. Vaping or smoking weed in bathrooms. Same problems as a lot of schools. Top students transfer from public in HS and do fairly well. They are typically in the classes. You will have your share of lifers and connected families. If you have a well behave and good student not needing supports you should be fine. If you need supports, it can be hit or miss because not all of the teachers are supportive. You may struggle to get your supports or be shamed for using them. The schools is fine for the right kid, just don't expect everything to be fair because people are definitely treated differently.

Over the years they have been plagued by poor administrators. Which has been their main problem. They have fired entire departments at the end of the years. Unfortunately, they struggle with teacher retention.

[Anonymous]

The admissions staff at Glenelg Country have been very nice and helpful but I have been disappointed in the process. Other schools we have applied to required a parent interview to learn more about our child. Some have required both a parent interview and a written essay about our child. I actually have very much appreciated these requirements because they send a message that the school really wants to know the applicant in a way that you can't always glean from just a transcript and test scores. I hope the emphasis on transcripts and test scores without the requirement for more personal components isn't a reflection on the school's values. I want to select a school that cares about my child as a whole human being and not just his ability to move on to a top college in order to keep their percentages up for their advertising.

[Anonymous]

I know two families who applied, got in, and then decided not to attend because it seemed less rigorous than public school. They said it was for kids who needed coddling and attention but competitive kids are better off in public. It wasn’t a financial decision so I’m shocked they made their kids go through the application process without vetting first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

Hmm, I don’t know why you think Baltimore private schools are conservative and not diverse. My kid goes to Bryn Mawr and it’s extremely liberal and over 1/2 of the students are not white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

Hmm, I don’t know why you think Baltimore private schools are conservative and not diverse. My kid goes to Bryn Mawr and it’s extremely liberal and over 1/2 of the students are not white.

I'm not the OP and no I don't think Baltimore private schools are conservative or less diverse. I do think they're snobby though.

[Anonymous]

GCS is a private school for HoCo residents who don't want to send their kids to.public school and don't want to commute to DC or Baltimore for private. The school has a hold on these parents and will continue to attract them with little effort and the little effort shows. The teaching in upper school is quite weak with a lot of turnover. The social experience in upper school caters mostly to athletes or kids whose parents have money. The school makes little effort to promote an inclusive environment.

Ultimately we did not stay. We went back to public but would have also been willing to do a further commute to a better private school - one that has an actual philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Lifelong HoCo resident here and very familiar with GCS. Never understood why people choose this school. It is literally just a smaller version of public. Same behavior concerns as public - drinking, drugs, and now vaping - bullying, etc. Teachers at GCS aren't any more caring than public school teachers maybe even less caring. Athletics arent any more competitive than public. Course offerings aren't any better. It's literally just a difference of class size which I understand is important to some. If you want a private school experience, pick a better one. Head to the Park School or McDonough, or Mount St. Joe or in the opposite direction try Good Counsel or Sandy Spring.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. We are at GCS and absolutely hate it. Can't wait for it to be over. Must admit that I used to laugh at many private school posters on dcum for how angry and mean they sounded about particular schools. I used to think, "your school can't possibly be as bad as you are making it sound". Mea culpa. I get it. It is unfortunately possible to have such a negative experience. It is unfortunately possible for a school to be really awful. For us, GCS is that school...toxic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

Hmm, I don’t know why you think Baltimore private schools are conservative and not diverse. My kid goes to Bryn Mawr and it’s extremely liberal and over 1/2 of the students are not white.

Right?! I think the only one that could mildly be accused of being snobby is NDP and even that is a stretch/dependent on the year. Most Baltimore private schools are super laid back and down to earth.

Also my first job was working in the school uniform store and I was always tempted to buy Bryn Mar's summer uniform! It was just sooooo pretty!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two boys at GCS, HoCo resident. Would say completely the opposite of conservative and snobby, especially compared to Baltimore schools. Being in HoCo GCS is weirdly situated between the DC and Baltimore worlds, and very much reflects Columbia's/HoCo's diversity. Over half of students identify as non-white. The school is still small enough that kids get really individualized attention...my sons are both middle-of-the-pack so they'd kind of be invisible in HoCo publics.
I see them as a college prep school but they manage to do things a little differently. It has seemed like they are working on branding/developing more of an identity post-pandemic with a slogan "independent thought, shared purpose." We've been very happy. Plus the campus is absolutely beautiful!

Hmm, I don’t know why you think Baltimore private schools are conservative and not diverse. My kid goes to Bryn Mawr and it’s extremely liberal and over 1/2 of the students are not white.

Right?! I think the only one that could mildly be accused of being snobby is NDP and even that is a stretch/dependent on the year. Most Baltimore private schools are super laid back and down to earth.

Also my first job was working in the school uniform store and I was always tempted to buy Bryn Mar's summer uniform! It was just sooooo pretty!![/quote

I can't speak about Bryn Mar specifically but there's so many Baltimore area private schools to.love. All are diverse and without snobbery. Calvert Hall and Loyola are both wonderful. The Park School is fantastic. St.Pauls is another great school and so many more. ]