Woodberry Forest School/Episcopal High School vs. New England Boarding Schools

[Anonymous]

I know this site is mostly for day schools, but as a local parent, I am sending my kid to boarding school next year. He's a stellar student, the top ranked in his 8th grade class and a 97th percentile SSAT. We are applying to New England prep schools such as Exeter, Andover, St. Paul's, Choate, Deerfield, etc. We are also applying to Woodberry Forest and Episcopal as close-to-home options.

Does anyone have any experience Woodberry or Episcopal? My family has experience with the New England schools. His older sibling attended Andover and did fine but it was an academic pressure cooker. Episcopal or Woodberry seems a little more laid back, and he'd probably be a standout student there. I don't think he'd rise to the top of the most competitive Northeast boarding schools because of how competitive they are.

What do you all think or recommend?

[Anonymous]

Woodberry Forest is academically solid. Socially, being athletic in some sport helps a lot. They have good college admissions overall, but they seem stronger for placement in humanities than in say engineering.

[Anonymous]

It's also very Southern. Keep that in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this site is mostly for day schools, but as a local parent, I am sending my kid to boarding school next year. He's a stellar student, the top ranked in his 8th grade class and a 97th percentile SSAT. We are applying to New England prep schools such as Exeter, Andover, St. Paul's, Choate, Deerfield, etc. We are also applying to Woodberry Forest and Episcopal as close-to-home options.

Does anyone have any experience Woodberry or Episcopal? My family has experience with the New England schools. His older sibling attended Andover and did fine but it was an academic pressure cooker. Episcopal or Woodberry seems a little more laid back, and he'd probably be a standout student there. I don't think he'd rise to the top of the most competitive Northeast boarding schools because of how competitive they are.

What do you all think or recommend?

No to Woodberry or Episcopal is the same category as the New England Schools. Those schools are no better than local privates in some ways worse as science and math just not up to par.

Two of mine went to Andover and Exeter.
My siblings' kids went to Choate & Deerfield.

Hence, I have experience in this area.

[Anonymous]

I would put Episcopal on the same level as maybe Kent, Peddie, Loomis etc. - that kind of NESCAC personality if that makes sense. WFS similar but better/more prestigious than Episcopal…and as someone else has said, molds a very particular Southern type. Really neither are on anywhere near the same level as Exeter, Andover, or St Pauls, although there may be some social overlap in the future.

[Anonymous]

People in the boarding school world generally consider Episcopal to be a tier 3 school, kind of a backup option for people shooting for the top schools. Episcopal also has many, many wealthy southern families with legacy ties. It's nowhere near close to Exeter/Andover/Hotchkiss/Deerfield but it's also below Loomis/Taft/Peddie.

Woodberry Forest kind of exists in its own dimension. It is very dissimilar to the New England prep schools in culture and has a conservative student body. Many Woodberry boys are aiming for SEC schools for college, looking for the traditional Greek Life and football experience.

With your kid's academic record, he should be a shoo-in for Woodberry and Episcopal. However, they will also be concerned that he's using their school as a backup option. Being overqualified is a thing. Make sure you both show legitimate interest in the school, show enthusiasm, come with unique questions.

Woodberry is a much healthier social environment than Episcopal in general. The preponderance of ultra-wealthy southern families and the proximity to DC means that Episcopal kids spend a lot of time off campus and spending money in Alexandria or the city. Since you have a son, he will likely be fine wherever he goes as long as he's the typical boy that's into sports and video games. The social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who sent both of her boys to WFS. They are southern Baptist, pretty conservative. Overall both boys had a positive experience. Oldest is at UNC now. Youngest is hoping for Duke.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine a lot of students at Episcopal are from the area as it's 100% boarding. I've known two very chill students who attended Holderness and Tabor who were not remotely stressed by school. They ended up attending a NESCAC and a top public respectively.

I think schools like Andover and Hotchkiss can be okay as long as the parents don't have an ivy or bust mindset. Most stress is either self or family imposed and not peer or school imposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in the boarding school world generally consider Episcopal to be a tier 3 school, kind of a backup option for people shooting for the top schools. Episcopal also has many, many wealthy southern families with legacy ties. It's nowhere near close to Exeter/Andover/Hotchkiss/Deerfield but it's also below Loomis/Taft/Peddie.

Woodberry Forest kind of exists in its own dimension. It is very dissimilar to the New England prep schools in culture and has a conservative student body. Many Woodberry boys are aiming for SEC schools for college, looking for the traditional Greek Life and football experience.

With your kid's academic record, he should be a shoo-in for Woodberry and Episcopal. However, they will also be concerned that he's using their school as a backup option. Being overqualified is a thing. Make sure you both show legitimate interest in the school, show enthusiasm, come with unique questions.

Woodberry is a much healthier social environment than Episcopal in general. The preponderance of ultra-wealthy southern families and the proximity to DC means that Episcopal kids spend a lot of time off campus and spending money in Alexandria or the city. Since you have a son, he will likely be fine wherever he goes as long as he's the typical boy that's into sports and video games. The social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal.

social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal. - can you elaborate on that?

[Anonymous]

Both schools are great for boys.

[Anonymous]

Why not St Andrew’s as a closer alternative?

[Anonymous]

Lawrenceville is also closer, but I’ve heard of kids having bad experiences there. Kids seem to enjoy St Andrew’s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in the boarding school world generally consider Episcopal to be a tier 3 school, kind of a backup option for people shooting for the top schools. Episcopal also has many, many wealthy southern families with legacy ties. It's nowhere near close to Exeter/Andover/Hotchkiss/Deerfield but it's also below Loomis/Taft/Peddie.

Woodberry Forest kind of exists in its own dimension. It is very dissimilar to the New England prep schools in culture and has a conservative student body. Many Woodberry boys are aiming for SEC schools for college, looking for the traditional Greek Life and football experience.

With your kid's academic record, he should be a shoo-in for Woodberry and Episcopal. However, they will also be concerned that he's using their school as a backup option. Being overqualified is a thing. Make sure you both show legitimate interest in the school, show enthusiasm, come with unique questions.

Woodberry is a much healthier social environment than Episcopal in general. The preponderance of ultra-wealthy southern families and the proximity to DC means that Episcopal kids spend a lot of time off campus and spending money in Alexandria or the city. Since you have a son, he will likely be fine wherever he goes as long as he's the typical boy that's into sports and video games. The social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal.

social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal. - can you elaborate on that?

Episcopal's social scene for girls has all the negative aspects of high school turned up to a 10. Girls' social status is heavily tied to their looks and appeal to boys. There's a social expectation that girls wear certain clothing brands. It's truly a southern school despite being near DC, and the girls tend to fit the feminine "southern belle" archetype. If a girl doesn't fit that mold, she won't be in the popular cliques. From my experience, black and asian girls tend to feel isolated at Episcopal, because the "hot girls" that get male attention are almost-exclusively the white blondes. Boys, regardless of race, can be socially accepted if they're on sports teams.

[Anonymous]

Boarding schools are so weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in the boarding school world generally consider Episcopal to be a tier 3 school, kind of a backup option for people shooting for the top schools. Episcopal also has many, many wealthy southern families with legacy ties. It's nowhere near close to Exeter/Andover/Hotchkiss/Deerfield but it's also below Loomis/Taft/Peddie.

Woodberry Forest kind of exists in its own dimension. It is very dissimilar to the New England prep schools in culture and has a conservative student body. Many Woodberry boys are aiming for SEC schools for college, looking for the traditional Greek Life and football experience.

With your kid's academic record, he should be a shoo-in for Woodberry and Episcopal. However, they will also be concerned that he's using their school as a backup option. Being overqualified is a thing. Make sure you both show legitimate interest in the school, show enthusiasm, come with unique questions.

Woodberry is a much healthier social environment than Episcopal in general. The preponderance of ultra-wealthy southern families and the proximity to DC means that Episcopal kids spend a lot of time off campus and spending money in Alexandria or the city. Since you have a son, he will likely be fine wherever he goes as long as he's the typical boy that's into sports and video games. The social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal.

social scene for girls is just brutal at Episcopal. - can you elaborate on that?

If you want to see the stereotypical Episcopal girl, look at the Bama sorority rush tiktoks. These are the kinds of girls that are popular at EHS. Since the school isn't academically high-pressured students spend more time socializing and creating hierarchies than at other schools.