The Heights and Oakcrest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can also consider Brookewood and the Avalon.

I don’t know anyone who calls it THE Avalon….just Avalon will suffice.

The Avalon is a theater on Connecticut Ave.

[Anonymous]

Siena Academy is the local Opus Dei parish school. It is definitely a feeder. The school has a Montessori program and your children should start by age three.

The Heights is almost impossible to get into these days unless you are an alumni, teacher’s kid, or sibling of an already enrolled student. It’s unlikely that your unconnected boys are getting in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Siena Academy is the local Opus Dei parish school. It is definitely a feeder. The school has a Montessori program and your children should start by age three.

The Heights is almost impossible to get into these days unless you are an alumni, teacher’s kid, or sibling of an already enrolled student. It’s unlikely that your unconnected boys are getting in.

Don't discourage them. You never know how admission ebbs and flows. But definitely like the "feeder" you pick just in case your child does not get in for Heights.

For those that go there, do the academics live up to the reputation or do ppl go there more for the culture? I mean culture is everything, but not at the expense of excellent academics. Not sure if it actually stacks up in that department...anyone know?

[Anonymous]

We have kids at both Oakcrest and The Heights and they were at St. James in Arlington before that.

There are several other Oakcrest/Heights families we know at St. James, but I know that both schools also have many kids from other Catholic schools as well, so I truly would not worry too much about needing to be in the right "feeder" school. A couple of months into attending Oakcrest/Heights and the kids are making friends and creating a community at their new school, regardless of which school they were at before.

As to the academics, having had children who attended public (FCPS) and parochial Catholic schools, the academic rigor at Oakcrest and The Heights is stronger. I wish we would have discovered these schools earlier for some of our older children, but better late than never.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Siena Academy is the local Opus Dei parish school. It is definitely a feeder. The school has a Montessori program and your children should start by age three.

The Heights is almost impossible to get into these days unless you are an alumni, teacher’s kid, or sibling of an already enrolled student. It’s unlikely that your unconnected boys are getting in.

Don't discourage them. You never know how admission ebbs and flows. But definitely like the "feeder" you pick just in case your child does not get in for Heights.

For those that go there, do the academics live up to the reputation or do ppl go there more for the culture? I mean culture is everything, but not at the expense of excellent academics. Not sure if it actually stacks up in that department...anyone know?

Yes, they do. Look at this list. They've got kids at Oxford, too.

[Anonymous]

What list?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What list?

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1173827.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excellent pick, OP. Oakcrest is an under appreciated school for girls in our area. Strong emphasis on family and good faculty/student advisor program. Science program surprisingly strong. Graduates kind girls with strong character. Not for everyone, but would certainly consider alongside Visitation and Stone Ridge even though facilities may not be completely on par yet. Worth a visit. Can someone share an expansion timeline?

Oakcrest's Science Olympiad team made it through regionals to the Virginia High School state competition in 2022 (only one of two private schools to get there, and less than half the size of the second smallest high school) and also to the Virginia Middle School championship in 2022 & 2023, with local privates Basis McLean and Dominion Christian (*).

They finished last, but still: Oakcrest got to States, which is more than everyone lower ranked than them at regionals could say.


(*) Yes, and a bunch of the local huge public schools, but this is the private school forum, yo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Siena Academy is the local Opus Dei parish school. It is definitely a feeder. The school has a Montessori program and your children should start by age three.

The Heights is almost impossible to get into these days unless you are an alumni, teacher’s kid, or sibling of an already enrolled student. It’s unlikely that your unconnected boys are getting in.

We applied multiple times to the Heights and got turned down... it's very annoying as 35 of the available 45 slots were reserved for alumni kids, siblings, and teachers kids. If you don't have an "in" - you're not going there. And my kids supposedly attend a "feeder" school.

[Anonymous]

it's not an admissions process as much as a family reunion. If you are not part of that family or clique already, you are out of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excellent pick, OP. Oakcrest is an under appreciated school for girls in our area. Strong emphasis on family and good faculty/student advisor program. Science program surprisingly strong. Graduates kind girls with strong character. Not for everyone, but would certainly consider alongside Visitation and Stone Ridge even though facilities may not be completely on par yet. Worth a visit. Can someone share an expansion timeline?

Oakcrest's Science Olympiad team made it through regionals to the Virginia High School state competition in 2022 (only one of two private schools to get there, and less than half the size of the second smallest high school) and also to the Virginia Middle School championship in 2022 & 2023, with local privates Basis McLean and Dominion Christian (*).

They finished last, but still: Oakcrest got to States, which is more than everyone lower ranked than them at regionals could say.


(*) Yes, and a bunch of the local huge public schools, but this is the private school forum, yo.

[Anonymous]

We applied multiple times to the Heights and got turned down... it's very annoying as 35 of the available 45 slots were reserved for alumni kids, siblings, and teachers kids. If you don't have an "in" - you're not going there. And my kids supposedly attend a "feeder" school.

I also know a wonderful boy who didn’t get into The Heights for 9th grade. He is academically gifted, kind, fit, the whole package! Plus, a great family. He wanted to go there so much! Basically, there were no spaces once all of the “hooked” kids were admitted.

There were other great boys who couldn’t get in at various grade levels.

Unless you have a special connection to the school it’s not happening!

The girls school should be fine, if your family is a match they will have a spot. Perhaps you can get your daughter into Oakcrest then use that as leverage to gain admission for your boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We applied multiple times to the Heights and got turned down... it's very annoying as 35 of the available 45 slots were reserved for alumni kids, siblings, and teachers kids. If you don't have an "in" - you're not going there. And my kids supposedly attend a "feeder" school.

I also know a wonderful boy who didn’t get into The Heights for 9th grade. He is academically gifted, kind, fit, the whole package! Plus, a great family. He wanted to go there so much! Basically, there were no spaces once all of the “hooked” kids were admitted.

There were other great boys who couldn’t get in at various grade levels.

Unless you have a special connection to the school it’s not happening!

The girls school should be fine, if your family is a match they will have a spot. Perhaps you can get your daughter into Oakcrest then use that as leverage to gain admission for your boys.

I know a boy who was admitted last year to 9th who had no connections at all to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We applied multiple times to the Heights and got turned down... it's very annoying as 35 of the available 45 slots were reserved for alumni kids, siblings, and teachers kids. If you don't have an "in" - you're not going there. And my kids supposedly attend a "feeder" school.

I also know a wonderful boy who didn’t get into The Heights for 9th grade. He is academically gifted, kind, fit, the whole package! Plus, a great family. He wanted to go there so much! Basically, there were no spaces once all of the “hooked” kids were admitted.

There were other great boys who couldn’t get in at various grade levels.

Unless you have a special connection to the school it’s not happening!

The girls school should be fine, if your family is a match they will have a spot. Perhaps you can get your daughter into Oakcrest then use that as leverage to gain admission for your boys.

I know a boy who was admitted last year to 9th who had no connections at all to the school.

Oops, just remembered I know two boys!

[Anonymous]

Holy redeemer in Kensington is a very conservative parish and sends a decent amount of boys to the Heights. There aren’t feeder schools though.