Edmund Burke

[Anonymous]

We love Burke for how diverse the faculty is. DC has multiple black male teachers and administrators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is enjoyable. Beyond DC, recognition tends to be limited to Sidwell. Sidwell is widely known, and some are familiar with GDS. Gonzaga gains recognition mainly through sports, occasionally followed by Landon/Bullis and St. Albans/Cathedral schools. Trust me when I say, most people are unfamiliar with Burke, Maret, Field, or any other schools. Does this matter to you? If not, Burke is a fantastic option! It boasts a diverse student body with many mainstream, non-quirky kids.

OP didn't ask about national prestige...

OP, Burke is a lovey and particular school. It is very small and doesn't have a huge athletic campus so it's not known for being a sporty school. It's known for being a place where kids are both nurtured and prepared. Generally, people who look at Burke look at Field as well, as they are both schools with a more inclusive and less cutthroat mentality. It is still a selective school that turns down many applicants.

Is it prestigious? Depends how you define it. But pps are right than anyone looking for a school with "prestige" likely isn't the right fit for burke.

Rigor, College Matriculations, Alumni, etc.

Burke has rigor, excellent college matriculation as a whole, an impressive alumni network and much more; so if that's the definition, yes, it is prestigious.

[Anonymous]

We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

We loved Burke for so many reasons and know our child would have been very happy there (but ultimately chose Field for our child's particular situation). We visited multiple times and there was a very positive vibe, the teachers were awesome and we enjoyed the parents we spoke with about their kid's experiences in the classroom, in sports and how much they grew and learned to advocate for themselves while they were there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

There are hippy type parents, that cannot be denied, but it is by no means overwhelming. You probably just had some weird luck of the draw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

We are current MS parents. It is a very lovely school with many pros, but definite cons. They include: in our experience, not at all rigorous (except math, which is tracked); very limited physical space (both inside and out); athletics are terrible (perfectly fine if your kid is not sporty and just wants to play on a team). A significant percentage of the class is some combination of quirky/ weird / needs extra learning supports. The classes are very small. The college admissions aren’t terribly impressive.

Pros: if your child needs extra attention/ small environment; no cut sports; good arts program; great, down to earth parent community; racially diverse student body and faculty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

We are current MS parents. It is a very lovely school with many pros, but definite cons. They include: in our experience, not at all rigorous (except math, which is tracked); very limited physical space (both inside and out); athletics are terrible (perfectly fine if your kid is not sporty and just wants to play on a team). A significant percentage of the class is some combination of quirky/ weird / needs extra learning supports. The classes are very small. The college admissions aren’t terribly impressive.

Pros: if your child needs extra attention/ small environment; no cut sports; good arts program; great, down to earth parent community; racially diverse student body and faculty.

This is the same post repeated over and over on all the threads related to Burke. It's kind of sad this MS parent speaking so negatively about the school. It's obvious that the family is applying out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

We are current MS parents. It is a very lovely school with many pros, but definite cons. They include: in our experience, not at all rigorous (except math, which is tracked); very limited physical space (both inside and out); athletics are terrible (perfectly fine if your kid is not sporty and just wants to play on a team). A significant percentage of the class is some combination of quirky/ weird / needs extra learning supports. The classes are very small. The college admissions aren’t terribly impressive.

Pros: if your child needs extra attention/ small environment; no cut sports; good arts program; great, down to earth parent community; racially diverse student body and faculty.

This is the same post repeated over and over on all the threads related to Burke. It's kind of sad this MS parent speaking so negatively about the school. It's obvious that the family is applying out.

Why is it sad? Are families not allowed to share their experiences with the school? By the way, I am not alone in my thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

There was a group interview? That's odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

There was a group interview? That's odd.

We never had a group interview with parents. They do offer panels with current parents who speak about their students’ experiences at Burke. But it wasn’t an interview, just an info session for prospective families!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

There was a group interview? That's odd.

I was thinking the same thing. Even more odd to judge a school over a group zoom back in 2020 when many parents struggled with learning zoom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DC and see/hear lots of positive things for Burke. Any major negatives that folks have had?

We are current MS parents. It is a very lovely school with many pros, but definite cons. They include: in our experience, not at all rigorous (except math, which is tracked); very limited physical space (both inside and out); athletics are terrible (perfectly fine if your kid is not sporty and just wants to play on a team). A significant percentage of the class is some combination of quirky/ weird / needs extra learning supports. The classes are very small. The college admissions aren’t terribly impressive.

Pros: if your child needs extra attention/ small environment; no cut sports; good arts program; great, down to earth parent community; racially diverse student body and faculty.

This is the same post repeated over and over on all the threads related to Burke. It's kind of sad this MS parent speaking so negatively about the school. It's obvious that the family is applying out.

Burke is a wonderful school for kids for whom it is the right fit. Is anything that the PP said incorrect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry, no. It’s a well loved “school for quirky kids” by the parents’ own words

^^ This. Our child applied for HS in F 20, and after the parent interview (on Zoom in a group of several parents), and when it wrapped, my spouse and I looked at each other and we both didn't want our child to attend. All the other parents on the call thought their child was special in some odd way, and needed special attention. We got the impression it was a hippy dippy granola school. Our child was accepted, but choose on their own to go elsewhere

There was a group interview? That's odd.

We never had a group interview with parents. They do offer panels with current parents who speak about their students’ experiences at Burke. But it wasn’t an interview, just an info session for prospective families!

Sometimes well meaning volunteer parents act off, at all schools, imo. They try to oversell or conversely act humble and overdo it in either direction..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This is enjoyable. Beyond DC, recognition tends to be limited to Sidwell. Sidwell is widely known, and some are familiar with GDS. Gonzaga gains recognition mainly through sports, occasionally followed by Landon/Bullis and St. Albans/Cathedral schools. Trust me when I say, most people are unfamiliar with Burke, Maret, Field, or any other schools. Does this matter to you? If not, Burke is a fantastic option! It boasts a diverse student body with many mainstream, non-quirky kids.

OP didn't ask about national prestige...

OP, Burke is a lovey and particular school. It is very small and doesn't have a huge athletic campus so it's not known for being a sporty school. It's known for being a place where kids are both nurtured and prepared. Generally, people who look at Burke look at Field as well, as they are both schools with a more inclusive and less cutthroat mentality. It is still a selective school that turns down many applicants.

Is it prestigious? Depends how you define it. But pps are right than anyone looking for a school with "prestige" likely isn't the right fit for burke.

Rigor, College Matriculations, Alumni, etc.

Burke has rigor, excellent college matriculation as a whole, an impressive alumni network and much more; so if that's the definition, yes, it is prestigious.

=1. THIS!