Thoughts on Xavier HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great sports programs, strict, service is encouraged. Kids are smart and well adjusted. Not woke

I'll push back on the "not woke" part. I'm pro-woke, for sure, so there's that. There was an incident at Xavier not long ago where a kid made a homophobic (and hateful imo) remark online. It got back to admin and he was summarily expelled. There was disbelief among the Breezy Point (etc) crowd who didn't think it was such a big deal. The head of school said something like, This was actually an easy call for us. if you don't agree, you're free to find another school and we can help you with that process. It was bold and some might say "woke". I was impressed.

[Anonymous]

Different type of parents/family background at Xavier than the other privates mentioned. Which has pros and cons. More money at the other privates. I have found the parents there (especially at the HS level) to be more down to earth than most TT schools, but there is definitely some ostentatious wealth present. Also more Ivy alums, multi-generation white collar, etc.

Neither is right or wrong. Just different places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great sports programs, strict, service is encouraged. Kids are smart and well adjusted. Not woke

I'll push back on the "not woke" part. I'm pro-woke, for sure, so there's that. There was an incident at Xavier not long ago where a kid made a homophobic (and hateful imo) remark online. It got back to admin and he was summarily expelled. There was disbelief among the Breezy Point (etc) crowd who didn't think it was such a big deal. The head of school said something like, This was actually an easy call for us. if you don't agree, you're free to find another school and we can help you with that process. It was bold and some might say "woke". I was impressed.

Great job by the head of school. That is very impressive.

Too my point about the types of families, there is more of the "Breezy Point" element at Xavier than at the other schools. Kudos to the head of school for trying to weed them out, but they will still be there.

Not saying that bad morals and attitudes are not present at the other schools because I'm sure they are. Rich people can be real morally bankrupt jerks too. But there is a bit more of the Breezy Point/Staten Island element at Xavier than others. Which is good preparation for the real world. But also different. Especially at an all boys school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great sports programs, strict, service is encouraged. Kids are smart and well adjusted. Not woke

I'll push back on the "not woke" part. I'm pro-woke, for sure, so there's that. There was an incident at Xavier not long ago where a kid made a homophobic (and hateful imo) remark online. It got back to admin and he was summarily expelled. There was disbelief among the Breezy Point (etc) crowd who didn't think it was such a big deal. The head of school said something like, This was actually an easy call for us. if you don't agree, you're free to find another school and we can help you with that process. It was bold and some might say "woke". I was impressed.

Great job by the head of school. That is very impressive.

Too my point about the types of families, there is more of the "Breezy Point" element at Xavier than at the other schools. Kudos to the head of school for trying to weed them out, but they will still be there.

Not saying that bad morals and attitudes are not present at the other schools because I'm sure they are. Rich people can be real morally bankrupt jerks too. But there is a bit more of the Breezy Point/Staten Island element at Xavier than others. Which is good preparation for the real world. But also different. Especially at an all boys school.

I don’t know anyone from SI at xavier. As far as Breezy Point, I think you mean Irish Catholic (Rockaway and BP were traditionally Irish enclaves) so yes, Catholics will send their dc to a Catholic school. But I’ll mention, most of my dcs friends live in Manhattan or closer Brooklyn. I appreciate that there’s more of a socio economic mix at Xavier than at NYC privates, but there is still plenty of privilege. Personally, I prefer the more inclusive mix of socioeconomic groups in NYC public schools, but my dc wanted sports and Xavier takes them more seriously than NYC publics, and even many privates.

[Anonymous]

Go to GCS instead, since you mentioned you are considering it! I am alum and loved the school. It was a great environment and the academics were top notch.

[Anonymous]

^ I’ll add that Xavier is quite strict so I’m not surprised they expelled that kid. They expelled kids all the time. If they have a rule, you’re expected to follow it, and it doesn’t matter who you are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to GCS instead, since you mentioned you are considering it! I am alum and loved the school. It was a great environment and the academics were top notch.

I liked it when we visited last spring but it’s almost 70k and I’m not sure it’s worth it. If my kid really falls in love when we tour in the fall we might try to swing it. Glad to know you liked the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great sports programs, strict, service is encouraged. Kids are smart and well adjusted. Not woke

I'll push back on the "not woke" part. I'm pro-woke, for sure, so there's that. There was an incident at Xavier not long ago where a kid made a homophobic (and hateful imo) remark online. It got back to admin and he was summarily expelled. There was disbelief among the Breezy Point (etc) crowd who didn't think it was such a big deal. The head of school said something like, This was actually an easy call for us. if you don't agree, you're free to find another school and we can help you with that process. It was bold and some might say "woke". I was impressed.

Great job by the head of school. That is very impressive.

Too my point about the types of families, there is more of the "Breezy Point" element at Xavier than at the other schools. Kudos to the head of school for trying to weed them out, but they will still be there.

Not saying that bad morals and attitudes are not present at the other schools because I'm sure they are. Rich people can be real morally bankrupt jerks too. But there is a bit more of the Breezy Point/Staten Island element at Xavier than others. Which is good preparation for the real world. But also different. Especially at an all boys school.

I don’t know anyone from SI at xavier. As far as Breezy Point, I think you mean Irish Catholic (Rockaway and BP were traditionally Irish enclaves) so yes, Catholics will send their dc to a Catholic school. But I’ll mention, most of my dcs friends live in Manhattan or closer Brooklyn. I appreciate that there’s more of a socio economic mix at Xavier than at NYC privates, but there is still plenty of privilege. Personally, I prefer the more inclusive mix of socioeconomic groups in NYC public schools, but my dc wanted sports and Xavier takes them more seriously than NYC publics, and even many privates.

Sounds like you have a kid at Xavier. What are your thoughts about a kid who is not so into sports. Do you they would be able to find a place there? How do you feel about the academics? Hoping for the Ignation Scholars program. Would love to hear if you have any experience with that program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great sports programs, strict, service is encouraged. Kids are smart and well adjusted. Not woke

I'll push back on the "not woke" part. I'm pro-woke, for sure, so there's that. There was an incident at Xavier not long ago where a kid made a homophobic (and hateful imo) remark online. It got back to admin and he was summarily expelled. There was disbelief among the Breezy Point (etc) crowd who didn't think it was such a big deal. The head of school said something like, This was actually an easy call for us. if you don't agree, you're free to find another school and we can help you with that process. It was bold and some might say "woke". I was impressed.

Great job by the head of school. That is very impressive.

Too my point about the types of families, there is more of the "Breezy Point" element at Xavier than at the other schools. Kudos to the head of school for trying to weed them out, but they will still be there.

Not saying that bad morals and attitudes are not present at the other schools because I'm sure they are. Rich people can be real morally bankrupt jerks too. But there is a bit more of the Breezy Point/Staten Island element at Xavier than others. Which is good preparation for the real world. But also different. Especially at an all boys school.

I don’t know anyone from SI at xavier. As far as Breezy Point, I think you mean Irish Catholic (Rockaway and BP were traditionally Irish enclaves) so yes, Catholics will send their dc to a Catholic school. But I’ll mention, most of my dcs friends live in Manhattan or closer Brooklyn. I appreciate that there’s more of a socio economic mix at Xavier than at NYC privates, but there is still plenty of privilege. Personally, I prefer the more inclusive mix of socioeconomic groups in NYC public schools, but my dc wanted sports and Xavier takes them more seriously than NYC publics, and even many privates.

Sounds like you have a kid at Xavier. What are your thoughts about a kid who is not so into sports. Do you they would be able to find a place there? How do you feel about the academics? Hoping for the Ignation Scholars program. Would love to hear if you have any experience with that program.

My dc isn’t in the scholars program. I find the academics strong, but admittedly my dc wasn’t a Stuy/Hunter type kid and we wanted a more well rounded high school that wasn’t a pressure cooker academically.

I do think a dc who isn’t into sports can find a place there, but there is definitely an emphasis on the ‘whole person’ so there will likely be some strong encouragement for your son to be involved in other activities, whether it’s sports or something else.

There are strong service programs btw- CFX trips and other programs. And your son will go to Mass once a week. Not a big deal if you’re not Catholic (we aren’t).

Overall there is a significant emphasis on growth and personal responsibility. This is not a school that will allow you to be a helicopter parent or fix things for your dc. They do expel kids not infrequently and if your dc does something wrong, they will be held to account. You will not be able to step in, even if you think the punishment is too harsh.

Examples, dc used chatgpt for a take home exam as a freshman. He was failed. No retake. No excuses. Failed. I have another dc at another school who did something similar on a paper and although they put him through the wringer, he was allowed to fix the paper.
Fwiw I obviously don’t support cheating and am glad it was handled at X as it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to GCS instead, since you mentioned you are considering it! I am alum and loved the school. It was a great environment and the academics were top notch.

Relatively new HOS is a superstar. High school opened about 15 years and they very carefully figured out what worked best at lots of other schools and developed a school around that.

[Anonymous]

take a look at Loyola. If GCS and Xavier had a baby it would be Loyola.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:take a look at Loyola. If GCS and Xavier had a baby it would be Loyola.

We are looking at Loyola but the commute to UES might be too tough for him. Nice that it’s about 15k less than some the other privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:take a look at Loyola. If GCS and Xavier had a baby it would be Loyola.

Except Loyola is tiny (about 55 students per year) and Jesuit. But it is co-ed, which is a big difference from Xavier.

On the flip side, not sure where OP lives but the commute there really isn't materially different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting the high school application process with my 8th grader and he's interested in Xavier and some other other downtown privates like Friends, GCS and maybe Packer. Might also look uptown at TT schools like Collegiate and Dalton as he has great grades and ISEE scores but we are primarily focused downtown. Anyone have any experience with Xavier or insight into pros/cons of Xavier vs a place like Friends or GCS? Xavier is much larger but also much, much less expensive and we would not be getting financial aid at the more expensive privates. From what I've seen school spirit seems to be better at Xavier but I don't know about academics. The kids we know from Xavier have all gone to top colleges but in general their college placement does not seem to be as good as a place like FS.

People don’t seem to understand how $ and the rampant use of early decision at most private schools affects college placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Starting the high school application process with my 8th grader and he's interested in Xavier and some other other downtown privates like Friends, GCS and maybe Packer. Might also look uptown at TT schools like Collegiate and Dalton as he has great grades and ISEE scores but we are primarily focused downtown. Anyone have any experience with Xavier or insight into pros/cons of Xavier vs a place like Friends or GCS? Xavier is much larger but also much, much less expensive and we would not be getting financial aid at the more expensive privates. From what I've seen school spirit seems to be better at Xavier but I don't know about academics. The kids we know from Xavier have all gone to top colleges but in general their college placement does not seem to be as good as a place like FS.

People don’t seem to understand how $ and the rampant use of early decision at most private schools affects college placement.

It's this, but not only this. Standardized tests scores much higher at Collegiate/Dalton/etc. as well. Much of that is that is the schools' having a greater ability to pick their kids and that the parents having significant resources for tutoring. There's something to be said for surrounding oneself with high achieving people, though, however they got to be that way.

Then again, you'll compete with donors and ED applicants when applying to colleges, which works against you. I guess I'm trying to say there a lot of factors at play.