Culture of St Albans

[Anonymous]

NCS and STA likely have a higher percentage of classic conservatives/Reagan-era Republicans who may or may not identify themselves that way in the new maga-dominated GOP.

[Anonymous]

We have a STA kid on our block and it is constant play date drop-off/pick-up. Neighbors are all wondering if this kid even does any studying/homework. 🙄

[Anonymous]

I think of the school as traditional, but not conservative. A lot of focus on academics, responsibility, being a kind person, and supporting others.

I know where some people fall politically, but it's not a constant topic of conversation. My guess is the majority fall somewhere in the middle - less of the two extremes.

It is a pressure cooker though...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dear,

I'll let you in on a little secret. It doesn't matter where you send your kid to school, as long as the school is generally academically rigorous (public or private). The "culture" matters little, because education begins at home and YOU, the parents, must instill YOUR values and expectations. Don't let school mission statements convince you that they confer a special kind of magic and have access to a higher plane of moral principles. They don't. They're a business. They generally conduct good business and provide satisfactory instruction, with some exceptions. That's all.

Here's the part you DO have to watch out for, as long as the academic rigor is there: MONEY. Unless you're very wealthy, such that you wouldn't even notice the outlay, are you sure you want to spend that much on K-12 and not invest the money in the stock market, or spend it on something else instead? There's retirement and college in your future. Money invested while you put your kid in a reputable public could open horizons for later. Right now, in-state uni is 40K and out-of-state or private uni is 60-100K a year, total cost of attendance. There are home downpayments and grad schools to consider. There are a lot of things you can do to build generational wealth in your family, and paying for education has its place, but isn't the only pathway. There are many other things you can do to smooth the way for your descendants. Leveraging your money at the right time is important.

There is no academic difference between a highly-regarded public and a top private. Usually in this area, the publics are better at STEM and the private are better at writing, that's all. The best publics are in southwest Moco (Bethesda, Potomac, North Bethesda). The top privates for boys are St Albans, Sidwell, and some others.

I have teenage and young adult children, and live in Bethesda, where half the families send their kids to well-regarded privates, St Albans included, and half the families send their kids to the local publics (also well-regarded). All the kids are nice kids. All their parents are well-off. There is no difference in college admissions.

This virtue signalling is irrelevant to the question. OP is already at Beauvoir and asking about the culture of the upper schools. OP: There ARE noticeable differences in culture across DC upper schools, you will pick up on the subtleties that matter to your family by touring and exploring each when the time is right (NOT in pre-K!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a huge factor, but generally St. Albans Moms are very pretty. They work out, stay in shape, dress well, and on average are probably the hottest group of the local private schools. Great for the Dads, but sometimes a bit intimidating to new Moms.

Not true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think of the school as traditional, but not conservative. A lot of focus on academics, responsibility, being a kind person, and supporting others.

I know where some people fall politically, but it's not a constant topic of conversation. My guess is the majority fall somewhere in the middle - less of the two extremes.

It is a pressure cooker though...

This. It’s a pressure cooker for some kids and for others it seems fine.
Same with the social scene. Some families are more involved than others and that’s fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not catnip for trolls but just a bit lofty and idealistic for a family with a kid in Pre-K.

Ultimately, all of the schools you mentioned are excellent. That your son is at Beauvoir tips the scales a bit toward St. Albans in terms of admission. That said, maybe let you kid spend a few years becoming a human being before hand-selecting the school that may or may not be a good fit. Life may take twists and turns different that the three or four years that you've experienced so far. Then, figure out what is best for where they actually are (not where you project them to be in five / eight years) and figure it out once you have the data and admissions offers.

+1. This is quite the treatise OP. Why are you so concerned about this now, when your son is only in Prek?

[Anonymous]

We are very liberal and not at all fancy and our son had a wonderful experience at STA. The school itself is traditional vs conservative and the faculty and staff are apolitical. The traditions are wonderful and the place is run exceptionally well. On the academic side of things it's very rigorous but kind. The boys are shown a good deal of grace when needed.
I would send another boy there in a heartbeat if I had a second son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are very liberal and not at all fancy and our son had a wonderful experience at STA. The school itself is traditional vs conservative and the faculty and staff are apolitical. The traditions are wonderful and the place is run exceptionally well. On the academic side of things it's very rigorous but kind. The boys are shown a good deal of grace when needed.
I would send another boy there in a heartbeat if I had a second son.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a STA kid on our block and it is constant play date drop-off/pick-up. Neighbors are all wondering if this kid even does any studying/homework. 🙄

If he's young enough to still have play dates, he shouldn't need to do that much studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not catnip for trolls but just a bit lofty and idealistic for a family with a kid in Pre-K.

Ultimately, all of the schools you mentioned are excellent. That your son is at Beauvoir tips the scales a bit toward St. Albans in terms of admission. That said, maybe let you kid spend a few years becoming a human being before hand-selecting the school that may or may not be a good fit. Life may take twists and turns different that the three or four years that you've experienced so far. Then, figure out what is best for where they actually are (not where you project them to be in five / eight years) and figure it out once you have the data and admissions offers.

+1. This is quite the treatise OP. Why are you so concerned about this now, when your son is only in Prek?

By NYC standards this is quite late. OP, why have you been neglecting your child's schooling for so long ?

[Anonymous]

Agree with a few pp’s here on a few points—

1. Prek is too early to be thinking about this
2. If your boy ends up really liking sports and hanging out with his guy friends by about 2nd or 3rd grade, that matters way more than politics at STA will
3. Hope you like homework. A lot of it. And the expectation that your kid will do all the homework, even though it’s often more than recommended for their age, and even though your kid may not need homework to understand the material. It’s just the system at STA—work hard and get your homework turned in, be serious at least in front of teachers, and blow off steam with sports.

You don’t know any of this about your boy yet. We’ve had kids go through bvr, and one was about that life, and the others weren’t. They were clear with us about it too. We didn’t know anything in prek, though, even though many families are already thinking about it. OP, you’re brave to admit you are thinking about it, and you’re not alone, but you’re not at a place to figure this out for your boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with a few pp’s here on a few points—

1. Prek is too early to be thinking about this
2. If your boy ends up really liking sports and hanging out with his guy friends by about 2nd or 3rd grade, that matters way more than politics at STA will
3. Hope you like homework. A lot of it. And the expectation that your kid will do all the homework, even though it’s often more than recommended for their age, and even though your kid may not need homework to understand the material. It’s just the system at STA—work hard and get your homework turned in, be serious at least in front of teachers, and blow off steam with sports.

You don’t know any of this about your boy yet. We’ve had kids go through bvr, and one was about that life, and the others weren’t. They were clear with us about it too. We didn’t know anything in prek, though, even though many families are already thinking about it. OP, you’re brave to admit you are thinking about it, and you’re not alone, but you’re not at a place to figure this out for your boy.

Not op but I appreciate this response thank you

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a child at a traditional all boys school, I think you are premature with all of this. We started at a quirkly liberal elementary because I was all about play-based but as my child got older I realized we needed something different. We visited a few different privates, and both the parents and DC all liked the traditional all boys the most. He needed structure and loved the sports. So far so good. Its not for everyone though.

[Anonymous]

Bump. Any one else have info?