WWYD? Alexandria George Mason vs SSSAS. Is the money really worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all - OP here. The tuition would obviously be a major sacrifice. And we have more than one child. Definitely not skipping a couple lattes I guess we could use the money to leave Alexandria altogether, sadly.

Bye!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all - OP here. The tuition would obviously be a major sacrifice. And we have more than one child. Definitely not skipping a couple lattes I guess we could use the money to leave Alexandria altogether, sadly.

Or you could just go to public school and invest in our community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not even remotely worth it at $420,000.

- a guy who went to Landon K-12, but sent two kids to Maury- GW- TC

I second this as a SSSAS k-12 grad, but sent two kids all the way through ACPS!

[Anonymous]

SSSAS is no better, you'll be throwing your money away - stick to the public school

[Anonymous]

I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

[Anonymous]

Given those choices, I'd move to north Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

For the most part yes BUT back then academic standards and expectations were much higher, classes were tracked, real gifted programs existed, discipline existed, there were zero tolerance policies, retention still occurred, kids were put in ISS, suspended, or expelled, the STEP program existed, etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

I'm the PP of this post. I think that parents have been concerned about ACPS for a long time. My parents were in the '90s, which is why my sister and I went to private school through 8th grade. But two private school tuitions were tough for two feds to afford even back then. When our neighbors' kids graduated from T.C. and got into colleges like Princeton and UVA, my parents figured that ACPS must be doing something right, so we went to public high school. And it was fine. A culture shock at first after private, but we found our way. I did well in honors and AP classes and mostly hung out with the "smart" kids. I don't remember too many behavior issues. I maybe heard about a few fights, but I don't think I witnessed one.

Is it worse now? Maybe. Certainly the stabbing at the McDonald's a few years ago was very concerning, as are the reports of fights. While those incidents tend to be confined to a small population, they are still not something I would want my own kids witnessing. However, private schools are not without their issues either. Probably fewer problems in elementary, but certainly at the high school level there are still issues with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Even back in the day, I remember I had several classmates at public school who at all been kicked out of SSSAS because of a sex scandal there.

As for academics, the accreditation system has changed over the years. It now has a lot more to do with whether special populations are showing progress. This may have the effect of diverting resources away from special programming for talented and gifted, if that's something you are interested in. (I don't know enough about how it is affecting elementary TAG programs, so maybe someone else can chime in here.) But I think there are still a lot of opportunities in ACPS for motivated kids, particularly at the upper levels. ACHS has so many more AP, dual enrollment, and special academy options than it did when I was a student.

Is George Mason right for you? I don't know. Depends on your kids and a bit on luck. One student or teacher or administrator could make or break it for you. But you won't know whether it's a good fit until you've tried it. If it's a bad fit, then you can explore other options. Spending $45k+ per kid per year is a lot, and if you are going to spend that kind of money on SSSAS or a similar school, you should feel confident that it's worth it. While it's never bad to spend money on your child's education, that money could go a long way toward helping your kids in other ways. Same goes for moving. It's expensive and a huge pain, and if you are doing it for the schools you should feel like you are moving to somewhere better. And how will you know that unless you've tried George Mason? It's the easiest and most affordable option, and it has been good for a lot of kids. Maybe it will work for you or maybe it won't, but if you try it you'll know for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

I'm the PP of this post. I think that parents have been concerned about ACPS for a long time. My parents were in the '90s, which is why my sister and I went to private school through 8th grade. But two private school tuitions were tough for two feds to afford even back then. When our neighbors' kids graduated from T.C. and got into colleges like Princeton and UVA, my parents figured that ACPS must be doing something right, so we went to public high school. And it was fine. A culture shock at first after private, but we found our way. I did well in honors and AP classes and mostly hung out with the "smart" kids. I don't remember too many behavior issues. I maybe heard about a few fights, but I don't think I witnessed one.

Is it worse now? Maybe. Certainly the stabbing at the McDonald's a few years ago was very concerning, as are the reports of fights. While those incidents tend to be confined to a small population, they are still not something I would want my own kids witnessing. However, private schools are not without their issues either. Probably fewer problems in elementary, but certainly at the high school level there are still issues with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Even back in the day, I remember I had several classmates at public school who at all been kicked out of SSSAS because of a sex scandal there.

As for academics, the accreditation system has changed over the years. It now has a lot more to do with whether special populations are showing progress. This may have the effect of diverting resources away from special programming for talented and gifted, if that's something you are interested in. (I don't know enough about how it is affecting elementary TAG programs, so maybe someone else can chime in here.) But I think there are still a lot of opportunities in ACPS for motivated kids, particularly at the upper levels. ACHS has so many more AP, dual enrollment, and special academy options than it did when I was a student.

Is George Mason right for you? I don't know. Depends on your kids and a bit on luck. One student or teacher or administrator could make or break it for you. But you won't know whether it's a good fit until you've tried it. If it's a bad fit, then you can explore other options. Spending $45k+ per kid per year is a lot, and if you are going to spend that kind of money on SSSAS or a similar school, you should feel confident that it's worth it. While it's never bad to spend money on your child's education, that money could go a long way toward helping your kids in other ways. Same goes for moving. It's expensive and a huge pain, and if you are doing it for the schools you should feel like you are moving to somewhere better. And how will you know that unless you've tried George Mason? It's the easiest and most affordable option, and it has been good for a lot of kids. Maybe it will work for you or maybe it won't, but if you try it you'll know for sure.

Ha! Are you talking about a previous headmistresse's daughter being filmed getting spit roasted in the dining room of a house party?


I'd all but forgotten about that

[Anonymous]

People are jerks and this thread proves it. Private is best if the money means little to you. Either because a grandparent or someone else is paying or because you make a lot of money.

The tuition is a rounding error if you make 7 figures and there are lots in the DMV and Alexandria that do.

For SSSAS many of the families do make very high incomes. Probably most do. That is the same at all of the privates. If that is not you and you would not qualify for a scholarship then I would not even think of going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

I'm the PP of this post. I think that parents have been concerned about ACPS for a long time. My parents were in the '90s, which is why my sister and I went to private school through 8th grade. But two private school tuitions were tough for two feds to afford even back then. When our neighbors' kids graduated from T.C. and got into colleges like Princeton and UVA, my parents figured that ACPS must be doing something right, so we went to public high school. And it was fine. A culture shock at first after private, but we found our way. I did well in honors and AP classes and mostly hung out with the "smart" kids. I don't remember too many behavior issues. I maybe heard about a few fights, but I don't think I witnessed one.

Is it worse now? Maybe. Certainly the stabbing at the McDonald's a few years ago was very concerning, as are the reports of fights. While those incidents tend to be confined to a small population, they are still not something I would want my own kids witnessing. However, private schools are not without their issues either. Probably fewer problems in elementary, but certainly at the high school level there are still issues with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Even back in the day, I remember I had several classmates at public school who at all been kicked out of SSSAS because of a sex scandal there.

As for academics, the accreditation system has changed over the years. It now has a lot more to do with whether special populations are showing progress. This may have the effect of diverting resources away from special programming for talented and gifted, if that's something you are interested in. (I don't know enough about how it is affecting elementary TAG programs, so maybe someone else can chime in here.) But I think there are still a lot of opportunities in ACPS for motivated kids, particularly at the upper levels. ACHS has so many more AP, dual enrollment, and special academy options than it did when I was a student.

Is George Mason right for you? I don't know. Depends on your kids and a bit on luck. One student or teacher or administrator could make or break it for you. But you won't know whether it's a good fit until you've tried it. If it's a bad fit, then you can explore other options. Spending $45k+ per kid per year is a lot, and if you are going to spend that kind of money on SSSAS or a similar school, you should feel confident that it's worth it. While it's never bad to spend money on your child's education, that money could go a long way toward helping your kids in other ways. Same goes for moving. It's expensive and a huge pain, and if you are doing it for the schools you should feel like you are moving to somewhere better. And how will you know that unless you've tried George Mason? It's the easiest and most affordable option, and it has been good for a lot of kids. Maybe it will work for you or maybe it won't, but if you try it you'll know for sure.

Ha! Are you talking about a previous headmistresse's daughter being filmed getting spit roasted in the dining room of a house party?


I'd all but forgotten about that

Not sure if it’s the same incident, but I believe they were all expelled for the filming and distribution of pornography involving minors.

[Anonymous]

Another option - Catholic schools , Grace episcopal for the early years, Immanuel Lutheran

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would try George Mason before you do private or move. You may be pleasantly surprised. Yes, it might be harder to switch to a different school midway through elementary, but with so much money at stake, don’t you want to know that you gave the least expensive option a shot?

I attended a different private school in Alexandria from prek-8, then went to T.C. Williams (now ACHS) for high school. I got a good education at both. I have friends who did private prek-12 (including SSSAS), and friends who did ACPS all the way through. We all got into similarly selective colleges and have had similar life outcomes. Granted, that was over 20 years ago, but I think the same holds true today based on the families I know now.

So if you have typical children, I’d try public. However, if there are special circumstances (ADHD, learning disabilities, extreme giftedness), then maybe that changes your calculations.

Did the schools 20 years ago have all the problems they do now? Accredidation, safety issues, etc? I ask seriously and appreciate your insight!

I'm the PP of this post. I think that parents have been concerned about ACPS for a long time. My parents were in the '90s, which is why my sister and I went to private school through 8th grade. But two private school tuitions were tough for two feds to afford even back then. When our neighbors' kids graduated from T.C. and got into colleges like Princeton and UVA, my parents figured that ACPS must be doing something right, so we went to public high school. And it was fine. A culture shock at first after private, but we found our way. I did well in honors and AP classes and mostly hung out with the "smart" kids. I don't remember too many behavior issues. I maybe heard about a few fights, but I don't think I witnessed one.

Is it worse now? Maybe. Certainly the stabbing at the McDonald's a few years ago was very concerning, as are the reports of fights. While those incidents tend to be confined to a small population, they are still not something I would want my own kids witnessing. However, private schools are not without their issues either. Probably fewer problems in elementary, but certainly at the high school level there are still issues with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Even back in the day, I remember I had several classmates at public school who at all been kicked out of SSSAS because of a sex scandal there.

As for academics, the accreditation system has changed over the years. It now has a lot more to do with whether special populations are showing progress. This may have the effect of diverting resources away from special programming for talented and gifted, if that's something you are interested in. (I don't know enough about how it is affecting elementary TAG programs, so maybe someone else can chime in here.) But I think there are still a lot of opportunities in ACPS for motivated kids, particularly at the upper levels. ACHS has so many more AP, dual enrollment, and special academy options than it did when I was a student.

Is George Mason right for you? I don't know. Depends on your kids and a bit on luck. One student or teacher or administrator could make or break it for you. But you won't know whether it's a good fit until you've tried it. If it's a bad fit, then you can explore other options. Spending $45k+ per kid per year is a lot, and if you are going to spend that kind of money on SSSAS or a similar school, you should feel confident that it's worth it. While it's never bad to spend money on your child's education, that money could go a long way toward helping your kids in other ways. Same goes for moving. It's expensive and a huge pain, and if you are doing it for the schools you should feel like you are moving to somewhere better. And how will you know that unless you've tried George Mason? It's the easiest and most affordable option, and it has been good for a lot of kids. Maybe it will work for you or maybe it won't, but if you try it you'll know for sure.

This is a very thoughtful perspective. Thanks very much.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the kid. Totally and utterly depends on the personality and whether they have any learning disabilities.

Both our kids went to GM. Both at SSSAS now.

I would not switch to private till 6th even if you go Pvt.

One of our kids would be fine in public but 1 needs SSSAS - just better fit.

SSSAS is not perfect but if your kid isn't going to do well with 900 other kids at school.. you know

SSSAS is a good school and if money is no object is going to be better in many ways culturally - if you go on holiday, you want to stay at Embassy Suites or a boutique top hotel? If you're ok at ES then you don't need private no matter what. When I travel I like really nice so culturally if I can pick the environment, I'm going with boutique. One of my kids really needs that level of "nice" by way of learning disabilities. Life is easier with 2 in one school so we put both in after a couple yrs at the same school. Before then, I can 100% confirm my SSSAS kid received better academic quality than my GM kid (my oldest is SSSAS).

A very very important consideration is not academics but culture. Don't separate the 2. Consider both and where your kid will be most comfortable for 7 years if their life and where they will have their needs met.

School choice is aligned with the kid going day in day out. Not just about where they will end up in college - that's just not the point. A "perfect" kid will end up somewhere great no matter where they go. An easy going person will be happy staying at E Suites or a boutique high end beautiful hotel. They will be happy no matter what but if your kid has any issues, that choice is a serious one.