Maddux or McLean for K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think overall the student teacher ratio is smaller at McLean, although this year there are under 10 kids in McLean K and I believe over 10 in Maddux K.

I think you mean the student teacher ratio is smaller at Maddux, but it sounds like McLean may not fill up as much in K. I completely agree with PP, it depends on how much your child needs and visiting, talking with admissions and teachers will really help you.

14:35 again. Yes, I meant for K specifically, and not for the other years b/c at McLean they do get larger.

Not necessarily

The current 2nd grade only has 9 kids. Many other grades are not at capacity. Last year's senior class had 19 graduates. Mclean has been losing enrollment over the last few years.

[Anonymous]

Why has McLean been "losing enrollment?" Is it still a school for very mild learning issues only or do they know work with more significant language issues?

[Anonymous]

They present themselves as a school for mild learning issues.

My guess is that other schools are also doing this and mclean is not unique anymore.

An example is Bullis with their new learning center that is geared to helping kids with academic learning issues. St Andrews is another school that focuses on mild learning issues.

More serious issues kids go to Lab or Kingsbury.

I am sure the economy also has played into this and more people are looking to the public schools and support for their kids learning issues.

[Anonymous]

I have a DS at McLean and I haven't noticed a decline in enrollment. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it is certainly NOT true for his class. The high school has always been smaller than the middle or lower schools. I think there are a variety of reasons for this but the important thing is that it doesn't reflect a decline.

McLean is not a special needs school, it is a mainstream school that is open to kids with mild learning differences. Some kids have a diagnosis, some don't. And I think McLean is pretty unique in their focus. The teachers are incredibly expert at tailoring things for the way each child learns best. Bullis and St. Andrews are very accommodating and I don't mean to criticize them. They are both great schools for many kids. But neither is as individualized as McLean.

And it is true that students with more serious LD issues will not do well at McLean. Also, they don't take kids with any kind of aggressiveness or behavior problems and they are very strict about behavior when the kids are there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a DS at McLean and I haven't noticed a decline in enrollment. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it is certainly NOT true for his class. The high school has always been smaller than the middle or lower schools. I think there are a variety of reasons for this but the important thing is that it doesn't reflect a decline.

McLean is not a special needs school, it is a mainstream school that is open to kids with mild learning differences. Some kids have a diagnosis, some don't. And I think McLean is pretty unique in their focus. The teachers are incredibly expert at tailoring things for the way each child learns best. Bullis and St. Andrews are very accommodating and I don't mean to criticize them. They are both great schools for many kids. But neither is as individualized as McLean.

And it is true that students with more serious LD issues will not do well at McLean. Also, they don't take kids with any kind of aggressiveness or behavior problems and they are very strict about behavior when the kids are there.

If the majority of MS is not going on to the HS, that is a decline. (40 kids out of the class of 60 from last year declined to move on to the HS)

The 2nd grade used to have two classes. they now have one.

The 4th grade used to have 2 teachers per class, now they have one.

If you have not noticed a decline in enrollment in your son's class great but it is happening.

[Anonymous]

Regarding enrollment. Thought 3 rd grade is where McLean gets its larger influx when parents realize their kids may need something smaller or indivdualized. Is it really a declining enrollment issue or does it vary by class? Maddux seems to be growing although maybe they are filling that early education niche where kids move on to different schools after 2 nd grade? Are St Andrews or bullis really comparable to McLean?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone applied or attended both maddux and McLean? How were your experiences on a comparative basis. Or what made you choose one over the other?

[Anonymous]

Maddux is growing because they do a great job of educating while weaving in support for language or other learning issues. The teachers are all special ed educated and many have taught at Ivy Mount so they have lots of experience with kids.

Maddux only started about 8 years ago with a pre school and pre k program. They have expanded to a K, 1 and 2nd grade all in the space of a few years.

They meet the needs well and you get tremendous feedback from the school and the teachers.

You will not see a more caring dedicated group of teachers and administrators.

[Anonymous]

I am confused. From what I understood Maddux is listed as a special needs school at the exceptional students fair, Washintonian, etc. Perhaps OP meant that they follow a tranditional curriculum just like most of the other schools that are willing to work with learning differences? I believe the AD at Maddux said many of the kids go off to non-special needs schools such as Bullis, St. Andrews, McLean, or the public school with IEP so it sounds like it is a early intervention type of thing where they get the kids ready to be more independent learners?

[Anonymous]

The Maddux School is an early childhood/primary level, regular-education school offering state-approved challenging curricula and supportive programming for students ages 3½ to 8 in pre-school through second grade. The mission of The Maddux School is to establish strong academic, communication and social foundations in a warm, nurturing setting.


About Our Students

Children generally come to The Maddux School with cognitive strengths but may demonstrate mild vulnerabilities in:
social and play-skill development
pragmatic language
self confidence/self-esteem
sensory integration
motor-planning
fine motor skill development
self-regulation


Here is what they say on the web site. Many of their kids do go off to non special needs schools. Some do go to Lab or Kingsbury.

I guess it depends on what you definition of special needs is.

[Anonymous]

I meant your

[Anonymous]

I'm 13:52 and I don't think there should be bashing of any schools here. If you don't have direct experience with McLean, you really shouldn't be passing around rumors. The current 2nd grade started with only 4 kids in kindergarten. Two things happened -- that class got slammed by the recession, and when it turned out to be largely boys, the girls who were accepted withdrew. That class has obviously grown tremendously since kindergarten, so in that particular class, enrollment is way up. My DS' class has consistently been adding more kids than it loses and his class size has grown.

Many kids leave after middle and lower school because they feel their needs have been met and they can deal with a less-individualized program. That is fairly common and is the reason why the upper school has always been smaller than the two lower schools. My guess is that enrollment in the upper school has actually increased over the years, not decreased.

So you really are off-base to say that enrollment is declining. And I don't know why you are feeling so competitive about this anyway, McLean and Maddux are very different schools. Maddux is more focused on language based challenges while McLean is more of a mainstream school, though as I wrote is highly individualized. Often kids leave Maddux and go to Mclean (just as kids leave Mclean to go to St. Andrew's, another well-worn route. Same reason -- they are ready to move on.)

Most Mclean parents love the school, but really this has to do with the best fit for your child. Visit both schools. Thats really the only way to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 13:52 and I don't think there should be bashing of any schools here. If you don't have direct experience with McLean, you really shouldn't be passing around rumors. The current 2nd grade started with only 4 kids in kindergarten. Two things happened -- that class got slammed by the recession, and when it turned out to be largely boys, the girls who were accepted withdrew. That class has obviously grown tremendously since kindergarten, so in that particular class, enrollment is way up. My DS' class has consistently been adding more kids than it loses and his class size has grown.

Many kids leave after middle and lower school because they feel their needs have been met and they can deal with a less-individualized program. That is fairly common and is the reason why the upper school has always been smaller than the two lower schools. My guess is that enrollment in the upper school has actually increased over the years, not decreased.

So you really are off-base to say that enrollment is declining. And I don't know why you are feeling so competitive about this anyway, McLean and Maddux are very different schools. Maddux is more focused on language based challenges while McLean is more of a mainstream school, though as I wrote is highly individualized. Often kids leave Maddux and go to Mclean (just as kids leave Mclean to go to St. Andrew's, another well-worn route. Same reason -- they are ready to move on.)

Most Mclean parents love the school, but really this has to do with the best fit for your child. Visit both schools. Thats really the only way to know.

1) I am not bashing the school. The person was asking which school was better for language based issues and I gave an opinion.

2) I am not passing around rumors since I am a former Mclean parent and have witnessed the many families including ours leave.

3) I am not feeling competitive about the two schools. They are different. The person asked why and I gave them a reason.

4) The US has not seen an increase in enrollment but a decrease because the school failed in their purchase of buying the campus on old georgetown road. While you are correct that some kids leave due their needs having been fulfilled, others are leaving because the US is too small for many kids. So please don't tell me I am off base.

[Anonymous]

The upper school is small, and that is something a family should consider if they are thinking about their child attending in upper school. I agree, families leave because of this.

The deal to purchase the new property was made right before the economy tanked, at which point no financing was available. This was the point at which financing any kind of property was close to impossible. It was really unfortunate and I agree that it meant the upper school could not grow.

I'm not convinced that enrollment for the school overall is decreasing. After that year in which there were only four kids in kindergarten, the kindergarten has grown. My DC's grade has grown. I do know that there are points -- generally entry levels for other schools -- when classes sometimes shrink.

None of this really matters.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Maddux parent. From my perception, McLean is a possible next step for some Maddux children but not all. Some will go on to schools with less support than McLean offers, and some (like my DC) will go on to schools with more support than McLean offers. OP, I'm sure you're already planning to, but please go visit both schools. Ask lots of questions, observe classes, and get a feel for what each school focuses on. It's very different to be a K student in a K-12 school, as opposed to a K student in a pre-K-2 school. It's just a totally different focus. I can't speak to the curricular differences as we have only experienced Maddux, but I am sure observations and good Q&A sessions could give you a fuller picture.

We could not be happier at Maddux, but on the other hand, we could only hope to one day be McLean parents too (highly unlikely given our DC's LDs, but it's always a possibility).