St. Andrew's School in Delaware

[Anonymous]

Are there truly meaningful differences between St. Andrew's and Episcopal High School (in Alexandria)?

[Anonymous]

I agree. Let's get back on topic. I have heard that while some of the top New England boarding schools are well-known feeder-schools to the Ivy League, Saint Andrew's is a top feeder school to the leading Liberal Arts universities in the US. Universities like Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan, also known as the "little Ivy's". These "little Ivy's" are in-turn feeders to the big Ivy's for those continuing on to for their masters. While Saint Andrew's students that are in the top 15 to 20 percent of their grades do head to the Ivy's directly, the majority matriculate to the top Liberal Arts schools, with many end up in the Ivy's for their masters. It's a slightly different emphasis than many other top boarding schools... and in some ways a more interesting approach.

[Anonymous]

The 'Little Ivies': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Ivies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there truly meaningful differences between St. Andrew's and Episcopal High School (in Alexandria)?

Yes. Both are good schools, with loyal and happy student bodies, and talented faculties. Episcopal is far more Southern in character and orientation (which might be a plus or minus for you depending on what you are looking for). Most of the students are from the South and many are interested in attending UNC and UVA. St. Andrews pulls a more Northeastern crowd, some from the Chicago area too, although also students from the South. It does not feed as much to the southern colleges/universities. One example of how this plays out in practice is that the St. Andrews student body is probably more politically liberal than the Episcopal student body.

Again, both good schools but with a relatively different feel. A trip to each campus and a shadow visit would probably give your child some clarity as to which atmosphere he/she prefers.

[Anonymous]

That's an interesting analysis, and probably generally true. Although each individual student is different and it would be a mistake to label all students as "liberal" or "conservative" based on the school they went to. That said, St. Andrew's culture is probably more liberal-leaning than Episcopal, but a conservative could do just fine there.

[Anonymous]

anyone out there with more current opinions on St Andrews-DE?

[Anonymous]

I have friends with a kid there. Everyone seems very happy, but I don't know any specifics.

[Anonymous]

My nephew graduated from SAS last May and my daughter is in the process of applying for next fall. SAS is very different from Lawrenceville (my niece is a Lawrenceville grad) in terms of the school culture. SAS is all about their ethos and the character of the student applying has a great deal to do with acceptance. The focus is on supporting your community and far less about individual achievement. They are looking for students who will be a good fit with their community. I can see where it might not be the right fit for some kids. There are no televisions and many of the dorms don't have wifi. Cell phone use is pretty restricted. When I've been there during school hours I always find it remarkable that high school students are sitting and talking with each other without a phone to be seen. Sports is important but they encourage everyone to participate regardless of experience, same with the arts. I would encourage you to go to their website and watch some of the videos of the head master Tad Roach. He is able to articulate what makes SAS special far better than I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lawrenceville is a great school but is very different than Saint Andrew's School Delaware (SAS). Lawrenceville is almost three times larger than SAS in terms of the number of students, and is about three times smaller in terms of campus size. SAS has a per-capita endowment that is more that twice the size of Lawrenceville and thus can offer substantial financial aid to about 45% of it's students, while Lawrenceville offers FA to 28% of it's students. That means that SAS has a much larger pool of potential students to choose from, and one of the few great schools that is truly "needs blind". SAS is 100% boarding, while Lawrenceville is 68% boarding. That means that the schools have very different cultures. No doubt that Lawrenceville is a great school with academics that place it easily among the top boarding schools in the country, as is SAS. However, if your child is a top-tier student but you need financial aid (as the original question stated), SAS might be a good choice.

Your info on Lawrenceville is incorrect. We just toured two weeks ago and my niece is a freshman. Its 80% boarding. Its also consistently ranked in the top 3-5 boarding schools nationally every single year. Its one of the most difficult BS to get in to and academically is incredibly rigorous. St Andrews is a very good boarding school but its not in the same league as Lawrenceville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there truly meaningful differences between St. Andrew's and Episcopal High School (in Alexandria)?

Yes. St Andrews is a more rigorous academic institution and has a far more intellectual (nerdy) student body. Episcopal is more of a party school with a seriously social vibe.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this 6 year old thread hoping for more recent reviews of SAS. Any current parents or students who can offer a perspective? We will be considering for a fall ‘25 start. Is it still a ‘must attend’?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse went there; loved it. Very good education. Still close with the h.s. friends.

Have to say though that St. A's isn't above having double standards. While my spouse was there, there was one incident where two kids were caught breaking a particular rule. One kid (the poor one) was expelled. The one (with very rich parents) was not.

Akin to what happened at St. Albans when Gore's son was caught smoking weed. Baby Gore was suspended the other students expelled. (At least Al & Tipper didn't like the double standard and sent him to Sidwell after that.)

Um no. He was counseled out of st albans into sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse went there; loved it. Very good education. Still close with the h.s. friends.

Have to say though that St. A's isn't above having double standards. While my spouse was there, there was one incident where two kids were caught breaking a particular rule. One kid (the poor one) was expelled. The one (with very rich parents) was not.

Akin to what happened at St. Albans when Gore's son was caught smoking weed. Baby Gore was suspended the other students expelled. (At least Al & Tipper didn't like the double standard and sent him to Sidwell after that.)

Um no. He was counseled out of st albans into sidwell.

Because he was caught smoking pot. They allowed him to be “counseled out” rather than expelled because he was the VP’s son. All of us in both schools knew what the deal was but it looked better that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My spouse went there; loved it. Very good education. Still close with the h.s. friends.

Have to say though that St. A's isn't above having double standards. While my spouse was there, there was one incident where two kids were caught breaking a particular rule. One kid (the poor one) was expelled. The one (with very rich parents) was not.

Akin to what happened at St. Albans when Gore's son was caught smoking weed. Baby Gore was suspended the other students expelled. (At least Al & Tipper didn't like the double standard and sent him to Sidwell after that.)

Um no. He was counseled out of st albans into sidwell.

Because he was caught smoking pot. They allowed him to be “counseled out” rather than expelled because he was the VP’s son. All of us in both schools knew what the deal was but it looked better that way.

This is a 6+ year old post bumped to ask about St. Andrews in Delaware. Not about Gore. Focus people!

[Anonymous]

I’m a parent of a current student (and hopefully another two in the future) and St. Andrew’s is still a “must attend” school. They have a new Head of School (their 5th in almost 100 years) who is an alum and understands what makes it special, an incredibly committed and inspiring faculty who are “all-in” and a strong student body filled with mature, polite, hard working kids who are happy being kids. The community is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. A lot of that has to do with their cell phone policy (see last spring's article in The Atlantic) but it’s also one of three coed boarding schools in the country that is 100% residential. Its small size, focus on multi-sport athletes, daily family-style meals, and commitment to financial aid are also in the secret sauce. Definitely worth the ride up.