Bullis vs. Landon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - 9th grader. Very strong in math and science. Okay athlete - not college sports material but able to play on a JV HS sports team - maybe make varsity by Junior year.

Thanks for all the posts - all very helpful.

Question about Bullis - heard through the grapevine some teachers leaving / maybe faculty cutbacks due to financial constraints. Any truth to that?

Also, any thoughts on college counseling and admissions - Landon vs. Bullis?

Bullis's financial issues have been debated on other threads. There are no financial constraints, but there was a lot of noise around statements made by administration to cut teachers. I don't believe anything like that eventually happened.

Based on on 2016 data, Bullis generates around $37 million a year in revenue and makes a profit.

For financials details, please see: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520635080

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - 9th grader. Very strong in math and science. Okay athlete - not college sports material but able to play on a JV HS sports team - maybe make varsity by Junior year.

Thanks for all the posts - all very helpful.

Question about Bullis - heard through the grapevine some teachers leaving / maybe faculty cutbacks due to financial constraints. Any truth to that?

Also, any thoughts on college counseling and admissions - Landon vs. Bullis?

Bullis's financial issues have been debated on other threads. There are no financial constraints, but there was a lot of noise around statements made by administration to cut teachers. I don't believe anything like that eventually happened.

Based on on 2016 data, Bullis generates around $37 million a year in revenue and makes a profit.

For financials details, please see: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520635080

Bullis social dynamic different...lots of individual cliques; athletes given special tuition breaks which tends to rub people the wrong way,,,current head leaving in 2020.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on these two schools? We are a VA family so, while we have researched the academic and athletic offerings of both schools, we would value any candid feedback parents may have.

One is coed. The other is full of girls.

[Anonymous]

Bullis is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bullis is a joke.

What value does your comment serve?
Just to belittle people who like the school?
Or is it to make yourself feel better that your kids don't go there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a ton of Bullis hate on this board, so bad place to ask. When we were considering Bullis for our kids (and after we accepted) I made the mistak of looking here and almost had a heart attack. This was after loads of schools, research, talking to friends/parents.

Three years later, my kids love it and we are very happy with the quality of the academics and also with the community. All of the stuff you generally read here simply isn't true. Coincidentally my neighbor's sons all go to Landon--we lose a lot of Bullis car magnets mysteriously.

Do you have any specific questions I can try to answer?

What grades are your kids in?
Have they taken advantage of the new STEM opportunities etc.
My son is very passionate about computers etc and i think Bullis would be great for him for several reasons. However he is not a great athlete- that's my only concern about Bullis. Thoughts?

Not the PP, but my non-athletic son is thriving at Bullis so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a ton of Bullis hate on this board, so bad place to ask. When we were considering Bullis for our kids (and after we accepted) I made the mistak of looking here and almost had a heart attack. This was after loads of schools, research, talking to friends/parents.

Three years later, my kids love it and we are very happy with the quality of the academics and also with the community. All of the stuff you generally read here simply isn't true. Coincidentally my neighbor's sons all go to Landon--we lose a lot of Bullis car magnets mysteriously.

Do you have any specific questions I can try to answer?

What grades are your kids in?
Have they taken advantage of the new STEM opportunities etc.
My son is very passionate about computers etc and i think Bullis would be great for him for several reasons. However he is not a great athlete- that's my only concern about Bullis. Thoughts?

Not the PP, but my non-athletic son is thriving at Bullis so far.

Great to hear! What grade?

[Anonymous]

I have a current 9th grader at Bullis; not a very athletic kid, more into the arts and academics. We are very happy with the community there, very diverse and inclusive. The teachers are outstanding, so are the academics. Haven't heard about any faculty being cut, I don't think that rumor is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on these two schools? We are a VA family so, while we have researched the academic and athletic offerings of both schools, we would value any candid feedback parents may have.

What grade? that makes a difference.

NP. Same decision. Would be for 9th. Can we get feedback without bashing either school?

Yes, it is a reasonable question...

1. I wouldn't be so quick to enroll in the middle school. There is a "behavior dean" who seems to enjoy his discretion in making particular boys' lives difficult. I'm starting to think that this may be getting attention by the administration... but the verdict is still out. This would not be a deterrent for the poster asking about 9th. (and I say this as a parent of a boy who does not get in trouble)

2. The academics can be very strong. Some amazing teacher. I think that the new head has made some wonderful hires. There are a few teachers who probably need to move along... but you'd get this at any school.

3. If I were a minority, I'd ask questions about why so many URM boys in middle and upper school left recently. They hired a new directory of diversity. That hire would seem more genuine if they hired someone who has been a successful Director of Diversity at another private. That was not his previous job (according the the Landon Magazine sent to the community).... sigh.

Which school are you talking about? I assume Landon, because my DS is AA (attending Bullis) in the Middle School, and I don't know what you mean by "behaviour dean", nor am I familiar with anyone making anyones lives difficult.

Ha, I was thinking this poster must mean Bullis because we're a Landon MS family and none of this sounded right but I'm also a parent of a boy who doesn't get in trouble so maybe I'm not exposed to this "behavior dean" but I've never heard parents mention it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on these two schools? We are a VA family so, while we have researched the academic and athletic offerings of both schools, we would value any candid feedback parents may have.

What grade? that makes a difference.

NP. Same decision. Would be for 9th. Can we get feedback without bashing either school?

Yes, it is a reasonable question...

1. I wouldn't be so quick to enroll in the middle school. There is a "behavior dean" who seems to enjoy his discretion in making particular boys' lives difficult. I'm starting to think that this may be getting attention by the administration... but the verdict is still out. This would not be a deterrent for the poster asking about 9th. (and I say this as a parent of a boy who does not get in trouble)

2. The academics can be very strong. Some amazing teacher. I think that the new head has made some wonderful hires. There are a few teachers who probably need to move along... but you'd get this at any school.

3. If I were a minority, I'd ask questions about why so many URM boys in middle and upper school left recently. They hired a new directory of diversity. That hire would seem more genuine if they hired someone who has been a successful Director of Diversity at another private. That was not his previous job (according the the Landon Magazine sent to the community).... sigh.

Which school are you talking about? I assume Landon, because my DS is AA (attending Bullis) in the Middle School, and I don't know what you mean by "behaviour dean", nor am I familiar with anyone making anyones lives difficult.

Ha, I was thinking this poster must mean Bullis because we're a Landon MS family and none of this sounded right but I'm also a parent of a boy who doesn't get in trouble so maybe I'm not exposed to this "behavior dean" but I've never heard parents mention it.

It's Landon. Ask your son what happens when one of his classmates gets a "green slip".

[Anonymous]

Landon the far better choice. And it's getting better - regaining some of its past prominence - due the terrific and relatively new headmaster, Jim Neal.
Of course, if you want coed, you may want Bullis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on these two schools? We are a VA family so, while we have researched the academic and athletic offerings of both schools, we would value any candid feedback parents may have.

What grade? that makes a difference.

NP. Same decision. Would be for 9th. Can we get feedback without bashing either school?

Yes, it is a reasonable question...

1. I wouldn't be so quick to enroll in the middle school. There is a "behavior dean" who seems to enjoy his discretion in making particular boys' lives difficult. I'm starting to think that this may be getting attention by the administration... but the verdict is still out. This would not be a deterrent for the poster asking about 9th. (and I say this as a parent of a boy who does not get in trouble)

2. The academics can be very strong. Some amazing teacher. I think that the new head has made some wonderful hires. There are a few teachers who probably need to move along... but you'd get this at any school.

3. If I were a minority, I'd ask questions about why so many URM boys in middle and upper school left recently. They hired a new directory of diversity. That hire would seem more genuine if they hired someone who has been a successful Director of Diversity at another private. That was not his previous job (according the the Landon Magazine sent to the community).... sigh.

Which school are you talking about? I assume Landon, because my DS is AA (attending Bullis) in the Middle School, and I don't know what you mean by "behaviour dean", nor am I familiar with anyone making anyones lives difficult.

Ha, I was thinking this poster must mean Bullis because we're a Landon MS family and none of this sounded right but I'm also a parent of a boy who doesn't get in trouble so maybe I'm not exposed to this "behavior dean" but I've never heard parents mention it.

It's Landon. Ask your son what happens when one of his classmates gets a "green slip".

Yup, well aware of green slips. But I've heard of kids getting multiple ones with no repercussions so again, not sure where the Behavior Dean comes in.

[Anonymous]

Never heard of behavior Dean.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, if you are trying to make a decision between these two schools about the last place you should consult is this board. . . . Not sure what generates the Bullis hate on here and the two schools are quite different and would not be fungible. One thing to consider is that Bullis is relatively small and coed and still does really well in many athletics, which may mean that is an emphasis there. But anyway I said don't listen to folks on this board so you probably should not listen to me either. Know kids at both and very happy at both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of behavior Dean.

There is one dean in charge of the green slip points in the Middle School. So maybe his official title is not Behavior Dean, but he gets to assign points to infractions. AND my point is that there is no one checking him and it certainly appears that he is not consistent with his "discretion" in assigning "extra points".