Looking into St. Andrew's Episcopal in Potomac for HS

[Anonymous]

OP - we are a Jewish family that put two kids through St Andrew’s. Unless you are orthodox, it shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, SAES was more respectful of Jewish holidays than the secular progressive primary school our kids attended.

[Anonymous]

Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

This would be cruel if it wasn’t so blatantly false as to be laughable. The school was founded by parents who wanted a coed Episcopal school for kids who did not fit well with what was back then a rigid single sex educational approach at St. Albans/NCS. St Andrew’s has not abandoned that historic purpose, but has grown to become a good fit for many types of kids with great “academic chops.” My kids’ classes had some kids who went to ivies, strong lib arts colleges, places like Georgetown, NYU, Michigan, etc., honors programs in other state schools, and schools with specialized programs that may be less prestigious but fit their interests and served them very well. We live in Chevy Chase and maybe a third or so of the school was from down county or DC (a few even from VA).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

We have one child who went to Sidwell and one to St. Andrew's. St. Andrew's was definitely more bang for the buck. BTW, we live in Chevy Chase and found that the bus to SAES was very reliable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning.

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning.

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?

Not sure because the two leading Washington Diocese Episcopalian schools in DC (National Cathedral and St Albans) have reputations as snobby pressure cookers. However, many other Episcopal schools seem to have Episcopal welcoming values. St Andrew’s was started by Episcopal parents several decades ago as a bit of an alternative Washington Diocesan School that would Embrace diverse learners.
The heavy emphasis on neuroscience informed teaching (that can become too jargon ladden at times) probably
Evolved out of the original mission but makes good use of more recent extensive research into neuro diversity and learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning.

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?

I have a child in an Episcopal school in another part of the country. While schools can very GREATLY even within the category of Episcopal school, the tradition has a strong focus on community and gathering, both of which as key elements to overall (v. just academic) well-being. I know our school has also put a specific focus at the high school level on overall well-being and balance, and just completed a complete revision of the high school schedule with the goal of reducing overall stress, building time into the day for deeper inquiry into areas of interest, and promoting student well-being.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

We have one child who went to Sidwell and one to St. Andrew's. St. Andrew's was definitely more bang for the buck. BTW, we live in Chevy Chase and found that the bus to SAES was very reliable.

DP here with a kid in SFS LS. Curious what you mean by "bang for the buck"? SAES tuition and fees very similar. Is it facilities, experience, or ...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice school, but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning.

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?

I have a child in an Episcopal school in another part of the country. While schools can very GREATLY even within the category of Episcopal school, the tradition has a strong focus on community and gathering, both of which as key elements to overall (v. just academic) well-being. I know our school has also put a specific focus at the high school level on overall well-being and balance, and just completed a complete revision of the high school schedule with the goal of reducing overall stress, building time into the day for deeper inquiry into areas of interest, and promoting student well-being.

Sounds wise …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there other schools in the same vein as SAES and Burke?

St Stephen’s St Agnes in Alexandria

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there other schools in the same vein as SAES and Burke?

St Stephen’s St Agnes in Alexandria

SAES & Burke draw from the same families. SSSA draws from a totally different population. It would be the very rare exception that a family might be choosing between SSSA and one or both of the other two.

[Anonymous]

Never heard that or seen any evidence of it. Maybe a narrow overlap but SAES seems to draw from a much wider circle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there other schools in the same vein as SAES and Burke?

St Stephen’s St Agnes in Alexandria

SAES & Burke draw from the same families. SSSA draws from a totally different population. It would be the very rare exception that a family might be choosing between SSSA and one or both of the other two.

Why is that? Other than location, why wouldn’t you look at all three?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child in an Episcopal school in another part of the country. While schools can very GREATLY even within the category of Episcopal school, the tradition has a strong focus on community and gathering, both of which as key elements to overall (v. just academic) well-being. I know our school has also put a specific focus at the high school level on overall well-being and balance, and just completed a complete revision of the high school schedule with the goal of reducing overall stress, building time into the day for deeper inquiry into areas of interest, and promoting student well-being.

Ditto to the first two sentences, though my child is in lower school right now! My child’s school continued community gathering meetings and weekly chapel over zoom during remote learning. While different, it was so critical to help maintain a sense of community and continuity. And as they returned to in-person school last spring, and also this fall, they’ve been discussing with parents how social-emotional learning and building connections are equally a focus with more academic work.