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Trying to choose between St Patrick's and National Presbyterian School for my son. Any thoughts?
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Anonymous
| MY DS will be entering nursery at either St Patrick's or the National Presbyterian School. Any thought on which school may be stronger when it comes to academics, teaching the children to be good people, and yes a good outplacement program? Thank you. |
Anonymous
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I'm an outsider to both, but my son will be entering st p's in the fall, and I would say they are very similar. I think you'd be splitting hairs to see dramatic differences. Although I'm sure you'll get parents from each telling you that their's is "the best." I think I would have a tough time selecting between them as well. NPS does try to differentiate themselves by only going to 6th and focusing on those "early years." But I feel like St. P's does that too.
Good news is that you can't really make a bad choice here! |
Anonymous
| St. Patrick's is more diverse. That would be my reason for selecting them. Also, I got a warmer feeling from St Patrick's when I went to tour. |
Anonymous
| Same here. It's a tough one. Haven't decided yet. |
Anonymous
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I had this decision last year. I got a warmer feeling from NPS on the tour, and so far it's been a wonderful place for my child. I was particularly impressed by the head of school, the emphasis on the early years, and the school's general warmth and down-to-earth attitude. I felt my child would be treated well there, and would learn how to treat others well. And I've watched this happen, over and over again this year.
Both are great schools - I agree with PPs that you can't go wrong. |
Anonymous
| Which is easier for you logistically, OP? I would let that factor in as both are great schools and are actually very similar. You can't go wrong, really. |
Anonymous
| Having experienced both schools, I'd say St. Pats has the edge academically and with outplacement and NPS has the edge in terms of being warm and nurturing and focusing on the "whole" child. Both are special places-- it just depends on the kind of kid you have and what you are specifically looking for. |
Anonymous
| I honestly can barely tell them apart - very similar schools. |
Anonymous
| I think NPS might be a bit smaller and the outplacement is excellent. Most students have their pick of schools...STA/NCS, Sidwell, Holton. Neither is diverse. |
Anonymous
| Do you or your child know any children at one of these schools? That might also sway you a little one way or another. |
Anonymous
You're joking, right? |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thank you all very much for your thoughtful comments. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Nope! I toured both schools and saw virtually no diversity at NPS. They have absolutely no diversity with their faculty. At St. Pats I saw more diversity with both the students and faculty. I actually liked the program at NPS but I did not see any commitment to diversity at the school and opted to not apply! |
Anonymous
I agree with pp. I visited both schools and there is definitely more diversity at St. Patrick's. |
Anonymous
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Someone might correct me, but I believe seventh grade admissions is easier than 9th - there are more spots and it is a little less competitive? That said, a few options are foreclosed when making the switch in 7th (e.g., Visitation, Georgetown Prep, boarding schools).
There are views about whether it's better emotionally and academically to make a switch in 7th versus 9th, and it is probably kid-dependent and unknowable at this stage. We sent a kid all the way through NPS and absolutely loved it, stem to stern, but (probably like many NPS families), really like St. Pats, too. They are very commmitted to diversity, and I would ask admissions about for their stats. |