How Strong is Burgundy Farm Country Day Academically?
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Anonymous
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I'm not sure what to make of the two previous comments that middle school grades are both "ridiculously harsh" and that there is "quite a bit of grade inflation."
As a parent of a BFCDS grad in high school, I can only say that our child was very well prepared and is thriving academically. Burgundy is not a school that seeks out only those students at the top of the academic curve. Burgundy is committed to creating a community that brings together students with many different kinds of strengths so children can learn to work together. It purposefully does not limit admissions to those with 99th percentile IQ scores (or even 70 or 80th percentile) because it considers every child to have their own unique strengths. Nor does it force every student to conform to one model of "success." For those who are academically oriented at Burgundy, their success at NCS and SFS and GDS and the Alexandria public (TC Williams) speak to being thoroughly ready for as academically challenging an environment available in the area. In our case, I would attribute my DC's ability to stand out from the crowd and be a real leader in high school in part on DC's experience at Burgundy. Those social and personal skills and habits built in the early years will serve DC exceptionally well long after high school and college. |
Anonymous
This was not my impression. Maybe things have changed since your last interaction with the school? |
Anonymous
| There's a difference between screening for top test scorers (which Burgundy doesn't do) and not admitting children with learning differences it can't serve well. Unlike public schools with large "special education" programs, most private schools are not able to provide the entire range of services that some children need. It makes no sense for them to enroll children whom they can't deliver the supports to take advantage of the educational program they offer. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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I had a son at the school from grades 3-8. The speculation that kids below 70th-80th percentile are sought or at least accepted is interesting, because I was recently told very explicitly by the admissions director that they are looking for an IQ of 120+, which is top 10% on national scales. This came up in the context of a younger son's admission; it was NOT the case and was certainly not explicitly stated as an expectation when my older son was admitted in 2008. I think they have a larger applicant pool now (post financial crisis) and may be getting pickier as a result. It bothers me because it's not consistent with their stated belief in the intrinsic potential of every child.
I loved the LS despite a ton of turnover (medical issues for staff members) and was VERY disappointed in the MS. We were there when the disastrous former head of the MS made a mess of what had been a superb program. One change he made inexplicably survives -- they have mashed English and Social Studies together into Humanities. This is appealing in concept, but the execution has not been great, and my kid was overwhelmed by it. He ended up two years in a row with one big fat C for this double course, and this is a kid who LOVES history. Like a previous poster, I found the grading in the middle school to be pretty harsh, especially since grades only start in 6th grade. Even after the departure of the horrible head of MS, the tone in the MS was very different from the lower school and my impression is that they are still flailing a little. I am very torn about whether it will be worth it for my younger child. One advantage -- and it may be decisive for me -- is that if you are transitioning a shy kid from a small private ES, the Burgundy MS program is big enough to provide a varied social experience but still small enough to be a manageable transition en route to public HS. I have no complaints about the experience my child had there. He is articulate, kind, and has a strong sense of social justice -- traits that were important to me. He is confident about dealing directly with authority figures. Talking to a teacher is not intimidating to him. He is also doing extremely well academically in HS despite having earned mostly Bs and Cs in Burgundy's MS. |
Anonymous
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Hi, I'm a burgundy alum and feel I need to speak up. I have only skimmed through the comments here, many of which I think are unfortunate. I am 38 years old and consider Burgundy the best community that I have ever been a part of. Because of Burgundy I absolutely loved school and am a lifetime learner. I attended Thomas Jefferson High school for Science and Technology, a rigorous STEM magnet high school in Alexandria that often places #1 in the nation (as did one other student in my 22 person graduating class who is now a pediatrician), Barnard College for undergrad and got my MBA from Columbia Business School. I now lead a successful career at Amazon. Math was my favorite subject at Burgundy but language arts (English) was also very strong. To the people who are obsessed with school placement, Burgundy may not be for you. Burgundy grows socially responsible individuals who think independently/critically, and care deeply about the earth and people around them. Nature is at the center of all curriculum. Time outdoors and full body movement are an important part of the curriculum. Go to Burgundy because you want to be part of a beautiful community that grows kind, socially responsible people who love to learn. If getting into Harvard is your only motivation, you may not be satisfied. Plenty of Burgundy alums may make it there but Ivy League placement is not the primary motivator. If I had to pick an educational philosophy I would say Burgundy is aligned with Reggio Emilia and maybe also the Waldorf philosophy. Oh and to be clear - my classmates and I were accepted to many prestigious D.C. High schools and chose to attend the ones we thought were the best fit. Feel free to contact me with any questions. For those with "Burgundy" values I do think a Burgundy education is the best gift you can give your child.
Best, Ana |
Anonymous
| PP, I'm a current parent. It is great to hear what a wonderful experience you had at Burgundy. I am sorry to say, however, that a lot has changed. Burgundy is now a much more "traditional" school. I wish that was not so. But after two kids and many years there I would say it is no longer truly progressive in any meaningful sense. I agree that the middle school is flailing. Too much staff turnover, constant curricular changes (a lot of failed experiments), harsh grading and not a terribly supportive academic environment. Much less academic differentiation that you would expect, given their advertising! I loved it in lower school but regret keeping my kids there in middle school. |
Anonymous
| We are close friends with a teacher that used to work there. She advised us to stay away and consider Browne instead. |
Anonymous
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I realize this post is years old, but Browne? I think that makes sense if you're very traditional, in which case he probably wouldn't be looking at Burgundy anyway. As a parent of an alum who is now out of college, I saw a lot of pros and cons, particularly at the middle school where my child graduated in 2017. I did think the grading was very harsh and oh my gosh Jason was poorly equipped to be middle school and they very sad contrast to Nancy who proceeded him. I have friends whose kids have been through the school more recently and they loved the middle school.
I looked in Browne when I was first considering schools and just thought it was a completely different choice. It's very conventional. Very focused on straight line progression. You have to know your child. I knew my child woukd be climbing the walls at Browne. Then walk into burgundy where all the classrooms are bright, and spacious an area where the kids are encouraged to be outdoors just as much as they're indoors. That was the perfect environment for my child. Who went on to do extremely well in high school, and to really excel in college. |
Anonymous
| Clarifying that my child was a Burgundy alum. Sorry typing on a phone and I missed that. |
Anonymous
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I'm gonna try that whole post again:
I realize this post is years old, but Browne? I think that makes sense if you're traditional, in which case you probably wouldn't be looking at Burgundy anyway. As a parent of a Burgundy alum who is now out of college, I saw a lot of pros and cons, particularly at the middle school, where my child graduated in 2017. I did think the grading was very harsh and oh my gosh Jason was poorly equipped to be middle school head and was a sad contrast to Nancy who preceded him. I have friends whose kids have been through the school more recently and they loved the middle school. I looked into Browne when I was first considering schools and just thought it was a completely different choice. It's very conventional, focused on a straight line progression. You have to know your child. I knew my child woukd be climbing the walls at Browne. Then walk into Burgundy, where all the classrooms are bright and spacious and where the kids are encouraged to be outdoors just as much as they're indoors... That was the perfect environment for my child, who went on to do extremely well in high school, and to really excel in college. It's really not a knock on Browne. It's about what you value in your child's education and who your child is. Browne would've been a really hard fit for my kid, and my kid had friends who would have struggled to make sense of how things worked at Burgundy. It's not for everyone and that's why there are lots of schools to choose from. |
Anonymous
| My God PP you’re right about this much: this post is old AF |
Anonymous
| Why in the world would you revive a six year old thread to talk about your kid's very outdated experience at this school? |