Truly challenging private schools in NoVA
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Anonymous
| Can anyone say from experience which NoVA private schools can truly challenge an extremely intelligent child? Mainly ES years, not 9-12 schools. Thanks in advance. |
Anonymous
| none |
Anonymous
|
What grade is your child currently in?
|
Anonymous
That's ridiculous. |
Anonymous
| Maybe Edlin or Nysmith, but I'd really lean more on the side of the "none" poster. Those two schools have their problems/drawbacks. |
Anonymous
| Highland has nice college placement. |
Anonymous
Because there are no private schools in all of northern VA that could possibly challenge students. Please. |
Anonymous
| Homeschool...... |
Anonymous
|
Like most privates in the DC metro area, the VA privates aim to instill a love of learning in the early elem years. I'd say Westminster, Congressional & Nysmith are the most challenging in the early years.
Langley and Potomac start to kick it up a notch soon after. We have children at both schools and we've been very pleased. |
Anonymous
| I think it really depends on what you're looking for. If you want a rigorous, highly regarded program, I'd say Potomac or Langley. If you want freedom from the status-quo pressure cooker where your kid can delve deeply into projects he/she is passionate about, I'd say Howard Gardner or The New School. If you want the GT label and a sticker for your car so all can see, but an actual program that isn't any more challenging than the local publics, I'd say Nysmith or Edlin. |
Anonymous
| Go across the bridge to Holton for DDs. |
Anonymous
| Edlin: NO NO and NO. We were accepted along with friends' kids but fortunately went elsewhere. Friends got mired into a huge mess during a war between the two heads of the schools. They yanked their kids out and placed them in public school on emergency basis. Lawyer for Edlin called to insist they pay for remaining tuition - they said they would counter for educational malpractice. End of discussion. It is NOT what it pretends to be. Look closely. Ask questions. Sit in a class (I did - kids looked bored to death - didn't ask questions - clearly didn't want to be there). Nysmith also has a dubious reputation. |
Anonymous
This is what my friend did with her daughters, previously at a VA private. |
Anonymous
|
SSSAS
There are some haters on this board, so it does not get objective reviews, but we took a look for ourselves and are glad we did. Our very advanced DS is doing great - classes small enough that he gets individual attention in areas where he is performing at a higher level. Potomac also would have met his needs, I think, but we chose SSSAS because of the emphasis on character and well-roundedness, and are glad we did. The most important thing is to visit - you can't go by what you hear on this board, especially for the VA schools, because there just isn't enough volume for a representative sample. |
Anonymous
What a real a++ to answer the quesiton in that manner. |