seeking information on current (post closure crisis) school environment at sandy springs friends school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We vetted ssfs and were pleasantly surprised (shocked really) with the school. It went from a rule out to a top contender.

How did you vet their financial situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SSFS family here. Been at the schools 5+ years. 2 kids with experience in both MS and LS. Last year was awful, but I’m surprised to say I think it made the school better.

This year is going incredibly well. We are extremely impressed with the new leadership and the transparency of the new board. It’s a totally different approach to partnership and it’s working. Teachers also seem much happier. My kids have both clearly stated that they intend to stay through 12th.

You should definitely ask the admissions office about the re-enrollment numbers. They are impressive and a great sign of how families are feeling about the school.

Good luck with that. Any viable upper school aims to replace the number of graduating seniors with a similar number of incoming freshmen to maintain their numbers. Those numbers are more than just numbers. Those numbers impact that overall "feel" of a school. They impact course offerings, athletics, clubs, etc. The current 9th grade is barely 20 kids. That's not even half of the number that graduated in 2025. The incoming number of 9th graders will also not even reach half of the current graduating seniors. See where I'm going with all of this? While the enrollment numbers may be pleasantly surprising, it was a very low bar of expectations to begin with and the impact on upper school is huge. And while the students themselves are all lovely and tight knit -even more so as someone mentioned (seemingly because of the drama of last year), it is quiet and not in a good way and it's only going to get quieter and more dull. It's foolish to stay and it's foolish to enroll as a new family. This school needs another year or two to truly demonstrate if it is viable beyond the next 2-3 years. While I hope it is. I unfortunately very much doubt it will be. I

Very good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We vetted ssfs and were pleasantly surprised (shocked really) with the school. It went from a rule out to a top contender.

How did you vet their financial situation?

What's there to vet? The school literally shut down and then re-opened because of donations. How far do you realistically think that takes the school if their enrollment doesn't increase? The enrollment will not increase for 2026-2027. If they are lucky they will hold steady at what - 338 total students for a K-12 that used to see their enrollment well above 620? The best SSFS can tell anyone is that they are trying. And even that is debatable. It depends on your definition of "trying".

[Anonymous]

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We vetted ssfs and were pleasantly surprised (shocked really) with the school. It went from a rule out to a top contender.

How did you vet their financial situation?

What's there to vet? The school literally shut down and then re-opened because of donations. How far do you realistically think that takes the school if their enrollment doesn't increase? The enrollment will not increase for 2026-2027. If they are lucky they will hold steady at what - 338 total students for a K-12 that used to see their enrollment well above 620? The best SSFS can tell anyone is that they are trying. And even that is debatable. It depends on your definition of "trying".

I wish it wasn't so easy to agree with this assertion. SSFS was once a great school and clearly still beloved by many. Unfortunately I do not think they can recover. All of the persons responsible for such a lack of foresight and transparency should be ashamed of themselves for ruining things.

[Anonymous]

We have three kids at SSFS—2 in MS and 1 in LS. We seriously considered leaving last year but decided to stay and I’m so happy we did. We are so happy with the current board, school leadership, and teachers. My kids are so happy, the community is so kind, and the teachers care for these kids like nothing I could imagine. Any time concerns have come up, the school has been responsive. Very happy and staying at SSFS!

[Anonymous]

It’s so weird that so many DCUM posters are continuing to root against SSFS. It’s such a nice school. What is wrong with you people?