WWYD? Alexandria George Mason vs SSSAS. Is the money really worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the kid. Totally and utterly depends on the personality and whether they have any learning disabilities.

Both our kids went to GM. Both at SSSAS now.

I would not switch to private till 6th even if you go Pvt.

One of our kids would be fine in public but 1 needs SSSAS - just better fit.

SSSAS is not perfect but if your kid isn't going to do well with 900 other kids at school.. you know

SSSAS is a good school and if money is no object is going to be better in many ways culturally - if you go on holiday, you want to stay at Embassy Suites or a boutique top hotel? If you're ok at ES then you don't need private no matter what. When I travel I like really nice so culturally if I can pick the environment, I'm going with boutique. One of my kids really needs that level of "nice" by way of learning disabilities. Life is easier with 2 in one school so we put both in after a couple yrs at the same school. Before then, I can 100% confirm my SSSAS kid received better academic quality than my GM kid (my oldest is SSSAS).

A very very important consideration is not academics but culture. Don't separate the 2. Consider both and where your kid will be most comfortable for 7 years if their life and where they will have their needs met.

School choice is aligned with the kid going day in day out. Not just about where they will end up in college - that's just not the point. A "perfect" kid will end up somewhere great no matter where they go. An easy going person will be happy staying at E Suites or a boutique high end beautiful hotel. They will be happy no matter what but if your kid has any issues, that choice is a serious one.

This person makes some really good points. Some kids will do well anywhere. Some won’t. Might be worth the money if your kid needs that environment. Unfortunately, you may not know yet whether your kid needs it or not. It may take some trial and error.

[Anonymous]

We are a former SSSAS family, so clearly I am biased vs the school, but I don't think your only choices should be GM or SSSAS. We went slightly further for a much stronger k-12 and only regret not leaving earlier. Ironically, the bus system where we are makes the commute easier for all of us, despite the school not being in Alexandria, and the tuition is actually lower than SSSAS.
I think a lot of Alexandria families settle for SSSAS or get sucked in b/c their neighbors go there. It was a slightly rough transition out b/c our kids were far behind in language arts and foreign language and just general writing (they were ok in math). Our current school has no bullying, no busy work, way less tech dependency in the lower grades, stronger teachers, better music, and just generally seems to be a better education. The college placements are a lot stronger, too.
If you are considering SSSAS, definitely look at the other privates in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not even remotely worth it at $420,000.

- a guy who went to Landon K-12, but sent two kids to Maury- GW- TC

Really now? You started Landon in kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all - OP here. The tuition would obviously be a major sacrifice. And we have more than one child. Definitely not skipping a couple lattes I guess we could use the money to leave Alexandria altogether, sadly.

SSSAS offers aid in some cases up to HHIs of $300k depending on the situation so keep that in mind.

At full pay? No, probably not worth it, especially as Mason will have brand new facilities and will be one of the wealthiest schools in the system following redistricting.

But leaving is an option, too, that plenty of people take. Don’t know why some people get so bent out of shape about this. The burden isn’t on you to make underperforming schools better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, not even remotely worth it at $420,000.

- a guy who went to Landon K-12, but sent two kids to Maury- GW- TC

Really now? You started Landon in kindergarten?

It's BCS or Mater Dei, you pedant. You didn't know tha,t did you? LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:George Mason vs SSSAS. Is the money really worth it?

OP- we went through a similar journey with our eldest before entering K, though different ACPS elementary school and different local private. We ended up deciding private school was not worth the substantial investment at the elementary level, and we do not regret that decision. There were definitely points of frustration in elementary school, and advocacy is needed to ensure your kids’ needs are being met, but both our kids received a great education. There are also more support services in public, that you may not anticipate needing. There are many dedicated teachers in ACPS, but of course, not all. Kid is now in a local private in middle school and they are more academically prepared than most of their peers.

Private school has typical student population- some great families, but many more kids (than public) who come from wealthy families and clearly get whatever they want. We (including kids) connected more with the ACPS community.

Biggest benefit of private for us is more individualized attention and decreased screen usage.

[Anonymous]

Being at the other end of things, I don't really see the ROI for SSSA in terms of college placement. Their graduates seem to go to very average colleges--they would get into the same or better from public schools. However, there is a big difference with respect to parent communication and interaction. So, if you need to have your hand held and get immediate responses from teachers and admin about everything, SSSA and probably many other privates are much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being at the other end of things, I don't really see the ROI for SSSA in terms of college placement. Their graduates seem to go to very average colleges--they would get into the same or better from public schools. However, there is a big difference with respect to parent communication and interaction. So, if you need to have your hand held and get immediate responses from teachers and admin about everything, SSSA and probably many other privates are much better.

I mean, if you look at the ACHS matriculations in the Alexandria Times every year they are pretty average too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being at the other end of things, I don't really see the ROI for SSSA in terms of college placement. Their graduates seem to go to very average colleges--they would get into the same or better from public schools. However, there is a big difference with respect to parent communication and interaction. So, if you need to have your hand held and get immediate responses from teachers and admin about everything, SSSA and probably many other privates are much better.

I mean, if you look at the ACHS matriculations in the Alexandria Times every year they are pretty average too.

You’re missing The Pointe. The upper middle class white kids at Alexandria city high school go onto UVA William and Mary Chapel Hill and a couple Ivy’s, just like Saint Stephen’s. But the Saint Stephen’s kids do so at a cost of $55,000 a year. Totally not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:George Mason vs SSSAS. Is the money really worth it?

OP- we went through a similar journey with our eldest before entering K, though different ACPS elementary school and different local private. We ended up deciding private school was not worth the substantial investment at the elementary level, and we do not regret that decision. There were definitely points of frustration in elementary school, and advocacy is needed to ensure your kids’ needs are being met, but both our kids received a great education. There are also more support services in public, that you may not anticipate needing. There are many dedicated teachers in ACPS, but of course, not all. Kid is now in a local private in middle school and they are more academically prepared than most of their peers.

Private school has typical student population- some great families, but many more kids (than public) who come from wealthy families and clearly get whatever they want. We (including kids) connected more with the ACPS community.

Biggest benefit of private for us is more individualized attention and decreased screen usage.

Considering what has been coming out for years now about the impact of screen "learning" on young brains, this is a major consideration. Personalized attention is also important to the child's social development and mental health.

It used to be that you could get both of those in public schools. Likely, you still can in some places. But your kid gets one childhood and one shot at brain development. I'd spend the money (or homeschool and supplement with tutors/enrichment classes where necessary).