Stone Ridge vs. Sidwell for upper school

[Anonymous]

These post are always baffling to me. The school doesn’t make your child. Your child is your child and who they are. I have a son at GP, if he wanted to go to Yale, I’m sure he could go to Yale from Sidwell, SJC, GDS, or Gonzaga, you name it. The same goes for if he wanted to go to the University of Maryland. He’s still the same kid and it’s the body of work. It doesn’t matter in the end, I promise you. They will get a good education at any private school.

[Anonymous]

OP, I know it’s not the same, but DC just turned down a few comparable schools and an MCPS magnet for GC. It’s going to be a ~30 min commute but they really liked the welcoming environment compared to the other schools. At the end of the day, it’s up to DC to make the best of the experience and we think they will be most successful in their school of choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This whole thread is absurd. The two schools could not be more different, yet, OP's kid applied to both. I would think there would have been a clear preference after going to the open houses.

Of course it is. She should go with Sidwell and be done with it. Way better school, more diverse population, way more resources, and it sounds as if it is logistically simpler.

This blanket statement is so strange. Sidwell is co-ed. The tuition is 20K more than stone-ridge. Maybe she prefers all girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This blanket statement is so strange. Sidwell is co-ed. The tuition is 20K more than stone-ridge. Maybe she prefers all girls.

SFS is just a way better school. Why go to a second rate school with a longer commute?

Nothing strange about it.

[Anonymous]

I hope OP comes back here and tells us what they have decided!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This blanket statement is so strange. Sidwell is co-ed. The tuition is 20K more than stone-ridge. Maybe she prefers all girls.

SFS is just a way better school. Why go to a second rate school with a longer commute?

Nothing strange about it.

It is also ok to prefer not to attend a better” school for other fit reasons and be a top student there. Again there is single sex versus coed

[Anonymous]

I am curious what evidence exists that Sidwel is “a way better school”.

[Anonymous]

I would always choose the closer school in a situation like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious what evidence exists that Sidwel is “a way better school”.

On Niche's 2026 rankings, Sidwell Friends is ranked #1 among private high schools and private K-12 schools in the Washington D.C. area. Stone Ridge, by contrast, ranks #22 among private high schools in the DC area.

It isn't even close.

[Anonymous]

How much objective data is used for Niche rankings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much objective data is used for Niche rankings?

https://www.niche.com/about/methodology/best-private-high-schools/

[Anonymous]

So, not much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, not much.

What objective data are you looking for?

[Anonymous]

I vote for SR. My DD graduated from there, went to a top 20 college on full merit scholarship, and then law school at a top 5 university. She’s well-adjusted, happy, and has fond memories of her days at SR. SR prepared her very well for higher education, yet, it was a very loving and joyful environment. “Joyful” is the word my DD uses to describe SR.

We’re not Catholic, yet the SR community made such a positive impression on my DD that she ended up converting to Catholicism right after she graduated with her bachelor’s degree (she went to a secular college). Her best friends to this day are her SR classmates and they meet up at least once a year in the DC area. SR hosts an alumni get together for all alumni every year; my DD and her friends meet every year for that event.

I don’t know anything about Sidwell Friends other than its reputation as a prestigious and pressure-cooker school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, not much.

What objective data are you looking for?

Data that would confirm the “way better school” claims.