St. Anslem’s Abbey School Recommend ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a wonderful place! We chose it over a big 3 school and two other well regarded privates for its community, academic rigor, and down-to-earth vibe. We are not Catholic, and at decision time last year this was my biggest concern. I called **a lot** of parents - some the school connected us to, and some I found through our neighborhood and work.

Our son has to take religion classes - but we, and our extended family, give him a different perspective. We are very mindful of that. He has classmates of all different religions, ethnicities, races and incomes. The class is about 50% students of color. There are many alumni parents, which we feel is another plus.

We were surprised last fall about the lawsuit that has been mentioned here several times. Our experience with the school has been that the kids support and care for each other, and the faculty looks out for them. We are sticking with our actual experience, which is that our kid loves the school and we see how much he has grown - not only in knowledge, but confidence and character.

The main thing is that our kid comes home in a great mood, loves learning, does not feel ignored, and has zero disruptions in class. All of these were issues at the public school he previously attended. We went with our gut (and our son's strong preference) and have had a great experience. Whatever your choices are, go with your gut for what is best for your child, and you'll land in the right spot. Good luck and best wishes.

This has been our experience exactly! It is such a hidden gem. My son loves the school and is so happy. My DD is at a big 3 and the academics are comparable. But the teachers at the Abbey are way more caring than any teacher at her school. They go over and beyond to help each student. And the boys are so kind. I see why so many alums return to teach or have their sons attend the school. It is a special place.

[Anonymous]

We are a family new to SAAS this year as well. It's an awesome school -- very nice community, incredibly diverse, and rigorous. DS is working hard, but the maturation has been incredible. The teachers are quite good and make themselves readily available to answer questions and provide extra support, if needed. We are a non-Catholic family, and the religion class has been entirely a non-issue; my son rather enjoys it, finding the philosophy of it interesting. We have no regrets as a family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lawsuit was a red flag for us. We chose a different school.

That was the smart and safe choice, the school has lost its focus. Student enrollment has been slipping each year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Non-Catholic family who sent our son to St Anselm’s. You will not find a better school in the region at the intersection of outstanding academics and a socioeconomic and racial/ethnic diversity that reflects the city. And the boys are genuinely kind. We have been so impressed.

Recent lawsuit filed against the school suggests the boys aren't all that kind.

The lawsuit is frivolous. IYKYK

Certainly seems so, but the school could perhaps derive some lessons from it if they haven’t already. It’s a fantastic place for the right kind of boy.

Sounds like a creepy school to me.

Dean of Students is a bit creepy

[Anonymous]

Clearly same troll replying to themselves. It’s a phenomenal school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lawsuit was a red flag for us. We chose a different school.

That was the smart and safe choice, the school has lost its focus. Student enrollment has been slipping each year

“The school has lost its focus.”

Kindly explain. Cite specific examples.

What was the focus in the past? What is it now? To what do you attribute the change?

“Student enrollment has been slipping each year.”

Please cite your source for enrollment numbers over the years as to which you claim knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lawsuit was a red flag for us. We chose a different school.

That was the smart and safe choice, the school has lost its focus. Student enrollment has been slipping each year

“The school has lost its focus.”

Kindly explain. Cite specific examples.

What was the focus in the past? What is it now? To what do you attribute the change?

“Student enrollment has been slipping each year.”

Please cite your source for enrollment numbers over the years as to which you claim knowledge.

This is an open forum, not a jury trial following rules of evidence. If you are interested do your own research. If you are employed by the school pay attention.

Enrollment has dropped, a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Colleague went there (so not very recently). Academically challenging, high expectations of students, but very good instruction. Laid a good foundation for colleague who eventually got a PhD in STEM.

Every private in the DVM can count a current PhD as an alum. This says nothing about St. Anslem's or any other private in the area.

The Abbey had a reputation for excellence in the past. It is does not seem to be the same school today, things change. Thankfully there are lots of excellent options for private schools in the DC Metro area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lawsuit was a red flag for us. We chose a different school.

That was the smart and safe choice, the school has lost its focus. Student enrollment has been slipping each year

“The school has lost its focus.”

Kindly explain. Cite specific examples.

What was the focus in the past? What is it now? To what do you attribute the change?

“Student enrollment has been slipping each year.”

Please cite your source for enrollment numbers over the years as to which you claim knowledge.

This is an open forum, not a jury trial following rules of evidence. If you are interested do your own research. If you are employed by the school pay attention.

Enrollment has dropped, a lot.

So, as suspected, you have no facts, statistics or citations to support your assertion.

[Anonymous]

Harvard, Cornell, and Dartmouth don't seem to think it's slipping.

[Anonymous]

Abbey Mom here. I’m not sure what’s behind the above statements - they don’t match our reality. Our child has bloomed here and we are happy with the school, community, faculty and staff.

Everyone’s kid is different - often the most helpful thing is to talk to families in real life about their experiences and see if it resonates for you and your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard, Cornell, and Dartmouth don't seem to think it's slipping.

Oh look, a hoity-toity private school parent.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, SAAS may send a few kids to top schools but many are headed to second-tier Jesuits like SLU, Xavier, Loyola(s), Providence, etc…You can queue the “that’s what they choose” or “it’s socioeconomically diverse” but the outcomes don’t equal the narrative that it’s only “for the most intellectual and curious boys.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, SAAS may send a few kids to top schools but many are headed to second-tier Jesuits like SLU, Xavier, Loyola(s), Providence, etc…You can queue the “that’s what they choose” or “it’s socioeconomically diverse” but the outcomes don’t equal the narrative that it’s only “for the most intellectual and curious boys.”

Previous comment applies, oh look, another hoity-toity private school parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, SAAS may send a few kids to top schools but many are headed to second-tier Jesuits like SLU, Xavier, Loyola(s), Providence, etc…You can queue the “that’s what they choose” or “it’s socioeconomically diverse” but the outcomes don’t equal the narrative that it’s only “for the most intellectual and curious boys.”

Previous comment applies, oh look, another hoity-toity private school parent.

No one is saying St. Anselm’s is more Ivy-heavy than Sidwell, GDS, Maret, or the like. It probably isn’t. Those schools have larger classes and, in absolute numbers, more top-tail placements.

But the claim that St. Anselm’s somehow does not regularly send boys to top colleges just is not supported by the data.

Even at GDS, Maret, and Sidwell, the great majority of students are not ending up at Ivy+ schools. Those are all excellent schools, but that is simply how elite private-school outcomes work. Big names, broad lists, and only a minority at the very top of the prestige ladder — and usually due to hooks independent of the school itself, like legacy and/or VIP status.

St. Anselm’s, meanwhile, regularly gets boys admitted to top-tier places. Looking at recent acceptance data, boys have been admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Chicago, Northwestern, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Swarthmore, Williams, Vanderbilt, WashU, etc. And yes, just last year that included Harvard, Stanford, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

And the scale matters. St. Anselm’s graduating classes are much smaller than GDS, Sidwell, or Maret. So pound for pound, the outcomes are quite strong for the kind of school it is.

So sure, say Sidwell/GDS/Maret are more Ivy-heavy. And they are more clearly popularly prestigious than St. Anselm’s. Fine. But that is very different from saying St. Anselm’s does not regularly place boys at elite schools. The acceptance data says otherwise. And that’s pretty impressive for a tier down in tuition vs the blue-chip schools.