SSSAS waitlist or no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools can (and do) waitlist & reject AND have below-target enrollment for a grade at the same time.

Maybe the incoming K group is 60% boys and the waitlist is also predominantly boys, and they want to balance that out with new girl applicants before going back to the waitlist. They may have a 9th grade class that has maxed out some languages and math classes, and too many kids on the current waitlist want to take Algebra 2 and Spanish. Or maybe they have some strong students on the waitlist who need significant financial assistance, and they'd need to balance that our with students who need less or no aid before admitting them.

I'm making this up, obviously. All this to say, SSSAS could have a waitlist and be advertising for K at the same time because the students on the waitlist don't meet the needs for that grade right now. If you have a student who fills a need, there's no reason not to let them apply now instead of making them wait a year!

My understanding is that the reversals were not the result of a traditional waitlist process. In fact, I had heard that no waitlist was maintained this year. Rather, it appears that after decisions were released, enrollment outcomes did not align with expectations, leading the school to revisit certain decisions. From the examples I'm familiar with, those decisions were revisited upon outreach from the rejected families, it was not the school proactively reaching out. At the same time, I know of several families who sought reconsideration and were not granted that opportunity, which makes it difficult to understand the consistency of the process.

What has always made SSSAS special is its identity as a true community school, one that values sibling enrollment, encourages families to remain through 12th grade graduation, and takes an individualized approach that recognizes and supports each student's unique strengths and learning needs. As a current family, it feels as though some of those defining characteristics are slipping away. I hope I'm wrong because our DC has had a positive experience and the teachers have been transformational in our child's academic journey.

I can see how this might be true for some, but my high-performing DC’s needs were never met.

How so. Did the school not offer the classes you wanted or did you child not get into them. They are very strict about who gets into Honors and AP and it’s less than 15% in many subjects.

[Anonymous]

Following up as considering applying.

[Anonymous]

I posted as a former family that is so happy to be out and was surprised at how behind my children were at their new k-12. If you really are considering SSSAS, I’d look at why so many 8th graders are not returning? If you do end up there for LS, get out before MS.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that MS is something of a weak link. US has been fantastic for my rising senior who started in 9th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entire admissions staff is new. The wonderful admissions director who really had the school on a great trajectory was pulled to another school. His kids still go to SSSAS and his wife still works there so the move is interesting. His much less experienced but very good second was pulled to a different school. Both are still in DC and stayed in the episcopal schools. Anyway it seems as though the new person is having a less than ideal first enrollment. Hopefully she hits her stride because the school has really come into its own recently. We are very happy parents of an SSSAS student.

I am curious what indicates it’s come into its own. What division is your child in? I’m also a parent there and am not impressed so far but wonder what I might be missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted as a former family that is so happy to be out and was surprised at how behind my children were at their new k-12. If you really are considering SSSAS, I’d look at why so many 8th graders are not returning? If you do end up there for LS, get out before MS.

In reality, this year they have retained almost the entire class. The middle school seems to turned over a new leaf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted as a former family that is so happy to be out and was surprised at how behind my children were at their new k-12. If you really are considering SSSAS, I’d look at why so many 8th graders are not returning? If you do end up there for LS, get out before MS.

In reality, this year they have retained almost the entire class. The middle school seems to turned over a new leaf.

Everyone at the middle school knows this isn’t true.

So many families leave during or after MS, especially those who are full pay and can more easily make the switch.

They keep their numbers looking ok because they can bring in so many new kids from the Alexandria public schools. But the MS and HS are completely different than the LS.

[Anonymous]

We are generally big fans. We have three kids there. And our kids are pretty different. It caters to a wide range of abilities, and for some this is a negative. For example, there are students who graduate without ever taking any calculus. I think at some privates this would be unheard of. At the same time, you can also take very high level math like CALC BC or linear algebra. It’s a wide range. For us that is a positive but I know it makes the college list look rather unimpressive. A handful of impressive schools, but a bigger handful of lower tier schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are generally big fans. We have three kids there. And our kids are pretty different. It caters to a wide range of abilities, and for some this is a negative. For example, there are students who graduate without ever taking any calculus. I think at some privates this would be unheard of. At the same time, you can also take very high level math like CALC BC or linear algebra. It’s a wide range. For us that is a positive but I know it makes the college list look rather unimpressive. A handful of impressive schools, but a bigger handful of lower tier schools.

By this, do you include Pre-Calculus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are generally big fans. We have three kids there. And our kids are pretty different. It caters to a wide range of abilities, and for some this is a negative. For example, there are students who graduate without ever taking any calculus. I think at some privates this would be unheard of. At the same time, you can also take very high level math like CALC BC or linear algebra. It’s a wide range. For us that is a positive but I know it makes the college list look rather unimpressive. A handful of impressive schools, but a bigger handful of lower tier schools.

By this, do you include Pre-Calculus?

DP. The lowest level math offered in upper school is Algebra I. I doubt they’d admit a new freshman who couldn’t at least place into that, and any students coming up through the MS will at least place into that — on track for precalc in 12th. Vast majority start in geometry (honors or on-level) in 9th, on track for Calculus of some flavor in 12th.