Bullis v. Landon v. St. Andrews

[Anonymous]

Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Landon is by far the best academically and for college placement. I also think it is a great place to be right now. Old stereotypes die long after they have really ceased to exist.

Bullis doesn't have the strongest academic reputation, but neither does Landon.

[Anonymous]

Landon has an excellent reputation for academics. Have you looked at the curriculum? You CAN actually play sports and be smart! I actually would argue that student athletes tend to be the most successful down the road.

We plan to look at the school in a few years, but every boy I know that graduated from Landon (and I know quite a few families), is doing well in college and felt VERY prepared.

[Anonymous]

``Landon has an excellent reputation for academics. Have you looked at the curriculum? You CAN actually play sports and be smart! I actually would argue that student athletes tend to be the most successful down the road.''

``I would argue...''

Pshaw.

[Anonymous]

My child isn't at Landon, St. Andrews or Bullis, but I do tend to agree that people who are smart and athletic are often successful. It's a combination of traits that goes along with each. And if we are really being honest, studies show attractiveness and height play a role too.

[Anonymous]

Landon is the best of the 3 but I think St. Albans has the best academics, far more over Landon. That said, the other schools are good too. You need to pick which one fits your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote::06 here again: Apologies for confusing earlier post -- I shouldn't attempt to post after midnight. The coed environment for our children has been a positive at St. Andrew’s and not a distraction in any negative way, as they each have friends of both genders. I am sure that probably depends very much on the individual kid. There are a lot of tuned in teachers/ staff to watch for social stuff at St. Andrew’s. .

To answer a PP's question, my child at St. Andrew's in junior year English is also reading Twain, Fitzgerald, Wharton, Invisible Man (the one about race, not the horror story), poetry, and a number of other books I can't name off the top of my head with a lot of writing/literary analysis, My child is in the AP class, but I hear good things about the regular class as well, the primary difference being that the AP class covers more in part because those kids simply read faster/retain more or are willing to put in the extra time needed. St. Andrew’s juniors all take US history which includes a unique oral history project in which all students are trained and conduct original interviews with a witness to history, context research papers about that period of time, and prepare analysis papers after the interviews, etc., as well as cover all the usual history content (this oral history project is a requirement of both the regular and the AP US history classes). The project got our child using one of the local college libraries for research which itself was a great experience, and all the kids experience needing to contact prospective interviewees, explain the project, obtain consent forms, and a lot of valuable practical research experience. . They can pick up parts of some of authors noted in the Landon Humanities class in various other history, philosophy/religion, English or civics classes, but no single class is focuses on the classics per se. Most St. Andrew Students – as is true at most independent schools – take 5 academic subjects per year, but they are also all required to take one trimester of religion/philosophy (which counts as a 6th academic subject) each year as well as the usual electives in visual or performing arts/music. Senior year, students at all three schools can take one advanced course through a consortium including other privates in the area as well.

When you factor in that St. Andrew’s by design is a smaller school than Landon and that it is appealing to kids on a wider part of the academic spectrum, and that Landon has almost certainly more athletic recruits, I don’t think the college comparisons support the conclusion that Landon is stronger academically. Landon is a fine traditional boys school, no doubt, and has an important place in the private community. St. Andrew’s is focused on continuing to innovate the most effective teaching approaches in the classroom in ways that are getting a lot of positive feedback from peer independent schools. All these schools probably can no doubt provide a good education, but I don’t see the evidence to support the idea that Landon has some clear advantage in the classroom.

+1
I have a DD at SAES who started in 7th, and is now a freshman. We are thrilled with the rigor of the curriculum, and the opportunity for personal growth, and service learning. The faculty and staff continue to strive to bring out the best in all the students, and my daughter is thriving. She is bright, but shy, and has learned how to self advocate, take risks, and push herself academically, socially, athletically. I think that because SAES is a newer school, they can be more nimble and innovative and adopt up-to-date educational pedagogy. The kids continually impress me with their esprit de corps, no matter whether it be at a lacrosse game or during an honors assembly. It is a fantastic community.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. And least anyone think being supportive and open to new ideas means watered down, our DC and DC's friends in high school took plenty of AP level classes, landed 5s on the exams,did well on SAT IIs, etc while enjoying wonderful relationships with teachers each other. During one of our DC's college interviews, the interviewer commented that St Andrew's signature junior year oral history project sounded like graduate school work. Great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

SAES is a good school but let's not be over the top. Far outpaces MCPS? Churchill right down the street does just as well in college matriculations as SAES. If it far outpaces why are the all going to the same colleges?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

SAES is a good school but let's not be over the top. Far outpaces MCPS? Churchill right down the street does just as well in college matriculations as SAES. If it far outpaces why are the all going to the same colleges?

SAES has excellent college placements, but more importantly, it offers students a strong, positive HS experience, which benefits them far beyond college. And I would argue that they are better prepared for type of work and the work load that college presents. Most families at SAES are not hell-bent on getting their kids into an Ivy, but want their child to matriculate at the right college for them. Again, it's not about getting into a particular school, it's about educating your child in the best possible environment NOW. So overall, SAES far outpaces MCPS. College placement is a myopic way to judge a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

SAES is a good school but let's not be over the top. Far outpaces MCPS? Churchill right down the street does just as well in college matriculations as SAES. If it far outpaces why are the all going to the same colleges?

SAES has excellent college placements, but more importantly, it offers students a strong, positive HS experience, which benefits them far beyond college. And I would argue that they are better prepared for type of work and the work load that college presents. Most families at SAES are not hell-bent on getting their kids into an Ivy, but want their child to matriculate at the right college for them. Again, it's not about getting into a particular school, it's about educating your child in the best possible environment NOW. So overall, SAES far outpaces MCPS. College placement is a myopic way to judge a school.

You keep making all these statements without backing it up? Do you really believe that all these kids coming out of Churchill are not well prepared? if that was the case, many of them would be fail out. and yes, if I am going to spend $33,000+ a year for 4 years, I would hope that decent colleeg placement woudl be part of the equation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

PP, if you don't have a child in an MCPS high school, how can you know this?

[Anonymous]

I am not the prior poster, but as a parent of SAES kids I have talked to a number of families there who transferred in from public school. Overall, I suspect each situation is different depending on the teacher, the child, etc. and I am putting aside the magnets and full IB programs for the moment. But generally speaking, what I have heard is that kids who have been able to do well in MCPS without too much effort find it takes much more effort to get the same grades in same level courses at SAES. Private schools generally run on a shorter calendar than publics, requiring classes to move faster to get in the same material -- usually,, there are exceptions. BCC parents tell me that there is little emphasis on writing before 11th grade. I have heard SAES graduates report that their friends in colleges from public schools are often shocked by the amount of writing /analysis required in some classes whereas the SAES kids are accustomed to it -- no doubt just as at a number of other privates.

As for EC's that's a bit different. Any large public offers more choices than a small private. If you want to play football, you can do that at public school but not at SAES. But the depth of involvement in school ECs at SAES is very high, and the faculty does a great job with those that are offered generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Landon is best for academics and arts far above MCPS. Music program at Landon is world-renowned. Politically right.
Bullis is similar academics to MCPS (strong), but way more accountability and help. Politically neutral.
St. Andrews lags a bit from MCPS, but supportive environment (not as much as McLean School). Politically left.

I completely disagree - SAES far outpaces MCPS in academics and extracurriculars. It's ridiculous to even compare. I have kids in both MCPS and SAES - and we are pulling our MCPS kid for SAES.

PP, if you don't have a child in an MCPS high school, how can you know this?

He's in MS, and that's enough information for me. After several years in MCPS, including MS, I don't see how public HS will be radically different, or suddenly ramp up and offer what SAES has.