Browne vs. Burgundy Farm - middle school

[Anonymous]

Absolutely there are better schools in that price range but not everyone wants to have a long commute or put their kid on a bus. When you’re public is not an option and you don’t want to kill yourself on the commute then Browne is an acceptable choice. They are pretty open and honest about their limitations. Does not work for every child, but it is a great little community with dedicated teachers and kids do go on to good highschools. For us, we don’t want a religious school or a long commute, but do want economic diversity and small class sizes so our options in Alexandria are limited. Browne has been working very well for us so far.

[Anonymous]

My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

+100 another disappointed parent, don’t understand the logic of firing both French teachers and scraping the entire program. They could have kept one, but the head of school is not even open to having a discussion. She made the decision on her own and told everyone publicly that it is not up for discussion. I’m sorry but at 30k a year everything is up for discussion and how dare she address the parents that way. That being said, I don’t think the school is in dire straits because they are using the savings from scraping French to hire a director of innovation. Parents of other Alexandria privatea, if your school is fortunate enough to pick up the soon to be fired upper school French teacher, you will be thrilled. He is awesome and it’s infuriating that he is being let go while other lousy teachers are kept on. We’re trying to get out before 5th grade, that teacher is the worst.

[Anonymous]

In my experience Burgundy is an extremely nurturing environment. Teachers and staff go to great extents to manage conflicts, and inclusion is a value they live every day. I wouldn’t worry about the performance thing - they work up to it over time, but nobody seems pushed to do more than are comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

+100 another disappointed parent, don’t understand the logic of firing both French teachers and scraping the entire program. They could have kept one, but the head of school is not even open to having a discussion. She made the decision on her own and told everyone publicly that it is not up for discussion. I’m sorry but at 30k a year everything is up for discussion and how dare she address the parents that way. That being said, I don’t think the school is in dire straits because they are using the savings from scraping French to hire a director of innovation. Parents of other Alexandria privatea, if your school is fortunate enough to pick up the soon to be fired upper school French teacher, you will be thrilled. He is awesome and it’s infuriating that he is being let go while other lousy teachers are kept on. We’re trying to get out before 5th grade, that teacher is the worst.

+1000 I am so incredibly disappointed. Those two french teachers were so wonderful. What I wonder now is how they're going to find a new job, especially since my child told me that the french teacher was a single dad. I really do hope that this insanely stupid decision gets reversed. No schools in the area are in dire need for a french teacher. I truly wish them luck and will try to help in any way I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

+100 another disappointed parent, don’t understand the logic of firing both French teachers and scraping the entire program. They could have kept one, but the head of school is not even open to having a discussion. She made the decision on her own and told everyone publicly that it is not up for discussion. I’m sorry but at 30k a year everything is up for discussion and how dare she address the parents that way. That being said, I don’t think the school is in dire straits because they are using the savings from scraping French to hire a director of innovation. Parents of other Alexandria privatea, if your school is fortunate enough to pick up the soon to be fired upper school French teacher, you will be thrilled. He is awesome and it’s infuriating that he is being let go while other lousy teachers are kept on. We’re trying to get out before 5th grade, that teacher is the worst.

+1000 I am so incredibly disappointed. Those two french teachers were so wonderful. What I wonder now is how they're going to find a new job, especially since my child told me that the french teacher was a single dad. I really do hope that this insanely stupid decision gets reversed. No schools in the area are in dire need for a french teacher. I truly wish them luck and will try to help in any way I can.

**And one more thing. I completely agree with that statement. These teachers have been with my child for 11 years. And for the school to just get rid of them is just ridiculous! That poor spanish teacher is going to have the entire school on her hands. There are some real lousy teachers at Browne and for them to get rid of a fantastic one is a horrible mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanking everyone for their feedback.

We're interested in a small class size for the individual attention from the teachers, not out of hopes that it will help our kid overcome his shyness. He's interested because he's been in very small classes from the beginning, by accident rather than by design (we live in a small-school place), and he was gobsmacked when he heard how big some of the DC area schools are. I'm sure he'll be a DC metro pro in no time, but we're seeking to ease the transition for him as much as we can.

I'd read that Browne was somewhere in the middle between traditional ACDS and progressive Burgundy, so I started to think of Browne as on the progressive side. Guess not.

I have 2 DC in Burgundy MS and we love it. it is not perfect but a great MS spot--low key, less social pressure than a big school, lots of room to be yourself. I am not sure about all this Browne bashing though. when the kids play against Browne in sports you can see lots of community spirit, parent support (and they usually play better than we do ). so it is clearly not a disaster. the one downside of burgundy is that it is small--and the kids are pretty tired of each other by 8th grade. but it's been just awesome for us and I hope you join us!

Have you asked Lori for some parent contacts to speak with? she can suggest some people to talk to--and most of us would be quite up front on the pros and the cons.

[Anonymous]

I cannot speak to the middle school experience at Browne Academy since both of my children have only experienced the pre-school and lower school. So I will focus my comments on the school over all.

1. Browne is firmly in the middle between catholic school and Burgundy. It is traditional but has elements of progressive teaching. There are definitely opportunities to get involved in the arts. The music and art teachers are very good with kids.

2. The application process at Browne was much more organized than the application process for Burgundy. The website was easier to navigate. The feedback was immediate. And once my child attended the school, communication from the webportal was seamless. It just felt more "together" and professional than the Burgundy process.

3. Bullying is an issue at both schools in the upper levels. Check out other DCUM threads for more info re bullying at Burgundy and discipline issues there. Just pointing out that all schools are going to have to deal with this.

4. The teachers at Browne are incredibly loving and welcoming. Many have been teaching there for years and have real relationships with each other and their students.

5. The age based peer group at Browne is smaller but in my opinion, it can be a plus because of individualized attention. Also, the community is small which means parents, teachers, administrators really get to know your child and help your child. It is very much like walking into the Cheers bar where everyone knows your name and they're so glad to see you. THIS, in my opinion, is the BEST thing about this school.

6. They have a Tinker space/innovation lab, a science teacher dedicated to teaching lower school students, and a model UN/World Congress competition in the upper school. And a far better maintained campus than Burgundy. While Burgundy has a nice campus, the buildings are older, cold, and the classrooms are smaller.

I think a lot of parents shy away from Browne for two reasons: 1. the cost and 2. racism. Yes the school is expensive but no more expensive than Burgundy. Tuition at both schools is only about $1,000 or so apart. If you want your tuition money going to run an on campus far and feed horses, fine. However, I'd like my money to but to better us in the classroom.

Affluent families in the area who pursue private school don't want to be at a diverse school. I think they have preconceived notions about diversity at Browne and don't want their kids to engage with kids from PG County. Frankly, I think the diversity at Browne is a big plus. My kids engage with teachers and kids from many different backgrounds and I think that will only benefit them in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to the middle school experience at Browne Academy since both of my children have only experienced the pre-school and lower school. So I will focus my comments on the school over all.

1. Browne is firmly in the middle between catholic school and Burgundy. It is traditional but has elements of progressive teaching. There are definitely opportunities to get involved in the arts. The music and art teachers are very good with kids.

2. The application process at Browne was much more organized than the application process for Burgundy. The website was easier to navigate. The feedback was immediate. And once my child attended the school, communication from the webportal was seamless. It just felt more "together" and professional than the Burgundy process.

3. Bullying is an issue at both schools in the upper levels. Check out other DCUM threads for more info re bullying at Burgundy and discipline issues there. Just pointing out that all schools are going to have to deal with this.

4. The teachers at Browne are incredibly loving and welcoming. Many have been teaching there for years and have real relationships with each other and their students.

5. The age based peer group at Browne is smaller but in my opinion, it can be a plus because of individualized attention. Also, the community is small which means parents, teachers, administrators really get to know your child and help your child. It is very much like walking into the Cheers bar where everyone knows your name and they're so glad to see you. THIS, in my opinion, is the BEST thing about this school.

6. They have a Tinker space/innovation lab, a science teacher dedicated to teaching lower school students, and a model UN/World Congress competition in the upper school. And a far better maintained campus than Burgundy. While Burgundy has a nice campus, the buildings are older, cold, and the classrooms are smaller.

I think a lot of parents shy away from Browne for two reasons: 1. the cost and 2. racism. Yes the school is expensive but no more expensive than Burgundy. Tuition at both schools is only about $1,000 or so apart. If you want your tuition money going to run an on campus far and feed horses, fine. However, I'd like my money to but to better us in the classroom.

Affluent families in the area who pursue private school don't want to be at a diverse school. I think they have preconceived notions about diversity at Browne and don't want their kids to engage with kids from PG County. Frankly, I think the diversity at Browne is a big plus. My kids engage with teachers and kids from many different backgrounds and I think that will only benefit them in the future.

+100 - I couldn’t agree with the post more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to the middle school experience at Browne Academy since both of my children have only experienced the pre-school and lower school. So I will focus my comments on the school over all.

... I think a lot of parents shy away from Browne for two reasons: 1. the cost and 2. racism. ... Affluent families in the area who pursue private school don't want to be at a diverse school. I think they have preconceived notions about diversity at Browne and don't want their kids to engage with kids from PG County. Frankly, I think the diversity at Browne is a big plus. My kids engage with teachers and kids from many different backgrounds and I think that will only benefit them in the future.

OP here, saying: This. We ruled out a lot of private schools because they were overwhelmingly white and maybe 5% Black. Meanwhile, both Browne and Burgundy are around 18-22% Black and 5% two-or-more, which hopefully means my shy Black son won't have the burden of being The Only Kid Of Color In His Classroom.

Knowing full well that school admins read these message boards, I'll just say that both schools have aspects that are extremely attractive, and we're grateful to have the opportunity to visit before we make a final decision.

[Anonymous]

OP, please report back on what your family decides. This decision seems like a no brainer to me, as these two schools do not even seem comparable. Curious as to your perception after your visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

I know this is late, but I came across this post and I thought I should look into it. I am sure that the kids love the French teachers at Browne and I can't speak as to the change in their program, but I thought it interesting that this post talked about how Burgundy, ACDS and Congressional offer multiple languages. The truth is that of the schools listed only Congressional offers two languages (French and Spanish) and ACDS only list Spanish on their website and surprise, surprise Burgundy DOESN'T list any languages on their website. The misinformation that comes out on this site is amazing. Please do your own research and don't go to forums like this as the word of god!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

I know this is late, but I came across this post and I thought I should look into it. I am sure that the kids love the French teachers at Browne and I can't speak as to the change in their program, but I thought it interesting that this post talked about how Burgundy, ACDS and Congressional offer multiple languages. The truth is that of the schools listed only Congressional offers two languages (French and Spanish) and ACDS only list Spanish on their website and surprise, surprise Burgundy DOESN'T list any languages on their website. The misinformation that comes out on this site is amazing. Please do your own research and don't go to forums like this as the word of god!

Burgundy offers French and Spanish from jk-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was accepted at Browne but we did not have enough aid to attend.

Browne is literally on its last legs. They are getting rid of French class and will now offer only spanish because they can’t afford the salary for the french teachers. This is effective in fall 2019. The students were not happy to hear of their beloved french teachers being fired. There’s literally 8 kids in the third grade. Nobody knows about Browne, and it’s becoming more of a marketing school than a school that cares about their kids. The new administration is falling apart; i think Browne’s going to kill itself by getting rid of languages. Schools like ACDS and Congressional and Burgundy all offer 2+ languages. As a parent I am highly disappointed; not worth the 30k. Go burgundy my friend.

I know this is late, but I came across this post and I thought I should look into it. I am sure that the kids love the French teachers at Browne and I can't speak as to the change in their program, but I thought it interesting that this post talked about how Burgundy, ACDS and Congressional offer multiple languages. The truth is that of the schools listed only Congressional offers two languages (French and Spanish) and ACDS only list Spanish on their website and surprise, surprise Burgundy DOESN'T list any languages on their website. The misinformation that comes out on this site is amazing. Please do your own research and don't go to forums like this as the word of god!

Burgundy offers French and Spanish from jk-8.

+1 The French teacher and program at Burgundy is absolutely amazing.