Alexandria Country Day

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have children who actually go there or have been there (or do you have any other direct experience with the school)? What are your opinions of it? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I'm also interested in ACDS for my DS for next year and have heard good things about it from two parents who have or used to have kids there--small classes, dedicated teachers, good exmissions. I visited the campus and was impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and teachers. I have heard, though, that its small cozy size may also be a drawback for kids in the middle school who need an academically challenging environment that comes with greater scale. Would love to hear opinions of other parents with kids there.

[Anonymous]

Wonderful school... and the buzz about town regarding ACDS has been nothing but positive. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to who are connected to the school that just cannot say enough about the education, teachers and the community as a whole. I think it was a bit of a "hidden gem" for a while and was overshadowed by some other independent schools in the area. It seems to be the school gathering the most interest these days... or at least thats what it seems like to me. They are also about to undergo a huge expansion...including a new gym and performing arts center. My son isn't quite old enough to attend, but in a couple of years we will most definitely focus our attention on ACDS.

[Anonymous]

My impression was that it was too much of an SSSAS "safety" -it's just a few blocks away, and all the parents seemed a little defensive about why they weren't at SSSAS.

[Anonymous]

We looked seriously at ACDS because we have several friends who have children there who love it. However, I laughed when I read the pp -- when asked about their experience, every parent with a child at the school that I spoke to spent as much (or more) time talking about what is "wrong" with SSSAS. That said, I think it is a lovely school, particularly for children that may need a smaller atmosphere/more attention. I do think the smallness and relative lack of facilities become more of an issue in the upper grades. As for the expansion, if that matters to you, I would ask about it. I was told they were going to start breaking ground last year, and they seemed a little vague about timing last time I was there. I wonder if the economy has affected the fundraising efforts.

[Anonymous]

I know more families that have left there then have stayed (I could proably name 20 families offhand that were gone before 2nd grade) - many leave for public, some SSSA, but overall, it is not a place where you go to settle in for the most part.

[Anonymous]

Check out Burgundy.

[Anonymous]

I know quite a few families with children there who "love" it but none of their kids were accepted to SSSA so I have to agree with the previous posters. That said, it's probably a good fit if your child needs a little extra attention and can benefit from a small class. I think there are only about 12 kids per class. Check out Burgundy.

[Anonymous]

Geographically, these are two very different areas. ACDS and SSSA are well-inside the beltway, in the City of Alexandria. Burgundy & Browne are outside the beltway, Fairfax County. Just weird to me how when people talk about ACDS and SSSA the response tends to be "Burgundy."

[Anonymous]

Especially when ACDS and Burgundy are very different schools - philosophically speaking. A child who gets accepted at one of these schools would probably not be a good fit for the other school.

[Anonymous]

We have friends that have sent their kids to ACDS since K, and for the record DC #1 was also accepted at SSSA. This is a lovely family, and both kids are extremely bright and athletic. Overall, they have been very happy and plan to remain through middle school.

[Anonymous]

Agree the BFCDS and ACDS are two very different schools... each strong in their own way though. Oh, and talked with ACDS about the construction piece (I was curious about that) and they are breaking ground this summer (this is official). It's a new gym, arts center and cafeteria. Sounds like quite an addition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geographically, these are two very different areas. ACDS and SSSA are well-inside the beltway, in the City of Alexandria. Burgundy & Browne are outside the beltway, Fairfax County. Just weird to me how when people talk about ACDS and SSSA the response tends to be "Burgundy."

The distance on that is splitting hairs, goodness. Convenience depends on where you're coming from. Burgundy & SSSA are both close to the Beltway. ACDS is also not too bad from 395, and Browne isn't exactly of the beaten path. The fact that the schools may have different approaches to delivering curriculum is what I would be most interested in. They all have plses - depends what you want.

[Anonymous]

We live about two minutes from ACDS and SSSAS and chose Burgundy. Burgundy is about ten minutes from our house. Yes, you do cross the beltway to get to Burgundy, but it's literally the first right turn (now second, I think, given construction changes) after you pass underneath the beltway. When you're choosing private schools in this area, it makes sense to look at Burgundy, Browne, ACDS, and SSSAS, for geographical reasons. Of course, if GDS or Sidwell had been right down the street, we would have looked at either of those. Our 8th grader, graduating from Burgundy this year, loved GDS and was accepted (along with four other kids from Burgundy). However, we've decided to go the public school route because the commute into northwest DC was just too much to contemplate.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree with a PP that Burgundy is not for everybody. I know it has loyal families that love it, but it was not for us because we wanted a more traditional curriculum. (We do consider ourselves "progressive" in many ways, even politically, but the "progressive" approach to education did not seem a good fit for our child. ) I think it is important to look closely at these schools and talk to lots and lots of parents. They really are all different.