All Boys Schools….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dematha is not as competitive. Not as rigorous. Actually, probably the least rigorous of all the schools.

My rankings would be:

STA
GPrep
Landon
Gonzaga
The Heights
St. Anselms
Dematha

I don't have kids at each of these schools. Our family is not Roman Catholic, but we are Christian.
I have two at The Heights, and we have been really pleased.

I wouldn't know how to compare against all the other schools without being a parent of a student who attends. I'm sure they're all good schools, I've heard the most about Gonzaga and Georgetown Prep (reputation-wise)

@ Heights parent: do you feel that the school is worth its price tag or is it similar to a parochial k-8 in terms of academic rigor? Also, did you start in lower school or middle school? thanks!

Heights parent here... I guess I feel that the school is worth the price tag, since I have two boys at the school. That being said, we do receive around 25% financial assistance. So, for what I pay, it is most definitely worth it.

So my boys did not go to a parochial k-8 Catholic school (we're not Catholic). I have heard that the academics are more rigorous than many parochial schools. But as I mentioned, I have no experience with my kids going to parochial k-8 schools. I believe The Heights has classes that are suited for kids at different levels academically. For example, my 9th grade son is taking Algebra II, but there is a student in his grade who is taking advanced Calculus. I think they have the classes to meet the advanced students where they're at, but they're not trying to sell themselves as a Catholic TJ. And probably like most of the good private schools in the area, they have kids that get accepted into a vast range of colleges (from Ivy League to

My kids went to a Protestant-led ecumenical k-8 school in Virginia. We actually found out about The Heights from other parents at that school. Initially, we were not interested, being that we're not Catholic, rumors about the Opus Dei, and the fact that the school is in MD and we're in VA. We're not a family that was looking into the prestigious private schools in the area. We were looking at Trinity Meadow View and Trinity Christian when we considered The Heights... After my sons's shadow days, they loved the school... And we really were impressed with the Admissions process.

So yes... We are one of the Virginia families who send our boys to The Heights (and I found those earlier comments on this thread to be hilarious)

There were earlier comments on this thread about the "they get boys" thing... I would agree with that. (But I don't know, maybe most of the all boys schools get boys, I would think?)

I guess my boys are stereotypical ADHD, my older son was getting in a lot of trouble at his previous school for being fidgety and blurting. We were getting calls almost daily. The way they disciplined at the other school, seemed to make it worse (he would miss recess as discipline); I don't know. Since he has been at The Heights these past two years, we never get calls, and we have actually gotten feedback of how well-behaved he is...

Also, I really enjoy the community of parents and faculty. In my opinion, it's a pretty awesome community.

My boys came into The Heights in 5th and 8th grade.

So very helpful- thank you for sharing your experience!!

@heights parent one last ? : Would you advise starting your kid in 3rd (knowing your experience) or is 5th or 6th fine? I hear they do a lot of bonding type stuff in the lower school/and it's very outdoorsy? Was it harder for your kids to transition in at later points vs. natural points (entering at start of MS or start of HS)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dematha is not as competitive. Not as rigorous. Actually, probably the least rigorous of all the schools.

My rankings would be:

STA
GPrep
Landon
Gonzaga
The Heights
St. Anselms
Dematha

I don't have kids at each of these schools. Our family is not Roman Catholic, but we are Christian.
I have two at The Heights, and we have been really pleased.

I wouldn't know how to compare against all the other schools without being a parent of a student who attends. I'm sure they're all good schools, I've heard the most about Gonzaga and Georgetown Prep (reputation-wise)

@ Heights parent: do you feel that the school is worth its price tag or is it similar to a parochial k-8 in terms of academic rigor? Also, did you start in lower school or middle school? thanks!

Heights parent here... I guess I feel that the school is worth the price tag, since I have two boys at the school. That being said, we do receive around 25% financial assistance. So, for what I pay, it is most definitely worth it.

So my boys did not go to a parochial k-8 Catholic school (we're not Catholic). I have heard that the academics are more rigorous than many parochial schools. But as I mentioned, I have no experience with my kids going to parochial k-8 schools. I believe The Heights has classes that are suited for kids at different levels academically. For example, my 9th grade son is taking Algebra II, but there is a student in his grade who is taking advanced Calculus. I think they have the classes to meet the advanced students where they're at, but they're not trying to sell themselves as a Catholic TJ. And probably like most of the good private schools in the area, they have kids that get accepted into a vast range of colleges (from Ivy League to

My kids went to a Protestant-led ecumenical k-8 school in Virginia. We actually found out about The Heights from other parents at that school. Initially, we were not interested, being that we're not Catholic, rumors about the Opus Dei, and the fact that the school is in MD and we're in VA. We're not a family that was looking into the prestigious private schools in the area. We were looking at Trinity Meadow View and Trinity Christian when we considered The Heights... After my sons's shadow days, they loved the school... And we really were impressed with the Admissions process.

So yes... We are one of the Virginia families who send our boys to The Heights (and I found those earlier comments on this thread to be hilarious)

There were earlier comments on this thread about the "they get boys" thing... I would agree with that. (But I don't know, maybe most of the all boys schools get boys, I would think?)

I guess my boys are stereotypical ADHD, my older son was getting in a lot of trouble at his previous school for being fidgety and blurting. We were getting calls almost daily. The way they disciplined at the other school, seemed to make it worse (he would miss recess as discipline); I don't know. Since he has been at The Heights these past two years, we never get calls, and we have actually gotten feedback of how well-behaved he is...

Also, I really enjoy the community of parents and faculty. In my opinion, it's a pretty awesome community.

My boys came into The Heights in 5th and 8th grade.

So very helpful- thank you for sharing your experience!!

@heights parent one last ? : Would you advise starting your kid in 3rd (knowing your experience) or is 5th or 6th fine? I hear they do a lot of bonding type stuff in the lower school/and it's very outdoorsy? Was it harder for your kids to transition in at later points vs. natural points (entering at start of MS or start of HS)?

Yes, if we could do it all over again, we like the school so much that, yes, we would have started our sons at third grade. We're glad that our younger son got to experience "the valley" even if for only one year. But yeah, knowing what we know now, we would have brought them in at third grade, or at least tried...

What really helped my boys bond was that they knew other students who had gone to their private Christian k-8 school, so they each knew about 3 students which helped them to fit in really well. They both have a solid community of friends from school... (Again, this may be the case at most of the other schools? But it's definitely been our experience at The Heights)

Also, just know that coming in at 9th grade is much, much more competitive. There will be many more applications for a limited amount of spots.

Best wishes as you consider your options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dematha is not as competitive. Not as rigorous. Actually, probably the least rigorous of all the schools.

My rankings would be:

STA
GPrep
Landon
Gonzaga
The Heights
St. Anselms
Dematha

I don't have kids at each of these schools. Our family is not Roman Catholic, but we are Christian.
I have two at The Heights, and we have been really pleased.

I wouldn't know how to compare against all the other schools without being a parent of a student who attends. I'm sure they're all good schools, I've heard the most about Gonzaga and Georgetown Prep (reputation-wise)

@ Heights parent: do you feel that the school is worth its price tag or is it similar to a parochial k-8 in terms of academic rigor? Also, did you start in lower school or middle school? thanks!

Heights parent here... I guess I feel that the school is worth the price tag, since I have two boys at the school. That being said, we do receive around 25% financial assistance. So, for what I pay, it is most definitely worth it.

So my boys did not go to a parochial k-8 Catholic school (we're not Catholic). I have heard that the academics are more rigorous than many parochial schools. But as I mentioned, I have no experience with my kids going to parochial k-8 schools. I believe The Heights has classes that are suited for kids at different levels academically. For example, my 9th grade son is taking Algebra II, but there is a student in his grade who is taking advanced Calculus. I think they have the classes to meet the advanced students where they're at, but they're not trying to sell themselves as a Catholic TJ. And probably like most of the good private schools in the area, they have kids that get accepted into a vast range of colleges (from Ivy League to

My kids went to a Protestant-led ecumenical k-8 school in Virginia. We actually found out about The Heights from other parents at that school. Initially, we were not interested, being that we're not Catholic, rumors about the Opus Dei, and the fact that the school is in MD and we're in VA. We're not a family that was looking into the prestigious private schools in the area. We were looking at Trinity Meadow View and Trinity Christian when we considered The Heights... After my sons's shadow days, they loved the school... And we really were impressed with the Admissions process.

So yes... We are one of the Virginia families who send our boys to The Heights (and I found those earlier comments on this thread to be hilarious)

There were earlier comments on this thread about the "they get boys" thing... I would agree with that. (But I don't know, maybe most of the all boys schools get boys, I would think?)

I guess my boys are stereotypical ADHD, my older son was getting in a lot of trouble at his previous school for being fidgety and blurting. We were getting calls almost daily. The way they disciplined at the other school, seemed to make it worse (he would miss recess as discipline); I don't know. Since he has been at The Heights these past two years, we never get calls, and we have actually gotten feedback of how well-behaved he is...

Also, I really enjoy the community of parents and faculty. In my opinion, it's a pretty awesome community.

My boys came into The Heights in 5th and 8th grade.

So very helpful- thank you for sharing your experience!!

@heights parent one last ? : Would you advise starting your kid in 3rd (knowing your experience) or is 5th or 6th fine? I hear they do a lot of bonding type stuff in the lower school/and it's very outdoorsy? Was it harder for your kids to transition in at later points vs. natural points (entering at start of MS or start of HS)?

Yes, if we could do it all over again, we like the school so much that, yes, we would have started our sons at third grade. We're glad that our younger son got to experience "the valley" even if for only one year. But yeah, knowing what we know now, we would have brought them in at third grade, or at least tried...

What really helped my boys bond was that they knew other students who had gone to their private Christian k-8 school, so they each knew about 3 students which helped them to fit in really well. They both have a solid community of friends from school... (Again, this may be the case at most of the other schools? But it's definitely been our experience at The Heights)

Also, just know that coming in at 9th grade is much, much more competitive. There will be many more applications for a limited amount of spots.

Best wishes as you consider your options

Thank you for taking the time to respond and for providing such great detail!

[Anonymous]

The Heights is Opus Dei school? Yikes.

Any all-boys options that aren’t religious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Heights is Opus Dei school? Yikes.

Any all-boys options that aren’t religious?

Landon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

Ranking according to # of graduates who matriculated to Harvard, Princeton and MIT from class of 2018-2020 on polarislist.com:

STA #89
Gonzaga #176

Landon, GPrep, and Heights all tied at #892

Dematha #1533
St Anselm #3459

This does not take into account class size…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

Ranking according to # of graduates who matriculated to Harvard, Princeton and MIT from class of 2018-2020 on polarislist.com:

STA #89
Gonzaga #176

Landon, GPrep, and Heights all tied at #892

Dematha #1533
St Anselm #3459

This does not take into account class size…

This is literally the stupidest reason to pick a school. Look at the course offerings, how happy the kids are, sports, facilities, traditions, whether your son feels at home on his visit. These are all great schools. The boys getting into Harvard or Princeton or MIT are likely to have gotten into Harvard or Princeton REGARDLESS of where they went to high school. I know boys that went to these schools from boy STA and Gonzaga. Some were recruited for sports (even the MIT admit). Many have legacy connections. I can tell you that one particular boy I could have predicted in 2nd grade that he would end up at a very top school. Kid has always stood out from other kids his age. Naturally smarter and genius level talent in an extracurricular. Yes, you could see this talent as a young child. This was a truly exceptional child that wasn’t pushed to be like this, just is gifted. He would be at a top school whether he went to Gonzaga, Sidwell, Wilson or Burke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

Landon board is pretty diverse in all ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

Landon board is pretty diverse in all ways.

New board members for most schools are listed on their websites. Sigh. Some things will never change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

Landon board is pretty diverse in all ways.

New board members for most schools are listed on their websites. Sigh. Some things will never change.

Are board term limits not a thing anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

St. Anselms has a majority of their students on financial aid. Their approach is they have a highly selective process - not only grades and teacher recommendations (not just one, but from English and Math separately), and each student applicant must take the OLSAT and the SCAT administered by the school itself. The scores must be very high - not sure if there is a strict cut off, but I understand anecdotally in the 90s on both tests. The students are also required to write two personal statements. It was by far the most rigorous of all the student applications our son did for middle school. Once they choose, then they find a way to make it possible economically for that student to attend. The school started off with the philosophy that there are many gifted students in underprivileged communities who will never have the chance to get a superior education, and so they feel they have a special calling to make these students an integral part of the school - not just a "diversity" number. In that way, the school is very diverse not only racially but socio-economically. The rigor, the diversity, the humility (the facilities are not as "modern" as any of the other privates we visited - from the "Big 3" to the other area "elite" schools), and the approach to classical education are why we applied and what we found most attractive and unique about the school. We want our son to be not only intelligent and challenged but also grounded and of good character. We feel St. Anselms is the place most likely to offer our son an environment where that could become reality.

The majority are not on financial aid.

My son did not accept the slot at st anselms (but did apply). I would disagree with your assessment on the entrance exams. They were extremely easy according to my son. SSAT was much harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

Landon board is pretty diverse in all ways.

New board members for most schools are listed on their websites. Sigh. Some things will never change.

Are board term limits not a thing anymore?

I think some have longer than others. Some allow board members for the entire time they have kids at the school. Seems like a lot of power concentrated in one area especially if they keep bringing their friends on the board and the board process is not transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in this area a long time and this is how I would rank them-

1-STA / Georgetown Prep - Equal in ranking as STA easier to get in at early grades but harder at 9th, which makes them look more competitive. Georgetown prep starts at 9th so more spots at that time making it appear less competitive if you compare 9th grade admissions. Both schools are great and have strong academics

3-St. Anselms
4-Gonzaga
5-Landon
6-Heights
7-Dematha

Agree with above. I have lived in area a long time and that is how I would rank them and their reputations. Spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived in this area a long time and this is how I would rank them-

1-STA / Georgetown Prep - Equal in ranking as STA easier to get in at early grades but harder at 9th, which makes them look more competitive. Georgetown prep starts at 9th so more spots at that time making it appear less competitive if you compare 9th grade admissions. Both schools are great and have strong academics

3-St. Anselms
4-Gonzaga
5-Landon
6-Heights
7-Dematha

Agree with above. I have lived in area a long time and that is how I would rank them and their reputations. Spot on.

I know many boys that were accepted at all and chose one of the other for various reasons: price (some are $25k cheaper per year), or particular athletic team, location to their home, sibling or legacy, etc.

Any smart and motivated kid will do well at any one of those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering for next year. How do you rank these and what has been your experience - both good and bad?

St. Anselm, Landon, STA, GPrep and the Heights….

What are the governing boards like at these schools?

Can you only be on the governing board if you are in the same clubs? Who has the most diverse boards and PA appointments?

Also which schools have “diverse” families ie: Black or Jewish on their boards that are NOT super wealthy big donors or part of the country club scene?

St. Anselms has a majority of their students on financial aid. Their approach is they have a highly selective process - not only grades and teacher recommendations (not just one, but from English and Math separately), and each student applicant must take the OLSAT and the SCAT administered by the school itself. The scores must be very high - not sure if there is a strict cut off, but I understand anecdotally in the 90s on both tests. The students are also required to write two personal statements. It was by far the most rigorous of all the student applications our son did for middle school. Once they choose, then they find a way to make it possible economically for that student to attend. The school started off with the philosophy that there are many gifted students in underprivileged communities who will never have the chance to get a superior education, and so they feel they have a special calling to make these students an integral part of the school - not just a "diversity" number. In that way, the school is very diverse not only racially but socio-economically. The rigor, the diversity, the humility (the facilities are not as "modern" as any of the other privates we visited - from the "Big 3" to the other area "elite" schools), and the approach to classical education are why we applied and what we found most attractive and unique about the school. We want our son to be not only intelligent and challenged but also grounded and of good character. We feel St. Anselms is the place most likely to offer our son an environment where that could become reality.

The majority are not on financial aid.

My son did not accept the slot at st anselms (but did apply). I would disagree with your assessment on the entrance exams. They were extremely easy according to my son. SSAT was much harder.

+1. My kid said the same. The entrance tests are definitely not hard. But one of the two test is logic based, which I suppose some kids may find difficult, as it’s not something one learns in school.