Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost every parent I’ve talked to at SSSAS has used a private college consultant with the exception of athletes who were already taken care of. $$$$

Interesting. I have a rising 10th grader at SSSAS who has friends at all grade levels from theater. Haven’t heard any of their parents mention outside consultants. May just be a different social circle, but I don’t think it’s that pervasive.

[Anonymous]

My son, SSSAS Class of 2024, did not use an outside college consultant and neither did any of his friends.

Here is the truth. Your child is probably going to have a great experience at either school. Apply to both, tour, do a shadow day, and if your child gets into both and has a preference for one, you are set!

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had experience at both schools.
SSSAS is no doubt stronger academically.
BI has a bottom tier that wouldn’t survive at sssas.
That said, SSSAS is no academic powerhouse. It’s a step above BI but it’s no Sidwell.

Look at the curriculum - BI’s is so lacking. No interesting small seminars. No high level math.

2024 grads - SSSAS did much better. Granted 2024 was a very strong year for SSSAS. 2025 will not be.

SSSAS faculty is way more impressive overall. Many great teachers despite a few duds.


bI did just poach two great coaches from SSSAS. So that’s not good news for SSSAS. But now with the new high school there is no comparison in facilities.

You get what you pay for.

This is just patently false, BI has Cal A/B and B/C, engineering, and computer science classes. BI truly has a great facility built in 2020 and top students and BI are on par with SSSAS. Maybe not a few years ago, but definitely in the last few years. Many top college placements at SSSAS were sports related--just noting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have had experience at both schools.
SSSAS is no doubt stronger academically.
BI has a bottom tier that wouldn’t survive at sssas.
That said, SSSAS is no academic powerhouse. It’s a step above BI but it’s no Sidwell.

Look at the curriculum - BI’s is so lacking. No interesting small seminars. No high level math.

2024 grads - SSSAS did much better. Granted 2024 was a very strong year for SSSAS. 2025 will not be.

SSSAS faculty is way more impressive overall. Many great teachers despite a few duds.


bI did just poach two great coaches from SSSAS. So that’s not good news for SSSAS. But now with the new high school there is no comparison in facilities.

You get what you pay for.

This is just patently false, BI has Cal A/B and B/C, engineering, and computer science classes. BI truly has a great facility built in 2020 and top students and BI are on par with SSSAS. Maybe not a few years ago, but definitely in the last few years. Many top college placements at SSSAS were sports related--just noting.

There were far less SSSAS sports college placements last year. Just a handful. But is that not part of what you are looking at. If playing Field Hockey gets you to Yale --- you are at Yale.

[Anonymous]

Re: academics at both schools. Compare both school’s social media pages for college placement. Both schools post every year where their graduating class is off to for college (i.e., not just where they have “acceptances,” since this statistic can be misleading - the same valedictorian will often get accepted into multiple amazing colleges).

The top kids, and basically the same numbers of them, at BI go to the same colleges as the top kids at SSSAS. It’s almost identical.

I know that’s not the whole picture re:academics, but let’s be honest - it’s a great indicator of it. I can’t imagine spending that much more to send my kid to high school - especially when the two schools are only a mile apart - for nearly the same academic experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: academics at both schools. Compare both school’s social media pages for college placement. Both schools post every year where their graduating class is off to for college (i.e., not just where they have “acceptances,” since this statistic can be misleading - the same valedictorian will often get accepted into multiple amazing colleges).

The top kids, and basically the same numbers of them, at BI go to the same colleges as the top kids at SSSAS. It’s almost identical.

I know that’s not the whole picture re:academics, but let’s be honest - it’s a great indicator of it. I can’t imagine spending that much more to send my kid to high school - especially when the two schools are only a mile apart - for nearly the same academic experience.

100% agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that bishop Oregon is instituting a plan to Increase their student body by a LOT to respond to demand. St Marys middle school threads on here are scary. BI teaches a lot about abstinence anti-choice, etc. SSSAS is increasing tuition but also adding a great new high school facility. With the rush into private school again after the pandemic and after the Alexandria one high school project, I think SSSAS has their pick of top candidates. BI will keep falling behind and SSSAS is becoming a top school for the whole area.

What does St. Mary's have to do with the question of Ireton's academic rigor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: academics at both schools. Compare both school’s social media pages for college placement. Both schools post every year where their graduating class is off to for college (i.e., not just where they have “acceptances,” since this statistic can be misleading - the same valedictorian will often get accepted into multiple amazing colleges).

The top kids, and basically the same numbers of them, at BI go to the same colleges as the top kids at SSSAS. It’s almost identical.

I know that’s not the whole picture re:academics, but let’s be honest - it’s a great indicator of it. I can’t imagine spending that much more to send my kid to high school - especially when the two schools are only a mile apart - for nearly the same academic experience.

If top students are what you go by and you don't want to pay extra for the same results, ACHS has top students going to the same or better as SSSAS and Ireton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academic rigor, college admissions, and sports?

Lol no academics hahaha they can’t even decipher facts in social media and you want your kids educated by then lol
Indoctrination woo hoo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that bishop Oregon is instituting a plan to Increase their student body by a LOT to respond to demand. St Marys middle school threads on here are scary. BI teaches a lot about abstinence anti-choice, etc. SSSAS is increasing tuition but also adding a great new high school facility. With the rush into private school again after the pandemic and after the Alexandria one high school project, I think SSSAS has their pick of top candidates. BI will keep falling behind and SSSAS is becoming a top school for the whole area.

Lol not even close to true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that bishop Oregon is instituting a plan to Increase their student body by a LOT to respond to demand. St Marys middle school threads on here are scary. BI teaches a lot about abstinence anti-choice, etc. SSSAS is increasing tuition but also adding a great new high school facility. With the rush into private school again after the pandemic and after the Alexandria one high school project, I think SSSAS has their pick of top candidates. BI will keep falling behind and SSSAS is becoming a top school for the whole area.

Lol not even close to true

It is true and was for the last 20 years if the whole area is Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that bishop Oregon is instituting a plan to Increase their student body by a LOT to respond to demand. St Marys middle school threads on here are scary. BI teaches a lot about abstinence anti-choice, etc. SSSAS is increasing tuition but also adding a great new high school facility. With the rush into private school again after the pandemic and after the Alexandria one high school project, I think SSSAS has their pick of top candidates. BI will keep falling behind and SSSAS is becoming a top school for the whole area.

Lol not even close to true

It is true and was for the last 20 years if the whole area is Alexandria.

Only if you assume people in Alexandria don’t attend schools not in Alexandria

[Anonymous]

Can we not kill each other on here? We are friends and neighbors for God's sake.

SSSAS and BI are both great with a range of offerings and kids. Something for everyone at both places. I'm sure you can't go wrong with either. Be kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to visit both. They are very similar in sports, academics and college placements (yes, they are SSSAS parents). But BI is half the cost. So it comes down to fit for your student and budget.

And if you’re willing to pay for SSSAS, then broaden your search outside of Alexandria. We left SSSAS for a different k-12 and have been more than pleased in every aspect. We actually found that many of the other privates with better reputations had slightly lower US tuition than SSSAS. SSSAS can be a miserable place with a lackluster education and mean girl behavior that gets ignored. There are enough Alexandria families that seem to only look in Alexandria, so there’ll always be demand, but we are so happy to be out of there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to visit both. They are very similar in sports, academics and college placements (yes, they are SSSAS parents). But BI is half the cost. So it comes down to fit for your student and budget.

And if you’re willing to pay for SSSAS, then broaden your search outside of Alexandria. We left SSSAS for a different k-12 and have been more than pleased in every aspect. We actually found that many of the other privates with better reputations had slightly lower US tuition than SSSAS. SSSAS can be a miserable place with a lackluster education and mean girl behavior that gets ignored. There are enough Alexandria families that seem to only look in Alexandria, so there’ll always be demand, but we are so happy to be out of there!

They'll be in demand because they've educated generation, have a beautiful campus and great facilities. On the other hand, they can't be too picky about admissions because they are too far away from the larger pockets of wealth in NOVA and have to rely on Alexandria