SSFS updates? We are thinking about it for a last minute HS switch

[Anonymous]

you'd be crazy to switch in when you are new.

I get some people sticking around if they are already there and in high school, but to start there as a new student when the school is in such dire financial straits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you'd be crazy to switch in when you are new.

I get some people sticking around if they are already there and in high school, but to start there as a new student when the school is in such dire financial straits?

Stop trying to approach this rationally. Go with your heart, not your brain.
-SSFS parents in 5 minutes, probably

[Anonymous]

NP and the way I see it is that if you’re considering a switch in late May, things are probably so bad at your current school that whatever you encounter at SSFS will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you'd be crazy to switch in when you are new.

I get some people sticking around if they are already there and in high school, but to start there as a new student when the school is in such dire financial straits?

Stop trying to approach this rationally. Go with your heart, not your brain.
-SSFS parents in 5 minutes, probably

That’s bad advice for the majority of things in life. I understand that people make decisions for a myriad of reasons but to choose ssfs without rational thinking is ridiculous.

If the school can hold up for you after using your brain I think you should go for it. It’s just a school and no matter what happens if things don’t work out you can find another. But if you aren’t sure after a cost benefit analysis maybe you should not come or stay.

But to advise ppl to just use their heart like it’s a rom com - that’s not solid advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any recent updates on SSFS? Is it accurate to assume they are stable for the next 3 years? We are looking at a possible HS switch for a rising 10th grader.

How bad is your current school? If you’re looking to switch to ssfs in the middle of high school I can only imagine your current school must be ….?


Of course it’s not “accurate” to assume they are stable for next 3 years. How can anyone assume that? We are barely one month past the debacle of a closure that was prevented by one family who has cash to burn. The school is propped up by the kindness of the community - a community that wasn’t even consulted before the closure announcement. As of yet the school has not proved they are capable of doing anything other own so once all the community help goes away no one knows how the school will run.

On top of that no one knows when/if enrollment will stabilize again. Is this school work the price tag for a guaranteed diminished experience? And before the naysayers say it’s trolling to say guaranteed diminished - yes guaranteed diminished because with the student body dropping by 50% there is no way it will be the SAME experience even if the teachers are there.

So should you consider a switch? Well only you can decide. But I am curious to know where are you switching from and why? Sure if you’re coming from a school so bad that ssfs is better by comparison go for it. But what area school is that? Or are you saying in better days you couldn’t get into ssfs but now that they’ve got tons of spots open you see this as an opportunity to get in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:you'd be crazy to switch in when you are new.

I get some people sticking around if they are already there and in high school, but to start there as a new student when the school is in such dire financial straits?

Stop trying to approach this rationally. Go with your heart, not your brain.
-SSFS parents in 5 minutes, probably

That’s bad advice for the majority of things in life. I understand that people make decisions for a myriad of reasons but to choose ssfs without rational thinking is ridiculous.

If the school can hold up for you after using your brain I think you should go for it. It’s just a school and no matter what happens if things don’t work out you can find another. But if you aren’t sure after a cost benefit analysis maybe you should not come or stay.

But to advise ppl to just use their heart like it’s a rom com - that’s not solid advice.

Please tune your sarcasm meter.

[Anonymous]

There will be 326 kids this year spread out over how many grades?

[Anonymous]

New to the school for 9th this year. Staying for 10th at SSFS. Kid has thrived there in 1st year and wants to go back. Did not want to go to other privates or MCPS for rest of high school. Teachers have been great.

Have the past few months been unsettling and frustrating? Yes

Was there a failure of leadership at highest levels over the past few years? clearly

Is there a new HOS starting this summer and a mostly brand new board? - yes

Were millions not only pledged to the school, but backed by a huge donor? yes

Did the new Board members impress the hell out of me in a recent meeting with upper school parents? yes

Do the new board members have “skin in the game” both financially and by sending their kids to SSFS? yes

Are they laser focused on SSFS’ success? Yes

Is the SSFS head of upper school staying and working her butt off to create a great environment for next year even though the upper school will be smaller? yes

To families interested in the school, check it out yourself and make your own decisions.

For families that left over the past few years due to leadership failures - I totally get it. Sounds like folks are justifiably still angry that the past board and other leaders were not receptive and perhaps dismissive to parents concerns. All I can say is that is NOT the message we are getting from the reconstituted board. The messaging has been clear that the parents are key stakeholders in this.

So we are crossing our fingers that SSFS is stabilizing and on an upward trajectory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve not heard anyone openly address the enrollment drop from ~700 2 years ago to 460 at the time of closure. I’m not sure we will ever hear why from the school. But if you just ask around you’ll know the top reasons why people left. But not on this forum. That’s always been off limits to talk about it here.

Your numbers are wrong. We were not at 700 2 years ago. You claim that it's off limits to discuss the reasons. How so? The only way to know that it's been off limits is if you or others have already discussed the reasons and were silenced. And if you've and others have already discussed the reasons when then those reasons are out there somewhere on one of the many forums you've trolled. And obviously you have not been silenced. If you're going to troll at least be clever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP and the way I see it is that if you’re considering a switch in late May, things are probably so bad at your current school that whatever you encounter at SSFS will be fine.

Right, because nobody could possibly be interested in looking at SSFS this late for all the reasons that people have chosen SSFS early or late in the past?
The negativity surrounding this school is astounding. Some people just clearly do not want it to rebound yet rebound is exactly what is happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you'd be crazy to switch in when you are new.

I get some people sticking around if they are already there and in high school, but to start there as a new student when the school is in such dire financial straits?

Let me guess - former parent or never a parent at SSFS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question as a family choosing not to go back to high school this year. Those of you who are returning - are you not troubled that for all the talk about finances past and future, no one is talking about why the school lost 200 enrollments from fall of 2023 to Spring of 2025? 690 kids to 495 — and that’s why they thought they had to close the school. Now with reopening they are at 326.

They had to shut the school because of a huge exodus of families and there has been zero discussion of the underlying reasons for that. I have been at every board meeting, coalition call, and all over Slack.

The fact that there was something so broken that almost 1/3 of families left and no one wants to talk about that - we couldn’t overcome that. But I am finding it so amazing that so many families don’t have insurmountable problems with that.

SSFS was a literal lifesaver for one of our kids many years ago, so I was sad to read about its closing and elated that the closing has been averted.

That you continue to participate in discussions about the school having already made the decision to leave is not productive and certainly does the school no favors. Why must you persist in doing so?

I’m not the poster but asking about the school is what people do cause they care. And not having a kid at the school doesn’t mean there isn’t interest (why did alums jump in to save thr school. Why do YOU care if you don’t have a child here now).

But if no one can ask “what went wrong?” How is the school supposed to prevent it from happening again?

How long and how many times are we going to keep asking "what went wrong"? This has been well covered in meetings and the school is now moving forward with many well thought out plans. Those that keep asking this question over and over again and particularly those that have left, have questionable intent.

No it hasn’t. I have been at all the forums. The debt and what got us into the financial hole we are in has been discussed. But no one has discussed — and thus have solved for — the issues of school culture that resulted in over 100 kids being pulled this year before the announcement. And yes there is new leadership coming, but selected by the old board. I hope things improve, but for sure don’t understand why so many families left.

Then you live under a rock or you're just not that bright or you're not even affiliated with the school anymore. We knew THIS TIME LAST YEAR why people were leaving. It was discussed to death on a previous forum (despite the posters who claim that we're not allowed to discuss such matters). What EXACTLY do you want to NEW board to acknowledge about the PREVIOUS HOS? Or any other PAST problems that led to a school culture that resulted in mass exodus? This has been discussed on numerous zoom sessions I have attended. Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will this do for college admissions? Wont colleges know what’s going on? Won’t they question the quality of the school?

Think about the question you are asking. Do you really think colleges question the "quality" of the thousands of high schools from which they receive applicants? And if so, what is their measure of "quality"?

Um…you don’t think that colleges fully understand the profile and rigor of the schools from which their applicants come? You think they take a 4.0 at a random under-resourced rural public school as the same as an elite private? Of course not. Colleges know the high schools exceptionally well and will definitely know about the drama with SSFS. Doesn’t mean it’s a negative, just that it’s certainly known.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There will be 326 kids this year spread out over how many grades?

The whole school. They don’t have a grade breakdown. Only division breakdown.

https://www.ssfs.org/news-media/faqs-for-2025-2026

That’s a close to 50% drop from their norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will this do for college admissions? Wont colleges know what’s going on? Won’t they question the quality of the school?

Think about the question you are asking. Do you really think colleges question the "quality" of the thousands of high schools from which they receive applicants? And if so, what is their measure of "quality"?

Um…you don’t think that colleges fully understand the profile and rigor of the schools from which their applicants come? You think they take a 4.0 at a random under-resourced rural public school as the same as an elite private? Of course not. Colleges know the high schools exceptionally well and will definitely know about the drama with SSFS. Doesn’t mean it’s a negative, just that it’s certainly known.

Do you work at a University or college? How do you "know" this?