SSFS-First Quarter feedback

[Anonymous]

Do you think the school will still be providing financial aid?

[Anonymous]

When did SSFS raise there tuition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did SSFS raise there tuition?

Tuition is over 45k for upper school and I’m sure it will go up. I’m not sure how they can justify that. No way would I pay 45k for my kid to be in school with barely any kids when Key and Glenelg cost a lot less and offers close to the same value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did SSFS raise there tuition?

Tuition is over 45k for upper school and I’m sure it will go up. I’m not sure how they can justify that. No way would I pay 45k for my kid to be in school with barely any kids when Key and Glenelg cost a lot less and offers close to the same value.

Glenelg looks like it costs less but the hidden costs bring it right up to SSFS. The uniform costs are insane. The requirement that even sports practice attire must say Glenelg means you're paying more for athletic wear than you normally would at say Dick's sporting goods. There's no lunch included in the tuition so you're paying more at the grocery store or paying a ridiculous amount each day to order lunch through their service. There are more required textbooks to purchase at Glenelg then at SSFS.

So while I agree that SSFS is too high, Glenelg isn't any cheaper when all is said and done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did SSFS raise there tuition?

Tuition is over 45k for upper school and I’m sure it will go up. I’m not sure how they can justify that. No way would I pay 45k for my kid to be in school with barely any kids when Key and Glenelg cost a lot less and offers close to the same value.

Glenelg looks like it costs less but the hidden costs bring it right up to SSFS. The uniform costs are insane. The requirement that even sports practice attire must say Glenelg means you're paying more for athletic wear than you normally would at say Dick's sporting goods. There's no lunch included in the tuition so you're paying more at the grocery store or paying a ridiculous amount each day to order lunch through their service. There are more required textbooks to purchase at Glenelg then at SSFS.

So while I agree that SSFS is too high, Glenelg isn't any cheaper when all is said and done.

Yes. This is very true about the misleading "difference" in tuition between Glenelg and SSFS. Also, Glenelg (at least for upper school which is our only experience) is fine in the same way that I'm sure many private schools are just fine. SSFS however, it more than fine. It is a very special/magical place to go to school. I agree with others that SSFS is too high but it is indeed a wonderful school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did SSFS raise there tuition?

Tuition is over 45k for upper school and I’m sure it will go up. I’m not sure how they can justify that. No way would I pay 45k for my kid to be in school with barely any kids when Key and Glenelg cost a lot less and offers close to the same value.

Glenelg looks like it costs less but the hidden costs bring it right up to SSFS. The uniform costs are insane. The requirement that even sports practice attire must say Glenelg means you're paying more for athletic wear than you normally would at say Dick's sporting goods. There's no lunch included in the tuition so you're paying more at the grocery store or paying a ridiculous amount each day to order lunch through their service. There are more required textbooks to purchase at Glenelg then at SSFS.

So while I agree that SSFS is too high, Glenelg isn't any cheaper when all is said and done.

Yes. This is very true about the misleading "difference" in tuition between Glenelg and SSFS. Also, Glenelg (at least for upper school which is our only experience) is fine in the same way that I'm sure many private schools are just fine. SSFS however, it more than fine. It is a very special/magical place to go to school. I agree with others that SSFS is too high but it is indeed a wonderful school.

If it’s such a special/magical place to go to school why do they only have 14 9th graders and tuition that cost over 45k? Can anyone answer this question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain why the cost is so high? If they are trying to bring in new families that isn’t going to work.

Because they are very short of money, so they can't give a lot of financial aid.

[Anonymous]

We left for 9th this year.

It is a perfectly fine school. No school is perfect. Each have its problems and each have its strengths. SSFS’ challenges are why 100+ kids left before the closing announcement. Then another 150 left after, leaving them
In the situation they are in now.

I am hopeful they will rebuild. But I don’t think it helps future recruitment to sound so Pollyanna, calling the school “magical” and the like.

[Anonymous]

This tuition is fully in range with DC area privates. Its less than Burke or Field. Its also less than Abingdon Friends in the Philly area and only $5K more than Baltimore Friends.

We are a FA family and the school has been very generous to us; far more than other schools where DC was accepted.

The school is rebuilding its numbers and the year is going great. Great leadership and great energy around campus. The kids and families and staff who stayed are all in and working together to build back better than ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This tuition is fully in range with DC area privates. Its less than Burke or Field. Its also less than Abingdon Friends in the Philly area and only $5K more than Baltimore Friends.

We are a FA family and the school has been very generous to us; far more than other schools where DC was accepted.

The school is rebuilding its numbers and the year is going great. Great leadership and great energy around campus. The kids and families and staff who stayed are all in and working together to build back better than ever.

Be honest. What is your HHI and how much aid did u get? How much do u pay?

Because 10k a year FA sounds generous but is really not if tuition is 45k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left for 9th this year.

It is a perfectly fine school. No school is perfect. Each have its problems and each have its strengths. SSFS’ challenges are why 100+ kids left before the closing announcement. Then another 150 left after, leaving them
In the situation they are in now.

I am hopeful they will rebuild. But I don’t think it helps future recruitment to sound so Pollyanna, calling the school “magical” and the like.

Well, if the school feels magical to a kid or family then so be it. That's not "pollyanna", it's how someone feels. Obviously, you feel different as you make clear on every SSFS forum you hop to. So be it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This tuition is fully in range with DC area privates. Its less than Burke or Field. Its also less than Abingdon Friends in the Philly area and only $5K more than Baltimore Friends.

We are a FA family and the school has been very generous to us; far more than other schools where DC was accepted.

The school is rebuilding its numbers and the year is going great. Great leadership and great energy around campus. The kids and families and staff who stayed are all in and working together to build back better than ever.

That’s the point. SSFS isn’t Burke or Field or any Friends school you mentioned at the moment. It’s not even Good Counsel, Bullis, or SAES. So how do you get families to pay that much given everything that has happened? I’m asking as someone seriously considering this school for my kid. Convince me why I should pay this much to send my child there. Tuition will likely go up again. If you’re trying to rebuild wouldn’t you lower tuition to get families to join since your essential saying trust is why we rebuild and figure this out. Why should I trust a school that closed in the middle of the school year for my kid and pay over 45 k for that?

[Anonymous]

The school should consider enrollment incentives in the form of a one time grant (10k) or increase FA to get families in the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school should consider enrollment incentives in the form of a one time grant (10k) or increase FA to get families in the door.

I agree! Lower tuition to get more in the door. I admittedly am not a finance person but unless I'm completely naive wouldn't the higher enrollment offset the lowered tuition anyway? I mean, if you charged 5 families the full price, the school would have 225K from those 5 families. But if you charged 10 families 32K, the school would have 332K and 5 additional families. I say lower the tuition and get the enrollment up.

[Anonymous]

A lot of families would have stayed if they did this as well. The enrollment deposit also wasn’t in likes with other schools. The should change this policy as well if you want families to come.