McLean School in Potomac for Child without LD?

[Anonymous]

Is McLean School essentially a school for children with LD - akin to Lab School -- or is it a place you would send a child without any LD?

[Anonymous]

I just went to the school tour. I don't think it's as focused on LD as Lab, but I think the majority of kids there have some issue for which they need a little bit more attention and tailored instruction. That seemed to be a mix of dyslexia or similar language impairments, ADHD, anxiety, some HFA and some kids with no diagnosis. The impression I got is that a kid with no issues needing special attention would be fine and would also benefit from the individualized attention, but that if you are uncomfortable being around a lot of kids that do have some type of diagnosis, it would not be a good fit.
Would love to hear from current or recent MacLean parents to see if they think my impression is right.

[Anonymous]

A friend w a daughter there told me it was 50/50 but that wasn't my impression when I toured last fall. The middle school presentation just seemed very focused on LD and ADHD and all of the kids I know there have one or both so my guess is most kids have something unless they are there because a sibling is enrolled. I think the kids have milder disabilities than Lab though.

[Anonymous]

When we visited they told us that about a quarter of the student body didn't have any particular LD but were just looking for an environment with some additional individual attention and flexibility.

That said, the first question I was asked upon my visit was what particular issue of DC's was the reason we were looking into McLean. They seemed to assume that anyone investigating their school was dealing with one scholastic problem or another.

[Anonymous]

My kid has no LD or ADHD but has mild anxiety and lacked confidence despite being really bright. McLean has been fantastic for her.

I think they ask about issues in the interview because many people in MoCo, especially, don't consider paying private school tuition unless their child has some kind of learning difference. They also want parents to be completely upfront because they can only handle certain issues and I think they want to eliminate the stigma that many parents worry about.

[Anonymous]

I went there 30 years ago and had mild LD. Graduated law school with honors and now am the most senior lawyer at my company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend w a daughter there told me it was 50/50 but that wasn't my impression when I toured last fall. The middle school presentation just seemed very focused on LD and ADHD and all of the kids I know there have one or both so my guess is most kids have something unless they are there because a sibling is enrolled. I think the kids have milder disabilities than Lab though.

We are in the lower school and that has been our experience as well.

[Anonymous]

If your child has more than mild or moderate learning differences or disabilities, McLean will not be a good fit. They will not be able to support your child. They will simply run out of ideas or strategies.

[Anonymous]

^^and, if your child has no issues and you just want a small learning environment and don't mind quirky kids, then it should be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child has more than mild or moderate learning differences or disabilities, McLean will not be a good fit. They will not be able to support your child. They will simply run out of ideas or strategies.

NP here, but I'd add that if your child has only mild/moderate learning differences but doesn't respond to whatever the "typical" intervention is, McLean also would not be a good fit. They just don't have the flexibility or the depth of experience to be able to try a variety of different strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child has more than mild or moderate learning differences or disabilities, McLean will not be a good fit. They will not be able to support your child. They will simply run out of ideas or strategies.

NP here, but I'd add that if your child has only mild/moderate learning differences but doesn't respond to whatever the "typical" intervention is, McLean also would not be a good fit. They just don't have the flexibility or the depth of experience to be able to try a variety of different strategies.

Did you have a child there?

[Anonymous]

OP here. My child does not have LD (had ed psych testing) but has performed middle of class, and tested very poorly on any standardized test (lowest 25%). We need to figure out/address testing, and added attention/motivation to perform academically. A few other questions about McLean - what is the size of middle school grades (I see only high school numbers) and what is the gender make up -- is it equal or heavily boys? Thank you very much for your insights!!

[Anonymous]

Middle school is the biggest division. It includes grades 5-8. I don't know how many kids there are total, but there are a lot! Grades 5-6 use a homeroom model and 7-8 use an advisory model. Each homeroom or advisory is small. There's a full complement of specialists for the middle school plus one counselor for fifth and sixth grade and another counselor for seventh and eighth grade. To me the middle school seems pretty evenly split between boys and girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child has more than mild or moderate learning differences or disabilities, McLean will not be a good fit. They will not be able to support your child. They will simply run out of ideas or strategies.

NP here, but I'd add that if your child has only mild/moderate learning differences but doesn't respond to whatever the "typical" intervention is, McLean also would not be a good fit. They just don't have the flexibility or the depth of experience to be able to try a variety of different strategies.

Did you have a child there?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child has more than mild or moderate learning differences or disabilities, McLean will not be a good fit. They will not be able to support your child. They will simply run out of ideas or strategies.

NP here, but I'd add that if your child has only mild/moderate learning differences but doesn't respond to whatever the "typical" intervention is, McLean also would not be a good fit. They just don't have the flexibility or the depth of experience to be able to try a variety of different strategies.

Can you say more? And where would you recommend with greater flexibility and depth?