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

[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?

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

Not the poster but Of course only those two types would wonder this. But that doesn’t make this a valid thought. Former parents (and never parents) don’t get why there is an almost cultish following for this school. Obviously those who stay feels its value added. To them it is. Doesn’t mean the others are trolls. They just don’t understand gambling $45K on a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are deliberately misleading. Define "norm" in this case and from what year are you citing this "norm"? You give yourself away as a hater and non affiliate of SSFS. There are plenty of other school forums to gaslight. Try one for the school your kids currently attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Actually was being dead serious. The choice of a school should be data driven - ie using the brain - not emotion driven like falling in love with someone. Telling people to disregard rational thinking is incredibly terrible advice.

[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?

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

Not the poster but Of course only those two types would wonder this. But that doesn’t make this a valid thought. Former parents (and never parents) don’t get why there is an almost cultish following for this school. Obviously those who stay feels its value added. To them it is. Doesn’t mean the others are trolls. They just don’t understand gambling $45K on a school.

Of all the things in the world for you to "not understand" or "not get" - the goings on at SSFS is what you're preoccupied with? Your hyperbole to call us "cultish" is actually an indictment of your own mentality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Actually was being dead serious. The choice of a school should be data driven - ie using the brain - not emotion driven like falling in love with someone. Telling people to disregard rational thinking is incredibly terrible advice.

That's your opinion. The choice of a school can be "driven" by whatever a parent wants to use to make their decision. Many people make choices including about schools and colleges with their "gut" and their "heart". Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are deliberately misleading. Define "norm" in this case and from what year are you citing this "norm"? You give yourself away as a hater and non affiliate of SSFS. There are plenty of other school forums to gaslight. Try one for the school your kids currently attend.

“Norm” is somewhere between 600 and their max capacity of 700. This is literally going off the schools published numbers. Do you think they had to close when they dropped to 460 - which was almost 100 less then their worst case projections of 550 - means 460 was some kind of norm too? And 326 is a norm? The school has hovered in the 600s for a long time that’s why it’s the “norm” why is that gaslighting?

700 is their max capacity. A few years they had hit max capacity. But then dropped to 620 which was closer to their historical norm. 326 is 50% of 652 and which makes it about 50% of the norm. What else can to call it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I think pretty much any parent with a college bound child knows how colleges look at the school profile and rigor and weighs that against their application. How can you NOT know this? I’m not the poster but have a college bound child so this is the application system we know our kids are in. How can you ask such a question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Actually was being dead serious. The choice of a school should be data driven - ie using the brain - not emotion driven like falling in love with someone. Telling people to disregard rational thinking is incredibly terrible advice.

The post you were responding to - mine - was sarcasm, which you seem to have missed, hence my suggestion that you tune your sarcasm meter.

[Anonymous]

I’m a parent at another school. I have been following closely, as I have skin in the game which I would rather keep personal.

That said—emotions are still running high.

To those of you staying at SSFS, there are valid questions being asked. Dismissing anyone who asks a question a troll or hater doesn’t help anyone. And does not reflect well on SSFS patents. It’s probably only a few of you, but step back and reflect on how this looks to the larger independent school community. You can be excited to return AND aware that there are some rational concerns. You can be thrilled and relieved for your children AND acknowledge that the world is changing which means more schools will be in similar situations in the next decade.

Of course people want to know more—they want to know what they should be looking for, given how many SSFS parents said they were blindsided.

It doesn’t mean they are questioning you are saying you’re a fool for staying. Get some perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent at another school. I have been following closely, as I have skin in the game which I would rather keep personal.

That said—emotions are still running high.

To those of you staying at SSFS, there are valid questions being asked. Dismissing anyone who asks a question a troll or hater doesn’t help anyone. And does not reflect well on SSFS patents. It’s probably only a few of you, but step back and reflect on how this looks to the larger independent school community. You can be excited to return AND aware that there are some rational concerns. You can be thrilled and relieved for your children AND acknowledge that the world is changing which means more schools will be in similar situations in the next decade.

Of course people want to know more—they want to know what they should be looking for, given how many SSFS parents said they were blindsided.

It doesn’t mean they are questioning you are saying you’re a fool for staying. Get some perspective.

Valid is a key word. Anyone with a valid question knows better than to ask it here. And obviously you are not actually reading these messages because quite a few posts (albeit likely from the same person) absolutely imply that those of us staying are fools. Your "perspective" is quite skewed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are deliberately misleading. Define "norm" in this case and from what year are you citing this "norm"? You give yourself away as a hater and non affiliate of SSFS. There are plenty of other school forums to gaslight. Try one for the school your kids currently attend.

“Norm” is somewhere between 600 and their max capacity of 700. This is literally going off the schools published numbers. Do you think they had to close when they dropped to 460 - which was almost 100 less then their worst case projections of 550 - means 460 was some kind of norm too? And 326 is a norm? The school has hovered in the 600s for a long time that’s why it’s the “norm” why is that gaslighting?

700 is their max capacity. A few years they had hit max capacity. But then dropped to 620 which was closer to their historical norm. 326 is 50% of 652 and which makes it about 50% of the norm. What else can to call it?

Thank you for this post, rooted in actual facts. When my child started at SSFS 2 years ago, on the website it said there were 690 kids enrolled. At the start of this year, the number on the school’s website was 620. At the first meeting with the interim HOS after closure, she said we were at 495 hence the closure. And now we are at 326.

50% is right. The aggressive and defensive posts are making supporters of the school look bad. My personal opinion is that the posts from parents saying we love the school, we are staying and hoping things will be better eventually, but acknowledge the school will now have a different, very “small school”experience seems honest and actually more compelling to future families.

[Anonymous]

I am a parent of 3 recent-ish graduates (2 were lifers.) I think it’s true that there were major, serious problems with the school culture in the last few years that led to attrition (that exacerbated pre-existing financial vulnerability), plus concerns about the chaotic departure of the former head AND that the school we knew for almost 15 years before that was as a special place and it’s worth preserving/regaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a parent of 3 recent-ish graduates (2 were lifers.) I think it’s true that there were major, serious problems with the school culture in the last few years that led to attrition (that exacerbated pre-existing financial vulnerability), plus concerns about the chaotic departure of the former head AND that the school we knew for almost 15 years before that was as a special place and it’s worth preserving/regaining.

Agreed!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent at another school. I have been following closely, as I have skin in the game which I would rather keep personal.

That said—emotions are still running high.

To those of you staying at SSFS, there are valid questions being asked. Dismissing anyone who asks a question a troll or hater doesn’t help anyone. And does not reflect well on SSFS patents. It’s probably only a few of you, but step back and reflect on how this looks to the larger independent school community. You can be excited to return AND aware that there are some rational concerns. You can be thrilled and relieved for your children AND acknowledge that the world is changing which means more schools will be in similar situations in the next decade.

Of course people want to know more—they want to know what they should be looking for, given how many SSFS parents said they were blindsided.

It doesn’t mean they are questioning you are saying you’re a fool for staying. Get some perspective.

Valid is a key word. Anyone with a valid question knows better than to ask it here. And obviously you are not actually reading these messages because quite a few posts (albeit likely from the same person) absolutely imply that those of us staying are fools. Your "perspective" is quite skewed.

You’re making a lot of assumptions.

You’re also being defensive, which again, is not a great look. Maybe you’re just one person, too? Hard to say what is real here.

We will disagree on what constitutes a valid question. It seems that anyone expressing concern or anything less Han enthusiastic support gets written off.

[Anonymous]

Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.