Bishop Ireton - Alexandria
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Anonymous
| I have a child there. She is certainly challenged. I'm impressed actually at the level of work she is doing. It is a nice community. The size fits our child's needs perfectly. Not too big but big enough. Lunch can sometimes be tough for her because it can get crowded but they are fixing that with the new build. We like her friends but most importantly she is happy. |
Anonymous
| Our DS loved his shadow day experience and is applying to BI this year. Does anyone know what the typical applicant count and admit rate has been the past couple years? He is very excited about the school, so just trying to get a sense for what his realistic chances are. Thanks in advance. |
Anonymous
| GREAT music program. |
Anonymous
| They are enrolling less kids each year. They shoot for 200 in ninth and accept a lot more than that because so many kids apply to more than one school. I wouldn’t worry about getting in. They have had to lower the academic requirements in recent years due to not having enough kids, so now there are more kids with LD and learning plans. Still lots of excellent students. The teacher pay is so lousy and the health benefits are horrendous, so it’s hard to recruit and keep good teachers. Lots of second career teachers or teachers retired from public schools. Very low teacher morale is an ongoing issue. Many kids are happy there. They lose kids a lot through attrition and a couple just left for drugs. You’ll find that anywhere. |
Anonymous
PP, do you have a current student? I believe there are more than 200 freshman this year! |
Anonymous
I have to think more kids will be applying now that Paul VI is moving so far out. |
Anonymous
| They shoot for 200 per class. They’re under enrollment at less than 800. It’s a problem talked about off and on at Academic Council. They hope to build back up with this new building and STEM stuff, but they are going to struggle to hire qualified teachers to run it correctly. |
Anonymous
That's not how it works. Since it is an Arlington Dioceses school, the first take incoming 8th graders from diocesan schools. The "academic requirements" are passing 8th grade and taking the high school placement test. Next they take Catholics in the dioceses with children attending non-diocesan schools, then Catholic students from other Dioceses, and the same academic requirements apply. Last priority is non-Catholic students. Catholic schools in the dioceses have always had classes geared for students at the lower/remedial level, average college prep level and honors level. In addition their are AP classes. The primary purpose of a Catholic school is to educate students academically and have them live out their faith. Their primary intention is not to get students to the ivy league. In fact, having a student enter the religious life is very highly regarded - more so than an Ivy admission. |
Anonymous
| Bishop Ireton is an independent school in the diocese. They have not always followed the rest of the diocese in terms of procedures. They have had a teacher who does the LD kinds of support, but they used to not take kids with lower test scores. Now they do, because they need enrollment. They got rid of most of the library staff and cut back on maintenance people. They drove out almost all the experienced staff because new teachers cost less. |
Anonymous
| The admissions section of BI’s website refers to a few different merit scholarships that are offered to incoming freshmen with HSPT scores in the 96th percentile or higher: the DeSales (99%), Head of School (98%), and Principals (96-97%) scholarships. Does anyone happen to know how many of each are offered in any given year, or if they are automatically offered to students with HSPT scores in those ranges, provided there are no significant issues with any other portions of their applications that would prevent them from being accepted? |
Anonymous
| They are very limited and typically go to kids coming from Catholic schools. |
Anonymous
Thanks, I was wondering if that might be the case. My son is confirmed Catholic and we are regular parishioners at one of the local Alexandria Catholic Churches, however he does not attend a Catholic middle school. Any current BI parents whose child received one of the merit scholarships despite not attending a Catholic elementary/middle school? Just curious to know if this is a rarity, or if it simply never happens. |
Anonymous
| PP here. If you demonstrate need, good scores and involvement in your parish (not just confirmed) then you should have a shot. But even kids from Catholic schools don’t get them. |
Anonymous
| Aren’t there drug problems at BI? |
Anonymous
| There's drug use in every HS so what exactly is a "drug problem" in your opinion or information? I'm not being snarky - just curious. |