St. Andrew's mainstream or seen as good place for slight LDs?

[Anonymous]

My daughter recently asked if we could look in to St. Andrew's for high school. We know a few families whose children are there now and a few that have graduated. Most of them loved it, commenting that it is a warm community and the teachers are wonderful. Multiple of them also commented that it was a pretty small school that did feel limited socially. They seem to have pretty good college placements, so there is that, but there also seem to be a large number of students that are seen as awkward and viewed as non-traditional learners. While I do love that there isn't a homogeneous crowd, I'm concerned that the relatively small size of the school mixed with the greater number of awkward kids might make it feel as if it is a special needs school and that my more traditional kid will be frustrated in that situation. I will say that when I mention she may apply there, about half of the people I tell are surprised because she is incredibly bright and they believe it to be for children with learning issues, similar to Burke or Field. Is this all completely off base?

[Anonymous]

Burke is not a school for kids with LDs. It can accommodate kids with some minor LDs, but no more than any other independent. I've had kids at both SAES and Burke and they are night and day academically and socially.
- Current Burke parent

[Anonymous]

If you think that kids with learning disabilities are too awkward or otherwise not good enough for your daughter, you should probably stay away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke is not a school for kids with LDs. It can accommodate kids with some minor LDs, but no more than any other independent. I've had kids at both SAES and Burke and they are night and day academically and socially.
- Current Burke parent

Was your experience at St Andrews not good academically or socially? - Curious bcse I too am looking for HS.

[Anonymous]

Have her shadow at each for a day and then discuss. She's in HS so it should be more about what she likes at the school she goes to rather than what the parents think. The only way to really see if she'd fit is to shadow with her current grade with the realization that there will be many new students entering in 9th so the vibe could change somewhat.

All privates including the big 3 have kids with mild LDs including Burke. Lots of kids get diagnosed at varying times with LDs. Ours is at one of the schools listed and wasn't diagnosed until after he was there. It hasn't been a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Burke is not a school for kids with LDs. It can accommodate kids with some minor LDs, but no more than any other independent. I've had kids at both SAES and Burke and they are night and day academically and socially.
- Current Burke parent

Was your experience at St Andrews not good academically or socially? - Curious bcse I too am looking for HS.

Just really different, that's all. My DD who graduated SAES loved it, and my current HS kid at Burke loves Burke. Different approaches to learning, different social scene, etc. Burke is a very progressive school and follows that model whereas SAES is much more traditional. It's about fit. (And btw - Burke and Field are not equivalent.) So definitely do the tours and figure out what feels right for you and your child. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter recently asked if we could look in to St. Andrew's for high school. We know a few families whose children are there now and a few that have graduated. Most of them loved it, commenting that it is a warm community and the teachers are wonderful. Multiple of them also commented that it was a pretty small school that did feel limited socially. They seem to have pretty good college placements, so there is that, but there also seem to be a large number of students that are seen as awkward and viewed as non-traditional learners. While I do love that there isn't a homogeneous crowd, I'm concerned that the relatively small size of the school mixed with the greater number of awkward kids might make it feel as if it is a special needs school and that my more traditional kid will be frustrated in that situation. I will say that when I mention she may apply there, about half of the people I tell are surprised because she is incredibly bright and they believe it to be for children with learning issues, similar to Burke or Field. Is this all completely off base?

There is so much wrong with this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter recently asked if we could look in to St. Andrew's for high school. We know a few families whose children are there now and a few that have graduated. Most of them loved it, commenting that it is a warm community and the teachers are wonderful. Multiple of them also commented that it was a pretty small school that did feel limited socially. They seem to have pretty good college placements, so there is that, but there also seem to be a large number of students that are seen as awkward and viewed as non-traditional learners. While I do love that there isn't a homogeneous crowd, I'm concerned that the relatively small size of the school mixed with the greater number of awkward kids might make it feel as if it is a special needs school and that my more traditional kid will be frustrated in that situation. I will say that when I mention she may apply there, about half of the people I tell are surprised because she is incredibly bright and they believe it to be for children with learning issues, similar to Burke or Field. Is this all completely off base?

There is so much wrong with this post.

It's one of the most offensive posts I've read on this forum, and that's saying a lot.

[Anonymous]

It is not a school for LD. As an alum of SAES, I can tell you that the vast majority of students do not have LD and I was among them. I am a private school parent now and having toured many schools, the majority of schools today expect to accommodate some level of learning issues because it is much better diagnosed today and because it is known that there are many bright kids who have mild learning issues. More teachers are trained in how to help mild LD. In fact, to say it the other way, I cannot think of a single school that we visited (here in DC) that didn't provide assistance to some level of LD. We do not live near SAES now otherwise it is where I would have wanted to send both of my kids and both are not-LD and according to their WISCs are gifted.

So yes, you will find some LD kids at St. Andrew's as you will almost anywhere. But for more challenging issues, St. Andrew's will not be the best place and doesn't try to be.

It is more traditional than Field or Burke and thus attracts more traditional children and families. That said, it has an incredible arts program. It has good sports but does not have football. Football is a size driver because schools need more kids to field a football team. St. Andrew's keeps its high school classes to about 75. That is not big enough to field football and soccer. But it was plenty big enough for a decent social scene. It has fantastic teachers, many of whom have been there since the 1980s and 1990s.

I think of it is a liberal version of the Cathedral Close schools. It is Episcopal like those schools but it is Co-ed, mostly no uniform and generally less aggressively competitive. It has always enrolled the children of elite families but flew under the radar because, being only 40 years old, had less cache. For years, it was the Episcopal high school option for families who lived in Maryland or McLean/Great Falls and did not want to deal with driving into DC.

I cannot speak highly enough of the school and as I toured schools for my children, I knew I was comparing the schools to SAES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not a school for LD. As an alum of SAES, I can tell you that the vast majority of students do not have LD and I was among them. I am a private school parent now and having toured many schools, the majority of schools today expect to accommodate some level of learning issues because it is much better diagnosed today and because it is known that there are many bright kids who have mild learning issues. More teachers are trained in how to help mild LD. In fact, to say it the other way, I cannot think of a single school that we visited (here in DC) that didn't provide assistance to some level of LD. We do not live near SAES now otherwise it is where I would have wanted to send both of my kids and both are not-LD and according to their WISCs are gifted.

So yes, you will find some LD kids at St. Andrew's as you will almost anywhere. But for more challenging issues, St. Andrew's will not be the best place and doesn't try to be.

It is more traditional than Field or Burke and thus attracts more traditional children and families. That said, it has an incredible arts program. It has good sports but does not have football. Football is a size driver because schools need more kids to field a football team. St. Andrew's keeps its high school classes to about 75. That is not big enough to field football and soccer. But it was plenty big enough for a decent social scene. It has fantastic teachers, many of whom have been there since the 1980s and 1990s.

I think of it is a liberal version of the Cathedral Close schools. It is Episcopal like those schools but it is Co-ed, mostly no uniform and generally less aggressively competitive. It has always enrolled the children of elite families but flew under the radar because, being only 40 years old, had less cache. For years, it was the Episcopal high school option for families who lived in Maryland or McLean/Great Falls and did not want to deal with driving into DC.

I cannot speak highly enough of the school and as I toured schools for my children, I knew I was comparing the schools to SAES.

Our daughter is a senior at St. Andrew's and this post captures so much of what we love about the school. I would only add that the school's inclusive culture, emphasis on respect for the individual, and excellent faculty make it a true gem among the many schools in this area. We have an older child who graduated from Sidwell, and I would compare St. Andrew's favorably to Sidwell in many respects. St. Andrew's offers students of a wide range of academic abilities plentiful opportunities to stretch themselves without the anxious, hypercompetitive atmosphere that we see too much of in this area. For our child, that has been a gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is not a school for LD. As an alum of SAES, I can tell you that the vast majority of students do not have LD and I was among them. I am a private school parent now and having toured many schools, the majority of schools today expect to accommodate some level of learning issues because it is much better diagnosed today and because it is known that there are many bright kids who have mild learning issues. More teachers are trained in how to help mild LD. In fact, to say it the other way, I cannot think of a single school that we visited (here in DC) that didn't provide assistance to some level of LD. We do not live near SAES now otherwise it is where I would have wanted to send both of my kids and both are not-LD and according to their WISCs are gifted.

So yes, you will find some LD kids at St. Andrew's as you will almost anywhere. But for more challenging issues, St. Andrew's will not be the best place and doesn't try to be.

It is more traditional than Field or Burke and thus attracts more traditional children and families. That said, it has an incredible arts program. It has good sports but does not have football. Football is a size driver because schools need more kids to field a football team. St. Andrew's keeps its high school classes to about 75. That is not big enough to field football and soccer. But it was plenty big enough for a decent social scene. It has fantastic teachers, many of whom have been there since the 1980s and 1990s.

I think of it is a liberal version of the Cathedral Close schools. It is Episcopal like those schools but it is Co-ed, mostly no uniform and generally less aggressively competitive. It has always enrolled the children of elite families but flew under the radar because, being only 40 years old, had less cache. For years, it was the Episcopal high school option for families who lived in Maryland or McLean/Great Falls and did not want to deal with driving into DC.

I cannot speak highly enough of the school and as I toured schools for my children, I knew I was comparing the schools to SAES.

Our daughter is a senior at St. Andrew's and this post captures so much of what we love about the school. I would only add that the school's inclusive culture, emphasis on respect for the individual, and excellent faculty make it a true gem among the many schools in this area. We have an older child who graduated from Sidwell, and I would compare St. Andrew's favorably to Sidwell in many respects. St. Andrew's offers students of a wide range of academic abilities plentiful opportunities to stretch themselves without the anxious, hypercompetitive atmosphere that we see too much of in this area. For our child, that has been a gift.

+1 with a junior at SAES. A gem of a school for our family.

[Anonymous]

St. Andrew's seems like the perfect place for my daughter. Does anyone know the acceptance rate for 9th? I know they about double the class size from 8th to 9th, adding over 40 kids, but do they turn very many away? (Not sure if I've ever heard of anyone that was not accepted.)

[Anonymous]

They do. I know applications are up but I don’t remember the percentage. You can ask them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. Andrew's seems like the perfect place for my daughter. Does anyone know the acceptance rate for 9th? I know they about double the class size from 8th to 9th, adding over 40 kids, but do they turn very many away? (Not sure if I've ever heard of anyone that was not accepted.)

I know two boys who were waitlisted last year for 9th. Girls might have an advantage.

[Anonymous]

From what I've seen (and we've been part of 5 schools at this point), St. Andrew's has about the same percentage of kids with mild LDs as any of its most competitive peer schools (outside of those that specialize in LDs). I think that people keep confusing our teaching center for some kind of educational support center. It's not. It trains teachers how to implement research findings about the science of learning.