St. Albans (Boarding) vs. Episcopal High School

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[Post New]04/10/2025 21:57
Anonymous
I think there are less than a half-dozen to a dozen international students in the STA dorm. Most of the people living there are DC suburbs or exurbs--not internationals. In fact one knock against the boarding there is that the weekends are quite dull--the majority of kids leave for the weekends to stay with parents, leaving only the international kids on campus.
[Post New]04/10/2025 22:05
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My son will be a boarder at either STA or Episcopal High School. We are from the Atlanta area. I am not sure which to go for. STA is more academically prestigious and likely to help him in college admissions. But they only have one dorm, and it doesn't seem that nice. It's also dominated by international applicants. EHS seems like a much nicer place to be a boarder, but it doesn't have the academic reputation that STA has. Do you have any advice?


You pretty much summed it up. Do you want your son to go to a top-notch academic school with cramped plain-Jane dorms? Or do you want your son to attend a mediocre school with fantastic facilities?


This. I’ve lived in dc for 50 years and I’ve never heard of anyone boarding at st albans. Did you look at Georgetown prep?


I went to NCS in the 90s and there were boarders at STA, including some DC natives. I don’t know how many there are now. I live near EHS and it is beautiful and would be a more traditional experience since there are a higher percentage of boarders and it is only 9-12 (at least I think it’s still 9-12?).
[Post New]04/10/2025 23:26
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:You are wrong. I challenge you to look at EHS college acceptances for 2025 on Insta -- much better than STA (which I know is not on Insta). And yes, EHS has WAY more activities and better facilities and better teachers (their teachers are given free housing in houses on campus).
https://www.instagram.com/ehs2025collegedecisions/



Uh, huh. You know that EHS has much better college acceptances than STA when you don’t have any info on STA’s college acceptances. Bless your heart.
[Post New]04/11/2025 00:11
Anonymous
How did it come down to these two choices? I would have thought if your kid could get into STA, he would have had a good chance at St Andrews, Laurenceville, etc. - strong academically but better boarding experience than STA. Does he want to be in DC for some reason?

Obviously STA is better academically.

Has he visited both? Did he enjoy one more socially than the other?

I would think he'd fit in better at Episcopal, coming from Atlanta.

But STA is definitely academically stronger.
[Post New]04/11/2025 01:00
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:How did it come down to these two choices? I would have thought if your kid could get into STA, he would have had a good chance at St Andrews, Laurenceville, etc. - strong academically but better boarding experience than STA. Does he want to be in DC for some reason?

Obviously STA is better academically.

Has he visited both? Did he enjoy one more socially than the other?

I would think he'd fit in better at Episcopal, coming from Atlanta.

But STA is definitely academically stronger.


This is what inquiring minds want to know!
[Post New]04/13/2025 12:07
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How did it come down to these two choices? I would have thought if your kid could get into STA, he would have had a good chance at St Andrews, Laurenceville, etc. - strong academically but better boarding experience than STA. Does he want to be in DC for some reason?

Obviously STA is better academically.

Has he visited both? Did he enjoy one more socially than the other?

I would think he'd fit in better at Episcopal, coming from Atlanta.

But STA is definitely academically stronger.


This is what inquiring minds want to know!


Bump. What is the profile of a domestic student who boards at STA?
[Post New]04/13/2025 17:28
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My son will be a boarder at either STA or Episcopal High School. We are from the Atlanta area. I am not sure which to go for. STA is more academically prestigious and likely to help him in college admissions. But they only have one dorm, and it doesn't seem that nice. It's also dominated by international applicants. EHS seems like a much nicer place to be a boarder, but it doesn't have the academic reputation that STA has. Do you have any advice?


You pretty much summed it up. Do you want your son to go to a top-notch academic school with cramped plain-Jane dorms? Or do you want your son to attend a mediocre school with fantastic facilities?


This. I’ve lived in dc for 50 years and I’ve never heard of anyone boarding at st albans. Did you look at Georgetown prep?


How’d you manage that?
[Post New]04/13/2025 19:43
Anonymous
Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.
[Post New]04/13/2025 20:59
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.


This is true. If your son is a strong student, he will excel at Episcopal and likely have a much better boarding school experience.

- STA parent
[Post New]04/13/2025 21:08
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.


This is true. If your son is a strong student, he will excel at Episcopal and likely have a much better boarding school experience.

- STA parent


What types of students board at STA then if it’s so substandard
[Post New]04/13/2025 21:15
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My son will be a boarder at either STA or Episcopal High School. We are from the Atlanta area. I am not sure which to go for. STA is more academically prestigious and likely to help him in college admissions. But they only have one dorm, and it doesn't seem that nice. It's also dominated by international applicants. EHS seems like a much nicer place to be a boarder, but it doesn't have the academic reputation that STA has. Do you have any advice?


You pretty much summed it up. Do you want your son to go to a top-notch academic school with cramped plain-Jane dorms? Or do you want your son to attend a mediocre school with fantastic facilities?


This. I’ve lived in dc for 50 years and I’ve never heard of anyone boarding at st albans. Did you look at Georgetown prep?


I went to NCS in the 90s and there were boarders at STA, including some DC natives. I don’t know how many there are now. I live near EHS and it is beautiful and would be a more traditional experience since there are a higher percentage of boarders and it is only 9-12 (at least I think it’s still 9-12?).

EHS is 100% boarding so would be a much better experience. I grew up here and had a good friend who boarded for a year at STA, only bc he initially only got in as a boarder. He became a day student for the next 3 years. Ask them what percentage of boarders remain boarders, and ask what percent of boarders are not at all local. It used to be a ghost town on weekends. It looked pretty hellish
[Post New]04/13/2025 22:10
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.


This is true. If your son is a strong student, he will excel at Episcopal and likely have a much better boarding school experience.

- STA parent


What types of students board at STA then if it’s so substandard


International students, boys whose families live too far out for a daily commute. There are less than 40 boarders, I think. Not a true boarding school experience compared to other boarding schools where at least 75% of the student body board and stay on campus during the weekends.
[Post New]04/14/2025 10:04
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.


Not true at all. You can in fact walk past the gorgeous buildings where the boys live with tutors in residence.

One is the venerable school getting kids into the Ivies.

The other is a party palace for rich thickies.
[Post New]04/15/2025 11:27
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Episcopal -- the boarding program at STA is basically a hallway of rooms and no robust programming.


Not true at all. You can in fact walk past the gorgeous buildings where the boys live with tutors in residence.

One is the venerable school getting kids into the Ivies.

The other is a party palace for rich thickies.


How competitive is boarding v day?
[Post New]07/30/2025 17:47
jsteele
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