Reply to Looking into St. Andrew's Episcopal in Potomac for HS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nice school,  but not worth that price tag.

It's a safety for rich Potomac families whose kids don't have the academic chops to get onto St Albans, etc[/quote]

Snobby Nonsense from someone who appears to confuse children with static status symbols rather than people with vibrant needs. Our DC flourished there and graduated in top 1% of country according to AP and SAT/ ACT results. Now in a top PhD program. SAES was our first choice. It has dedicated teaching staff who are trained in reaching different types of learners and has a lot of emphasis on happiness, kindness and respect. The latter EQ actually helps many students to do better academically - even though that is only one part of learning. [/quote]

I love the sound of St Andrew's! I wish I could find that type of school for our DC who will soon be applying to high school in Boston.
Would you say the emphasis on student happiness is an Episcopalian school value (ie could one expect a similar vibe at other Episcopalian schools?) or natural byproduct of school's understanding of neuroscience and neurodiversity?[/quote]

Not sure because the two leading Washington Diocese  Episcopalian schools in DC  (National Cathedral and St Albans) have reputations as snobby pressure cookers. However, many other Episcopal schools seem to have Episcopal welcoming values. St Andrew’s was started by Episcopal parents several decades ago as a bit of an alternative Washington Diocesan School that would Embrace diverse learners.
 The heavy emphasis on neuroscience informed teaching (that can become too jargon ladden at times) probably
Evolved out of the original mission but makes good use of more recent extensive research into neuro diversity and learning.  [/quote]

Some folks sound defensive that the school has a background or is known as a place that helps neurodiverse learners as though that’s a bad thing.  Now maybe it’s not that way NOW but it was known to be that way 20 or more years ago. I had good friends who attended. They did not have learning issues themselves so it was t 100% for neurodiverse learners but the school was thought to have been created with that in mind. [/quote]

This is misinformation. St Andrew’s was founded to teach in the manner of the episcopal education model and serve as an alternate to the more establishment area episcopal schools. In the process admission included a broader range of learners, but only because there was demand and capacity, not because their mission specifically referenced it. SAES is not a school like McLean, designed and with a specific mission to help such learners. Over time St. Andrew’s developed a reputation for such, but it was not based on strategic intention. Now unfortunately the reputation is broadly enough held that occasionally families end up at SAES with kids with needs greater than the school can accommodate. That becomes a recipe for disaster. There is a whole contingent of kids who started at SAES and ended up at McLean, Sienna, and other schools.

St. Andrew’s is a lovey school - a terrific alternative to the more competitive programs. [b]However not every student is a match for SAES and the school too often leaves families to figure this out on their own - which really is a disservice.  [/quote][/b]

OP here, thank you all for your input. Based on this last post, then how do we know our child is a good fit? We are thinking for next Fall '22 for 9th grade with the idea to do all high school years in one school. Thank you![/quote]

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