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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have heard that O'Connell's scores are brought down vs. Ireton b/c O'Connell accepts more kids with mild or greater learning disabilities, but that for the middle/top kids there's not a big difference.  I have a kids with mild LD's and I am looking at O'Connell for the future.[/quote] O'Connell parent here - the school does a GREAT job for the kids with learning disabilities. DS has grade school friends who are in the Muller program and says "it's not a big deal" that they are in the program (by which he means, no one thinks less of them and they are fully integrated into the school). Their parents are thrilled that for the first time (this is a quote) "the school focuses on what they can do, not what they can't do" - and formerly struggling kids are thriving, achieving honors and even in some cases excelling in AP classes. DS had the opportunity to go to several of the bigger-name Catholic boys' schools in the area, on merit scholarship, and chose O'Connell because the co-ed atmosphere was the most fun, friendly, and engaging, and he could take the same classes at O'Connell as at the other schools. He is in the top 10% of his class (estimated - they don't rank), is plenty challenged with a wide range of honors and AP courses, has participated in a varsity sport since 9th grade, and has grown tremendously. I don't worry about overall scores since he's thriving and doing so well, but I'm proud that the school supports kids with a range of abilities and from a really diverse set of backgrounds.

(BTW, Ireton may have a similar program - I am just not that familiar with the school.)[/quote]

We picked O'Connell for our student athlete son even though both Gonzaga and Meret pursued us. My student is a very strong athlete in two sports, speaks two languages and have had all honors classes with one exception. We didn't choose Gonzaga because of the single sex aspect. We couldn't afford Meret without financial aid. We thought it was strange that a recruiter would pursue us and then tell us to apply for aid if the price tag was to big. We didn't think what they had to offer was that much greater than O'Connell. Our DC had been in a top prep school in the UK, we didn't feel any of the school here offered what we were used to. We visited and picked O'Connell for things other than just sports and academies. We were impressed with the school community in general. We've had experience with a broad spectrum of schools from different countries, we are satisfied with what O'Connell has to offer. Test scores and peoples' perception is not enough to sway me in school decisions. You have to trust what your child is made of and his resolve to reach his destination.  [/quote]

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