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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have children at both.

My daughter attends Sidwell, boys attend STA.

Admin at STA is night and day stronger than at Sidwell. Sidwell's HOS is very focused on prestige and influence, and gives preferential treatment to the well-connected. So much for Quaker values.

STA boys are encouraged to be supportive of one another, character education is integrated into the curriculum, chapel services where boys lead and speak encourage them to think about values. Sidwell does character education, too, but it seems more focused on wokeness.

Both schools have bright, intense students. Both are high pressure, but STA has more moderating elements. Faculty are very engaged and caring at STA; they are invested in the success of every student.  Sidwell teachers on the whole seem more detached. At Sidwell if a child needs help, it's their job to reach out to the teachers. At STA if a child needs help, the teacher might reach out to the child.

Sidwell students are supportive but they almost seem to glorify suffering and try to outdo each other in all-nighters and other all-out efforts to achieve. STA has highly competitive kids, too, but you're not supposed to show the sweat. The boys are expected to be self-deprecating about achievements and to help others. Bragging about grades is a no-no. Everyone excels in something and they are encouraged to appreciate each others' strengths.

There are some very conservative families at STA. There are some very woke families at Sidwell. The conservative families at STA are quiet about it. The woke families at Sidwell are very loud about it.

Both communities have many normal people who are welcoming. On the whole, politics and wokeness is less in-your-face at STA, because there's an effort to build community across political beliefs, which is not as true at Sidwell. There is more diversity of thought at STA, because there are few conservative families at Sidwell. I'm not sure how comfortable they are at STA either, as the majority of the school despite rumors to the contrary skews moderate and liberal. However, there is a careful restraint at STA around politics, with the exception of a few people on both sides.

College counseling is 1000X better at STA. Read some of the past threads on the DCUM issues with college counseling at Sidwell. It would never have been allowed to deteriorate to that extent at STA, because the school is better managed and the morale among faculty/admin is higher. I've heard STA teachers are the best paid among private schools in the DC area. Most of the teachers seem genuinely happy and that's reflected in their work with the students.

Both schools are excellent schools. As a parent I'm happier with STA. IMO it's better in terms of overall student experience, parent community, and administrative stability and strength. If you send your child to Sidwell, hire a private admissions counselor as soon as your child enters 9th grade.    
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This is incorrect. The conservative families at STA are not quiet about it. There’s no way you’re a parent at STA currently otherwise you would be fully aware that several of the classes have many families that still support Trump. Yes we are friends with several and they openly support Trump and are openly against BLM. Yes openly. Anyone who is currently at the school can attest to this. Maybe not in the class of your boys but in other grades for sure. STA is a great school but it’s not fair to op to lie about the school. It is very conservative and has many families in the same social circles that tend to be quite exclusive to other families. The HOS and admin may be progressive but many families are not.[/quote]

[b]Is the vocal Trump supporting element present in the class of 2025?[/b]

I have heard about it in some other grades.

How is the class of 2025?

[/quote]

Oh for Pete's sake. Of course there are. There are Trump supporters in every school, probably every class - is that a problem for you PP? You do know that Trump got something like 20% of the vote in DC, right? Almost all of that support came from NW DC. Don't act so appalled.

[/quote]

Where did you get those facts? Breibert or Hannity? Biden received over 90 percent of the vote in DC and Trump less than 6%.[/quote]

OK, point taken, I was just throwing out what sounded like a small number. But point remains - wouldn't you assume that the majority of that 6% came from NW DC, where these schools are located and students tend to live?[/quote]

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