It depends on the severity of the dyslexia etc. Burke can be a great place for kids who are bright and have mild LDs - e.g., they do fine as long as they are in small classes, get some personal attention, etc. But Burke is not equipped to help kids who need more than very minor accommodations (such as 50% extra time on tests). For a child with more serious LDs, you need a school like Lab or Sienna.

What we like about Burke is that it consciously strives to have lots of different kinds of kids. It is racially and socio-economically much more diverse than most DC privates. (Higher percentage of kids on scholarships than any other school). There are super high achievers who go on to Ivy League-type schools and other kids who go off to less well known colleges. It creates what feels to us like a much healthier atmosphere than at most DC privates. Less competition, less pressure, more of a sense that everyone is different and kids have different strengths and priorities and that’s truly okay.

Anonymous wrote:We plan to look at Burke, Field, Lab and St. Andres for our bright, dyslexic, ADHD daughter for 7th grade. She's a great kid and teachers always love her.

If the dyslexia and ADHD are prompting you to look into private schools, I’d focus on Lab and add Siena to the list. (Depending on where you live Jemicy or Summit School.) We’re at Lab and know kids who came from some of the schools you listed b/c they couldn’t address the dyslexia.

Have friends at Burke whose kids aren’t dyslexic and they love it.

My DD sounds like yours, PP. She is very bright but works rather slowly. She has been doing very well at Burke, and is much more engaged than in her previous school. She's in 10th grade. Does not seem very cliquish. She has a small group of close friends but also seems to be on good terms with most kids. She often has a free period and gets a lot of homework done then. Overall she says she feels that she had more homework in middle school!

Looking at Burke for HS for my daughter. How heavy is the workload - amount of homework nightly? Are there a lot of girl cliques - popular vs. not as popular groups? Does Burke work for a kid who is bright but is slower at getting work done?

PP 18:20, where did you preppy/sporty child enroll? We are interested in Bruke for DS as he is also very sporty and preppy we are wondering if it would be a good fit. Thanks.

Our mildly dyslexic middle school kid loves Burke and the hands on learning activities that are pervasive in all classes. He has benefited from the one-to-one ipad program and the small class size so he gets a lot of attention. The faculty there really seem to "get" this age group and appreciate each kid's individual strengths. It's been a wonderful place for our family.

DS was accepted to Burke a few years ago. We absolutely loved the school but declined due to a lack of FA. DS has an LD and we were impressed by their thoroughness in determining whether they could accommodate him. They actually asked to see his IEP. With that said, they don't provide any intervention for LD so your child would need to be able to keep up with the workload and get help outside of school. We were impressed with the teachers we met, the HOS, the arts program, the progressive approach, and the emphasis on social action.

Find it hard to believe McLean school in Potomac would move away from SN supports,guess it depends how severe. They have always had broad bandwidth...

Burke is a lovely school that does a great job at preparing kids for the future. I think the administration st the school Is excellent, especially the head of school who is very engaged and really connects with the students. My kid is super preppy/sporty and felt another school was a better fit socially, but I came away from the admissions process with a great opinion of Burke.

I have a friend whose dc goes to Edmund Burke. The dc is very dyslexic and extremely bright. They love the school.

Anonymous wrote:We plan to look at Burke, Field, Lab and St. Andres for our bright, dyslexic, ADHD daughter for 7th grade. She's a great kid and teachers always love her.

Inattentive or combined? It seems to make a difference in admissions.

The Lab School is only for students with LDs. Burke, Field and SAES sometimes accommodate kids with mild LDs, depending on the situation. I have kids at two of those schools, and they are warm, inclusive environments, but academically rigorous and expect a lot from their students. If you are looking at Lab, you might want to look at Commonwealth, Sienna, and maybe McLean, although I hear they are moving away from their SN supports.

St. Andrews I meant

Sorry Op here, I know quite a bit about all the abi e schools other than Burke. Insights welcome! Thanks!

We plan to look at Burke, Field, Lab and St. Andres for our bright, dyslexic, ADHD daughter for 7th grade. She's a great kid and teachers always love her.