Anonymous
05/08/2026 16:47
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Anonymous wrote:I think the 25-30% is similar. What’s not similar is the precipitous drop-off of the other 75% that the PP didn’t share.
How would you know about a “drop-off” if the PP “didn’t share” it?
Anonymous
05/08/2026 16:42
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
I think the 25-30% is similar. What’s not similar is the precipitous drop-off of the other 75% that the PP didn’t share.
Anonymous
05/08/2026 16:38
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
I think the implication in the earlier post either college results is that the school’s outcomes are similar to those of STA/GDS/Sidwell etc, in that the top third go to the country’s most competitive colleges, middle third go to more accessible but still very strong colleges, and the bottom third go to easier admits (Big 10 or SEC schools, for example).
35-40 in a graduating class is very typical.
35-40 in a graduating class is very typical.
Anonymous
05/08/2026 15:03
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
So the top 25% got into competitive schools - that’s terrific for them (everything from Morehouse down on your list are totally good schools but not particularly competitive admits). And only 35 in the graduating class? I knew the school was small but is it having enrollment issues?
Anonymous
05/08/2026 13:05
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Anonymous wrote:I've long been to connected to the school and will admit to being a bit of an apologist for the place--I just think it's fabulous. And so when I saw this year's graduating class college results, I felt the need to share them, in effort to push back on the notion that somehow Abbey boys don't get into colleges that reflect the strong academic experience the school provides, which, in my experience, seems to be a widespread notion on this site, but one which I think is misinformed.
These graduating seniors (35 in the class) are headed to Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell (multiple), Notre Dame, Chicago, Navy, Duke, Boston College (multiple), Middlebury, Morehouse, Trinity-Dublin, Toronto, McGill, Lafayette, among other great options, public and private, small and large, well-establishedand lesser known. And, importantly, as far as I know, not a single applicant received the benefit of being a recruited athlete.
No school is perfect, of course, but the notion that the school's college outcomes aren't impressive, year after year, simply is not true in my experience and association with the school. It may not have the wealthy and powerful clientele of its NW DC peers, or perhaps the D-I caliber athletes of the WCAC, or the name-brand that so many crave, but it is an outstanding school, and certainly, in my opinion, the best school east of Rock Creek.
They are clearly punching above their weight. NE families with suitable boys are fortunate to have this option. Wish there was a similar NE option for girls…
Anonymous
05/08/2026 12:15
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
I've long been to connected to the school and will admit to being a bit of an apologist for the place--I just think it's fabulous. And so when I saw this year's graduating class college results, I felt the need to share them, in effort to push back on the notion that somehow Abbey boys don't get into colleges that reflect the strong academic experience the school provides, which, in my experience, seems to be a widespread notion on this site, but one which I think is misinformed.
These graduating seniors (35 in the class) are headed to Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell (multiple), Notre Dame, Chicago, Navy, Duke, Boston College (multiple), Middlebury, Morehouse, Trinity-Dublin, Toronto, McGill, Lafayette, among other great options, public and private, small and large, well-establishedand lesser known. And, importantly, as far as I know, not a single applicant received the benefit of being a recruited athlete.
No school is perfect, of course, but the notion that the school's college outcomes aren't impressive, year after year, simply is not true in my experience and association with the school. It may not have the wealthy and powerful clientele of its NW DC peers, or perhaps the D-I caliber athletes of the WCAC, or the name-brand that so many crave, but it is an outstanding school, and certainly, in my opinion, the best school east of Rock Creek.
These graduating seniors (35 in the class) are headed to Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell (multiple), Notre Dame, Chicago, Navy, Duke, Boston College (multiple), Middlebury, Morehouse, Trinity-Dublin, Toronto, McGill, Lafayette, among other great options, public and private, small and large, well-establishedand lesser known. And, importantly, as far as I know, not a single applicant received the benefit of being a recruited athlete.
No school is perfect, of course, but the notion that the school's college outcomes aren't impressive, year after year, simply is not true in my experience and association with the school. It may not have the wealthy and powerful clientele of its NW DC peers, or perhaps the D-I caliber athletes of the WCAC, or the name-brand that so many crave, but it is an outstanding school, and certainly, in my opinion, the best school east of Rock Creek.
Anonymous
12/12/2025 12:40
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Anonymous wrote:The transition was relatively easy on the social front. SAAS hosted a whole-school summer event in July, pre-season sports practice began in early August, and fall musical workshops occurred in August and September. DS had no issues meeting peers before school started. SAAS also has a cool house system -- think Hogwarts -- and the houses compete every week against each other. SAAS also sponsors a lot of social activities, like movie nights and dances. The academic transition for new students can be harder -- it is a rigorous school (but the kids are not cutthroat, uber competitive with each other). It took DS a few weeks to become accustomed to the workload and expectations. But honestly, because there are so many assignments and assessments, not one of them counts for too much in the grand scheme of things. In contrast, DD attends a non-parochial private, and while rigorous, there are far fewer assessments, which means that individual grades on those are more important. Ironically, at SAAS, the rigor makes each assessment less stressful. Counterintuitive, but just my observation.
Super helpful! Thanks!
Anonymous
12/12/2025 12:24
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
About a 1/3 of freshman at SAAS are new to the school. My kid joined SAAS during Covid, and even then the school made a lot of efforts to welcome students.
The toughest thing is the academics, in that it is so many classes to manage. And your student will have to muscle through non-preferred subjects and teachers. But the kids learn to keep at it.
Academic and emotional support for students is not great. Teachers have great support from administration to grade and teach as they see fit. It keeps good teachers there. Your student and family will be the one adapting. But I found this a benefit of the school in teaching my son to adapt to circumstances.
The toughest thing is the academics, in that it is so many classes to manage. And your student will have to muscle through non-preferred subjects and teachers. But the kids learn to keep at it.
Academic and emotional support for students is not great. Teachers have great support from administration to grade and teach as they see fit. It keeps good teachers there. Your student and family will be the one adapting. But I found this a benefit of the school in teaching my son to adapt to circumstances.
Anonymous
12/10/2025 18:45
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
The transition was relatively easy on the social front. SAAS hosted a whole-school summer event in July, pre-season sports practice began in early August, and fall musical workshops occurred in August and September. DS had no issues meeting peers before school started. SAAS also has a cool house system -- think Hogwarts -- and the houses compete every week against each other. SAAS also sponsors a lot of social activities, like movie nights and dances. The academic transition for new students can be harder -- it is a rigorous school (but the kids are not cutthroat, uber competitive with each other). It took DS a few weeks to become accustomed to the workload and expectations. But honestly, because there are so many assignments and assessments, not one of them counts for too much in the grand scheme of things. In contrast, DD attends a non-parochial private, and while rigorous, there are far fewer assessments, which means that individual grades on those are more important. Ironically, at SAAS, the rigor makes each assessment less stressful. Counterintuitive, but just my observation.
Anonymous
12/10/2025 11:58
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Can you tell me about your transition into SAAS at 9th grade? How does the school incorporate new students?
Anonymous
12/10/2025 10:15
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
We are a new family to SAAS. DS is a new Form III (9th grade) student. It is a great education and a really nice community. The rapid growth in DS's executive functioning and maturity in only a few months is stunning. And the school is truly diverse, both in terms of race and socio-economic status.
Anonymous
12/09/2025 15:19
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
St. Anselm's is a popular applicant choice among the boys at our K-8 this year, and though it's a small sample size, I've heard similar things from friends at other schools. More popular than in recent years.
Anonymous
10/10/2025 11:15
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Anonymous wrote:For parents of current and former SAAS students: I think my son might be a good fit for the school, but he is in early elementary at a DC public school still. What can I help do to prepare him for SAAS? We don't have a lot of money for tutoring schools, unfortunately.
Read a lot! That more than anything else will help. Go to library. No need to buy books. If you’re a good reader, all the humanities will fall into place. As for math, develop critical thinking skills. Logic puzzles.
Anonymous
10/10/2025 05:36
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
For parents of current and former SAAS students: I think my son might be a good fit for the school, but he is in early elementary at a DC public school still. What can I help do to prepare him for SAAS? We don't have a lot of money for tutoring schools, unfortunately.
Anonymous
10/03/2025 17:49
Subject: St. Anselm's Abbey High School
Anonymous wrote:Funny story about SAAS and my DS. He was a mid Abbey student and an active but mid Abbey athlete. Abbey got him into a Top 20 LAC not mentioned so far in this thread. It’s D3 and he became a mid athlete (different sport than SAAS) in college that managed to compete in two D3 NCAA playoffs with his team. His teammates had a minor league pipeline into a major tech company. DS was ultimately recruited by TechCo and has had an enjoyable five year career there despite a hyper competitive culture. When asked, DS credits SAAS for his success.
Congrats on raising a rugger!