SR is significantly more expensive than St. Johns. Also it’s single sex and students come from more affluent families.

OP - why aren’t you looking at Stone Ridge?

FWIW, a colleague sent his kids to St Johns College HS and was very happy with the results. His kids participated in the athletics, but did not want/seek athletic scholarships for HS or college.

They had a challenging commute and did not have a high HHI, but they prioritized and made the budget and logistics work.

Anonymous wrote:
(I grew up with township publics so no 22 high schools in the same district and 50 elementary schools, etc)

Public Schools in this area likely would be better quality if the school districts were smaller.

Some folks move into Falls Church City (VA) precisely for this reason - small city which is its own school district (Btw, Fairfax and Arlington have made it impossible for new towns or cities to be created inside them, apparently because they fear loss of the sales tax revenue.)

* county public schools

(I grew up with township publics so no 22 high schools in the same district and 50 elementary schools, etc)

I like that everyone is starting at grade 9. True some may know some kids from their parish school or former middle school, but everyone needs to start and make the best of it. That’s the model.

And 250 per grade is a nice sweet spot. Not 600-800 per grade like this areas large country public high schools and not 140 like the smaller independent school grade sizes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it a party school? Seems like one. What about for a pretty intellectual boy who is athletic but also smart? He would prefer a much smaller school but SJC is in our price range.

Think you answered your question.

Indeed!

One thing SJC doesn't have is a small school feel.

It's big, busy, diverse.

It's the opposite of a small school.

That depends on where you're coming from. My child came from MCPS and never felt like SJC was too big.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it a party school? Seems like one. What about for a pretty intellectual boy who is athletic but also smart? He would prefer a much smaller school but SJC is in our price range.

Think you answered your question.

Indeed!

One thing SJC doesn't have is a small school feel.

It's big, busy, diverse.

It's the opposite of a small school.

Anonymous wrote:Is it a party school? Seems like one. What about for a pretty intellectual boy who is athletic but also smart? He would prefer a much smaller school but SJC is in our price range.

Think you answered your question.

What’s a high school party school?

Is it a party school? Seems like one. What about for a pretty intellectual boy who is athletic but also smart? He would prefer a much smaller school but SJC is in our price range.

OP, there are families from all over and plenty of non sporty kids attend, even though the have a strong competitive sports program.. Kids can choose whether to be in the Military or Leadership program. The school values community and service. Take a tour, have your child do a shadow day and you’ll know if it’s a fit or not.

There are a lot of families from close-in montgomery county including Bethesda. There is a shuttle that runs to friendship heights metro so lots of kids metro/bus home (or at least they did pre-covid).

OP - my non-sporty DC is very happy. They have a great Fine Arts program. We commute from Virginia via the school bus system.

Anonymous wrote:Are most of the families in dc or are there families in Bethesda? Do people carpool?

How is the boys soccer team?

Are classes lecture style or experiential at all? It seems old school but I may have the wrong impression.

Of course there are families from Bethesda - or at least Bethesda Catholic Elementary Schools: St. Jane de Chantal, Little Flower, The Woods...
Some people carpool / some people take the SJC bus / some take public transportation
There are 1200 students from ALL over the extended DMV area (there are bus stops in Annapolis)

Go to the open house and learn more.