Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 16:03     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
My son's good friend goes there for high school. As a non-sporty boy, it was a tad tough finding a friend group at first, but he is all set now (sophomore year), so obviously it worked itself out.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 15:59     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Potomac comparison is apples and oranges to me. We ruled out Potomac because they don’t offer AP. The schools my children are aiming for expect AP and the rigor of a relatively new high school (Potomac didn’t have a high school when Ingram up here) doesn’t overcome its lack of AP. Potomac is sports, pretty campus, and good kids but its lack of AP is a huge problem for a lot of families

I don’t think 35+ years should be considered “new” or even “relatively new” but as a nova family we also didn’t even consider Potomac for a variety of reasons that made it a poor fit for DC. We did strongly consider FH but DC ultimately chose a different school.


You do realize Potomac has had a high school since the late 1980s? I attended and my kids now attend. Potomac dropped the APs when many of the other top schools, such as Sidwell, also dropped them. Potomac offers a whole slate of honors classes, and they will pay for and book any AP tests students want. Students routinely do quite well on the APs if they take them. Unclear why you would care if they offer them or not? Most of the top national schools dropped them at the same time.

You do realize the late 80s makes it 35+ years ago? So yes, that was my point when I said I don’t think 35+ years should be considered new. I said nothing about APs, that’s not why it wasn’t a good fit for my kid. Did you maybe reply to the wrong person?
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 15:58     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is not considered as strong academically as Potomac. I think of it as secular SSSAS for farther out Nova.

Has not been 1st choice for our K-8.

OP didn’t ask to compare Flint Hill to either of those schools. Potomac isn’t considered as academically strong as Sidwell or the Cathedral schools.

Actually, Potomac is considered neck and neck w/ Sidwell. It's a bit different from the cathedral schools b/c most have a preference for single sex, religious, etc. Flint Hill is considered comparable to SSSAS, which isn't too strictly religious. There are a fair number of kids from Alexandria who go to Flint Hill.


Potomac and Sidwell have never been considered neck and neck. Maybe in sports where neither school is necessarily good, but that's about it.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 15:37     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Potomac comparison is apples and oranges to me. We ruled out Potomac because they don’t offer AP. The schools my children are aiming for expect AP and the rigor of a relatively new high school (Potomac didn’t have a high school when Ingram up here) doesn’t overcome its lack of AP. Potomac is sports, pretty campus, and good kids but its lack of AP is a huge problem for a lot of families

I don’t think 35+ years should be considered “new” or even “relatively new” but as a nova family we also didn’t even consider Potomac for a variety of reasons that made it a poor fit for DC. We did strongly consider FH but DC ultimately chose a different school.


You do realize Potomac has had a high school since the late 1980s? I attended and my kids now attend. Potomac dropped the APs when many of the other top schools, such as Sidwell, also dropped them. Potomac offers a whole slate of honors classes, and they will pay for and book any AP tests students want. Students routinely do quite well on the APs if they take them. Unclear why you would care if they offer them or not? Most of the top national schools dropped them at the same time.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 15:35     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is not considered as strong academically as Potomac. I think of it as secular SSSAS for farther out Nova.

Has not been 1st choice for our K-8.

OP didn’t ask to compare Flint Hill to either of those schools. Potomac isn’t considered as academically strong as Sidwell or the Cathedral schools.

Actually, Potomac is considered neck and neck w/ Sidwell. It's a bit different from the cathedral schools b/c most have a preference for single sex, religious, etc. Flint Hill is considered comparable to SSSAS, which isn't too strictly religious. There are a fair number of kids from Alexandria who go to Flint Hill.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 15:29     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:Disagree on every level regarding AP. But you do you. The schools with AP are doing better getting their kids into the schools where kids want to go. Not just the athletes and legacies. I am NOT saying those schools (the non AP schools) don’t have good or even great college matriculations. But the lack of APs is not helping the kids who want to go to places like the SEC schools. Those are popular and affordable and those schools expect AP.


Most SEC schools have an admission rate of 70% or higher, outside of Vanderbilt, Florida, Texas, and Georgia. They aren't necessarily known for their academics.
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 13:01     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
They've been adding some nerdier options - Science Olympiad has been doing well, placing 10th at States last year, and they've had robotics team for quite a while. They graduate regularly National Merit Semi-finalists, which suggest they have a decently sized core of strong students (though only two this past year, 1.4% of the class.)
Anonymous
Post 05/06/2025 12:51     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Disagree on every level regarding AP. But you do you. The schools with AP are doing better getting their kids into the schools where kids want to go. Not just the athletes and legacies. I am NOT saying those schools (the non AP schools) don’t have good or even great college matriculations. But the lack of APs is not helping the kids who want to go to places like the SEC schools. Those are popular and affordable and those schools expect AP.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 19:46     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Potomac comparison is apples and oranges to me. We ruled out Potomac because they don’t offer AP. The schools my children are aiming for expect AP and the rigor of a relatively new high school (Potomac didn’t have a high school when Ingram up here) doesn’t overcome its lack of AP. Potomac is sports, pretty campus, and good kids but its lack of AP is a huge problem for a lot of families


Potomac might not have been the right school for you, but that's a dumb reason. The most elite schools expect students to have taken the most rigorous classes available. Potomac, like all other schools, sends a college profile that explains their AP class policy and what a rigorous curriculum looks like.


+1 You didn’t do your research. Most elite privates offer fewer AP classes and limits them - or they offer none at all. Georgetown Day and Holton don’t offer any. NCS, as a rule, limits APs to two a year starting junior year.

You would have been better off looking at the college matriculations of these schools vs. Flint Hill. There is no comparison. If you want APs, you don’t go to DC area privates, you go to public school.

Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 19:34     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
It can be a mixed bag. The learning center program can be a good option especially if you don't qualify for certain programs in public. They have some good sports.

It used to be known as the public you pay for. In the last several years, most of the families I've met seem happy.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2025 19:34     Subject: Flint Hill for High School.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Potomac comparison is apples and oranges to me. We ruled out Potomac because they don’t offer AP. The schools my children are aiming for expect AP and the rigor of a relatively new high school (Potomac didn’t have a high school when Ingram up here) doesn’t overcome its lack of AP. Potomac is sports, pretty campus, and good kids but its lack of AP is a huge problem for a lot of families

I don’t think 35+ years should be considered “new” or even “relatively new” but as a nova family we also didn’t even consider Potomac for a variety of reasons that made it a poor fit for DC. We did strongly consider FH but DC ultimately chose a different school.


Your child made a wise choice.

We agree but not for the reason you think. FH was a very close second choice and all of us (DC and parents) are confident it would also have been a great fit.