While we are in private, I agree that N. Arlington schools in APS are fine. Academically minded students have good course options and good college placements.

BI and SSSAS and if they are closed, Bishop OConnell with the bus from Old Town.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t you just move to Arlington and go to public school? Neither of those privates are that strong.

Because the public schools are awful, even in N. Arlington, relative to what you get at any half decent private.

A lot of people disagree. The Arlington public schools are fine and students go on to the best universities (both U.S. and abroad). As an alternative, I'd only consider a top private like STA, NCS, GDS, Sidwell or a respectable boarding school like Deerfield, NMH, Andover, Choate, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t you just move to Arlington and go to public school? Neither of those privates are that strong.

Because the public schools are awful, even in N. Arlington, relative to what you get at any half decent private.

Why don’t you just move to Arlington and go to public school? Neither of those privates are that strong.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We’re definitely hoping for something smaller than Alexandria City, but recognize that might be our only option. (I don’t think boarding is right for us.). Any advice as to whether it might be worth applying to either St Stephen’s or Ireton would be much appreciated! (Sounds like maybe the former is not worth it.)

I would call both schools. Whether they have spots for transfers depends on whether the current class is overenrolled and if anyone leaves. They could tell you the former now (e.g. x number need to leave for there to be spots available). I’m not familiar with BI but the admissions director at SSSAS is very responsive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We’re definitely hoping for something smaller than Alexandria City, but recognize that might be our only option. (I don’t think boarding is right for us.). Any advice as to whether it might be worth applying to either St Stephen’s or Ireton would be much appreciated! (Sounds like maybe the former is not worth it.)

The other diocesan schools are Bishop O’Connell in Arlington and St John Paul the Great in Dumfries. O’Connell is a bit bigger than Ireton and might have more room for your grades. JPG is a bit of a commute, but it’s a newer school and probably has room in the class. Really nice kids there.

I don’t know if Gonzaga takes transfers in the upper grades. That’s a boys school in DC. St John’s is another one to look at.

Gonzaga takes transfers if they have space. The current 9th grade class (class of 2029) is oversubscribed and the largest class they’ve ever had so odds are for that grade there won’t be room next year. Can’t speak for other grades.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We’re definitely hoping for something smaller than Alexandria City, but recognize that might be our only option. (I don’t think boarding is right for us.). Any advice as to whether it might be worth applying to either St Stephen’s or Ireton would be much appreciated! (Sounds like maybe the former is not worth it.)

The other diocesan schools are Bishop O’Connell in Arlington and St John Paul the Great in Dumfries. O’Connell is a bit bigger than Ireton and might have more room for your grades. JPG is a bit of a commute, but it’s a newer school and probably has room in the class. Really nice kids there.

I don’t know if Gonzaga takes transfers in the upper grades. That’s a boys school in DC. St John’s is another one to look at.

It really depends on where you're moving to, exactly. Big difference between Alexandria city and FFX County in terms of getting to JPG or DJO. Both could be very good fits, even if the commute is longer than BI.

I didn’t see if OP wrote whether the kids are girls or boys but if they’re boys Gonzaga could be an option at least from a transportation aspect. There is a large group of Gonzaga boys who commute to Union station via the VRE (plus VRE is free for students) plus there is also metro. VRE ride is 20 min max. Then it’s a 4 block walk to campus. Very easy for my kid.

Anonymous wrote:If kids are in a private elsewhere, ask your current school if they could reach out to SSSAS as a referral on your behalf. Privates often cooperate in situations as OP describes.

This. Our DC private was incredibly helpful when we moved to the Twin Cities. Since we didn't make the decision to move until late spring, we missed the admission deadlines. School called several Twin Cities privates on our behalf to see who might have space and be willing to consider a late application. I truly believe that school-to-school communication facilitated being able to find a spot at a private in another city.

If kids are in a private elsewhere, ask your current school if they could reach out to SSSAS as a referral on your behalf. Privates often cooperate in situations as OP describes.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We’re definitely hoping for something smaller than Alexandria City, but recognize that might be our only option. (I don’t think boarding is right for us.). Any advice as to whether it might be worth applying to either St Stephen’s or Ireton would be much appreciated! (Sounds like maybe the former is not worth it.)

FYI, OP, while the total enrollment of ACPS is ridiculous (4Kish), each of the 2 campuses is roughly half that size. As you may have read, the problem comes when kids have to go back-and-forth between the two buildings for classes. It might be worth investigating how likely that is, and whether your kids’ interest and concentration could result in all classes in one building.

Ireton had a waitlist for all grades this year, but it’s definitely worth a call and applying for next year. I don’t think they have any issue filling their classes these days, but it’s a transient area so there’s always movement. I would think SSSAS is worth an application at least as well for the same reason. O’Connell runs a bus from Old Town so could be an option if the other two don’t work out. O’Connell seems to have more openings—I’ve had kids at both.

A few private DC schools offer buses to and from Alexandria. Potomac, Field, St Anselms all come to mind. I had a kid go to St Anselms and they do take later transfers—if your son can manage the workload.

The Blue and Yellow lines make transit easy if you’re on that side of Alexandria.

Potomac also has a bus