Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 21:55     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?

+1


Don't you think students of ALL learning profiles benefit from having teachers who are trained in the science of learning?

St. Andrew's, like most private schools, has a range of learners, including a small number who are neurodivergent. But it's not Lab or Mclean, and after many years of having children enrolled there, I've never heard it claim to be.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 21:47     Subject: Re:St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kids had a good experience in the MS, and both are now in the US. Academically, it has been a good fit too, with opportunities to try new interests and take honors/AP classes. As for the ADHD, the severity and support/management in place will be important to your child's success. St. Andrew's offers minimal accommodations for neurodivergent students.




The teachers have very little training concerning ADHD. They don't understand that many ADHD students are very bright with high IQs. They view ADHD students as incapable. You should look at other options.


We looked at St. A but picked Commonwealth Academy for a gifted ADHD kid.
It was the right choice.
Anonymous
Post 01/18/2026 21:32     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?

+1
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 18:20     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is CTTL?

+1 I understand CTTL in terms of college, not high school (Colleges That Change Lives https://ctcl.org/college-map/). What does it mean for SAES?

That CTCL, not CTTL.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 16:22     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?


Actually no, I don’t find it ironic. SAES is a small school and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect a school of that size to meet the needs of any/all students. As is, there is a pretty wide range of students’ abilities (as previous posts have mentioned some kids take all honors, other all on grade level). It’s important to be honest with yourself and the school regarding your student’s needs.



St. Andrew's needs to be honest with itself. It tries to pass off as a prestigious Episcopal school, but it is more similar to a Catholic diocesan high school. There is nothing special with the way they teach. Also, the class sizes are larger than the top privates in the metropolitan area.


Upper School parent here and I have never felt that SAES was trying to pass itself off as anything other than a school focused on providing a college preparatory education rooted in an Episcopalian faith. We are confident that DC is getting a very solid education and having a positive high school experience in and out of the classroom. I'm not sure what PP means with the comparison to Catholic diocesan high school although they clearly intended it as a negative. As for class sizes--there are just shy of 400 kids in the upper school, with 95-98 per grade. That is a great size for our DC.

That grade size is on par with NCS/STA and smaller than SSSAS, to compare it to other Episcopalian schools in the area. Maybe pp meant the max size for actual classes is larger rather than the grade size? What is the average and/or max number of students in core classes?
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 16:03     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?


Actually no, I don’t find it ironic. SAES is a small school and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect a school of that size to meet the needs of any/all students. As is, there is a pretty wide range of students’ abilities (as previous posts have mentioned some kids take all honors, other all on grade level). It’s important to be honest with yourself and the school regarding your student’s needs.



St. Andrew's needs to be honest with itself. It tries to pass off as a prestigious Episcopal school, but it is more similar to a Catholic diocesan high school. There is nothing special with the way they teach. Also, the class sizes are larger than the top privates in the metropolitan area.


Upper School parent here and I have never felt that SAES was trying to pass itself off as anything other than a school focused on providing a college preparatory education rooted in an Episcopalian faith. We are confident that DC is getting a very solid education and having a positive high school experience in and out of the classroom. I'm not sure what PP means with the comparison to Catholic diocesan high school although they clearly intended it as a negative. As for class sizes--there are just shy of 400 kids in the upper school, with 95-98 per grade. That is a great size for our DC.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 09:40     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?


Actually no, I don’t find it ironic. SAES is a small school and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect a school of that size to meet the needs of any/all students. As is, there is a pretty wide range of students’ abilities (as previous posts have mentioned some kids take all honors, other all on grade level). It’s important to be honest with yourself and the school regarding your student’s needs.



St. Andrew's needs to be honest with itself. It tries to pass off as a prestigious Episcopal school, but it is more similar to a Catholic diocesan high school. There is nothing special with the way they teach. Also, the class sizes are larger than the top privates in the metropolitan area.
Anonymous
Post 01/15/2026 06:54     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?


Actually no, I don’t find it ironic. SAES is a small school and I don’t think it’s realistic to expect a school of that size to meet the needs of any/all students. As is, there is a pretty wide range of students’ abilities (as previous posts have mentioned some kids take all honors, other all on grade level). It’s important to be honest with yourself and the school regarding your student’s needs.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2026 23:06     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:Lots posted about SAES but nothing recent. Curious if current families can tell me about it. Considering for rising 7th grader. History adhd


DC has been in all three divisions and now in Upper School, is feeling challenged and growing academically by leaps and bounds, and loves all the amazing teacher relationships.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2026 22:09     Subject: St Andrew’s
You don’t find it at all ironic that a school that preaches “the neuroscience of learning” is not able to support neurodivergent students?
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2026 22:05     Subject: St Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is CTTL?

+1 I understand CTTL in terms of college, not high school (Colleges That Change Lives https://ctcl.org/college-map/). What does it mean for SAES?


It’s SAES center for transformative teaching and learning or something like that. They have an US teacher who wrote a book I think and studies the brain on the best ways for kids to learn. Sounds great but I’ve heard that the school doesn’t follow it or doesn’t emphasize it. We were impressed in our tours of LS as they discussed it but on further research it appeared to us that SAES really wasn’t great with kids who do actually learn differently. So we chose a different school.


I know SAES very well. The CTTL is the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning. They are research-informed, not researchers themselves, and use the findings to inform curriculum choices, teaching practices, and social-emotional learning. People often assume that b/c it imbeds the neuroscience of learning, that the school is a place catering to neurodivergent students. That is completely false, which is why parents may be disappointed when enroll their neurodivergent kid.