Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 12:03     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...


This but it's very difficult. I think for a super smart kid, Yorktown will be better than O'Connell. It's much bigger and can have higher level classes that a smaller school just can't have.


What the PP just stated might be true. I have no idea as I do not know much about Yorktown. I have heard that Yorktown is an excellent school but BIG. What I do know now with a college freshman who graduated from O'Connell last May is that sometimes a "smaller school" like O'Connell has incredible advantages. The teachers and admin at O'Connell pay attention and become involved when a student expresses the desire for something more. My kid was all into STEM and the science teachers at O'Connell actively supported him in doing research at GMU one day a week. It was such an amazing opportunity for my kid and could not have happened without the support of the O'Connell teachers and admin.


Well as you yourself have just said, you don’t know anything about Yorktown except that it’s big. So you really offer an opinion on the quality of its academics.

By most objective measures, Yorktown is better academically. Not by a long shot, maybe—but better. Plus it’s free.

Parents choosing between these two schools typically don’t choose DJO over Yorktown thinking that the academics are better.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:59     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Academically DJO is on par with Yorktown but certainly not better. I wouldn't choose DJO over Yorktown if academics are the sole deciding factor.


NP. Thread still useful because we cannot attend Yorktown.


Where can you attend? DJO is on par but not any better academically than any of the Arlington public high schools, than Alexandria City High School, or any of the high schools in Fairfax County. I wouldn’t go there thinking it would be.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:47     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...


This but it's very difficult. I think for a super smart kid, Yorktown will be better than O'Connell. It's much bigger and can have higher level classes that a smaller school just can't have.


DJO offers 29 AP classes plus DE from Marymount for multivariate calc/linear algebra. Yorktown has 32 APs. That's not a huge difference.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:38     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...


This but it's very difficult. I think for a super smart kid, Yorktown will be better than O'Connell. It's much bigger and can have higher level classes that a smaller school just can't have.


What the PP just stated might be true. I have no idea as I do not know much about Yorktown. I have heard that Yorktown is an excellent school but BIG. What I do know now with a college freshman who graduated from O'Connell last May is that sometimes a "smaller school" like O'Connell has incredible advantages. The teachers and admin at O'Connell pay attention and become involved when a student expresses the desire for something more. My kid was all into STEM and the science teachers at O'Connell actively supported him in doing research at GMU one day a week. It was such an amazing opportunity for my kid and could not have happened without the support of the O'Connell teachers and admin.


This is the way to do it. High schools can't offer the laboratory research opportunities that GMU and other programs can. You need solid STEM courses, but for pursuing an interest in STEM (and for college applications) you'll need the extracurricular opportunities.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:18     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...


This but it's very difficult. I think for a super smart kid, Yorktown will be better than O'Connell. It's much bigger and can have higher level classes that a smaller school just can't have.


What the PP just stated might be true. I have no idea as I do not know much about Yorktown. I have heard that Yorktown is an excellent school but BIG. What I do know now with a college freshman who graduated from O'Connell last May is that sometimes a "smaller school" like O'Connell has incredible advantages. The teachers and admin at O'Connell pay attention and become involved when a student expresses the desire for something more. My kid was all into STEM and the science teachers at O'Connell actively supported him in doing research at GMU one day a week. It was such an amazing opportunity for my kid and could not have happened without the support of the O'Connell teachers and admin.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:13     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
O'Connell students also live outside N Arlington.
Anonymous
Post 12/05/2025 11:11     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Went to college with some students who graduated from there. In our STEM field, they were well prepared and performed well in college.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 09:16     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:I would actually really appreciate some updated insight on this one. Our kids are getting close to 9th and would be zoned for Wakefield.

They just can't take the regular classes, take all intensified at least.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 09:14     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...


This but it's very difficult. I think for a super smart kid, Yorktown will be better than O'Connell. It's much bigger and can have higher level classes that a smaller school just can't have.
Anonymous
Post 12/04/2025 09:11     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:Agreed! You can get a very rigorous education at DJO and Ireton! I will note students do have to place into the rigorous classes, which is different than many public schools.

Don’t sleep on Ireton and O’Connell, they are solid academic options.


Parent of current sophomore at Ireton and agree—PLENTY of rigor for those who want it. I assume DJO is similar. But you do have to test in (which after seeing it all up close I think is totally fair. Some of these classes are more work than I did for college equivalents!). I would actually caution against taking all advanced classes, even if your child qualifies, in freshman year. Unless your child is extremely organized and moves throw homework at a lightening pace, I think it is too much. My child was a 99% HSPT and it was a struggle/hours spent on HW every night. We were also dealing with ADHD and coming from no homework in public fwiw
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 19:08     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:Academically DJO is on par with Yorktown but certainly not better. I wouldn't choose DJO over Yorktown if academics are the sole deciding factor.


NP. Thread still useful because we cannot attend Yorktown.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 10:47     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Academically DJO is on par with Yorktown but certainly not better. I wouldn't choose DJO over Yorktown if academics are the sole deciding factor.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 10:37     Subject: Re:Bishop O'Connell Academics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If your son LOVES STEM and gets into TJ, go for it...



This. No private school will compare in terms of challenging academics if that is your primary concern. If you are looking at other things too - i.e., strong sense of community, safety, smaller class sizes, kids of a certain type of background, then choose private.


I know someone whose daughter tried TJ for a couple years ago, and the stress levels and competition were way too high. She moved to another school and is a lot happier, but ended up with a lot of Bs on her transcript. I truly don't understand the appeal of TJ. Just send your kid to a school that offers a quality AP courseload, and if you need to supplement with some university courses then do that.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2025 11:04     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
Agreed! You can get a very rigorous education at DJO and Ireton! I will note students do have to place into the rigorous classes, which is different than many public schools.

Don’t sleep on Ireton and O’Connell, they are solid academic options.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2025 10:34     Subject: Bishop O'Connell Academics
DJO is a great school. Like many, the academics are influenced by course selection — kids can skate by in easier classes or they can take a more challenging load and have a rigorous education that rivals more “elite” privates. No idea how that compares to the public options, however.