Anonymous wrote:It is hard to understand why the college admissions are so bad here. When you remove all the recruited athletes (mainly lacrosse), the remaining admissions seem uniquely subpar, and I know there are plenty of bright hardworking kids at SSSAS.

Perhaps because the school has the reputation described by 13:45?

Anonymous wrote:I just don’t understand this. There are non athletes going to MIT and Brown thus year. What exactly are you people looking at?

They publish where everyone is going in the Alexandria Times every year. It was mentioned upthread - last year there were 8 of 111 kids that were going to do a T20 school. That’s a pretty low percentage for an expensive DMV private (no one ever said the number was zero).

Can’t speak to college outcomes, but SSSAS does have a known negative reputation (at least for girls (mean girls culture)) at elite DMV schools, limiting K-12 transfer opportunities.

I just don’t understand this. There are non athletes going to MIT and Brown thus year. What exactly are you people looking at?

It is hard to understand why the college admissions are so bad here. When you remove all the recruited athletes (mainly lacrosse), the remaining admissions seem uniquely subpar, and I know there are plenty of bright hardworking kids at SSSAS.

Our experience with SSAS mirrors many others. There are some real positives—especially in the LS, where a few genuinely dedicated teachers took a meaningful interest in our child. But beyond individual classrooms, the culture is the problem. Bullying exists, but the deeper issue is the absence of any culture that supports or encourages academic excellence. There is simply no expectation of rigor, and intellectual curiosity is not just undervalued but sometimes openly mocked. (If you ask around to enough parents, these stories can get quite deflating.) In other words, the environment feels very academically lazy -- and I hate to say it, but that is reinforced by large chunks of the parent community (many of them "proud alums!") who seem to be totally ok with that.

This may sound harsh, but once we looked beyond SSAS, we were struck by how immensely different the academic standards and cultures were at the top schools in the DMV versus what SSSAS offers. Once we understood that, we left—and have been far happier (and our kid has been far more academically engaged) ever since.

NP here. I don't think there is anything wrong with reviewing the college placements of any high school (public or private) as one data point to measure rigor or success at education the respective school's student body. Private school, especially in the DMV, can be very expensive, and it is a huge investment and sacrifice for many families. Posters brushing that off seem to defensive ("well we don't care about college placements, we just want Larlo to be happy" etc). That's fine, I want all kids to be happy, but that there is zero wrong with another family wanting to know how college placements are.

We are a current and long time SSSAS family. We are happy with my our oldest's college placement, but it wasn't because of the college placement office that they got into their first choice. We were not very impressed and felt our personal counselor had zero enthusiasm for our oldest so we took advice from another family with older kids and basically lead the entire process ourselves (which honestly might be what all families should do regardless of school). There is too much emphasis on college placement of the athletes (which the counselors have nothing to do with) and it will be interesting to see in the future what happens when the long serving and well connected lacrosse coach retires (no shade to her, she's very well connected and helpful to those players).

Anonymous wrote:Based on experience with different kids, SSSAS was a less rigorous experience for my kid who went there than my younger kid's experience at a different local school. It was a fine education and she was well prepared for college but it didn't stand out.

To this poster—was other child more prepared than SSSAS student? Did kids take same level of rigor? What was the other school out of curiosity

Anonymous wrote:Not sure where you get the info that SSSAS tuition is “middling”. It costs $57k & 20% get aid.

I agree, it’s not middling with that tuition. I was pointing out middling schools and their college outcomes relative to the big 3 and musing that perhaps for many kids- tuition costs drives college choices. I have to imagine at schools with $60k tuitions, full pay students can pay for the tippy top schools so go for it. Was wondering what percent of SSSAS students get hefty financial aid and don’t even compete for those schools due to funding.

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Anonymous wrote:In high school it is different. The do placement tests for a lot of subjects. After that they track grades/GPAs to determine who can take honors and AP. I think it is quite rigorous. My child is working very hard (many hours per day) to get high grades. DC takes and plans to continue taking a full load of rigorous courses. Some children do a lighter load and take multiple study halls and don’t aim for honors. It can be very rigorous or it doesn’t have to be. Up to you and your kid.

Can't speak to the middle school, but this is accurate for the Upper School. We have a junior. Plenty of rigor if the child is capable of testing into it.

OP again.

I guess if there’s plenty of rigor for the best and brightest…. Why are the college admissions so bad? I’m all about fit, but you’d think at least some of those kids would be attending top liberal arts colleges or Ivies (who weren’t recruited for sports).

Not wanting to attack the school, just trying to understand.

OP - what is the ultimate outcome you are looking for, for your 5th grader?

Rigor?
College Outcome?
Does it have to be Private?
Child being happy at school?
Other?

Our DC came to SSSAS as a 9th grader (current senior) and has certainly been able to take advantage of rigor in the areas they enjoy and excel at.

Your question why are college admissions so bad. That's really loaded and appreciate you are just trying to understand.

Our DC going to private was never about college outcome. It was about the education, community, experience, and preparation for the next step.

When you look at college outcome it is highly individual to each student and their own unique situation (what they are interested in, where they want to go/be, what family expectations and finances are, obviously their grads/stats/ECs etc, and there are way more levels and minutiae)

If college outcome is of greater importance when you look at reasons for staying at SSSAS or moving to another school, perhaps talk to the College Counselors in US? Or seek out a private counselor? Honestly not too sure the best place for you to seek guidance in that respect.

Sorry I don't have feedback on the MS. But the US certainly met the needs of our DC.

Not sure where you get the info that SSSAS tuition is “middling”. It costs $57k & 20% get aid.

I suspect that a lot of the student body at middling privates (not the $60k price tag) don’t have $400k in cash per child to pay for these tippy top colleges and wouldn’t qualify for any financial aid. So, the top most schools aren’t even an option for a good chunk of students. I have to wonder, what percent of SSSAS kids get aid to cut the tuition? Perhaps there is also a chunk of the student body who don’t have th at kind of cash per kid so aren’t even looking there?

Current SSSAS parent here also shocked with how poor the writing instruction has been. My kid also makes straight As there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In high school it is different. The do placement tests for a lot of subjects. After that they track grades/GPAs to determine who can take honors and AP. I think it is quite rigorous. My child is working very hard (many hours per day) to get high grades. DC takes and plans to continue taking a full load of rigorous courses. Some children do a lighter load and take multiple study halls and don’t aim for honors. It can be very rigorous or it doesn’t have to be. Up to you and your kid.

Can't speak to the middle school, but this is accurate for the Upper School. We have a junior. Plenty of rigor if the child is capable of testing into it.

OP again.

I guess if there’s plenty of rigor for the best and brightest…. Why are the college admissions so bad? I’m all about fit, but you’d think at least some of those kids would be attending top liberal arts colleges or Ivies (who weren’t recruited for sports).

Not wanting to attack the school, just trying to understand.

In the same boat. Live in Alexandria and would be super convenient for us but the college outcomes give us pause.

If you are serious about looking at private school, definitely broaden your search geographically. We are a former SSSAS family now at a different VA k-12. We are so happy to be out! Other than math, our kids were definitely behind, and there was an adjustment period at the new school. I think SSSAS mistakes time commitment and amount of work for rigor. My kids have less homework now, but it’s all at a higher level with much higher expectations placed on them. My kids were way behind in language arts, particularly the level of writing expected. It impacted them across the board bc they initially even struggled in science classes bc of their lack of writing skills. These are kids who had straight As at SSSAS.
We are in Alexandria, and bc of Duke st traffic, it’s not actually much more time to get to the new school. It’s the same bus pickup time in the am, they just get home slightly later, but the new school has a much more robust transportation system, too. Don’t limit yourself to Alexandria privates.

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Anonymous wrote:I really think college outcomes have very little to do with which DMV-area private school a kid is in. A kid capable of getting into Yale is going to be capable of getting into Yale from Sidwell or SSSAS. A kid who really loves the College of Charleston is going to go there from NCS or Flint Hill.

This is true; it is kid dependent. However for some reason there are more kids at a school like flint hill who live a school like the college of Charleston, than there are at ncs

Coincidence ?

I have a hard time believing there are so many fewer capable kids at an expensive school like SSSAS. I’m not buying that narrative.

Bizarre logic - there are a lot of bad expensive schools. SSSAS a local school whose student body is not remotely competitive with the top schools in the DMV. Completely different leagues.

I only mentioned expensive because it means it isn’t a socioeconomic or school resource factor, and that the students have access to all of the resources from home and at school that kids at other schools have.

The point is that there is a huge gap between college outcomes there and elsewhere. Last year they sent 8 out of 111 kids to USNWR T20 schools. Around 7 percent. What is that number at comparable privates? A third? I don’t believe that gap is explained solely by capability in rising 9th graders.

Your blind assertion about perceived “leagues” doesn’t tell us anything. Clearly there are reasons why some DC-based schools may attract higher caliber kids on average, but the difference in college outcomes is massive, including with other VA schools like Potomac. And clearly schools that accept kids as early as K don’t simply have 9th grade classes filled with unique superstars. It seems likely there are school-specific factors at play.