We just got accepted to Landon so thank you to the posters who actually have sons attending the school. Makes our decision a whole lot easier.

I do know one boy at Landon who is truly not at all athletic. He is a sweet and funny kid and is well liked. That being said, OP I would say you should follow your gut on what is best for your son.

Appreciate the helpful responses. We are still really wavering, mostly because of the athletics (and the social impact that comes with not being interested in sports). I understand that not all of the teams are stacked with the most amazing athletes, but when I say my son is not a strong athlete and doesn’t really like sports, I mean he’s at the bottom of the pecking order on rec teams when he’s played and has zero interest in sports otherwise (he’d never opt to watch a game on tv or engage with what’s happening during March madness etc). I get that there are no cut sports but unfortunately the sports he gravitates toward if he has to play are sports which I know are competitive at Landon. We liked what we saw and heard about the academics, but I was very similar to him at his age and I have real concerns about his ability to hang socially and athletically. Was hoping someone with a truly unathletic son might weigh in.

It's an excellent school. We chose it over a few other schools often noted among DC's top 3 and cannot be more pleased with the school And talk about scandals, Maret certainly has it's share! My son has friends at many of the area schools, GDS, Sidwel, Field, Bullis. Same kids, same college outcomes. Some more stressful to get to than others. We like the more traditional education system, the focus on developing good, well rounded kids not stressed out kids. The facilities are top notch.

Anonymous wrote:Don't believe the hype about trying to rebuild the school's reputation. The factors that caused the scandals run deep. Do you really want to pay that much to have your kid exposed to that kind of toxicity?

I will again say that every school here has scandals. They were listed in a post before that got deleted but every single one does. Home school if you want no scandals - except those of your own doing I guess

I am truly fascinated by the comments, especially from those without a student in any of the private schools.

Landon is a fine institution, IMO. Yes, we have a son there and no, our son is not a "stud" athlete. Our family knows many of the boys and UMD, UVA, Vanderbilt, UPenn, Harvard & Villanova are among their college acceptances. Not sure what choices parents outside of Landon are looking for, when it comes to their son's acceptances and eventual college choices. Are your boys aiming for "elite school acceptances" or are you, the parents?

Our son has been in Landon since Lower School. He has played various sports and as a family, we've found value in his being able to do so. From Tennis to basketball to volleyball to strength & conditioning, he has learned & grown. We've loved it all. Let's also erase the myth... you do not have to play a competitive sport all three trimesters while at Landon. There are options for strength & condition (a sport where you are not required to be on a "team") and options for you to play a sport with an outside team, if you have a concentration for a sport, that you are serious about. I do not feel as though Landon places a super high emphasis on sports being their driving inspiration. Academics are where Landon cuts their teeth. You'll find top notch academics and an environment where the teacher, coach, mentor philosophy does exist, in earnest... not just for the super serious athlete.

To the person who mentioned "Neill tried but the entitled LAX bro culture runs deep", I wonder if you are speaking from experience. Our family is not a LAX family, so while we have not seen the culture you're speaking of, we are not immersed in the LAX life to speak more fluently in that realm.

It's further fascinating that many parents in one breath want their student to find the right fit, but then parents spend a good bit of time second guessing "the right fit." Not sure that having it both ways, serves the student well. An all boys education at Landon is truly awesome. If interested, there are plenty of opportunities to socialize and learn with the girls at Holton.

We looked at GDS, Stone Ridge, Sidwell, SAES & Landon. We have a child each in private school.

I'd also take some of these posts with a grain of salt. What works for YOUR son may not jive with what our experiences. You know your son better than any of us do. In the end, we are talking about great schools which will support him through some important years in his life.

I think what you are hearing from the Landon parents (myself included) is that we don't send our boys there with hopes of them getting into an Ivy. We want then to have a solid hight school experience that prepares them for the right college for them.

I’m seeing one Princeton, three Penn, two Brown for class of 25. Could be more when all is said and done.

We have two sons at Landon, each with different interests—one is more athletic than the other, but neither plans to play sports in college. We've found the sports requirement to be a great fit for both of them. Had they remained at their large public school, one of them likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to participate in athletics at all due to the competitive nature of tryouts.

At Landon, every student takes part in sports, creating an environment with a wide range of skill levels. It’s refreshing to see a student who is a standout in his primary sport also take on another sport where he’s just an average player. In today’s world, where kids specialize so young, it’s great to see them explore new sports they haven’t been playing since preschool.

Beyond athletics, one of the things we love most about Landon is the well-rounded, inclusive nature of the student body. Our boys’ friend group includes varsity athletes from lacrosse, hockey, and baseball, but also students who are deeply involved in theater, leadership roles in Model UN, community service clubs, and DECA. In many cases, the same student excels in both athletics and extracurriculars, which speaks to the well-balanced environment Landon fosters.

The teacher-coach-mentor model is truly meaningful—faculty members get to know the boys in different contexts, which fosters strong relationships and personal growth. Overall, we’ve been very happy with our boys' experience at Landon. The student body is diverse in interests and abilities, yet the boys show genuine respect for one another and value each other's perspectives. Landon encourages students to explore a variety of interests, helping them grow into well-rounded young men.

And not only have we been really happy with our boys' experience, but we, as parents, have felt like part of the Landon community as well. The school has an active Parent Association that offers many opportunities to get involved. Each grade hosts class socials, there was a schoolwide parent trivia night, and the annual OysterFest is always fun and well-attended. The sense of community at Landon extends beyond the students, making it a welcoming and engaging place for families as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have a horse in the race nor a kid at either of these. That said, Landon’s college acceptances are not in the area code of either GDS or Sidwell. Landon certainly isn’t bad, but it’s a lot of “good but not great” private colleges. GDS and Sidwell are largely top 50.

So I guess Princeton, UPENN and Dartmouth are literally not in the same league but are the destinations for college of several Landon students as well as GDS and Sidwell? Super eye roll.

3 out of a whole class are not really all that great, especially since there probably are a number of parents who are alums of such schools.

Anonymous wrote:The school is as solid as you will find. I think all the top privates or the privates spoken about on DCUM are overpriced. I just see it as a long term investment and hope one day I will look back and say it was worth it.

Exactly! I have multiple children that attend the most talked about privates on DCUM and feel that time will tell if it pays off. In terms of their vocabulary and reasoning skills it is so far.

The school is as solid as you will find. I think all the top privates or the privates spoken about on DCUM are overpriced. I just see it as a long term investment and hope one day I will look back and say it was worth it.

I went to Holton and had lots of theater friends at Landon. They all played what I imagine are less competitive or no-cut sports (tennis, cross country). I have no idea how they managed theater rehearsals with the sports requirement - it seems like a heavy load to bear — but none of them seemed particularly stressed.

Anonymous wrote:Not really interested in a pissing contest regarding which school has more “impressive” college admissions. Can someone speak to how a non athletic kid does at Landon? How do they manage four years of three seasons worth of athletics? IME kids only tolerate subpar teammates for so long and then things get unpleasant. Curious how that plays out at Landon.

I’m curious about this too. Is the coach/mentor model a real thing when boy not a particularly good athlete?

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have a horse in the race nor a kid at either of these. That said, Landon’s college acceptances are not in the area code of either GDS or Sidwell. Landon certainly isn’t bad, but it’s a lot of “good but not great” private colleges. GDS and Sidwell are largely top 50.

So I guess Princeton, UPENN and Dartmouth are literally not in the same league but are the destinations for college of several Landon students as well as GDS and Sidwell? Super eye roll.