Anonymous
Post 12/21/2024 20:39     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a layperson not well versed in private schools, this thread is confusing.

Academically and from $ perspective, is SSSA a good school for folks that aren’t willing to change commute and don’t want Alexandria / south Arlington public schools?

SSSAS gets a lot of hate on this board. As far as I can tell, it’s largely because it is in VA and isn’t a big3 but still dares to have a fairly typical private school price tag. Academically it’s a very good school so if the location and cost match what you are looking for, it’s a strong choice.


Thanks!!

Maybe...just maybe it's because a lot of people had a horrible experience there and are willing to let others know so they don't make a $200K mistake?

I have seen a few people post that they’ve had a specific negative experience at SSSAS - just like any school that gets posted about here, there’s always someone for whom the school didn’t work out. And just like those other schools, there are many other families who had very positive experiences at SSSAS.

But the majority of the hate seems to be like what has been in this thread. People who never actually enrolled a child there saying it could never compare to [take your pick of some big5 school usually in NWDC] or how it’s overpriced for a mediocre education (that same complaint gets lobbed at Flint Hill all the time too - another perfectly good school that dares to be in VA and charge private school tuition). Or that it has too many days off, apparently.

If you had a specific negative experience you want to share and warn about, by all means, do so, and I’m sorry it happened. But most people hating on it don’t ever seem to have had a kid there.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2024 11:24     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a layperson not well versed in private schools, this thread is confusing.

Academically and from $ perspective, is SSSA a good school for folks that aren’t willing to change commute and don’t want Alexandria / south Arlington public schools?

SSSAS gets a lot of hate on this board. As far as I can tell, it’s largely because it is in VA and isn’t a big3 but still dares to have a fairly typical private school price tag. Academically it’s a very good school so if the location and cost match what you are looking for, it’s a strong choice.


Thanks!!

Maybe...just maybe it's because a lot of people had a horrible experience there and are willing to let others know so they don't make a $200K mistake?
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2024 07:44     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The difference in workload and overall intensity between schools like NCS, Sidwell, GDS, and Potomac versus a country day like sssas is palpable. Who cares about days off ?

Apparently the person who can’t actually count them but thinks SSSAS has the most.

You seem a little hot under the collar. Maybe it’s the intensity of your kid’s school getting to you.


+1. I love all of the red herrings.

“SSSAS has the most days off.”
“Actually that’s not true.”
“SSSAS kids couldn’t survive one day at NCS, who cares about days off???”

Hopefully your kids are getting better educations than some of you did.
Anonymous
Post 12/21/2024 04:13     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:I think it might be harder to get into Bishop Ireton than SSSAS. SSSAS will take pretty much anyone who can pay. They can't afford to be selective since they pool only from Alexandria.


Nope. DD good friend could not get into SSSAS in 9th coming out of another Pvt K-8 school so most def not true. She did get into BI however.

I was shocked admittedly as I would have thought same as PP but absolutely not true. The work in MS is def not that hard but for US esp Honors, harder than public for sure. Teachers at US better overall than MS, not that MS teachers suck but the US is just a notch higher somehow.

I absolutely do not feel that MS is all that at SSSAS but if you didn't want a long commute, needed for various reasons to stay out of ACPS, it's the best choice for sure. LS and US are super good. MS isn't horrible and think it's prob well suited for a kid who has more issues than not but overall for the $, I'm going to say that it's just OK.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 22:04     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
How is the view from Arlington tonight ?
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 21:48     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:Are you Catholic? BI.

Are you Episcopalian? SSSAS.

Neither? Move to Arlington or Fairfax Counties and enroll your kids in public.


You’re not wrong.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 21:46     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:The difference in workload and overall intensity between schools like NCS, Sidwell, GDS, and Potomac versus a country day like sssas is palpable. Who cares about days off ?

Apparently the person who can’t actually count them but thinks SSSAS has the most.

You seem a little hot under the collar. Maybe it’s the intensity of your kid’s school getting to you.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 21:13     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
The difference in workload and overall intensity between schools like NCS, Sidwell, GDS, and Potomac versus a country day like sssas is palpable. Who cares about days off ?
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 20:20     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No private school has as many days off as SSSAS. Not a serious school by any measure. But it is one of the nicest schools in all of Alexandria.

NCS US has more days off than SSSAS US this year.

NCS: https://bbk12e1-cdn.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/59/misc/misc_275749.pdf
SSSAS: https://www.sssas.org/userfiles/sssausmvc/documents/Major%20School%20Dates%20External%20for%202024-2025.pdf


And ?
85 percent of the sssas girls wouldn’t last two weeks at NCS


Whether they would or wouldn’t, the pp said SSSAS had the most days off. I didn’t even check any other schools. I looked at NCS first because it had been discussed upthread, and it has more days off. I can check other schools too if that would make you feel better.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 20:17     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No private school has as many days off as SSSAS. Not a serious school by any measure. But it is one of the nicest schools in all of Alexandria.

NCS US has more days off than SSSAS US this year.
And ?
85 percent of the sssas girls wouldn’t last two weeks at NCS

NCS: https://bbk12e1-cdn.myschoolcdn.com/ftpimages/59/misc/misc_275749.pdf
SSSAS: https://www.sssas.org/userfiles/sssausmvc/documents/Major%20School%20Dates%20External%20for%202024-2025.pdf
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 11:31     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a layperson not well versed in private schools, this thread is confusing.

Academically and from $ perspective, is SSSA a good school for folks that aren’t willing to change commute and don’t want Alexandria / south Arlington public schools?

SSSAS gets a lot of hate on this board. As far as I can tell, it’s largely because it is in VA and isn’t a big3 but still dares to have a fairly typical private school price tag. Academically it’s a very good school so if the location and cost match what you are looking for, it’s a strong choice.


Thanks!!
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 10:50     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:As a layperson not well versed in private schools, this thread is confusing.

Academically and from $ perspective, is SSSA a good school for folks that aren’t willing to change commute and don’t want Alexandria / south Arlington public schools?

SSSAS gets a lot of hate on this board. As far as I can tell, it’s largely because it is in VA and isn’t a big3 but still dares to have a fairly typical private school price tag. Academically it’s a very good school so if the location and cost match what you are looking for, it’s a strong choice.
Anonymous
Post 12/20/2024 10:28     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
As a layperson not well versed in private schools, this thread is confusing.

Academically and from $ perspective, is SSSA a good school for folks that aren’t willing to change commute and don’t want Alexandria / south Arlington public schools?
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2024 16:59     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No private school has as many days off as SSSAS. Not a serious school by any measure. But it is one of the nicest schools in all of Alexandria.


One of the tallest pygmies in the forest.

Exactly. And it remains in business because of the stuff that happened yesterday at ACHS.
Anonymous
Post 12/19/2024 11:00     Subject: Bishop Ireton vs SSSA?
Anonymous wrote:No private school has as many days off as SSSAS. Not a serious school by any measure. But it is one of the nicest schools in all of Alexandria.


One of the tallest pygmies in the forest.