Much of the discussion here, rightfully so, seems to focus on top-tier schools like Exeter, Andover, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville etc. However I’m interested to know what the feeling is about Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Understandably Episcopal may be considered a second tier school, but it’s unique position close to Washington, DC is intriguing. I would love to hear input from current and former students as well as parents. How does this school rank in your mind? Is this a place that offers a quality education? What insight would you be willing to share? Thank you for anyone willing to contribute.
Just look up any post from @i70sband whose son graduated last year and who started this thread:
Not a student or anything but I find that a lot of alumni like to share their thoughts online so you can just google search that as well.
Yes, we have previously Googled this as a first step. Looking for a deeper discussion.
Thank you ChoatieMom, we found that thread a few weeks ago. It is incredibly helpful (and lengthy). However, it’s primarily the experience of one family. I was hoping to hear from others too, especially since the new Head of School is now in place.
We just revisited this school with our DD, who is deciding between EHS and Exeter. We all went into it trying to be open-minded, but leaning heavily towards Exeter because…it’s Exeter. But by the time we left, we were completely impressed and it seems DD may have a tougher decision than it originally seemed.
As a parent, it is a place where I feel confident my child will be developed as a whole person. She isn’t one to need a lot of supervision, but she is 14 going off on her own. The adults at the school are warm, approachable, engaging, and the sense of family is palpable. Many students spoke highly of their advisories and advisors, and admitted that they had tried many new activities and classes at their advisor’s behest that they would have balked at if their parents had recommended the same.
The sense of family is, I believe, heightened by the 100% boarding aspect. Talking to parents of current students, their kids are always eager to get back to campus whenever they are home. According to parents we spoke to who live nearby, the local students do not seem to go home any more often than the other students.
My initial impression of the head of school was a positive one. He seemed warm and genuine, and the students and faculty seemed to like him. If the vibe on campus is a reflection on his leadership, he’s doing a great job.
We were very impressed with the chaplain. From her, we learned of the healthy relationship curriculum they are implementing, which is so important for teens (maybe especially in a boarding environment.) Also, although it’s an episcopal school, there was a sense of inclusiveness and respect for all religions. I sat in on a theology class and there was a wide range of beliefs represented, making for lively but respectful debate. (It was one of their many Harkness style classes.)
The facilities are top-notch, beautiful, and on par with the so-called top-tiered schools we toured, so no concerns there.
The proximity to DC is a pro no other school can compete with. Students spend every Wednesday afternoon (at least) in DC. They do a wonderful job utilizing the city as a classroom. There are not many schools where the constitutional law class students get to go sit in on the Supreme Court (and end up meeting with some of the justices).
Speaking of constitutional law, their course offerings are impressive. My daughter is passionate about history and right now we are more impressed with their history options than we are with Exeter’s.
The only “con” I can speak of is that we got the sense that, even though the academics are impressive and the students are hardworking and bright, our dd will likely still stand out as a “smart” kid. That’s not necessarily bad, but I was hoping she’d end up at a place where she’d be surrounded by students at or above her level. However, I also get the feeling that enough attention is paid to the students as individuals that she will be able to get extra any challenges and opportunities she wants or needs. I feel like she will do well in either environment and it will really just come down to her preference.
We got the feeling that, as more people outside of the mid-Atlantic hear about EHS, their admit rate is going to go down while their name recognition and prestige go up. I’m not sure where DD will end up, but I’ll be as thrilled if she chooses EHS as I will if she chooses PEA, and regardless it’s a school I hope my younger children will consider when the time comes.
@BlueBirdWine … and your daughter may end up playing volleyball against Sasha Obama, who will be senior on Sidwell Friends’ VVB team. 
@GoatMama - Shhh—if she sees that it might unfairly sway her decision!!! :))
Last year my DS was choosing between Episcopal and St. George’s. It was a tough decision, and although SG won out in the end, we were all very impressed by EHS. I 100% agree with everything that @BlueBirdWine described above. For my son, the proximity to Washington was particularly compelling. What ultimately tipped the scales for him in favor of SG had to do with time that he spent in classes at both places. It’s so hard to judge a school by only a few interactions, but he really felt much better about the academic environment at St George’s - the kids were more engaged and animated, and he particularly liked the teachers at SG. In addition, the vibe that he got at EHS was a little too southern/sporty for him (although now he’s deep in New England sporty LOL!). He has friends at EHS who love it and are very happy there, so you really can’t go wrong. I think that it’s a great place and they have developed a very unique program, taking full advantage of their proximity to DC. It’s certainly worth a look in my opinion.
OP requested thoughts on Episcopal High School. Great location. Southern charm. Washington DC sophistication.
Financially strong with an endowment of $220 million and an EPS (endowment per student) of $500,000–a very substantial amount. Endowments are important to assess the financial stability of a school as well as to measure any particular school’s ability to maintain facilities & to afford the best teachers & to offer multiple and varied opportunities to
students & faculty.
In my opinion, 100% boarding is a positive for a boarding school as it enriches the community experience & benefits all.
P.S. Not a pressure cooker school. Enjoy life.
I LOVED EHS when we visited. The warmth was palpable. The Washington program is impressive. Strong music and sports. Stunning, well-maintained campus. Engaged students. 100 percent boarding. So… why didn’t we apply? DD was turned off by the fact that neither of our tour guides acknowledged any of the custodial or grounds staff when we walked by them… and that said staff actually stepped to the side and lowered their gaze as we walked by, as if to make themselves invisible.
Current parent and just wanted to add a few thoughts. The new head, Charley Stillwell, is in his second year at EHS and is an excellent head of school. He replaced another excellent head of school (Rob Hershey) who retired after around 20 years. Charley is a very warm, engaged and thoughtful person, and appears to be very committed to an inclusive community and is interested in new ideas. For example, they have implemented a program that emphasizes the benefits of sleep among the students, and between winter break and spring break this year they tested out a daily schedule that started the school day at 9:00 rather than 8:00 (Mondays have always started at 9, which is a nice touch). I believe they’ll be getting feedback from the students, teachers and the school’s medical professionals (who are great) – and maybe looking at test scores (?) – and deciding whether to make a permanent change in the future. As for the way students interact with custodians/grounds crew, I’m wondering if what was referenced in the post above was due to it being a campus tour rather than a day-to-day interaction. From what I see with the day-to-day interactions, I think the students/staff are all quite pleasant to each other, so I’m wondering if the students who are involved in leading a tour and the staff who recognize what is going on go into “professional” mode rather than “normal” mode due the situation. Just a guess, and hoping that’s the case.
@FatherOfOne would you mind sharing your perspective on how ‘elitist’ or ‘entitled’ the students are given the proximity to DC? We are also looking into this school, and I read a recent review of an alum who starts with praising the teachers and academics and then describes a social culture as ‘the general atmosphere of rampant southern elitism, out-of-control misogyny, racism, homophobia, and pressure to conform to utterly specific beauty standards was very damaging to my fourteen-year-old self when I arrived there. I have not encountered ANYTHING to the same degree in college or elsewhere in my post-EHS life, and I was shocked by the kindness and open-mindedness of just about everyone I encountered in comparison in the first months after leaving. … my experience there left many, many emotional scars.’ Is this something your kid has also encountered? I really like what I had read about EHS so far but a couple of posts like this scare me as this is definitely not what I want my child to experience.
The pilot sleep program sounds great and much needed for students!
@gurumsag I found that review as well. I had to reread it a couple times to be sure I was processing it correctly. To be honest, I came to the conclusion that the review was from a student with a very unique experience. Not discounting the view or emotions, but I had a hard time finding it to be the norm based on our visit back experience.
If anyone is willing to comment, I’m also interested in the political leanings of the campus in general. Would it be fair to say that the faculty and students tend to be more liberal, moderate, conservative? Or is that not an issue at all?
I’m very sorry to read of the experience referenced above. It appears that was written by someone who went through the school years ago, but nonetheless its too bad that person had such a troubling time. It’s my firm belief that such behavior would not be tolerated currently. I think it would be seen and corrected on several levels: student-to-student – the kids seem to really care for each other and their community and if one was being picked on, I think others would step in to correct it; dorm parents – they pay a lot of attention to what’s going on and would correct things; advisors – I think they each have about 6 or 7 advisees and get to know the kids really well and would be paying attention to anyone who was appearing to be out of sorts. I think the faculty also gets together every week or so and talks about each student, so everyone would be alert if an issue was starting to develop.
As for political leanings, it runs the spectrum. And it’s not an issue…at all. From everything I’ve heard, government policies are discussed in a respectful fashion. Having someone disagree with you just isn’t that big a deal there. And from what I’ve personally seen, you can’t judge a book by its cover – the political stance of some folks surprised me!
@FatherOfOne thanks a lot for replying!
My family and I were also at revisiting day. I did notice as we were leaving that the groundskeepers/ landscapers were outsourced to a local landscaping company so the guys may be complete strangers to the students and the teachers/administrators? Perhaps because of previous incidents both sides have been asked to refrain from interacting? I know my child’s current school in NYC hit the roof when a food supplier’s delivery person commented on a student’s lack of leg covering in the cold weather. However, I did notice that the catering or food service staff seemed not quite at ease with us at both the dinner and the lunch. It made me wonder if the people working the parent events were per diem workers brought in for the event. In any case these observations are disturbing and I really want to love this school. My child wants to do something different than the bulk of friends headed to New England and is very excited by the Washington Program aspect of spending high school at Episcopal. I would hate to think I’m sending my child off to someplace that will convey the message that some are better than others. Having listened to the chaplain and other teachers & administrators I didn’t get this sense.
@FatherOfOne, what do you think about these 2012 - 2013 reviews based on your current experience: ‘Students are left unsupervised almost every weekend… the students are basically without adult management from Friday at 5 until Sunday at 7pm. One on duty dorm parent, faculty at tables across the dining room and brief conversations on campus do NOT qualify, but is a likely carrot to faculty who don’t want to work most weekends.’ Is that still the case or has it changed with the new Head of School?
I’m not an expert on what weekends are like at EHS, but from I know, this description from 2012-13 is far from reality. EHS does not have Saturday classes, but sports, performances, off-campus events on both Sat/Sun sponsored by an outing club, special events every Saturday evening, etc. keeps the campus active. And I do know that the students feel they’re being supervised! They have to get permission to leave campus, and they have to check-in – via a face-to-face conversation – with a faculty member at 5:00 (?) on Saturdays & Sundays, and then a study hall on Sunday evening wraps things up. I’ve liked the fact that the kids themselves decide what their weekends entail – how much play, how much homework, how much sleep, etc. I think it’s helpful to their maturation and obviously gets them in good stride for college life. When they’re freshmen in college, managing their time and behavior over weekends won’t be new to them. Lastly, that swipe from 2012-13 about “faculty not wanting to work weekends” is an unfair low blow. Most all faculty live on campus, so they’re essentially working 24/7. Faculty, and their children, are always around and visible, and that’s just another element of a warm & inclusive community that cares about each other and watches out for each other. Hope this helps.
@FatherOfOne thank you very much for your insights! It is so much better to hear from the current parent with the firsthand knowledge than relying on anonymous reviews. I wish Westtown and Williston also had active current students or parents on this forum who could help with how things are now…