<p>TJHSST is an amazing school. Top school in the country. I honestly believe the kids from TJ are much smarter than boarding school kids overall because at TJ they don’t accept you just because you’re rich and connected. TJ’s Ivy rate is about 25% but that’s only because some students choose to go to a non-Ivy with a full scholarship. But honestly, if you hate science and math, TJ is a no-go, which is why I’m trying for BS. I tried out for TJ but it’s such a rigorous application process. Almost as bad as boarding school essays.
TJ kids are such nerds though. And you have to live in Fairfax County or somewhere in the area of Falls Church, Alexandria, or Arlington.
I say boarding school is a much better choice. You have more connections from notable alumnus. And you don’t have to love science and technology to enjoy school. Also, BS has amazing athletic programs with beautiful facilities…whereas TJ can’t even afford to replace their deteriorating desks. They’re also only good at swimming, track, and golf.</p>
<p>Isn’t Madeira like an amazing school? I hate all girls schools though, so I’m not applying there.</p>
<p>Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia (10 minutes away from DC) is worth looking in to…</p>
<p>I would say some of the top schools are
-Sidwell (not great at sports, but very strong academics)
-St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes (I know people who go here and they are especially good at girls lacrosse. Somewhat of a sports school with strong academics.)
-NCS (strong academics and beautiful facilities, but an all-girls school)
-St. Albans (strong academics and beautiful facilities as well, but is an all-boys school)
-Visitation (extremely competitive if you are not Catholic. good academics. all-girls school)
-Georgetown Day (bad sports. good academics. EXTREMELY liberal school.)</p>
<p>Personally, from what I have heard, I believe that Sidwell is probably the strongest academic-wise. </p>
<p>I know I am skipping many, but these are my top picks.
I would not recommend O’Connell, Ireton, or Madeira. (I know people who attend/have attended these schools, and they have not said the greatest things about them.)
If you are in Northern VA (not county of Alexandria though) TJHSST is an INCREDIBLE school. I have a few friends who go there. It is generally a math and science school, but if they are not your favorite subjects, don’t worry because one of my friends who is a freshman says English is her favorite class at TJ. You just shouldn’t apply if you HATE science and math.</p>
<p>Hi, I am a parent planning to move to the DC, MD, VA area. Can you help me to compare and choose between Georgetown Prep vs. TJHSST? As a person from outside the DC area (with info only from web sites) my current thought is that if we live in Silver Spring, MD it may be easier to send to Georgetown Prep in MD. Now that someone told me I can also take a shot at TJHSST for my son (2012 - 2016 high school) wondering whether to take a look at that as well? Quality education free compared to paying 30K at the prep school. BTW, to send to TJHSST, the working parents and the student may end up doing long commutes is my other worry. Any information that you can provide in this regard is very appreciated. Now my son comes from a Catholic elementary school. The familiar atmosphere and discipline at Prep may be comfortable for him. Regardless, if we are moving I want him to get the best opportunity for high school. The things that worry me are the cost of living and commuting time. Currently we live (both parents in IT) in a leisurely place with good pay and flexibilities, lives close to work and all that. We are willing to sacrifice some comforts if we can get enough salary to meet the expenses around the DC area.</p>
<p>Greetings Mom2Move ! If I were you look at living in Bethesda. It’s pricier than Silver Spring but the perks are worth it: amazing public schools( not as good as TJHSST, but still amazing), great location and much more. Georgetown Prep is good but it is not for everyone. In my opinion, look at Bethesda or Potomac and look at these public high schools: Bethesda- Chevy Chase High, Richard Montgomery High, Winston Churchill High, Walter Johnson High and Walt Whitman High. They are all fantastic and if you live in Bethesda you really get all the perks. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you need any suggestions or advice. I can also help you out in which neighborhoods are good/ bad .</p>
<p>Thank you swissbrit for the information. After doing more research about the property prices, commuting etc., we are currently thinking about Baltimore, MD and surroundings. Since I don’t think we can handle the stress of highly priced housing / commuting issues.</p>
<p>If you are moving to Baltimore, try McDonogh. Many kids from the Baltimore suburbs go there and it is day and 5 day boarding.</p>
<p>Yes, the upside of Baltimore is cheaper housing and cheaper private schools. McDonogh seems to be good and Baltimore Friends School looked nice.</p>
<p>Those are great suggestions beatlesforever and swissbrit. My searches for best schools never brought these 2 schools up. Thank you. Do you have any first hand information on how these two schools fare against Loyola - Blakefield in academics which is in Towson?The fee is less in Loyola. (But I see that McDonogh offers their own bus service).</p>
<p>Mom2Move, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you out with Loyola- Blakefield. I don’t know much about it. Another idea that you may consider is looking at living in Rockville, MD. That’s not too far from DC, it has great public schools and it’s close enough to DC that you could send your kid to a private schools. Also, don’t fret too much about cost because you could get Financial Aid, which I’m sure most if not all schools in DC offer. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.</p>
This thread is 5 years old, and the original poster is long gone. Closing.