St. Albans School

Greatest school i've ever taught at excellent academics and good athletics like i said best school i've taught at
—Submitted by a teacher

St. Albans takes ordinary boys and makes them extraordinary. The teaching is top notch, and the schools academic reputation precedes them. In Washington D.C. (the most competitive district when it comes to national academic honors), 21 of the 48 presidential scholars (the most prestigious academic award in the country) have graduated from STA. Unlike what other reviews have said, the school will not bend on a whim to the demands of the richer students or parents. The administration focuses solely on providing the best education, both physical and intellectual for its students. If your son is willing to buy into the values that STA is trying to teach him, such as: hard work, brotherhood, an appreciation for religion and excellence in all endeavors, then this is the place for your son. Because STA will take your son and push him until he achieves his maximum potential. And then some more. The relationship between the boys is also one that you will not find anywhere else in the world. The moment you cross the threshold, you are surrounded by brothers, brothers who you will remain close to for the rest of your life.
—Submitted by a parent

Like many elite private school in the metro area SA is a WASP stronghold where social connections, family status and grade grubbing rule the day. The school suffers from a toxic level of conformity and preppiness. As a former teacher, I truly fear for students who don't fit the elite mold. The psychological damage rendered to them by their peer group borders on the immoral and is a perennial problem the administration does its best to ignore.
—Submitted by a teacher

St Albans has many of the strengths of a british boarding school (elite student population, uniforms, excellent sports, challenging academics) and many of the weaknesses (competitive, even rough student inter dynamics, inflexibility ,and emphasis on tradition and form over substance. The school that is curriculum centric, not child centric. They treat every child the same and they must adapt to the STA way. If you have a hyperlexic, self starting child who would do well anywhere and needs a challenge, this may be your place. If you have a brilliant, out of the box thinker, he will be forced to conform.. If your son has academic strengths and weaknesses, do not expect help. Their response ids likely to be get him a tutor.even at $35K per year..Unlike peers, there is no full time staff in learning alternatives or accommodations. Some teachers are amazing and sensitive, others are subject matter experts with no training in child development The primary approach to teaching is "drill and kill" - rote learning and testing. Few assignments are genuinely creative. Many are tedious and time intensive. Other schools deliver equally strong results without sacrificing a boy's childhood.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Albans is a great school. The teachers are wonderful, but the community is its greatest asset.
—Submitted by a student

St. Albans' great reputation and past history unfortunately do not match up with the current school. The campus and new buildings are very impressive. However, this is a school for the very studious self-learner or for the very wealthy family who can afford tutoring. The emphasis on money and competition (both social and academic) is both stressful and destructive. For the top 10% of the class, the school provides copious praise and support. For the remaining 90% of students, you just have to cope with the heirarchy. It is not an enviromnet that fosters self confidence or outward thinking for most of its students.
—Submitted by a parent

Outstanding teachers, strong academics.Mission driven: Mind, body,spirit.Boys become exceptional and caring men who give back to their communities across the country and the world.
—Submitted by a parent

Saint Albans was the best decision our family has ever made for our son. He entered the upper school from what would be considered a non-tradtional background of the Fairfax Public School System. At Saint Albans he learned quickly that hard work and talent does not guarantee success. He learned that by working hard, by managing his time well and by engaging his teachers respectfully there would always be some academic, cultural or athletic activity where he could feel accomplished and welcome. Saint Albans was a very rigorous and challenging environment for our whole family. Fortunately for the students attending the school does not strive to be everything for all students. I guess that anyone that has chosen a new school has hopefully made the appropriate correction for their particular student. Saint Albans was and will continue to be the most appropriate and cherished decision our family has ever made.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from St. Albans in "68, and was grateful for the good education and the small group of faculty who chose to be open minded in a time of social change. I watched things closely for a time, with much dismay when I saw wealth and status take over the school's value system to a much greater degree than I ever experienced. Things may have improved under the current headmaster, but I still cringe when I meet an obvious social climber who suddenly becomes more "interested" in what I say and do on those rare occasions I admit to being and alum.

Had a great time here. Miss wearing a jacket and tie everyday, and running with the cross country team!

I was drawn to St. Albans by its excellent academic reputation, but have been pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the community -- administration, faculty, chaplains, and boys all included. The kids really do seem to treat each other as 'brothers' and are supportive to each other. The chaplains are an extraordinary resource to the community. Obviously, single sex schools won't be everyone's cup of tea, but don't be automatically scared off by the all-boys nature of it or even the Hogwarts-ian looking architecture -- it is a welcoming community that values and nurtures as well as challenges the boys.
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot express enough my dissapointment for the St. Albans School. The School is stuffy, meaning that wealth is more respected than a fantastic grade. Awful experience. Moving to Georgetown Day School.
—Submitted by a parent

Through one-half of Form II, our son's second year at STA. There is no way to compare the boy now against the boy that started Form I only 18 months ago. His daily goal is to join a loosely formed breakfast club in the Refrectory by 7:15 AM, then leave sometime around 5PM. He studies a few hours most nights of the week , deigns to eat with us and showers before bed. The independence he has embraced, supported by strong ethics, makes me believe there is no place better for him in DC or anywhere else. Kudos to the faculty and staff. The idea that a good student is strong: academically, socially, athletically was our goal for our son and STA is the ideal place.
—Submitted by a parent

Our experience at STA has been great. I am disappointed that STA was a miss for one of the previous families. However, I think that all experiences both good or bad should be posted in detail. All opinions will better assist parents as they go through the school selection process.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a lower school student at St. Albans and I am very fond of it. I enjoy our family style lunch and for sports they teach sportsmenship before they think about teaching athleticism. The campus is the very big and nice. My teachers were great and my classmates were really cool. Looking forward to a year even better than last year!
—Submitted by a student

Like another reviewer wrote, St. Albans is a hit or miss.
—Submitted by a parent

My son loves STA. The academics are strong and my son gets along well with the other boys. Sometimes its the little things that make a school great. I love the fact that the boys in the lower school (4th-8th grade) eat a family style lunch together. They mix the boys up and rotate them approximately every two weeks. They get to know each other and the teachers. As my sons' first year at STA is coming to a close, we are very pleased. My son has become even more independent, he has enhanced his critical thinking skills, his knowledge of the various sports has grown because the boys rotate through all the sports (swimming, wrestling, lacrosse, basketball, football etc...). My son speaks highly of his teachers and always comes home talking about daily science experiments and what he learned new in Spanish. The school is worth our long commute.
—Submitted by a parent

STA is by far the best school in Washington DC, and one of the top schools in the country. The teachers are excellent, and students are always intellectually stimulated and challenged. not only will STA get you into one of the top schools in the nation, but after the difficult workload in the upper school, all graduates find college much easier
—Submitted by a student

the teachers at STA are okay. Not too many are great and many are mean but there arent many really bad ones. The teachers seem to know their subjects fairly well. The work is pretty boring except for science and art, which are usually interesting. Sports is usually fun though not always. The last thing is the homework. There is a ton of homework and most of it is just busy work though there are some important projects.
—Submitted by a student

I have two sons attending St. Albans who started in C Form (4th grade), and I've also worked for the Cathedral Schools. I've found that STA is hit or miss. My eldest son did well academically and socially in primary school and started wonderfully at STA but had a lot of difficulty by B Form. While some were wonderful, many teachers treated him dismissively and sarcastically, and the school never even began to help with some fairly scary peer dynamics. He will probably leave after this year. My younger son loves the sports and his friends, but he recently said: 'I hate St. Albans! Well, no, I don't. I like the school, but I hate the rules and the work we do.'
—Submitted by a parent