I am going to Episcopal next year as a reclass freshman, and I want to get some info about it!
I have noticed a lot of traffic on this forum about the more “name brand schools”, such as the GLADCHEMMS schools, but fewer about others, and the posts about EHS I have found are several years dormant.
I already know a good deal, having gone to revisit days and talked to prospective students, and I am excited, yet not unwilling to hear any drawbacks so don’t hold back.
I really want to learn more about EHS’s reputation among the boarding school crowd, and also to colleges.
Is EHS a good school to be applying from, is it not? Is there a sizable T20 matriculation or is that not a huge component?
Hi! Just anecdotal experience here from a friend’s daughter who is attending - she loves the school and her experience there so far. I’m not knowledgeable about outcomes after graduation.
Head on over to DC Urban Moms, scroll to private high schools sub forum. Endless conversation there. But please take that crowd with a grain of salt. It is mostly adults and things can get… unpleasant. However, you will get great info if you can wade through the noise. Congratulations and good luck!
It’s 100% boarding which is unique - most schools tend to range from 50-90% boarding. It’s not as name brand for a number of reasons. It’s not in the northeast for one and used to be considered more “southern”. It’s also one of the former all boys schools that went co-ed relatively late (1990’s). I think it caters to a broader academic range of student as opposed to GLADCHEMMS, so it’s not as aspirational.
Our child just selected EHS over a HADES school and couldn’t be more excited. Ultimately felt more of a connnection with existing and prospective students after revisit days at both schools. There were other factors at play, like the ability to continue club sports, and more convenient travel given proximity to DC, but a warm and welcoming environment was the true deciding factor.
EHS is a great school, and colleges will recognize that. When I was there (on faculty) college dreams focused around UNC and UVA, and UGA to a lesser extent. Because most of the students are from the southern US, there is a lot of interest in going to a state flagship university. Often, students are from families who have deep ties and athletic rooting interests in a particular school. A few kids go on to Ivy League schools or other T20 schools every year, and more kids were academically capable of getting in to “top universities” but culturally it was not a be-all end-all goal.
EHS uses a schedule used by only a few schools. For many students, it has a lot of advantages, including that it is easier to explore, focus, accelerate, etc. It can also be stressful if you get sick or miss a few days.