Episcopal High School

Posted: April 17, 2022

EHS was like a second home during my recent tenure. A slightly dysfunctional, occasionally broken, yet overall fulfilling home away from home. Each student, myself included, quickly bonded with a teacher, advisor, or dorm head who served as sort of surrogate parents: whether it be academic support, life advice, or even a home cooked meal, most of the adults were around 24/7 to support students. If an issue ever arose, regardless of the hour or day of the week, students were able to text/meet with an adult they felt comfortable with to find a solution or receive emotional support.

That being said, the student culture is pretty toxic and the admin has recently gone downhill. The social scene is very competitive: for many girls, gaining entry to the "southern preppy clique" is valued above all else, including genuine friendship. Many of my peers completely changed their style, personality, and bullied those who didn't in an attempt to climb the "Golden Goose Ladder." My freshman year, girls would openly discuss strategies to "get into" that group out of fear of having no one to sit with in the dining hall. However, a decent number of students don't fit that profile, and after friend groups are formed, people become more authentic. Between adult support and peer bonding that residential life naturally induces, the social scene becomes manageable, but still borders on "catty." Though, contrary to popular (recent media) belief, substance use isn't any worse than other school's: many occasionally drink off campus, a tiny group does drugs, and vaping is pretty common...overall, the "party culture" is standard and unproblematic, but the new admin's response is pretty incompetent when students are caught. Similarly, the admin handled the "political bullying" issue horribly, but in reality, EHS is probably the most conservative/intellectually diverse boarding school in the US.

Disregarding the admin and a few crummy faculty, EHS goes above and beyond to support student's intellectual growth. Specifically, the Washington Program, which connects students with impressive internships and future job opportunities.

At the end of the day, every HS has its issues, so I'd say EHS's solid academics, remarkably caring adults, beautiful campus, and corporate network far outweigh the tense social scene and admin. At EHS, I made life-long relationships with both peers and adults, discovered my academic passions, and made many fond memories, so I'd highly recommend the HS.

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: April 17, 2022

Posted: January 13, 2015

My older son attended EHS for four years, in the late 1980's, when it was an all male high school. Unless things have changed drastically as per some more recent parent negative reviews, I am convinced he gained more solid academic knowledge in those four years than he did in four years of undergrad school and in his two years of graduate school. At that time, EHS had something similar to a learning lab where a licensed teacher would work, both individually and in small groups, with first year boys needing a bit of extra attention in certain subject areas. As for catering to the elite, I observed that like all private high schools some of the boys arrived at EHS with a K-8 private school background, their tennis rackets, and with a bit of country club attitude; on the other hand, a fair number of the boys were from single parent homes where a couple had moms who were domestics in the DC area. Yes, it's an extremely rigorous academic environment coupled with very competitive athletic teams, and it's a stellar high school for highly motivated students who can self-monitor their behaviors and actions outside the classroom.

Posted: June 15, 2013

My son had three wonderful years at Episcopal. I was a single parent and I along with Episcopal we found a way to pay his tuition. Fine education, on to Vassar College and Masters and Ph D at NYU. He now has a very good job in Washington, DC as a clinical psychologist with Health and Human Services. He says he was very well prepared for anything college asked of him after attending Episcopal High School.

Posted: April 20, 2013

Make sure you go and look at all the schools you are thinking about. While Episcopal has a beautiful campus, it caters to the elite. If your child is not an "A" student with sights set on Ivy League, then run. Students are left unsupervised almost every weekend. They have a strong honor code, but not a strong code on drinking and drugs. Be wary.