I'll admit it -- i had to google "wooderson". there are real gaps in my pop culture knowledge -- when i was in law school, had young kids, etc.
One thing that you've left out regarding admissions at SJS - it certainly mattered in my case - is when you're trying to get your child into the school. It was probably more of an issue back in the 80s when I got in, but certain grades have a higher volume of kids testing (and more vacancies). I believe it was the beginning of kindergarten, 7th grade, and then the beginning of high school that had the most competition among prospective students. I got in (along with 3 other kids) in the 5th grade when there were fewer applicants. Perhaps it was just good scores and a healthy dose of luck, because there were certainly no connections to help me.
I don't really want to derail after criticizing others for derailing. But you asked... 1. Obviously, I'm a homer, having gone and decided to send my kids too. Honestly, if it wasn't for my French heritage, I'd probably be trying to put them in SJS or Kinkaid. I've chosen it because I want to preserve the French side of my family's identity. 2. Academically, it's probably a step down from the elite, probably more in the Strake/St Thomas stratum, but aiming to become elite. About 8 years ago, I shopped private schools for a relative's senior year in high school and I was disappointed with a lot of the Christian private schools that put the priority on a moral/safe environment over academic rigor. My wife is a born-ahead Christian, but even she prefers a godless academic school like Awty to a cloistered one. 3. Awty's performance on the peer-group expectations I mentioned earlier was a bit spotty when I was a student (remember though this is 1993). Pretty much everyone in my senior class expected to go to college (except one guy who wanted to become a SEAL by enlisting. SMH), but there was a definite split in expectations. Several people like my friend and I were looking at top schools, with another set aspiring to decent schools (like UT, which was my backup). Given the small academic gap between us, I couldn't understand why they didn't aim higher. Still, UT ain't shabby. 4. It really is a very international school. A good half are Americans, but then you do have a lot of people from many different parts of the world (with a preponderance in the French-speaking), and with a lot of religions too. There's a French section with almost all education in French. The American section has a lot of language focus, but I wouldn't say they were great at getting Americans to learn a foreign language. But, there was a cosmopolitan aspect to the whole school; an expectation that we students weren't confined to our current locale. As far as aspirations go, I think it was eye-opening. Still, there was a split in the students between the English speakers and the French speakers that the school had a hard time breaking. 5. Having foreigners had a weird effect on brand stickiness. On the one hand, I think there was a lot of loyalty to Awty because of the international mission. On the other, many of the foreigners were there because their fathers worked for Big Oil. So when daddy got reassigned to Nigeria, they were gone again. 6. I think the student body when I was there was a bit more humble than some I saw at other schools (visiting for basketball games). Part of that came from having a lot of foreigners who are aware of their foreignness, and part of it coming from the school not having the money/facilities that other schools had. 7. The facilities have gotten a lot better from when I was there. Back then, it was all built-out corrugated-iron bomb warehouses. They still have some of them now, but they've built a lot of real (and nice) buildings. Still can't compete with the elite on this score, I don't think. 8. Also back when I was a student, extracurriculars were terrible. There was soccer and basketball and drama and art. I think that's it. Some kids did private lessons on the side. But, that was long ago. I have no idea what it is like now, with my kids so young. But, it's something to check out for older kids. 9. Several former Rockets send their kids to Awty.
They're college level courses. I don't see how they wouldn't prepare you. Schools will put their most qualified teachers to teach the AP programs, too. They're looking for the best results and highest passing rates. If you stick to the AP programs, you'll get a quality education from the best teachers at your school. Of course, that's assuming the kid wants that. It's more about motivating your child to learn, and that starts with the parents, not the school.
