The + symbol means that the school offers boarding.
DISTRICT
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 1524 35th St., NW; 202-337-3350; girls 9th–12th grades; $21,500; 483 students.
What’s new: The AP environmental-science course is in its second year and is very popular.
Recent accomplishment: The school recently performed very well in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s reaccreditation process.
National Cathedral School, Mount St. Alban, Massachusetts and Wisconsin aves., NW; 202-537-6300; girls 4th–12th grades; $32,220; 580 students.
MARYLAND
Academy of the Holy Cross, 4920 Strathmore Ave., Kensington; 301-942-2100; girls 9th–12th grades; $16,050; 555 students.
What’s new: Academy of the Holy Cross is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Organization Diploma Programme and has been pursuing authorization as an IB World School. Pending approval, the school anticipates authorization in early spring 2010.
Recent accomplishments: The school won the 2008 WCAC field-hockey and tennis singles and doubles championships. It also won the 2009 Marriott Spirit to Serve Community Service Award.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: University of Maryland, Saint Joseph’s University, University of South Carolina, James Madison University, and East Carolina University.
Connelly School of the Holy Child, 9029 Bradley Blvd., Potomac; 301-365-0955; girls 6th–12th grades; $19,240–$25,080; 316 students.
What’s new: The school introduced the Connelly Program, which aims to help young girls with learning differences develop strong learning and study habits.
Elizabeth Seton High School, 5715 Emerson St., Bladensburg; 301-864-4532; girls 9th–12th grades; $10,000; 650 students.
What’s new: The school is celebrating 50 years. Sister Ellen Marie Hagar, a 1974 alumna, recently became the school’s new president.
Recent accomplishment: In the 2009 class, 141 girls collectively earned more than $5 million in scholarships.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: University of Maryland at College Park, UMBC, Salisbury University, Towson University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
+ Garrison Forest School, 300 Garrison Forest Rd., Owings Mills; 410-363-1500; coed preschool and K, girls pre-1st–12th grades; $20,495–$22,560 (day), $31,830 (regional boarding), $39,660 (boarding); 683 students; gfs.org.
What’s new: A Middle Eastern–culture course in the upper school; the James Center for Public Purpose Partnerships, affiliated with the Bloomberg School of Public Health; a program called Women in Science and Engineering, which is offered in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University.
Recent accomplishments: Garrison Forrest won the 2009 National Interscholastic Polo Tournament championship. The school is celebrating its centennial.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: University of Virginia and University of Maryland.
Holton-Arms School, 7303 River Rd., Bethesda; 301-365-5300; girls 3rd–12th grades; $28,150–$29,450; 640 students.
What’s new: As part of a new program to expose students to the developing world, rising seniors spent two weeks during the summer in either Costa Rica or Senegal. The academic program included a service and, in some cases, a home-stay component.
Recent accomplishment: Both Holton’s varsity swimming and varsity ice-hockey teams won their sixth straight championship in 2008–09; swimming won the ISL Championship and ice hockey the MSHL Championship.
+ Oldfields School, 1500 Glencoe Rd., Glencoe; 410-472-4800; girls 6th grade to postgraduate; $28,800 (day), $40,100 (five-day boarding), $42,100 (seven-day boarding); 150 students.
What’s new: Oldfields is opening a middle school for 2010–11.
Recent accomplishments: Increased enrollment and new student Eco-Teams to help recycling and composting at school.
+ St. Timothy’s School, 8400 Greenspring Ave., Stevenson; 410-486-7400; girls 9th–12th grade; $25,000 (day), $43,000 (boarding); 157 students.
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, 9101 Rockville Pike, Bethesda; 301-657-4322; coed pre-K–K, girls 1st–12th grades; $11,305 (pre-K–K half day), $18,025 (pre-K–4th grades), $19,035 (5th–6th grades), $20,280 (7th–8th grades), $22,420 (9th–12th grades); 650 students.
What’s new: The child-care center is now under the lower school and accepts ages three months through four years old. Foreign language (French) was introduced in pre-K–4th grade. The upper school will have an innovative technology program to include a technology seminar, a history and documentary filmmaking class, and an Apple-laptop leasing program. Bus transportation and a Metro shuttle are now available.
Recent accomplishments: With a 100-percent acceptance rate to college, Stone Ridge students attend a number of prestigious colleges and universities.
+ Yeshiva of Greater Washington, 2010 Linden La., Silver Spring; 301-962-5111; Orthodox; 7th–12th grades; $15,225 (7th and 8th grades), $17,500 (9th–12th); $21,750 (9th-12th with boarding); 185 students.
VIRGINIA
+ Chatham Hall, 800 Chatham Hall Cir., Chatham; 434-432-2941; girls 9th–12th grades; $16,500 (day), $38,000 (boarding); 130 students.
What’s new: Chatham Hall has completed construction of a state-of-the-art lecture hall, which houses the school’s Leaders-in-Residence program. The program brings influential women of international stature to campus to interact with students in class, in small-group discussions, over meals, and in the lecture hall. Participants have included former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. In spring 2009, Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the first woman president of Sri Lanka, visited Chatham Hall.
Recent accomplishments: This past spring, students journeyed to South Africa for the third consecutive year to continue the school’s annual service project working with children in the Lawrencia Primary School and developing land in townships in partnership with Soil for Life. A fourth trip is planned in 2010.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: Georgetown University, Duke University, College of William & Mary, Boston College, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Savannah College of Art & Design, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Virginia Tech.
+ Foxcroft School, 22407 Foxhound La., Middleburg; 540-687-5555; girls 9th–12th grade; $31,480 (day), $41,974 (boarding); 185 students.
What’s new: A $14-million athletic/student center with three gyms, a rock-climbing wall, indoor running track, and state-of-the-art fitness training room—as well as a student lounge with a fireplace, dance studio, kitchen, meeting rooms, and more. New courses include Chinese (Mandarin) I and II; AP microeconomics, which together with AP macroeconomics is a full-year course; and science electives on the chemistry of food and human nutrition. Also, the indoor and outdoor riding facilities have new footings.
Recent accomplishment: The Foxcroft Summer Science Research Institute, an intensive six-week program in molecular-biology lab techniques and research projects, debuted with two groups of students successfully investigating different aspects of a University of Virginia professor’s research project on direct delivery of drugs in humans. Foxcroft also won Delaney Athletic Conference championships in field hockey and lacrosse and the Tri-State Equitation League championship.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: Virginia Tech, James Madison, University of Mississippi, and Brown University.
+ Madeira School, 8328 Georgetown Pike, McLean; 703-556-8200; girls 9th–12th grade; $35,050 (day), $46,160 (boarding); 313 students; madeira.org.
What’s new: Internships throughout Washington as part of the school’s co-curriculum program. Sophomores intern at a social-service agency. Juniors intern in the office of a representative or senator. Seniors intern in the workplace of their dreams.
Colleges where the greatest number of 2009 graduates enrolled: University of Virginia, New York University, Emory University, Georgetown University, and Boston University.
Oakcrest School, 850 Balls Hill Rd., McLean; 703-790-5450; girls 6th–12th grades; $15,310–$16,323; 180 students; oakcrest.org.
What’s new: The school added a debate course. Twenty-five students earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement exams.
Recent accomplishment: The average SAT score of the class of 2009 was 1860, up for the third year in a row.
+ St. Margaret’s School, 444 Water La., Tappahannock; 804-443-3357; girls 8th–12th grades; $16,000 (day), $40,000 (boarding); 130 students; sms.org.
