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What school does Barron Trump go to? All you need to know about Maryland school where he'll join Grade 9

St Andrew's Episcopal School is a coeducational college-preparatory independent school that begins for preschool kids at age two through grade twelve

US President Donald Trump seems to be hell-bent towards getting schools reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, Montgomery County Health Officer Dr Travis Gayles said his order for schools to stay closed for in-person instruction will only be reevaluated before October 1.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have based our decisions on science and data,” Gayles said in a news release. “At this point the data does not suggest that in-person instruction is safe for students or teachers.” Trump, however, is in total disagreement. "OPEN THE SCHOOLS!!!" the 74-year-old tweeted in all-caps, seemingly in a fit of rage. His tweet soon garnered over 34,000 retweets and 116,000 likes. A battle soon ensued on Twitter and the Internet dragged his son Barron Trump.

Branding Trump "stupid", one user wrote: "Dear Stupid, You can't even get your own son's school to open. They have refused. The school where your son Barron is being educated refuses to open because it's not safe. Now sit there, eat your Big Mac, and shut up." With that, a huge debate started on the micro-blogging site about how the president couldn't even get his son's school to open. 

With all that fuss and furor, people can't stop wondering what school does 14-year-old Barron Trump go to. The private school — where he is all set to begin high school September 8 — is located in the Maryland county. As per reports, he will be joining the ninth grade in St. Andrew's Episcopal School — a coeducational college-preparatory independent school that begins for preschool kids at age two through grade twelve. Situated at 8804 Postoak Road, Potomac, Maryland, in Montgomery County, it allegedly has an enrollment of up to 645 with a student to faculty ratio of 7:1.

The youngest of the president’s five children, Barron has spent the last three years at St Andrew’s. As per a July report in New York Times, Robert Kosasky, the head of school, and David Brown, the assistant head said in a letter, “We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall.” They also said, “As we prepare to make a decision the week of August 10 about how to best begin the school year,” and added, “we will continue to follow guidance of appropriate health officials and refine both our hybrid and distance learning plans.”

St Andrew's Episcopal has planned two potential learning models: an entirely virtual model, and a hybrid between virtual and in-person instruction. However, if the school opts to not open, students in Grades 7 through 12 would rotate between on-campus and distance learning.

Blocking the order by Montgomery County Health Officer Gayles, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, feels private schools can decide for themselves whether they will reopen, as long as they adhere to state and Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) guidelines about safe reopening. "This is a decision for schools and parents, not politicians," Hogan said in a statement. Slamming the order, he also said it was "overly broad and inconsistent with the powers intended to be delegated to the county health officer." 

What's more, Trump has repeatedly insisted that children pose a lesser risk than adults. At a press briefing on July 22, he said "They don’t catch it easily, they don’t bring it home easily. And if they do catch it, they get better fast." When asked if he would send his son and grandchildren back to school last month, Trump said he would be "comfortable" with it. With his increasing insistence, the one question that remains unanswered is: Is Trump fed up with children staying at home?

On Twitter, one user said, "What is his fixation about opening the schools. What did the children do to him?" Another posted, "Trump doesn't know what school Barron goes to, doesn't know it's not opening, doesn't know when his school starts." Another tweet even went on to say: "I'm not sure if he remembers that he has more than one child to be honest."

Apart from Barron Trump, other notable alumni from St Andrew's Episcopal School include: Founder of eBay Pierre Omidyar, actress-comedian Whitney Cummings, cook-author Melissa d'Arabian, Tony Award winner for 'Dear Evan Hansen', Steven Levenson and actress-screenwriter Kate Siegel.