Middle school dilemma: Eliot-Hine/Stuart Hobson/Jefferson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coming from Tyler. I am a DC Native, just been out of the school game in a while and clueless as to the middle schools quality these days and want to make the best decision. Cons are the large class sizes and no aftercare. Don't have any pros because I don't know much about them, only what they use to be.

I think you should go to all of the open houses and decide! also your child may have an opinion worth listening to. Commute matters too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Between Jefferson and Eliot-Hine, I'd look at subtest scores for whatever group your kid is in, look at different sports and extracurriculars, and mostly think about the commute.

As a white person, I find limited value in the subtest scores. Either the data is suppressed because there aren't that many white kids in the first place, or the data is there but is more or less the same across schools - in the aggregate, white kids generally do OK no matter where you go.

Having a sizeable cohort of kids who are capable of doing grade-level work seems like a more valuable measure.

Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I would be careful. There are some pretty prolific Elliot Hine trolls on this forum who are major boosters.

Here is a recent thread with a lot of information: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1195459.page

The academics are not good.

Seriously? the person with an agenda seems to be you.

By PARCC score percentages, SH and EH are basically identical, with EH actually a bit better. SH is a bit bigger so in absolute numbers there are more advanced students. Personally if one of those two is your IB, go with that because keeping friends in MS is priceless.

Both are bad schools. SH has less of a reputation for violence, but you will still have some.

You do a disservice to folks who are not knowledgeable about schools when you lie to them. The PARCC scores at both schools are very bad. Most kids are below grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between Jefferson and Eliot-Hine, I'd look at subtest scores for whatever group your kid is in, look at different sports and extracurriculars, and mostly think about the commute.

As a white person, I find limited value in the subtest scores. Either the data is suppressed because there aren't that many white kids in the first place, or the data is there but is more or less the same across schools - in the aggregate, white kids generally do OK no matter where you go.

Having a sizeable cohort of kids who are capable of doing grade-level work seems like a more valuable measure.

Am I missing something?

Stop reassuring people that whiteness will make their kid do fine-- you don't have the data to know that, and people are choosing for their specific child not an aggregate child.

For a lot of people, it's not that they think their own child will do poorly. It's because a lack of a substantial high performing peer group will make it a less enjoyable experience and limit what the school can offer.

[Anonymous]

No one said the OP is white. Are there good reasons to choose EH over Jefferson if it is not your feeder and you do not live in SW, Navy, Yard, or along the Green Line where Jefferson is easier to get to? Open houses might be over for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one said the OP is white. Are there good reasons to choose EH over Jefferson if it is not your feeder and you do not live in SW, Navy, Yard, or along the Green Line where Jefferson is easier to get to? Open houses might be over for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I would be careful. There are some pretty prolific Elliot Hine trolls on this forum who are major boosters.

Here is a recent thread with a lot of information: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1195459.page

The academics are not good.

Seriously? the person with an agenda seems to be you.

By PARCC score percentages, SH and EH are basically identical, with EH actually a bit better. SH is a bit bigger so in absolute numbers there are more advanced students. Personally if one of those two is your IB, go with that because keeping friends in MS is priceless.

Both are bad schools. SH has less of a reputation for violence, but you will still have some.

You do a disservice to folks who are not knowledgeable about schools when you lie to them. The PARCC scores at both schools are very bad. Most kids are below grade level.

ok that’s helpful! where did you send your child to MS and what inspires you to bash other schools? seems like a character flaw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between Jefferson and Eliot-Hine, I'd look at subtest scores for whatever group your kid is in, look at different sports and extracurriculars, and mostly think about the commute.

As a white person, I find limited value in the subtest scores. Either the data is suppressed because there aren't that many white kids in the first place, or the data is there but is more or less the same across schools - in the aggregate, white kids generally do OK no matter where you go.

Having a sizeable cohort of kids who are capable of doing grade-level work seems like a more valuable measure.

Am I missing something?

Stop reassuring people that whiteness will make their kid do fine-- you don't have the data to know that, and people are choosing for their specific child not an aggregate child.

For a lot of people, it's not that they think their own child will do poorly. It's because a lack of a substantial high performing peer group will make it a less enjoyable experience and limit what the school can offer.

You completely misunderstood what I said here.

I think subtest scores don't tell you much at all about school fit and/or quality, and I don't get why people keep recommending to look at them. If you're looking for a high-performing peer group, I think the number of total students scoring proficient on PARCC is a much better indicator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between Jefferson and Eliot-Hine, I'd look at subtest scores for whatever group your kid is in, look at different sports and extracurriculars, and mostly think about the commute.

As a white person, I find limited value in the subtest scores. Either the data is suppressed because there aren't that many white kids in the first place, or the data is there but is more or less the same across schools - in the aggregate, white kids generally do OK no matter where you go.

Having a sizeable cohort of kids who are capable of doing grade-level work seems like a more valuable measure.

Am I missing something?

Stop reassuring people that whiteness will make their kid do fine-- you don't have the data to know that, and people are choosing for their specific child not an aggregate child.

For a lot of people, it's not that they think their own child will do poorly. It's because a lack of a substantial high performing peer group will make it a less enjoyable experience and limit what the school can offer.

You completely misunderstood what I said here.

I think subtest scores don't tell you much at all about school fit and/or quality, and I don't get why people keep recommending to look at them. If you're looking for a high-performing peer group, I think the number of total students scoring proficient on PARCC is a much better indicator.

"Proficient" on PARCC is not actually that high.

[Anonymous]

None of these schools are perfect, but if you're looking for *next year* rather than a long-term trend, I think Stuart-Hobson is clearly the safest choice. Also, as noted, Ludlow -- which is the highest performing of its feeders -- is sending its biggest class ever next year. That's helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between Jefferson and Eliot-Hine, I'd look at subtest scores for whatever group your kid is in, look at different sports and extracurriculars, and mostly think about the commute.

As a white person, I find limited value in the subtest scores. Either the data is suppressed because there aren't that many white kids in the first place, or the data is there but is more or less the same across schools - in the aggregate, white kids generally do OK no matter where you go.

Having a sizeable cohort of kids who are capable of doing grade-level work seems like a more valuable measure.

Am I missing something?

Stop reassuring people that whiteness will make their kid do fine-- you don't have the data to know that, and people are choosing for their specific child not an aggregate child.

For a lot of people, it's not that they think their own child will do poorly. It's because a lack of a substantial high performing peer group will make it a less enjoyable experience and limit what the school can offer.

You completely misunderstood what I said here.

I think subtest scores don't tell you much at all about school fit and/or quality, and I don't get why people keep recommending to look at them. If you're looking for a high-performing peer group, I think the number of total students scoring proficient on PARCC is a much better indicator.

"Proficient" on PARCC is not actually that high.

No, but it's the only objective measure available.

Algebra 1 and Geometry scores in middle school are a perhaps slightly better (though still flawed) proxy.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Cluster and I would choose Stuart Hobson. LT buy-in seems real. I have heard of more Maury parents choosing elsewhere which isn't good for EH. I would also prefer the SH location in terms of safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in the Cluster and I would choose Stuart Hobson. LT buy-in seems real. I have heard of more Maury parents choosing elsewhere which isn't good for EH. I would also prefer the SH location in terms of safety.

Again - this thread is starting to split hairs. It will be interesting in five years to look back at different IB enrollment trends, it is hard to measure (and questionable how statistically relevant) if you look at one-two specific years, due to COVID, and then Latin opening up a second campus that enrolled a good number of kids who are currently in 6th grade. Two Rivers has had some bumpy years in the upper grades, and depending on how that smooths out that can impact enrollment in nearby DCPS schools. (just to name a few outside variables). SH is closer to H St which had some crime, but Hill East has also had their share of crime. I do think EH has more outdoor space, and being closer to Eastern I know they have access to their track and that space as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in the Cluster and I would choose Stuart Hobson. LT buy-in seems real. I have heard of more Maury parents choosing elsewhere which isn't good for EH. I would also prefer the SH location in terms of safety.

Again - this thread is starting to split hairs. It will be interesting in five years to look back at different IB enrollment trends, it is hard to measure (and questionable how statistically relevant) if you look at one-two specific years, due to COVID, and then Latin opening up a second campus that enrolled a good number of kids who are currently in 6th grade. Two Rivers has had some bumpy years in the upper grades, and depending on how that smooths out that can impact enrollment in nearby DCPS schools. (just to name a few outside variables). SH is closer to H St which had some crime, but Hill East has also had their share of crime. I do think EH has more outdoor space, and being closer to Eastern I know they have access to their track and that space as well.

SH is in a very safe area of the Hill. H Street crime does not bubble down that far south. Hill East has been really scary lately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in the Cluster and I would choose Stuart Hobson. LT buy-in seems real. I have heard of more Maury parents choosing elsewhere which isn't good for EH. I would also prefer the SH location in terms of safety.

I don’t know anyone at Maury who lotteried for the Latins or BASIS, matched, and is choosing EH.