What will you do if you don't get into BASIS/Latin?
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Anonymous
| Our school feeds into Elliot Hine and I have heard terrible things about the school over the past couple years from friends with children there. For people with a bad middle school options, what is your backup plan if the lottery does not work out? Will you move? Stay for 5th and lottery again for 6th? |
Anonymous
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In our case we had very bad luck in the 5th grade lottery. It is something we are still trying to get over as a family as it really stung when it seemed like everyone else we knew got in to one or the other.
We kept our child at our charter, which goes through 8th. It isn't what we wanted but it is an okay option for now. Still not sure what our plan is longer term. Put in for the lottery this year but know that chances are 0% to lottery into now. Such an insane system. |
Anonymous
| Stay for 5th and lottery again for 6th, yes. Also, my list is also somewhat longer than just BASIS and Latin. But if we don't get in anywhere we like next year, I'm not sure. Private school (not the fancy kind) or renting our house and getting an apartment in bounds somewhere else. (It's not boundary fraud if you actually live there, it's just moving!) |
Anonymous
Not to make this about this specific school/situation, but I have a few general thoughts/suggestions. Are the people you have talked to and are unhappy still at the school? Have you visited the school or talked to people who are at the school and are not sharing bad experiences? Depending on your child's interests, strengths, and weaknesses, the fit of any school may be different than the fit for another family. I sometimes feel like I am screaming into the void with this advice, but I really wish parents visited schools, and talked to families who are choosing to stay at those schools (and yes, some may call them boosters, and while the most vocal supporters can come on strong, there are many families at most schools who are happy with where they are even though they are not shouting from the rooftops). Just like some boosters can come across as overly positive, the same can be said for parents who are overly negative. I feel like sometimes it is just as much personality of the parent vs. actual school experience (on both extremes). I can say from experience, that throughout my family's 9 years experience in DCPS, there have been a handful of parents who found things to be vocally upset about all of the time, and that kind of negativity is contagious. Not to say this is your experience directly, you may have some very specific reasons for concern and may have visited and talked to a variety of families, this post just made me think about the bigger picture, because I know many families who share similar concerns, but have not dug in to get to know details of options etc. |
Anonymous
Can you name some of the other schools on your list? I am on the same boat. Only applied to Latin and BASIS. My thought was that 5th at our current school would be better than anything ranked 4th place or more. |
Anonymous
| Move to the burbs. |
Anonymous
Any dcps elementary that feeds into a middle school you're ok with. A dci feeder if your kid could handle that transition and you want dci. Inspired teaching, cap city, or any other charter that goes through 8th or 12th that you would be ok with. |
Anonymous
Same -- my list for 5th is also much longer than Latins and Basis (DCPS schools with better middle schools plus ITS). If we get in nowhere, we will stay at our elementary and lottery for 6th for all the good and medium DCPS middle schools plus ITS. If we get in nowhere then, I guess we will move. Feeder middle is Cardozo, which is not an option. |
Anonymous
| (we would also do the renting and renting thing) |
Anonymous
I applied to a ton of elementary schools with better feeder patterns or K-8. I'll apply to Sojourner Truth next year if we don't get anywhere this year. I think ITDS was on my list. Probably I'll apply to Wells, although I don't know that we'd go. |
Anonymous
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I would actually strongly consider sending my child to Eliot-Hine if I was in-boundary based on what I've heard, so my list is probably going to be different from OPs.
But I would look at ITDS, Truth, and DCI. I'd also consider CHML's Middle School. And for DCPS, I'd try to get into Hardy (through Eaton or Hyde-Addison, both hard but not impossible to lottery into), Stuart Hobson or School Without Walls@Francis-Stephens. Feeders for SH that are easy to lottery into for fifth: Watkins, J.O. Wilson. Also worth taking a shot at Ludlow Taylor, though that's a tougher school to get into out of boundary. For SWW@F-S, Thomson and maybe SWW@F-S itself. You probably can't lottery into the third feeder, Ross. |
Anonymous
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My list looks like this:
Latin 2nd Latin Cooper Ludlow-Taylor SWW@FS for 5th Inspired Teaching Didn't list BASIS. If we strike out, we'll stay at our current school and try again for the above-listed schools, but Stuart-Hobson rather than Ludlow-Taylor. Eliot-Hine is our IB. |
Anonymous
| Go to Wells (IB) for middle and lottery for HS options unless Coolidge does something miraculous. . . |
Anonymous
| I have heard Eliot Hine is improving and gaining traction with IB families? But I would after Friday figure out what your 6th grade lottery list might look like. If you significantly prefer and would be happy with one of the other DCPS middle schools, look for a post-lottery 5th grade spot at a feeder. No matter what you do (even returning for 5th with no real plan), you will not be the only one even if it may feel that way. |
Anonymous
Oh and will also add St. Anselm's. But of course that only works if you have a boy and are into it. |