Returning to DCPS for Jackson/Reed from private MS- experiences?

[Anonymous]

We left DCPS for middle school due to uncertainties around in person learning at Deal, but aren’t that happy with our small private school and looking to return to DCPS for Jackson Reed.
Anyone have experience with a similar transition?
- was the school overwhelming in terms of size, chaos?
- child is currently not really challenged in MS and largely coasts along. Is this the same situation at JR?
- is there a math track that gets you to Calculus BC by senior year?
- Are there open houses scheduled where we can ask questions, do a tour?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

It’s big. It can feel chaotic. Some kids love it and thrive, while others find it overwhelming. My kids are in the thriving group; they’re strong, motivated students who are very comfortable advocating for themselves. They’re also involved in activities, which makes a huge difference in terms of a sense of belonging.

Level of challenge varies. It’s highly dependent on teachers; I’d say 75% of my kids’ teachers have been good to excellent, 15% have been basically competent, and the remaining 10% have been bad. 9th grade tends not to be very challenging, but it’s also a time of transition when a lot of kids struggle; my kids both learned what they needed to but weren’t particularly challenged, which was fine. 10th grade depends on teachers and whether you take any AP classes. 11th grade is a big step up because APs are available in every subject for many students; same with 12th.

I don’t know overall percentages, but among my kids’ peers, nearly all will take calc by 12th, with many taking it in 11th and a small number taking it in 10th. (A few take it in 9th, as well, but those are true exceptions.) AB or BC depends on the kid; my humanities kid took AB in 12th, while my math kid took BC in 11th. A lot of this depends on the sequence your kid enters with from middle school; the DCPS path is algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, pre-calc, calc. If your private school is the same and your kid will take geometry in 9th, they should be on track for calc in 12th.

Not sure about open houses and tours; check the website or call the school. Historically those have been low priority, but that might have changed.

[Anonymous]

PP- thank you so much for your response

[Anonymous]

Are there behavior issues in class? Unfortunately, our private has a permissive atmosphere and it leads to a bit of a chaotic environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there behavior issues in class? Unfortunately, our private has a permissive atmosphere and it leads to a bit of a chaotic environment.

There are close to 2000 kids at J-R, so of course. Expecting calm with no chaos or behavioral issues is beyond unrealistic. You can't even get that with adults on the metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there behavior issues in class? Unfortunately, our private has a permissive atmosphere and it leads to a bit of a chaotic environment.

There are close to 2000 kids at J-R, so of course. Expecting calm with no chaos or behavioral issues is beyond unrealistic. You can't even get that with adults on the metro.

Agree. Although I don’t hear about disruptive behavior in the classroom as much as in the halls, at lunchtime, etc.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are fights in the halls, shoplifting outside school, rough behavior. My 9th grader is doing ok though. It is not rigorous at all though, which is disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there are fights in the halls, shoplifting outside school, rough behavior. My 9th grader is doing ok though. It is not rigorous at all though, which is disappointing.

My 10th grader at JR has been quite surprised at the ramp-up in homework and rigor from 9th grade. She's taking two APs this year and has a lot more homework.

[Anonymous]

We switched to a small private during covid and will switch back to JR for high school. Our private is a k-8 and it is painfully small. Academics are not as challenging as Deal was but it was covid safe.