Talk to me about McKinley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We thought the physical plant at McKinley was great, especially the engineering lab. The teachers also seemed dedicated and accomplished.

Unfortunately, for us, we were hoping the school was akin to Blair Magnet or TJ, but it is absolutely not anywhere close. We wish DCPS would transform McKinley into a DC TJ, but that doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

There just aren't that many educated/education-pushing households with high school aged kids in DC compared to the TJ or Blair catchment areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

Live in NW on the red line. Much easier to get to Walls vs. McKinley. McKinley was easily a 1 hour commute and I think 11 stops vs. Walls at like 35 minutes and 6 stops. Walls is also a little shorter walking from the Farragut metro stop vs. McKinley and its metro stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We thought the physical plant at McKinley was great, especially the engineering lab. The teachers also seemed dedicated and accomplished.

Unfortunately, for us, we were hoping the school was akin to Blair Magnet or TJ, but it is absolutely not anywhere close. We wish DCPS would transform McKinley into a DC TJ, but that doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

There just aren't that many educated/education-pushing households with high school aged kids in DC compared to the TJ or Blair catchment areas.

It's hard to know. I guarantee that if DC had something equivalent to Blair Magnet/TJ you would pull a bunch of private kids, as well as JR and Walls kids. McKinley is not that large of a school...it is much smaller than TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We thought the physical plant at McKinley was great, especially the engineering lab. The teachers also seemed dedicated and accomplished.

Unfortunately, for us, we were hoping the school was akin to Blair Magnet or TJ, but it is absolutely not anywhere close. We wish DCPS would transform McKinley into a DC TJ, but that doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

There just aren't that many educated/education-pushing households with high school aged kids in DC compared to the TJ or Blair catchment areas.

It's hard to know. I guarantee that if DC had something equivalent to Blair Magnet/TJ you would pull a bunch of private kids, as well as JR and Walls kids. McKinley is not that large of a school...it is much smaller than TJ.

+1...Something like 30% of DC kids are in privates. The private schools would all be up in arms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We thought the physical plant at McKinley was great, especially the engineering lab. The teachers also seemed dedicated and accomplished.

Unfortunately, for us, we were hoping the school was akin to Blair Magnet or TJ, but it is absolutely not anywhere close. We wish DCPS would transform McKinley into a DC TJ, but that doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

There just aren't that many educated/education-pushing households with high school aged kids in DC compared to the TJ or Blair catchment areas.

It's hard to know. I guarantee that if DC had something equivalent to Blair Magnet/TJ you would pull a bunch of private kids, as well as JR and Walls kids. McKinley is not that large of a school...it is much smaller than TJ.

The size of McKinley isn't what keeps it back. The chief obstacle is lack of GT elementary school challenge and advanced middle school academics across the board in DCPS. Capable kids across the SES spectrum arrive with weak prep. Tough high school academics are too little too late for these kids to reach their potential in college admissions. McKinley has students who would have been on track for IvyPlus admissions with much better prep much earlier on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We thought the physical plant at McKinley was great, especially the engineering lab. The teachers also seemed dedicated and accomplished.

Unfortunately, for us, we were hoping the school was akin to Blair Magnet or TJ, but it is absolutely not anywhere close. We wish DCPS would transform McKinley into a DC TJ, but that doesn't seem like it will ever happen.

The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

There just aren't that many educated/education-pushing households with high school aged kids in DC compared to the TJ or Blair catchment areas.

It's hard to know. I guarantee that if DC had something equivalent to Blair Magnet/TJ you would pull a bunch of private kids, as well as JR and Walls kids. McKinley is not that large of a school...it is much smaller than TJ.

The size of McKinley isn't what keeps it back. The chief obstacle is lack of GT elementary school challenge and advanced middle school academics across the board in DCPS. Capable kids across the SES spectrum arrive with weak prep. Tough high school academics are too little too late for these kids to reach their potential in college admissions. McKinley has students who would have been on track for IvyPlus admissions with much better prep much earlier on.

Look, this is all just a dream...but TJ actually pulls many kids from private K-8. You have to live in the appropriate TJ areas, but your kid does not have to attend public school.

I guarantee that if McKinley was a true competitor to TJ (and nationally recognized as such), you would see a lot of private K-8 kids applying in addition to the top DCPS kids. JR and Walls send plenty of kids to Ivy league, Stanford, UC schools, Michigan, UVA, etc.

[Anonymous]

JR and Walls don't actually send "plenty" of kids to IvyPlus schools anymore, not like they did a decade back. The reality is that most of kids who make the cut are either on the crew teams or URMs. If you're aiming high and your kid doesn't row crew, isn't a legacy, and isn't an URM, dream on from DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

Live in NW on the red line. Much easier to get to Walls vs. McKinley. McKinley was easily a 1 hour commute and I think 11 stops vs. Walls at like 35 minutes and 6 stops. Walls is also a little shorter walking from the Farragut metro stop vs. McKinley and its metro stop.

Not to mention Walls is a much safer walk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JR and Walls don't actually send "plenty" of kids to IvyPlus schools anymore, not like they did a decade back. The reality is that most of kids who make the cut are either on the crew teams or URMs. If you're aiming high and your kid doesn't row crew, isn't a legacy, and isn't an URM, dream on from DCPS.

So, having firsthand knowledge of the Class of 2023, I can definitively say you are incorrect. JR sent nearly 20 kids just to Ivy schools alone, including my own who was neither crew (or an athlete at all) nor URM. The Harvard and Princeton kids also were neither of what you describe. Yes, there were a bunch of crew kids and some football players as well, but the majority were not.

Walls also sent many kids who were neither of what you describe, though probably a higher number of URM.

There were lots of kids that were accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC SD, Michigan, and UVA as well that were not what you describe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So this is really specific, but my kid is at a non-WOTP DCPS middle and is literally just "tired of explaining the class material to [their] friends."

Is McKinley a school where the vast majority are actually getting the material, in a timely way, or is my kid going to be stuck deputized to do this still?

Answering with first hand experience: there are plenty of below grade level students but also a solid cohort of students doing at and above grade-level work. Behavior is also generally not an issue. It is not a TJ but your 9th grader can take honors for all core classes bio, math, English, and history as a freshman and be solidly challenged with other peers in class working hard. AP human gri is an option for well prepared freshman as well. Math starts where needed including the one off freshman in AP calc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

lol +1...McKinley is about as close to "central DC" as you can get. 1.5 block from North Capitol that divides the city. I think PP means "central to her upper Caucasia area"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are McKinley classes taught on a 4x4 semester schedule, or are core courses taught year round?

Core classes are taught year round on an AB schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are McKinley classes taught on a 4x4 semester schedule, or are core courses taught year round?

Core classes are taught year round on an AB schedule.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

lol +1...McKinley is about as close to "central DC" as you can get. 1.5 block from North Capitol that divides the city. I think PP means "central to her upper Caucasia area"

People on here like to start arguments and make snide remarks... It is tiring. Give the prior poster benefit of the doubt. maybe Central was the wrong word, but as a few other posters have said, it is easy to understand why for many residents SWW would be easier to get to. Even if you were coming from further east in the city, It is often faster to get to SWW. McKinley is a bit further from the metro and because of all of the train tracks, crazy Wendy's intersection (yes I know it is gone, but it will be years before it is actually a functional intersection), as well as a multitude of smaller one-way streets near the school, it is a bit tricky to get there