Walls vs BASIS thread

[Anonymous]

You may want to make a list of what it is your DC and you want/need from high school, for example:
BASIS Walls
AP classes
access to college courses
specific sports team
Leave campus for lunch
School culture
Class size
etc

Then score each want/need (1-3 (best)), prioritize the need to haves vs nice to haves and multiply the need to have scores by 2. Total for each school should help identify which fits your DC's needs better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You may want to make a list of what it is your DC and you want/need from high school, for example:
BASIS Walls
AP classes
access to college courses
specific sports team
Leave campus for lunch
School culture
Class size
etc

Then score each want/need (1-3 (best)), prioritize the need to haves vs nice to haves and multiply the need to have scores by 2. Total for each school should help identify which fits your DC's needs better.

Doesn't get much simpler than this...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both schools are in general poor choices with inadequate teachers and incompetent administration. There are bright kids at both schools, but the average kid is certainly a lot weaker than at your typical DC area private - I compare them to privates due to the school sizes are comparable.

If you are not first GEN and/or low income, I would try hard to look elsewhere.

Do you have actual experience at both schools with these inadequate teachers? You sound condescending and like you haven’t actually met many kids at these schools. I have and many are intelligent, thoughtful and involved in their community.

Yes I have met and know many kids from both high schools...I will not be too specific as I do not want to identify myself ---- the kids are fine but the schools are weak and that absolutely affects their development.
If you have met kids from the better suburban publics you would know this as well. Dysfunctional schools will not consistently produce many high performing kids --- please note the word "many".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both schools are in general poor choices with inadequate teachers and incompetent administration. There are bright kids at both schools, but the average kid is certainly a lot weaker than at your typical DC area private - I compare them to privates due to the school sizes are comparable.

If you are not first GEN and/or low income, I would try hard to look elsewhere.

Do you have actual experience at both schools with these inadequate teachers? You sound condescending and like you haven’t actually met many kids at these schools. I have and many are intelligent, thoughtful and involved in their community.

Yes I have met and know many kids from both high schools...I will not be too specific as I do not want to identify myself ---- the kids are fine but the schools are weak and that absolutely affects their development.
If you have met kids from the better suburban publics you would know this as well. Dysfunctional schools will not consistently produce many high performing kids --- please note the word "many".

I have met kids from ‘better’ suburban public schools. Don’t see much of a difference. Walls and JR produce many high performing kids. All of this might be a function of SES, parents, etc. But still I disagree whole heartedly with your assertion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated from Basis and I graduated from Walls, so my impressions are dated. Basis is so stuck to their own playbook (not DC Basis playbook but the one rolled out by AZ flagship) that they wouldn’t even let the kids participate in the OSSE college course option (open to all DC students who’s school agrees they can do dual college enrollment). The shrinkage of my kids Basis cohort was real and in hindsight my kids tribe is way more artsy/humanities than the kids who thrived and stuck with Basis. That said there were teachers at Basis who let my kid and others just be kids (not always welcomed at Basis) and their cohort keeps up with eachother (now preparing to graduate from their various colleges). The college my kid did elect to go to actually said they typically don’t admit the gpa range my kid ended up with but they know Basis is a tough school and my kid was admitted (not wholly certain my kid picked the best college for them either but, it is what is). I went to Walls decades ago and back then there was very little academic rigor (I recall being surprised and disappointed as a student about that) but the conversations in class were some of the most challenging and enlightening conversations I’ve still ever had. My friends from high school are still in my life and all were admitted to college but many did not complete college and found themselves unprepared for the academics (again, decades ago). Since my Walls graduation I have heard the school has become much less diverse (nearly all are privileged kids which had not been the case when I attended). Several of my kids Basis cohort left Basis and went to Walls and told my kid some wild tales of debauchery and drugs. The ones who stayed at Basis were waaaayyyyyyyyy tamer. I am a single parent household east of the river and was grateful to send my kid to a school I thought was academically rigorous because my kid is smart. In hindsight…sending my kid somewhere they could be a big fish in a small pond, could have gained the schools permission to take college courses (OSSE allows for all DC students), could have more arts and an artsy type friend group, could feel themselves to not be in a grind daily, could have had more time available (less compulsory homework) to devote to a hobby/passion would have likely been a better experience for my kid with better outcomes for them presently (my kid tenses and gets angry thinking back to high school which is so not my experience). I fell into the thinking that Basis, Walls or Latin (at the time of my kids high school enrollment) were the only “decent” options in DC public schools but I was wrong. My child would have loved Duke, Dunbar has an amazing program for engineering (if I recall correctly!) (and the girl we knew in it got great college acceptances/scholarships), Banneker kids were convinced they were the cream of the crop (and really applied themselves to being that). Good luck to all the kids wherever they land! Wishing them the best fit for their happiest high school experiences and growth!

This is helpful, thank you. I’m sorry your kid had a bad experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both schools are in general poor choices with inadequate teachers and incompetent administration. There are bright kids at both schools, but the average kid is certainly a lot weaker than at your typical DC area private - I compare them to privates due to the school sizes are comparable.

If you are not first GEN and/or low income, I would try hard to look elsewhere.

Tell me you are SUPER insecure about your social standing and your kid's education without telling me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both schools are in general poor choices with inadequate teachers and incompetent administration. There are bright kids at both schools, but the average kid is certainly a lot weaker than at your typical DC area private - I compare them to privates due to the school sizes are comparable.

If you are not first GEN and/or low income, I would try hard to look elsewhere.

Classist much?

[Anonymous]

One school is def known for more partying like other poster referenced

[Anonymous]

Not at all ---- simply stating reality --- if you do not have the in vogue hooks of "first gen" and/or "low income", you need to have "more going for you" and DC charters and publics do not help much in that regard.

Yes the top at DC charters/DCPS high schools will do fine but the lower tiers will be judged more harshly due to the reputation and quality of DC public schools.

Signed --- a DC public school parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both schools are in general poor choices with inadequate teachers and incompetent administration. There are bright kids at both schools, but the average kid is certainly a lot weaker than at your typical DC area private - I compare them to privates due to the school sizes are comparable.

If you are not first GEN and/or low income, I would try hard to look elsewhere.

Classist much?

[Anonymous]

I would pick Walls over Basis simply for the larger cohort of students
A tiny HS seems stifling to me. I made a lot of new friends in HS and I think it is a good time to explore new social connections along with new clubs/activities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Walls over Basis simply for the larger cohort of students
A tiny HS seems stifling to me. I made a lot of new friends in HS and I think it is a good time to explore new social connections along with new clubs/activities

Absolutely true for some. Not for my kid who isn't good at making friends and is happy to be among a small group he knows well. Stifling for some, supportive for others.