Best DCPS/Charters that DCUM ignores - aka please don't mention Key, Murch, Maury, Deal, BASIS, JR, Oyster, etc.

[Anonymous]

Garrison is amazing! I am an educator and have done my research. The principal’s children are there that means a lot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, the majority of kids who came to Jefferson from Brent last year are still there this year.

All 5 of them?

Definitely more than that. And my point is that the majority of Brent families who gave Jefferson a try for 6th grade last year were happy enough to return for 7th this year.

Looking the bigger picture, the overall retention for Jefferson students from year to year is very good. And it’s clearly one of the more popular middle schools in DC, as demonstrated by the length of its waitlist.

I understand what you are trying to parse but...

The sample size is very, very small. This would be more meaningful with a larger sample size

People who went to Jefferson are likely in one of two categories: true believers or people with no other viable options (read: bad lottery luck and no mobility. It stands to reason that those groups would remain.

This is one time when relativity might be instructive. How does the YoY retention of Jefferson for that cohort differ from the SH and EH cohorts from other ES?

Whatever. You or someone else made the claim that “many” leave after the first year. In response, I pointed out that most of the Brent families who came to Jefferson last year are still there.

Now we’re being told that the sample size is too small anyway.

Great, constructive conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hyde Addison is decent. Actually, great for size and feeder. Garrison is under rated but believe most avoid because of their high Hispanic population.

This is sad re: Garrison. What's wrong with going to school with Hispanic children? Sheesh people. (I think it's obvious but just in case my sheesh is not directed at the poster quoted, or anyone who has else who has participated in this thread so far).

Nothing but people are weird in their thinking.

I have a 4th grader there who
Is thriving!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VN, Amidon, and Tyler are all Title 1 but this is a thread about overlooked schools and I think it is inaccurate to say all of the UMC families who went their for PreK necessarily leave by 1st/2nd grade.

+1. I know that several upper-income kids are now staying at Amidon into the upper grades. And many of them could very well end up attending Jefferson in the coming years.

[Anonymous]

In-depth overview of 5 charters:

https://www.the74million.org/article/langhorne-these-5-d-c-charter-schools-all-have-the-same-mission-but-couldnt-be-more-different/?utm_source=The%2074%20Million%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=bd59ab0161-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_13_08_52&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_077b986842-bd59ab0161-176305201&fbclid=IwAR322ihVIhQc9T6WS_veyEDAkhoQQFAdWVJSUVG41TQFK9DB3wdf6hJiBuQ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In-depth overview of 5 charters:

https://www.the74million.org/article/langhorne-these-5-d-c-charter-schools-all-have-the-same-mission-but-couldnt-be-more-different/?utm_source=The%2074%20Million%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=bd59ab0161-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_13_08_52&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_077b986842-bd59ab0161-176305201&fbclid=IwAR322ihVIhQc9T6WS_veyEDAkhoQQFAdWVJSUVG41TQFK9DB3wdf6hJiBuQ

Please stop spamming every thread with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, the majority of kids who came to Jefferson from Brent last year are still there this year.

It’s also worth noting that USN&WR ranks Jefferson as the third-best DCPS standalone middle school (behind only Deal and Hardy).

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/middle-schools/district-of-columbia

SWW alum. Jefferson and Deal were the biggest feeders to Walls in the early 2000s.

[Anonymous]

Second the Seaton and Thomson love! Both schools have open seats right now, btw. And FWIW they also have somewhAT higher test scores for the most recent year than Garrison which is also great, though I agree, not really an under the radar school, almost impossible to get into OOB.

A Shaw Middle would be great for all three schools because right now only Thomson has a decent MS feeder. (SWW Francis Stephens).

No personal experience with Amidon Bowen or Van Ness but have heard good things about both. Surely if they keep getting better Jefferson will too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand not having confidence in the (Amidon) feeder. But there is right now another thread with enrollment data showing the 6th grade this year at Jefferson actually has 27 students from VN, 22 from Amidon, and 16 from Tyler.

VN, Amidon, and Tyler aren't traditionally considered "good" schools, just not bad, i.e., the kind of school where higher SES parents are comfortable sending their kids from PK3 through 1st or 2nd or so, and then peel off. The debate over Jefferson is usually over whether there is a critical mass of Brent kids willing to go there. That said, there are certainly worse options than Jefferson for middle school.

As a current VN parent (older child is now at Jefferson after going all the way through VN) I would disagree with you. Many of the friends my kid has made are from a variety of backgrounds (culturally, socio-economically, etc). VN and JA have very involved PTOs which create supportive school environments. Both my kids are happy, as are their friends. Both are doing academically advanced work in both of the schools. JA employs a full time 9th grade math teacher due to the number of advanced math students.

[Anonymous]

Seaton folks - are your kids in older grades? Considering that area for a move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seaton folks - are your kids in older grades? Considering that area for a move.

I know many such kids. Seaton kids go all over the place for 3rd/4th/5th/6th-- Latin, BASIS, EL Haynes, DCPS middles, Inspired Teaching, SWWFS, there's no clear favorite.

You can see some data here:
https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1640846

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand not having confidence in the (Amidon) feeder. But there is right now another thread with enrollment data showing the 6th grade this year at Jefferson actually has 27 students from VN, 22 from Amidon, and 16 from Tyler.

VN, Amidon, and Tyler aren't traditionally considered "good" schools, just not bad, i.e., the kind of school where higher SES parents are comfortable sending their kids from PK3 through 1st or 2nd or so, and then peel off. The debate over Jefferson is usually over whether there is a critical mass of Brent kids willing to go there. That said, there are certainly worse options than Jefferson for middle school.

As a current VN parent (older child is now at Jefferson after going all the way through VN) I would disagree with you. Many of the friends my kid has made are from a variety of backgrounds (culturally, socio-economically, etc). VN and JA have very involved PTOs which create supportive school environments. Both my kids are happy, as are their friends. Both are doing academically advanced work in both of the schools. JA employs a full time 9th grade math teacher due to the number of advanced math students.

Thanks for sharing your experience! People here like to jump to generalized conclusions about what schools can/cannot offer, many of whom are basing it on test scores or second hand info without ever being enrolled in the school. I appreciate when parents at the schools share their lived experience. I have heard great things about Jefferson - and while we are IB for Eliot and will be sending our child there in the fall, if we were in bounds for Jefferson I would be sending my son there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand not having confidence in the (Amidon) feeder. But there is right now another thread with enrollment data showing the 6th grade this year at Jefferson actually has 27 students from VN, 22 from Amidon, and 16 from Tyler.

VN, Amidon, and Tyler aren't traditionally considered "good" schools, just not bad, i.e., the kind of school where higher SES parents are comfortable sending their kids from PK3 through 1st or 2nd or so, and then peel off. The debate over Jefferson is usually over whether there is a critical mass of Brent kids willing to go there. That said, there are certainly worse options than Jefferson for middle school.

As a current VN parent (older child is now at Jefferson after going all the way through VN) I would disagree with you. Many of the friends my kid has made are from a variety of backgrounds (culturally, socio-economically, etc). VN and JA have very involved PTOs which create supportive school environments. Both my kids are happy, as are their friends. Both are doing academically advanced work in both of the schools. JA employs a full time 9th grade math teacher due to the number of advanced math students.

Thanks for sharing your experience! People here like to jump to generalized conclusions about what schools can/cannot offer, many of whom are basing it on test scores or second hand info without ever being enrolled in the school. I appreciate when parents at the schools share their lived experience. I have heard great things about Jefferson - and while we are IB for Eliot and will be sending our child there in the fall, if we were in bounds for Jefferson I would be sending my son there.

+1. I’d love to hear more about what kind of academically advanced work PPs kids are doing.

[Anonymous]

I know a number of families from MindBloom who have children at Global Citizens on the Mandarin immersion track and love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand not having confidence in the (Amidon) feeder. But there is right now another thread with enrollment data showing the 6th grade this year at Jefferson actually has 27 students from VN, 22 from Amidon, and 16 from Tyler.

VN, Amidon, and Tyler aren't traditionally considered "good" schools, just not bad, i.e., the kind of school where higher SES parents are comfortable sending their kids from PK3 through 1st or 2nd or so, and then peel off. The debate over Jefferson is usually over whether there is a critical mass of Brent kids willing to go there. That said, there are certainly worse options than Jefferson for middle school.

As a current VN parent (older child is now at Jefferson after going all the way through VN) I would disagree with you. Many of the friends my kid has made are from a variety of backgrounds (culturally, socio-economically, etc). VN and JA have very involved PTOs which create supportive school environments. Both my kids are happy, as are their friends. Both are doing academically advanced work in both of the schools. JA employs a full time 9th grade math teacher due to the number of advanced math students.

Thanks for sharing your experience! People here like to jump to generalized conclusions about what schools can/cannot offer, many of whom are basing it on test scores or second hand info without ever being enrolled in the school. I appreciate when parents at the schools share their lived experience. I have heard great things about Jefferson - and while we are IB for Eliot and will be sending our child there in the fall, if we were in bounds for Jefferson I would be sending my son there.

+1. I’d love to hear more about what kind of academically advanced work PPs kids are doing.

NP but my DD is at JA and she's in an upper grade math class and in an accelerated advisory group. The kids rotate through 8 classes/day with their advisory group an accelerated one moves through class content quicker and dives more deeply. The school is rolling out a 3-level curriculum for each class next year so that kids who are ready to move faster will have extensions to their class work and students who need the pace slowed will have the work broken down further for them.