Cap City Lower or Breakthrough Montessori for PK-3?
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Anonymous
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Any Cap City or Breakthrough parents here?
We got matched at Cap City, but are pretty close to getting a spot at Breakthrough as well. Trying to gauge which one is the best option. |
Anonymous
If you want them to go to school, don't choose cap city. They don't care about bringing kids back. |
Anonymous
| Do you want Montessori potentially through fifth grade? Cape City is an established school with a long track record and more supplemental programs than a lot of charters, but Breakthrough has the perception of an up and coming school that will be harder to get into in the future. I’d really research Montessori for not only pre-K, but elementary as well, and decide if that’s the educational model you want. |
Anonymous
| We made this same choice a couple years ago and chose Breakthrough and have been really happy. It's a very warm and supportive school with fantastic teachers, pretty good family communication, and a friendly and low-drama parent community. Montessori is definitely a different model, so worth understanding it and making sure you think it will be a fit for your kid. |
Anonymous
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Cap City is a great school with a very solid middle school. Great teachers and great supplemental activities. Indoor
and outdoor facilities are fantastic. They do need to open. I do view it as a leadership failure that they had no interest in providing in person learning once teachers were prioritized, vaccinations flowed, and DC has been opening up rapidly in all other areas. It is a disappointment that Cap City leaders are not flexible or able to pivot. We had no interest in Montessori so can’t speak to that. We were at another charter newer than Cap City initially and found it a relief (pre-pandemic) to be at a more well-established school that did not always feel like it is in start-up mode. So - if Cap City actually opens in the fall it can be great again. |
Anonymous
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Go Breakthrough. Capital City has failed this year. But even before that, they hired a HORRIBLE LS principal that everyone hates. After her first year 90% of the pre-k staff quit. Don't risk it.
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Anonymous
| Is Breakthrough offering in person for all kids who want it? |
Anonymous
Yes but it is only 1/2 days. 2xweek for pre3, 3x week for prek4 and 4xweek for k and up |
Anonymous
| Breakthrough has signaled a strong commitment to 100% in person next year. I'd be very surprised if it was anything else. |
Anonymous
| As a relative newcomer to Cap City, I would not write it off at all. And I say this as a parent who has been extremely disappointed with the lack of any in person learning this year. This year is hopefully an aberration and we can all move forward. Cap City has a lot to offer and has stated it commitment to being in person in the fall. As for the LS principal - change is hard and there are those who have been around for years and liked the former principal who was there forever. I am agnostic on that as a newer parent who is not particularly attached to any one administrative leader. I have no idea why the PreK teachers left - again a COVID year is not a normal year for any of us and there have been lots of departures at my own place of employment that have surprised me. My kids’ classroom teachers at Cap City have been wonderful. And my kids love the school and have been much happier there than our previous charter - which is actually providing some in person learning now. |
Anonymous
The pre-K exodus was at the end of the principal's first year (pre-covid). She is awful. Has nothing to do with a comparison to the previous principal. Nobody on the hiring committee wanted to hire her. Only the HOS. The HOS is also the driving force behind not opening. She has been there too long (since the school's founding) and unless she goes, I predict the school continues to go in the wrong direction. |
Anonymous
| Breakthrough. Cap City is a disaster. Based on their current recruiting, a lot of LS teachers are not returning next year. |
Anonymous
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Breakthrough is new. People seem happy but I don't think it's been around long enough for cracks to show ... they haven't even had a 5th grade right? Cap City is the other side of the spectrum. A very established school with ups and downs that come with being around and serving prek3-12.
Assuming everyone is back next year, I would take into account facilities (2 opposite sides of the coin) and learning models. |
Anonymous
| Agree with PP. what learning model do you want? What about facilities? We are at Cap City and extremely unhappy about this year and the fact that no in person learning has been provided and not even an attempt to do so. We are very disappointed by the school leadership and their lack of vision during difficult times. So now I know that they are not good leaders when times are rough. Lesson learned. And I hope we do not have another health pandemic. But, pre-COVID, the positives of the school far outweighed the negatives for our kids and we should be able to get back to that in the fall. |
Anonymous
I hope you are right, but don't have your faith |