Kenmore or Swanson?

[Anonymous]

We are looking to move and buy a house in Arlington, and we have two kids entering middle school. Some of the houses are zoned for Swanson and one is zoned Kenmore. We like the Kenmore house more. Is there a big difference between the schools?

[Anonymous]

What high schools are the two houses zoned for? Quick answer - Kenmore has an arts focus and has more Hispanic students than Swanson.

[Anonymous]

I’d focus more on HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d focus more on HS.

But middle school matters. Our friend's son went to Kenmore and then W-L, and they found he was totally unprepared for the rigor of W-L.

[Anonymous]

Take a good luck at the APS boundary adjustments for middle school. Your house that's now zoned for Kenmore could be redistricted under this recently-announced plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take a good luck at the APS boundary adjustments for middle school. Your house that's now zoned for Kenmore could be redistricted under this recently-announced plan.

Good look. Sorry!

[Anonymous]

Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take a good luck at the APS boundary adjustments for middle school. Your house that's now zoned for Kenmore could be redistricted under this recently-announced plan.

+1 to this. This board is focusing on the potential movement of Immersion to Kenmore. What's missing is the bigger picture of the overall middle school boundary process that is going to happen this fall and go into effect in 2025. https://www.apsva.us/engage/2023-ms-boundaries/

If you end up really wanting one over the other look very carefully at the planning unit you want to buy in and the maps that APS has out there as potential moves.

We have friends who are highly educated who are very happy with their kids' experiences at Kenmore, despite a perception that its higher level of SES diversity means it isn't as good as Swanson or other N Arlington schools. We are at Swanson and very happy with the teachers but overall think middle school is a rough experience for all kids. I'm also not convinced that the current so-called equity focus in our middle schools is at all preparing our kids for high school or the real world but that's another story and not what OP is asking about.

Think about high school. Kenmore feeds to all three HS, Swanson feeds to two. People have strong views about all three in comparison to one another and they all have pros and cons depending on what you value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d focus more on HS.

But middle school matters. Our friend's son went to Kenmore and then W-L, and they found he was totally unprepared for the rigor of W-L.

I’ve heard that from parents at all the MS, especially if it was during Covid. The IB program at W-L is very rigorous and not for all students, and I don’t think that’s any reflection on the MS they attended.

OP, they are introducing different pathways (honors/intensified) classes in more subjects at all the MS, previously only Math was differentiated, if that’s a concern. And if you compare test scores by subgroups at the MS, there really isn’t a difference. And as PP noted there are potential boundary changes on the horizon, so either home you’re looking at might end up zoned elsewhere. Some current Kenmore zones are potentially being moved, same with Swanson. Something to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

This is because there is a much higher ELL and low SES population at Kenmore. If you compare higher SES white students, the performance is about the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

This is because there is a much higher ELL and low SES population at Kenmore. If you compare higher SES white students, the performance is about the same.

My friends who took their kid out of Kenmore said that the big problem was that the teachers had to spend so much time on the ELL population that the other students were often idle and not learning.

[Anonymous]

We went two kids through Kenmore and it was fine. Both were prepared for high school at WL. Both had a few teachers that were not very good. One had a class that was a disaster because the teacher couldn’t keep control of the classroom. Most classes and teachers este fine and some were excellent. Can highly recommend the music, dance, and art programs.

There are pros and cons to all the MS. Kenmore was fine so don’t overthink. We were more focused on high school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

This is because there is a much higher ELL and low SES population at Kenmore. If you compare higher SES white students, the performance is about the same.

My friends who took their kid out of Kenmore said that the big problem was that the teachers had to spend so much time on the ELL population that the other students were often idle and not learning.

Maybe that’s how they justify their decision. It’s simply not true, this isn’t ES. A lot of MS requires kids to work independently, especially with the double periods. The teachers spend about half the class teaching and then the students are expected to work on assignments during the second half, with the teachers available to answer questions and help if asked. The ELL kids don’t get extra instruction from the lead teachers or extra attention from them. Maybe their kid wasn’t ready for that much independent time and needed a more structured environment, or maybe the parents didn’t like this approach, which happens at all Arlington MS. That’s nothing to do with Kenmore or the ELL kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

This is because there is a much higher ELL and low SES population at Kenmore. If you compare higher SES white students, the performance is about the same.

My friends who took their kid out of Kenmore said that the big problem was that the teachers had to spend so much time on the ELL population that the other students were often idle and not learning.

Maybe that’s how they justify their decision. It’s simply not true, this isn’t ES. A lot of MS requires kids to work independently, especially with the double periods. The teachers spend about half the class teaching and then the students are expected to work on assignments during the second half, with the teachers available to answer questions and help if asked. The ELL kids don’t get extra instruction from the lead teachers or extra attention from them. Maybe their kid wasn’t ready for that much independent time and needed a more structured environment, or maybe the parents didn’t like this approach, which happens at all Arlington MS. That’s nothing to do with Kenmore or the ELL kids.

This isn't entirely accurate. My kids went to Swanson, and my daughter is a top student. She often had an assigned seat with the ELL students and was expected to help their interpreter follow what was happening in class, specifically science class. She didn't mind and didn't complain and learned to be empathetic to these kids' struggles, but she didn't learn much in some classes, and this is definitely a feature in middle school. Now she's in high school, and it doesn't happen at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Objectively, the test scores and student success rates are much higher at Swanson and it is not close. Kenmore is a nicer building and it is more diverse - both very good things. We have a few friends whose kids went to Kenmore, and two of the families pulled them out for private school because their kids were not learning and they were worried they would not be prepared for high school.

This is because there is a much higher ELL and low SES population at Kenmore. If you compare higher SES white students, the performance is about the same.

My friends who took their kid out of Kenmore said that the big problem was that the teachers had to spend so much time on the ELL population that the other students were often idle and not learning.

Maybe that’s how they justify their decision. It’s simply not true, this isn’t ES. A lot of MS requires kids to work independently, especially with the double periods. The teachers spend about half the class teaching and then the students are expected to work on assignments during the second half, with the teachers available to answer questions and help if asked. The ELL kids don’t get extra instruction from the lead teachers or extra attention from them. Maybe their kid wasn’t ready for that much independent time and needed a more structured environment, or maybe the parents didn’t like this approach, which happens at all Arlington MS. That’s nothing to do with Kenmore or the ELL kids.

This isn't entirely accurate. My kids went to Swanson, and my daughter is a top student. She often had an assigned seat with the ELL students and was expected to help their interpreter follow what was happening in class, specifically science class. She didn't mind and didn't complain and learned to be empathetic to these kids' struggles, but she didn't learn much in some classes, and this is definitely a feature in middle school. Now she's in high school, and it doesn't happen at all.

That’s totally inappropriate and has never happened to my kid at Kenmore. My kid reports that the kids who talk and causes trouble aren’t ELL kids at all. Maybe some classes get the ELL cluster and others don’t? No idea, but it’s never another student’s responsibility to prioritize assisting an ELL student over their own learning. Ever. Wonder if APS is aware this is happening? WTF