Walls- Is it really as great as people say

[Anonymous]

All I hear is Wall is so great, you have to be a 4.0 student, the work is very hard. Is this true or just bragging parents? Trying to think ahead for schools we should consider.

[Anonymous]

Consider away but realize that most applicants to Walls with 3.8+ GPAs fail to gain admission. It doesn't help to be white an UMC if that's your prospective applicant's situation.

[Anonymous]

Just search the forum and you'll find all you need to know...good, bad, and craziness...

[Anonymous]

Some kids love Walls, love the freedom, love the smaller school and focus on academics. Some kids don’t like the small school, lack of structure and lack of traditional HS amenities (fields, football team, etc.). It is undeniably a good school, maybe because of the student population, but people on this site always talk about a critical mass of UMC families helping to improve a school. Walls has that critical mass.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is as great as people say.

Everything people say is totally true.

[Anonymous]

It’s a public school. Good, not great. (I’m a public school parent, I can say that). Not that hard to get into - you don’t have to be a star student, just solid. Yes, a good amount of work, sometimes reasonable, sometimes not. Kids who are the right fit are happy. Students seem pretty close.

[Anonymous]

What makes Walls great is the kids that go there. The cohorts are consistently strong academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a public school. Good, not great. (I’m a public school parent, I can say that). Not that hard to get into - you don’t have to be a star student, just solid. Yes, a good amount of work, sometimes reasonable, sometimes not. Kids who are the right fit are happy. Students seem pretty close.

So I'm sure you don't have a kid at Walls with your "not hard to get into" statement....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a public school. Good, not great. (I’m a public school parent, I can say that). Not that hard to get into - you don’t have to be a star student, just solid. Yes, a good amount of work, sometimes reasonable, sometimes not. Kids who are the right fit are happy. Students seem pretty close.

So I'm sure you don't have a kid at Walls with your "not hard to get into" statement....

Actually, 3.

[Anonymous]

Walls used to be more prestigious. They got rid of the entry test and have watered down academic standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walls used to be more prestigious. They got rid of the entry test and have watered down academic standards.

Any metrics to validate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walls used to be more prestigious. They got rid of the entry test and have watered down academic standards.

The college admissions were pretty impressive last year. What other measures do you have for this claim?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a public school. Good, not great. (I’m a public school parent, I can say that). Not that hard to get into - you don’t have to be a star student, just solid. Yes, a good amount of work, sometimes reasonable, sometimes not. Kids who are the right fit are happy. Students seem pretty close.

On some measures, Walls is not that hard to get into. Get a 3.8 in 7th grade and you are eligible. Many DC kids can do that.

HOWEVER, once you're in the admission pool, it's basically a lottery whether or not you get in. Something like half the kids who meet the standard don't get in - and no matter how much the school pretends that admission is merit-based and related to kid performance in the (subjective and wildly inconsistent) interview, that is not true.

So it's both not that hard and potentially impossible for any given kid. As a parent whose 8th grader meets the GPA standard, it sure feels uncertain whether or not my kid will get the "golden ticket" and telling them that it's not that hard to get in assumes that kids can have some level of influence on the process, which I strongly believe they do not.

[Anonymous]

I think there is a segment of the population that views Walls as a "free private" school and they tend to be disappointed when they realize it still is a DCPS school (not even a charter school).

For those who go in understanding the quirks and foibles of DCPS, they have a good to great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there is a segment of the population that views Walls as a "free private" school and they tend to be disappointed when they realize it still is a DCPS school (not even a charter school).

For those who go in understanding the quirks and foibles of DCPS, they have a good to great experience.

This is spot on! It's not a private or charter school. The school can't do whatever it wants. Pretty shocking to some of the clueless parents.