SW/Capitol Hill Elementary Schools
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Anonymous
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Hi everyone,
Our daughter will be going to PK3 next year, so diving into the search for a preschool and becoming swiftly overwhelmed. I'm looking at ratings on MySchoolDC and also trying to Google for other school reviews, but I don't have a good understanding of how those scores translate into the school experience, particularly for ECE. We're planning to stay in SW for at least a couple of years, after that we may move after we have some time to evaluate the long-term school situation. Ideally we'd love to stay in DC, but we'll have to see how it plays out. Amidon-Bowen is the obvious one, and likely top of our list. I'm also interested if anyone has an experiences with Van Ness. After that we're venturing into the Capitol Hill schools (Peabody, Brent, Payne, Maury, Watkins, etc)....but should we even bother trying since we're not in-bounds? Similarly looking at Thomson since I don't work too far away, or perhaps Capitol Hill Montessori @ Logan. Are there any that I'm missing? Does anyone have experience with any of the Apple Tree PCSs? I see that there's one near L'Enfant and they're opening up a new one by the Waterfront station next year. Is that wise to consider a totally new school? The lottery data is also kind of freaking me out, making me wonder if we'll need to go private. Her current daycare is accredited through kindergarten but still very under-enrolled due to telework so they don't really have PK3+ classes at the moment. |
Anonymous
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Hey there OP, you're on the right track by narrowing things down geographically first. Here are my thoughts on your situation:
Appletree schools shouldn't be considered "totally new". They're fine. It's just one more site operated by an organization that has many sites. Appletree is fine. For your chances of getting in out of boundary, see this data. https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/node/61 And then this data for waitlist movement: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay If you can get to Thomson perhaps also consider Seaton and Garrison. If you're willing to do Apple tree and Amidon-Bowen (if that's your in-boundary school), I doubt you'll need to do private pay. |
Anonymous
Thank you! I'd seen the Tableau dashboards, but the bigger files from the other site are really useful. Regarding these numbers, am I interpreting this correctly? - If my in-bound school matched slots that have a lower (or no) preference, as an in-boundary applicant we'd have a pretty decent chance of being matched - For out-of-boundary schools, to have any sort of chance I need to see that they gave at least some slots to "no preference" applicants For Appletree, I wasn't sure if there were big disparities by location. I know they have been around a while, but this one particular location is opening in August (so, if we went there our daughter would be in their first class). |
Anonymous
I'm no PP, but your interpretation is correct. I'd add SWS@Goding to your list b/c they don't have a boundary preference so you have a slim chance there. Based on past data, you should exclude Maury, Brent, Peabody, Van Ness and Payne b/c they didn't give out OOB spots. Consider adding Miner ES to your list as well as they typically have spots available and waitlist that moves. |
Anonymous
Yes, you're interpreting those things correctly. Well done! The waitlist data can be a little hard to interpret-- it tells you how many offers were made, but not how many were accepted. Some schools need to do multiple offers to fill just one empty spot. And siblings can jump the waitlist-- so if a child gets an offer and accepts it, that causes their siblings to move to the top of the list. So it's hard to say precisely how things worked out for no-preference applicants. The nice thing about a new Appletree is that there are no currently attending students to confer Sibling Attending preference on their younger sibs-- it works in your favor that it is new. |
Anonymous
| My advice is dont overthink this. List Amidon 1. You are in-bound. It is nearby which is really great for ECE. You will most likely get in there. You will meet some area neighbors. Then list a bunch of surrounding schools but do not worry about perfectly researching them. |
Anonymous
+1. Don’t underestimate the ease of a walking commute in PK. |
Anonymous
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Yes, don't overthink it. Amidon-Bowen is good for preschool. There's no reason to think Appletree would be better-- being at a real elementary school can offer a lot of benefits and a sense of community.
If you don't get into Amidon-Bowen, that means your lottery number is really terrible so you won't get in anywhere else either, except maybe Appletree or another school that accepts all of its applicants. |
Anonymous
If you list Amidon first, that is a lock where you will go. List your true order of preference (which could be Amidon). |
Anonymous
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SWS
You could try Tyler Spanish since you have space if you would want Spanish Immersion since things are still in a little uncertainty with the switch to Spanish only Cap Hill Montessori Maaaybe Two Rivers 4th if it works logistically Maaaaybe Mundo Verde Pif you would want Spanish immersion Seaton (?) Thompson (?) Amidon-Bowen last unless you don’t want to have the possibility of any other school — you can will almost definitely get in there so if you rank it first then there’s no use in ranking other schools You could put the AT SW schools under A-B in case things go really crazy You could think about School Without Walls at Frances-Stevens if you don’t mind a swing space for a year and then West End for a future location. It should be easier to get into next year due to the swing space. I would put that toward the top again depending on logistics. I wouldn’t go to Miner or an AppleTree over your own In Bounds school. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
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All good advice here. As someone who went through this last year…don’t overthink it. You seem to know how it works.
I also wouldn’t go to appletree over your IB if you’re happy with your IB (and I do think appletree is a great program). |
Anonymous
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Hey Thomson mom here! At the risk of being a booster...which I guess I am, definitely check out the school. It flies under the radar but is awesome in every way, except the facilities. (Which frankly, need work).
Worth dealing with that though, for the great principal who's been in the job for 12 years, amazing teachers, warm atmosphere. Plus it's got DC's first IB (International Baccalaureate) program at an elementary school. I work in education and checked with my friends in DCPS before I choose it, they called Thomson a "hidden gem." We are undecided about staying in DC longterm, but if we do, we plan to be at Thomson through grade 5, and then go to the feeder middle, which is also great, School Without Walls at Francis-Stephens. We are out-of-boundary and lotteried into Thomson, which is easy to do these days. Lots of families used to choose it because it was near work and that's slowed down a lot with the rise of WFH. That's hurt the school's enrollment numbers some. That's why I'm bothering to booster here, I want the school to stay full so it doesn't lose any of the great staff. They have good enrollment this year but struggled some in 2022-23. This isn't to disparage the other schools you listed. I don't know as much about them as I do about Thomson, but many have really good reputations and I have friends who are happy with them. This video the staff made to introduce themselves to parents give you an idea of the really special school culture: https://youtu.be/Nw3N-vBkPhU |
Anonymous
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Having a short commute is a big benefit. Amidon will go through a renovation at some point soon and that will suck, but I wouldn't lock in a long commute now unless you are very confident that you want immersion or something (I personally would rule out MV P St just based on the violent crime that happens nearby, but a lot of people go there). I also wouldn't focus too much on feeder patterns since a lot can change in the next 9 years.
Appletree is at a new location next year, but they've been in various locations in SW for over a decade and it would be worth asking how long their teachers have worked for Appletree. You are not getting into Van Ness OOB, especially if you don't have an at-risk preference. If you want something close by that doesn't have a boundary, Eagle Academy in Buzzard Point could be an option and it goes through more grades than Appletree. I don't think it's any better than Amidon though. |
Anonymous
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OP here
Thank you so much, everyone! This is all very helpful, and I appreciate the advice to not over-think it (which I'm at high-risk for doing). Also totally happy to hear from any boosters (or detractors) and personal experiences at these schools. I am planning to go to EDfest this weekend, I know people have mixed reviews but my mother, who is a retired elementary school teacher from an urban public school system, will be in town and wants to help. Do they have people there who can answer some questions specifically on how the lottery works? I've read a few conflicting things, mainly on how to do the ranking if you have some long-shot schools on your list. I know you can't "game" the system, but wasn't sure if there's really a up/downside to listing schools where you're unlikely to get in. I've seen advice either way -- don't bother, or rank them high just on the off-chance there's a miracle |