Captiol Hill Day School CHDS - 2010 Reviews?

[Anonymous]

Anyone care to provide any comments on Captiol Hill Day School (CHDS), all the forum discussions (found via the search option) are pretty dated. I am looking for more recent reviews. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

What, specifically, are you interested in knowing about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone care to provide any comments on Captiol Hill Day School (CHDS), all the forum discussions (found via the search option) are pretty dated. I am looking for more recent reviews. Thanks!

New head of school. Seems like a terrific guy. I see Capitol Hill Day School as finally becoming more than a neighborhood school and losing that "hidden gem" title (the hidden part).

[Anonymous]

Is it still known for its lack of diversity among its student body?

[Anonymous]

Original 'poster' - It seems there are many strong advocates sitting on both sides of the fence when it comes to many of the other private schools within the area. What do parents feel are the pros of sending their child to CHDS? Is the school as one of the 'posters' said, just a neighborhood school? Are parents paying for the name and location. Or, is it an extraordinary school? Trying to make a determination -- if its a right fit for the child/family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it still known for its lack of diversity among its student body?

huh? it is among the most diverse private schools around. My DCs class is 40% AA and over 50% diverse when other groups are factored in. plus there are a number of non traditional families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Original 'poster' - It seems there are many strong advocates sitting on both sides of the fence when it comes to many of the other private schools within the area. What do parents feel are the pros of sending their child to CHDS? Is the school as one of the 'posters' said, just a neighborhood school? Are parents paying for the name and location. Or, is it an extraordinary school? Trying to make a determination -- if its a right fit for the child/family.

First I will address the diversity thing-- it's much more diverse than most of the private schools in DC. Is it as diverse as the surrounding neighborhood? No, but I think that's something most privates struggle with.

Pros:

--Outstanding field education program. No other private school in the area even comes close. Students are on field trips an average of once a week, and the trips are closely aligned with the curriculum. They have a full time field education coordinator who does an excellent job of using the resources of the city to the fullest extent. They have overnight trips for students starting in 4th grade, and again, they are closely aligned with curriculum. For example, 4th graders study immigration and take an overnight trip to NYC and visit Ellis Island, etc.

--Great community of parents and students. Real "family" type atmosphere. Teachers are warm and caring-- your child will be known. Very child-centered approach.

--Rigourous academic program. Emphasis on the arts. Focus on depth of knowledge rather than breadth. Also a big emphasis on character building and "doing the right thing."

Bottom line, it's not "just a neighborhood school", but I think people tend to know less about it because it's in SE rather than NW. So yes, as a parent there I think it is an extraordinary school!

[Anonymous]

Extraordinary? No.

[Anonymous]

How were exmissons last year?

Last time I looked (3 years ago), it was quite impressive, with a good representation at GDS, Maret, Burke, and Field.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate the fresh insights. Does anyone else have anything to add. What is a con?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate the fresh insights. Does anyone else have anything to add. What is a con?

It doesn't automatically feed to any school, so you could be SOL after 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

It's a small school. We like that, but some may see it as a con. Because of its size, it doesn't have a a very big sports program, if that's important to your kid.

[Anonymous]

If I lived or worked on the hill, it would be one of my top choices for elementary school.

I've heard great things about its academic strength, teachers, and admin from other parents and admins when we were looking at schools for DC. We did not apply because of geography, but I think that you should apply and see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I appreciate the fresh insights. Does anyone else have anything to add. What is a con?

It doesn't automatically feed to any school, so you could be SOL after 8th grade.

Not if your child is a good student. They may not back up and dump half the class at the Cathedral schools, but a decent student has a fair shot at a variety of schools.

[Anonymous]

True. A well-known local educational consultant told us that "a child who does well at the Day School will be highly sought after for high school." Ours got in everywhere they applied. Sure, a struggling child will only end up at a Big Three for high school if they'd started in the Big Three in K, but a struggling child from the Day School WILL have a good fit for high school too.