Insight on middle school- SWWFS, ITDS, CHM?

[Anonymous]

Hi-
We are a military family moving to DC and trying to wrap our heads around schools. We are posted abroad until August so we can't actually visit schools, talk to teachers, etc. This forum has been helpful (also wild!). Hoping people with experience at these schools above can help- I've read so many threads my eyes are crossed but I can't find good info on this specific question- all help appreciated!

We have sweet, smart, introverted incoming 6th grader. Doesn't do well with transitions (opps- military life was not the right call, lol). He'd thrive in small, supportive school (I went to a chaotic NYC public school- fun for me, not right for him). Sports are... not an issue. He's a quiet, quirky little dude. Academics are less important than a supportive atmosphere. We did the lottery and matched at Cap Hill Montessori. Truth was our 1st choice but our number seems unlikely. But have a good number for ITDS (under 10) and a kinda (?) good number for SWWFS (under 20). CHM seems great but then reading a few posts on this thread has scared me for middle school. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

Take the ITDS spot if you're offered it.

[Anonymous]

Yup. I don't have kids at ITS, but know many families who are there (or graduated) and i think it would be a great fit for your kid. Good luck!


SWWFS is also totally lovely and offers a different vibe -- they also are moving into a beautiful new building in the fall, and have a good number of military families.

You can't go wrong with either.

[Anonymous]

Agree with ITDS as top choice and that SWWFS would be good as well.

Word on the (lottery) street is that ITDS matched a lot of 6th graders this year based on experience over the past few years, but they may have less attrition than in past years (largely because Latin Cooper has fewer seats in 6th available). So the waitlist may not move or might move late.

Do you know for sure where you are living? If there is flexibility in those arrangements, you could always move IB to SWWFS or Hardy as a backup to the backup.

[Anonymous]

Avoid CHM at all costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with ITDS as top choice and that SWWFS would be good as well.

Word on the (lottery) street is that ITDS matched a lot of 6th graders this year based on experience over the past few years, but they may have less attrition than in past years (largely because Latin Cooper has fewer seats in 6th available). So the waitlist may not move or might move late.

Do you know for sure where you are living? If there is flexibility in those arrangements, you could always move IB to SWWFS or Hardy as a backup to the backup.

100% agree, and I'm an ITDS parent of middle schoolers. I think they matched way too many kids for 6th and I'm a little nervous how it's going to shake out if they're overcrowded! It's a nurturing place and there are plenty of quirky kids.

Having said that, SWWFS is a good school and it's slightly bigger, so your kid may stand a better chance of finding friends and activities they enjoy. ITDS feels really small for middle school and that has pros and cons.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who is having a great experience at CHM, but have also heard that many kids are leaving from middle school. How long will you be in DC, is this for one year or a longer stay? Where will your kid be commuting from (if you know).

I have toured ITDS with both my kids, once last year and once several years ago. It was OK, not major issues, but we ended up in a school we ranked higher on the lottery list. The middle school is fairly small, the teachers we met seemed engaged and friendly, when someone mentioned Pokemon Club, my kid lit up. It does not have a reputation for very rigorous academics, there are group/multimedia projects, so it's probably sort of what you're looking for.

I think some people have mentioned that they have more halfdays or random days off than other schools? If that's a concern. The building is decent, not as fancy as CMH (which is newly renovated and in a more convenient location), but they get to use the adjacent rec center's facilities, like the soccer field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know someone who is having a great experience at CHM, but have also heard that many kids are leaving from middle school. How long will you be in DC, is this for one year or a longer stay? Where will your kid be commuting from (if you know).

I have toured ITDS with both my kids, once last year and once several years ago. It was OK, not major issues, but we ended up in a school we ranked higher on the lottery list. The middle school is fairly small, the teachers we met seemed engaged and friendly, when someone mentioned Pokemon Club, my kid lit up. It does not have a reputation for very rigorous academics, there are group/multimedia projects, so it's probably sort of what you're looking for.

I think some people have mentioned that they have more halfdays or random days off than other schools? If that's a concern. The building is decent, not as fancy as CMH (which is newly renovated and in a more convenient location), but they get to use the adjacent rec center's facilities, like the soccer field.

They do have half days approximately every other Wednesday. This year school starts August 20, earlier than many.

[Anonymous]

How many sixth graders did ITDS admit this year? I only know of one student leaving in the fifth grade cohort. And two who were going to move but now aren’t.

I’d say ITDS sounds like a good fit for OPs kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many sixth graders did ITDS admit this year? I only know of one student leaving in the fifth grade cohort. And two who were going to move but now aren’t.

I’d say ITDS sounds like a good fit for OPs kid.

They matched 24 in the initial lottery. Of course, not all matches will accept.

Two kids left from the 5th grade class mid-year. I only know of two who are going to other schools next year.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks, everyone! Super, super helpful. It’s really frustrating not to be able to actually tour a school or talk to parents in person. So this insight is SO appreciated.

I should have said- we live on Capitol Hill. And this is our last tour abroad. For pure avoiding-commute reasons, I was hoping people would have good things to say about CHM since it’s a bike ride away. But I don’t mind distance if he’ll be at a great (even good) fit school. ITD may not work out even with a good number but if it does it sounds like we should take it.

For those who say avoid CHM- can you tell me more?

Thanks again!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks, everyone! Super, super helpful. It’s really frustrating not to be able to actually tour a school or talk to parents in person. So this insight is SO appreciated.

I should have said- we live on Capitol Hill. And this is our last tour abroad. For pure avoiding-commute reasons, I was hoping people would have good things to say about CHM since it’s a bike ride away. But I don’t mind distance if he’ll be at a great (even good) fit school. ITD may not work out even with a good number but if it does it sounds like we should take it.

For those who say avoid CHM- can you tell me more?

Thanks again!!

If you live on the Hill, are you already on the Moms on the Hill (MoTH) listserve? You'll probably get a lot more responses that way. This is the email address to request to join if you're not already a memeber: [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many sixth graders did ITDS admit this year? I only know of one student leaving in the fifth grade cohort. And two who were going to move but now aren’t.

I’d say ITDS sounds like a good fit for OPs kid.

They matched 24 in the initial lottery. Of course, not all matches will accept.

Two kids left from the 5th grade class mid-year. I only know of two who are going to other schools next year.

OP, my kid sounds a lot like yours and, while ITDS hasn't been perfect it's been a good fit for our child in middle school.

Families can't possibly know if the will or will not go to another school yet. Rest assured, even if 5th grade families haven't told their kid or the kid's friends parents yet, many kids leave ITDS for other schools at that year. I say that as a ITDS middle school parent who's BTDT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many sixth graders did ITDS admit this year? I only know of one student leaving in the fifth grade cohort. And two who were going to move but now aren’t.

I’d say ITDS sounds like a good fit for OPs kid.

They matched 24 in the initial lottery. Of course, not all matches will accept.

Two kids left from the 5th grade class mid-year. I only know of two who are going to other schools next year.

OP, my kid sounds a lot like yours and, while ITDS hasn't been perfect it's been a good fit for our child in middle school.

Families can't possibly know if the will or will not go to another school yet. Rest assured, even if 5th grade families haven't told their kid or the kid's friends parents yet, many kids leave ITDS for other schools at that year. I say that as a ITDS middle school parent who's BTDT.

I hope you are right! But 24 lottery admits in a class of 48ish kids seems like a lot. I am hoping it works out and is not overcrowded. In 5th grade of course, there are so many siblings of Latin students etc. that you know many kids will definitely go. And Latin and BASIS have entry years. For 6th I only know two ITDS kids using sibling preference to go somewhere else. It seems like the difficulty getting into Truth came as a surprise. DCI is also hard to get into, and Cooper is now hard for 6th grade too.

[Anonymous]

Truth is a great option as long as you don’t care about academics at all.