Student Stratification at Selective High Schools
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Anonymous
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I’m wondering about student background and success at the several selective high schools, though mostly at Walls and Banneker.
I assume that there are cohorts coming in from private schools, Catholic schools, effective and ineffective charters, DCPS middle schools of varying levels of challenge, etc. How do these various students turn out? I imagine a kid who’s been a great student at a DCPS middle for three years is going to have to work a lot harder. While a kid from a private might not be used to the style but might expect the pacing of the work. Or a BASIS student might expect the volume of homework but not some cultural aspects. Any experience with that? |
Anonymous
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If you want an actual look at where the kids come from, try here.
There are all kinds of private schools so I wouldn't assume all kids from private school are capable of the same things. |
Anonymous
This is a good question for teachers, who can probably tell who is best prepared and how they are all adjusting. |
Anonymous
| It's much trickier to get into Walls from some privates (the Big3 level) as these schools generally don't give straight As, even in middle school. My current 8th grader would have never passed the Walls GPA cut-off this year as he had a B+ and an A-. She came from Deal with a 4.0 after 7th but then his grades quickly corrected to the private school's standard which is to give mostly imperfect grades. |
Anonymous
Oops. Sorry for the gender switch mid-post. That was an error--typing on phone. |
Anonymous
| A good student is a good student anywhere, I imagine. My former BASIS student was top of the class at BASIS (top 5% every grading period) and continues on the straight A trajectory at Walls. (Not to start a firestorm (!), but kid does find Walls to be easier/less challenging . . . ) |
Anonymous
We are finding the same thing. Struggling a little more with time management, but that's because of a huge increase with the extracurriculars |
Anonymous
| I think kids who are used to getting redos over and over, test retakes, no penalty for late work, extensions, etc. are the ones who struggle at Walls. Kids with good time management, organization and study skills do the best. There are obviously exceptions to this (incredibly bright kids or kids who are quite below grade level). |
Anonymous
| Our kid is a rising junior at Walls and came from a DCPS middle. The workload is definitely a lot and they often seem overworked, but their grades have stayed high. The peer group there probably helps keep kids focused, as everyone is well behaved and prioritizes keeping up with their studies. But I also worry that a lot of those kids and their parents are over-functioning and unhealthfully hyper-focused on grades, building a high school resume and worried about getting into a top college. Just being a high school kid and having fun with friends gets short shrift. |
Anonymous
| My rising senior went to ITDS, which doesn't assign much homework, instead focusing on big projects, student-directed stuff, and other modes of learning. 9th grade at SWW was a *big* adjustment in terms of the grind of homework and juggling demands on their time. But my kid felt well prepared academically and has done great, including in 9th grade. They also found their footing with a bunch of fun extracurriculars. |
Anonymous
That’s who Walls tends to attract- people think the school puts pressure on kids but it’s mostly parents and peers. Having fun is not a top priority. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| I know this isn't the main topic, but would a kid from a Big 3 private with straight As have a shot at getting into Walls, or are they (with good reason) looking more to accept kids who are further from opportunity? Asking because my kid may be interested in leaving their private school. |
Anonymous
Sure they have a shot, but you have to understand that grades aren't that big a part of the admissions rubric. |