your kids' and your Duke Ellington experiences
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Anonymous
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My [very shy] rising 8th grader is interested in pursuing their instrumental program. She is currently at a small DC private, but wants to expand musically. I am nervous about what I've heard in passing about the school's academics. DS is also interested -- also for instrumental music, but one year behind. They've both struggled with making friends due to shyness. Hoping that will improve with age, of course.
I really don't know anything about the school, so would love to hear from current parents. And their website is currently mostly broken, so not much to be found there! - How is their instrumental program? Intensity, quality of instruction, varied opportunities to play and expand as a musician, etc. - How are the other academics? Do you anticipate your kid will be college ready? How are the guidance counselors and college counselors? Are teachers kind and supportive? (We have only been here a few years, and don't have any experience with DCPS.) - What are the kids like, generally? Is it easy for most kids to really find 'their people'? - Do kids burn out? Sounds like a LONG school day! - From the parent perspective -- has it all been worth it to send your kid there vs simply supplementing their interests in the Arts outside of a more mainstream school? How is parent involvement at the school? I know that's a lot, but thanks for anything you can offer! |
Anonymous
| Many people with complaints about the long commute from their homes in Maryland, but you won’t hear from them here. |
Anonymous
| It's a terrible school I know a few people in their early 20's who attended and they're barely illiterate. They wait tables now. |
Anonymous
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We had a prospective student last year. They ultimately decided to continue their art outside of school rather than apply to DE. They love their art, but are also interested in STEM. And we felt that the academics were secondary to the arts at DE.
My kid does have several friends that attend and they like the school. They agree that academics are secondary to the arts, but feel that they have found their place at DE. And that seems important too. however, I’m not sure it’s a great place for a shy kid. |
Anonymous
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OK, enough from people with no experience already.
It's a school of the arts. No, academics is not secondary, but it shares the same importance. That's what a school of arts is. It's not a school with an arts program, it is the major focus with the intent of building students who can walk into their field of art right away or seek higher education. You get two diplomas and you take ten classes per semester, so colleges look upon the work ethic very favorably, especially conservatories and major colleges with arts programs. As for being shy, you should know that the most outstanding musician who gradated last year was both blind and in a wheelchair. It's an arts school, which by default means kids are incredibly supportive of other students because they all had to have a basic level of great talent to enter. That said, DO NOT consider it if you're just looking for a good school with arts because your kid likes to play. It's not that place. |
Anonymous
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My kid is not in the instrumental program but they have friends who are. It seems to be a very rigorous program and your child will have tons of amazing opportunities to perform. I wouldn’t worry about being shy. There are all kinds of kids in that program.
Academics can be a mixed bag as you may find at any public school (depends on the teacher, etc), but there are honors and AP classes for motivated students. My child has taken both. It is a long school day, but my child adjusted quickly. The commute is long from almost everywhere. We live in DC and it takes about 45 minutes by metro and bus each way. Kid has not applied to college yet, but I don’t think you are going to get a lot of hand holding there like you would from private school. Same with things like academic course selection. You are on your own there to just pick classes that seem best. |
Anonymous
| In my very limited experience, the few kids I've met from DESA are honed in on their art. I met a really mature rising senior in 2020, assumed she was a young adult and started following her on IG. She's an incredibly talented artist and I've witnessed her celebrity following pick up since then. We considered DESA as a backup for Banneker, but DD and I acknowledged that her passion for art and creative writing was not remotely close to her peers who now attend. My friend's DD will attend this fall and she's been an artsy kid as long as I can remember. I wouldn't bother applying if it's not something a kid feels called to do. I suspect that it would have been an academic and social misfit for DD who probably wouldn't have been accepted anyway. |
Anonymous
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My rising sixth grader has been wanting to attend DESA since her second grade teacher put the idea in her head. She wants to go for writing, but is more of a creative writer than a cinematic/media writing. I’m also very concerned with the math scores because she’s advanced in math now, but understand that they may not be reflective at the high school level.
Can anyone speak to the writing program there and how flexible it is for a creative writer and to the math opportunities? Ultimately it will be her choice if she even decides to apply and then gets in, but she’s been pretty firm on this path for many years now. Our other option is MacArthur (OOB), so it’s a wash commute wise and still unknowns with that path as well. |
Anonymous
| Bump |
Anonymous
| The instrumental program kids are very nice and academically ambitious. There are good teachers and course offerings. Dual enrollment allows classes at Georgetown, which is very close by. It is a gorgeous school too. |
Anonymous
How many kids actually take georgetown classes? |
Anonymous
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No one goes to Duke for the academics.
About a 1/3 of kids at Duke are below grade level in English and over 85% are below grade level in math. Here is how Duke compares to Walls in terms of 4+ PARCC scores: Duke ELA 66.00 Math 13.04 Walls ELA 94.07 Math 67.44 |
Anonymous
Our kid is a rising 9th grader, so I can't tell you what the math is like (and I actually don't care that everyone says the academics are inferior to Walls and JR and all the other schools), but they also want to be a writer and had their sights set on DESA since 5th grade. The program was revamped a few years ago and writing is still a large part of it, but it's not a narrow "creative writing" program. They want kids who are willing to stretch themselves--if you kid isn't willing to explore other means of storytelling, they aren't going to be a good fit. I would encourage you to go to some of the CAMP showcases before you apply to get a sense of what the program is like. |
Anonymous
How do you know so far ahead of time that Macarthur OOB will be an option? |
Anonymous
Yup! They really don't go on to anything worth talking about. |