How to know when it's time to leave?

[Anonymous]

On paper, our neighborhood school is not great. The test scores are on the lower end of middling and the chronic absenteeism rate is surprisingly high. And yet ... my experience so far has been invested teachers, responsive admin, engaged parents across the socioeconomic spectrum, happy kids. I've encountered several parents of kids in upper grades still full of enthusiasm for the school.

What am I missing? And how will I know when it's time to leave?

My main concerns are:
- Our IB middle is a non-starter
- I want my kids to continue to be engaged (ideally challenged) in learning and prepared for middle school

[Anonymous]

You do the lottery every year and leave when you have a number good enough to get access to the middle school you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On paper, our neighborhood school is not great. The test scores are on the lower end of middling and the chronic absenteeism rate is surprisingly high. And yet ... my experience so far has been invested teachers, responsive admin, engaged parents across the socioeconomic spectrum, happy kids. I've encountered several parents of kids in upper grades still full of enthusiasm for the school.

What am I missing? And how will I know when it's time to leave?

My main concerns are:
- Our IB middle is a non-starter
- I want my kids to continue to be engaged (ideally challenged) in learning and prepared for middle school

You could probably stay through elementary, you just need a middle school plan. We stayed at a middling elementary and then went to one of the good charter middles, and our kids is doing just fine. We did end up supplementing a LOT towards the very end of elementary, when they stopped bothering to differentiate. There are definitely kids who came in with more knowledge, but he rose to the occasion.

I personally would not take a chance on middle.

[Anonymous]

You lottery for the Latins and BASIS. If you strike out, you move.

[Anonymous]

How are things for your kid socially? Happy enough at school or actual friends that they see on weekends, etc?

How big is their cohort in terms of whatever learning level they’re at?

[Anonymous]

MacFarland feeder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do the lottery every year and leave when you have a number good enough to get access to the middle school you want.

This is what we did in third grade and although it was really hard to leave the school community, it was absolutely worth it. DC settled in so quickly and it feels good not to worry about having a bad year due to certain kids in the grade, have the middle school question resolved, or worry about friends leaving or harder social transitions later.

We would have stayed at our school through fifth, but unless you’re willing to move for middle school, you have to play the lottery every year. You have to get that good draw the same year a school on your list opens up another classroom or randomly makes a bunch of offers.

[Anonymous]

You can stay and be frustrated/judgy toward others leaving or leave and let others feel that way about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You lottery for the Latins and BASIS. If you strike out, you move.

Yup

[Anonymous]

All the posters are right. You move now, lottery every year for a school with a better feeder, stay through 4th and hope you get a Latin spot, or you have a really good backup for 6th (moving or private, both of which require work and compromises).

In hindsight, I wish we had moved to a better school district while our kids were in early elementary. Life would be easier - our kids' friends would live nearby, we would have a better house with less crime, and we would have more money because we wouldn't have the private school tuition we have now. I loved our elementary school experience and community, but I don't think it was worth it to stay in the end.

[Anonymous]

You're not missing anything. The "good on paper" schools aren't the only ones with where good teaching and admin and positive school culture can happen! Just make a plan for MS if that's what's worrying you.

[Anonymous]

Lottery to Basis or Latin 2nd Street. If you fail for 5th, move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lottery to Basis or Latin 2nd Street. If you fail for 5th, move.

I would also lottery for better DCPS feeders that 4th grade year, just to add some more options. We just lived this and my kid got two interesting offers (good middle charter and a decent DCPS middle feeder).

It was a very very stressful process (knowing that our IB middle was not an option) but it worked out in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not missing anything. The "good on paper" schools aren't the only ones with where good teaching and admin and positive school culture can happen! Just make a plan for MS if that's what's worrying you.

Couldn't agree more! As a teacher I switched from a mediocre (on paper) school to a good (on paper) school, and learned just how much test scores and school ratings fail to capture strong teaching and learning. The mediocre school was more rigorous, had way better student engagement and a way better community feel. It was joyful. The "good" school had better test scores and rankings because they had a higher SES population and fewer language learners, but the teaching and learning were not as good, the community was not as close, and there was very little joy among teachers or students. So important to consider the factors that ratings don't reflect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lottery to Basis or Latin 2nd Street. If you fail for 5th, move.

Agree.

BASIS if your kid is more academically inclined and Latin if your kid is an average student and/or more sporty.