Ranking my PK4 list

[Anonymous]

Currently at a decent charter for PK3. Possibility we stay.

Based on where we live in Ward 4 this is the current lottery list picked.

This is not in order. Came to DCUM first! Haha

John Lewis
Shepherd
Takoma
Whittier
Lafayette

I am fully aware we won’t get into Shepherd or Lafayette. But I did figure since it’s PK4 maybe we “win” the lottery.

I can add schools but since our current school is okay I don’t feel any pressure to pack this to 12 just because.

A low pressure lottery. Not too bad for the blood pressure.

How would you rank those five? And if you added one or two.. which ones?

Not anti-charter. But prefer DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say never when it comes to Lafayette. Know people who got in this past year, especially for K. Shepherd however seems more like a never. Both OB kids actually turned down Lafayette to stay IB though so not sure exactly what's going on with Lafayette.

Do you live IB for John Lewis or in the Takoma/Whittier area?

Takoma has the nicer building but a maybe slightly less tight-knit community than Whittier. Whittier is slated for modernization in 2026 so if you live IB you could always switch when the building is done. Either way the swing space will be across the street so location wise it'll be the same commute and they've this far seen enrollment increases beyond PK despite the building.

Lewis seems to have a pretty close community for that area but might be tougher if you don't live IB.

Honestly I haven't heard as much about Takoma but Whittier and Lewis have very solid communities and low teacher turnover to my understanding. I would probably pick your IB school, especially if you can walk. I can't underestimate the power of walking to school and seeing school friends around the neighborhood.

Takoma is by right so it's an automatic, Whittier tries really hard to pull in all IB kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

At some point DCPS is going to have to deal with the fact that Coolidge was modernized with a third of its current population and if Whittier keeps on pace and there's community buy in Wells and Coolidge cannot basically share a building.

The schools have invested so much and when you look at the programming and some of the colleges Coolidge students are attending this year (Hopkins, Georgetown, Bucknell, Spellman) there's so much potential. But it's a tight building for one of the fastest growing areas in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

We are in boundary for Takoma and have been happy there for the last 4 years. Most friends that I know who have left so far have done so for language immersion (DCB, LAMB, or Powell) or for a west of the park feeder. I wouldn’t pick Takoma over the others on your list if I was inbound for the others, but have not felt compelled to play the lottery to leave Takoma. I have no desire to commute west of the park for middle school and am cautiously optimistic about staying at Wells for middle school and playing the lottery for the various application HS options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

At some point DCPS is going to have to deal with the fact that Coolidge was modernized with a third of its current population and if Whittier keeps on pace and there's community buy in Wells and Coolidge cannot basically share a building.

The schools have invested so much and when you look at the programming and some of the colleges Coolidge students are attending this year (Hopkins, Georgetown, Bucknell, Spellman) there's so much potential. But it's a tight building for one of the fastest growing areas in the city.

Well, they can stop making OOB lottery offers, for starters. They made 67 for 9th and 28 for 10th this past year. They could also reduce OOB offers at Wells to shrink the 9th grade entering class a little.

Another option is to zone some elementaries to Roosevelt.

[Anonymous]

I think you’re very unlikely to get Lafayette at PK4 (pretty sure they waitlist IB families), but if you like the school keep trying! It’s definitely possible to get in via lottery in upper grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

At some point DCPS is going to have to deal with the fact that Coolidge was modernized with a third of its current population and if Whittier keeps on pace and there's community buy in Wells and Coolidge cannot basically share a building.

The schools have invested so much and when you look at the programming and some of the colleges Coolidge students are attending this year (Hopkins, Georgetown, Bucknell, Spellman) there's so much potential. But it's a tight building for one of the fastest growing areas in the city.

Well, they can stop making OOB lottery offers, for starters. They made 67 for 9th and 28 for 10th this past year. They could also reduce OOB offers at Wells to shrink the 9th grade entering class a little.

Another option is to zone some elementaries to Roosevelt.

I know reducing OOB enrollment has been discussed, but whether DCPS does it is another thing. I don't know that they'll be able to rezone for awhile after this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, my list would probably go:

Shepherd
Lafayette
Whittier
Lewis
Takoma

The first two get you into a good feeder pattern so would be worth ranking first IMO. Lafayette is huge and has an incredibly non-diverse student population (at least on paper) so gives me pause, but still probably worth it for the feeder pattern. Whittier is an incredible school; the one thing there is they're up for modernization so will be doing the trailer thing for a bit. I have a feeling that after the modernization, more neighborhood kids are going to buy in to Whittier and they won't have as many available seats, so now may be a good time to get in out-of-bounds if you're interested.

Whittier and Takoma both feed to Wells which seems like a very decent middle school option, but Coolidge continues to feel like a no-go. Things might change though as Wells gains traction! We've had friends at Lewis who loved it -- again, the long-term feeder pattern is an issue there. We had friends who lotteried out of Takoma after PK3 and had a bad experience overall, but that is a single anecdote.

At some point DCPS is going to have to deal with the fact that Coolidge was modernized with a third of its current population and if Whittier keeps on pace and there's community buy in Wells and Coolidge cannot basically share a building.

The schools have invested so much and when you look at the programming and some of the colleges Coolidge students are attending this year (Hopkins, Georgetown, Bucknell, Spellman) there's so much potential. But it's a tight building for one of the fastest growing areas in the city.

Well, they can stop making OOB lottery offers, for starters. They made 67 for 9th and 28 for 10th this past year. They could also reduce OOB offers at Wells to shrink the 9th grade entering class a little.

Another option is to zone some elementaries to Roosevelt.

I know reducing OOB enrollment has been discussed, but whether DCPS does it is another thing. I don't know that they'll be able to rezone for awhile after this.

They can make small rezoning changes whenever they want.

[Anonymous]

You should rank them in your order of preference. If middle school matters, probably Lafayette and Shepherd first. But if you plan to move anyway or commutes matter a ton, that could be different.

Would you consider trekking south? I have friends whose kids go to Dorothy Height and Barnard and have been happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should rank them in your order of preference. If middle school matters, probably Lafayette and Shepherd first. But if you plan to move anyway or commutes matter a ton, that could be different.

Would you consider trekking south? I have friends whose kids go to Dorothy Height and Barnard and have been happy there.

+1. True preference always. But if you wanted a middle/high school pathway, your true preference could be different than if you're just looking for a strong, convenient elementary school. The problem with Whittier, Lewis, and Takoma is that other families WILL start leaving in middle elementary for a different feeder pattern. Not everyone and not all in the same year, but you just can't know ahead of time if it will be your DC's primary friend cohort and how much it will bother your DC.

As someone in the same general neighborhood and a few years ahead of you, here's what I'd recommend. Decide both: (1) if you want to prioritize staying in your current house and if that means securing an OOB/charter feeder pathway; (2) and also if you feel confident in your current charter through third grade or so. If both are a yes, then I wouldn't move your DC from your decent charter until you get an offer that gives you a long term pathway. If you want to stay in your current house, but don't feel confident in your charter for another 5 years, then I'd rank true preference, accounting for feeder patter, and see where you get in. If another school can give you a solid, stable 5+ years, it's not ideal, but not the end of the world to move DC in middle elementary. They may moan and groan, but it is so common in DC that it's not the end of the world. Also consider whether you would be interested in DCI for middle and high school. Many, many families in the area choose DC because of academic standards and proximity, not language. If you'd consider DCI, then I'd lottery for any of those feeders you want, plus Powell and Bruce Monroe (which are easy to get into at K and build language skills until you can lottery into a DCI feeder in upper elementary).

[Anonymous]

OP here: thank you! this is why I love this board. great insight.

Middle feeder will not matter. At least we don't think it will matter. Spouse works at a good charter school we can lottery in.

However, I guess it would be good to have a safety if that charter gets worse or he wants to switch schools..

IB is Brightwood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should rank them in your order of preference. If middle school matters, probably Lafayette and Shepherd first. But if you plan to move anyway or commutes matter a ton, that could be different.

Would you consider trekking south? I have friends whose kids go to Dorothy Height and Barnard and have been happy there.

+1. True preference always. But if you wanted a middle/high school pathway, your true preference could be different than if you're just looking for a strong, convenient elementary school. The problem with Whittier, Lewis, and Takoma is that other families WILL start leaving in middle elementary for a different feeder pattern. Not everyone and not all in the same year, but you just can't know ahead of time if it will be your DC's primary friend cohort and how much it will bother your DC.

As someone in the same general neighborhood and a few years ahead of you, here's what I'd recommend. Decide both: (1) if you want to prioritize staying in your current house and if that means securing an OOB/charter feeder pathway; (2) and also if you feel confident in your current charter through third grade or so. If both are a yes, then I wouldn't move your DC from your decent charter until you get an offer that gives you a long term pathway. If you want to stay in your current house, but don't feel confident in your charter for another 5 years, then I'd rank true preference, accounting for feeder patter, and see where you get in. If another school can give you a solid, stable 5+ years, it's not ideal, but not the end of the world to move DC in middle elementary. They may moan and groan, but it is so common in DC that it's not the end of the world. Also consider whether you would be interested in DCI for middle and high school. Many, many families in the area choose DC because of academic standards and proximity, not language. If you'd consider DCI, then I'd lottery for any of those feeders you want, plus Powell and Bruce Monroe (which are easy to get into at K and build language skills until you can lottery into a DCI feeder in upper elementary).

This is an underrated post. Even if you OP want to stay at a school your kids friends may begin to leave for schools with different feeders. Or move out of DC in general..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thank you! this is why I love this board. great insight.

Middle feeder will not matter. At least we don't think it will matter. Spouse works at a good charter school we can lottery in.

However, I guess it would be good to have a safety if that charter gets worse or he wants to switch schools..

IB is Brightwood.

If IB is Brightwood I'd go Whittier. It's the better middle feeder between Whittier and JL and lots of Whittier families live that way. Fort Slocum last week had tons of Whittier families sledding. Takoma doesn't get you anything in location so it'd probably be my last after Shepherd and Lafayette.

I'd also say the PP is historically correct about kids in upper elementary leaving places like Whittier, Takoma, JL but I do think things are changing a bit. And frankly it takes community buy in to change it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thank you! this is why I love this board. great insight.

Middle feeder will not matter. At least we don't think it will matter. Spouse works at a good charter school we can lottery in.

However, I guess it would be good to have a safety if that charter gets worse or he wants to switch schools..

IB is Brightwood.

PP here. In that case, I wouldn't worry about middle school and would strongly prioritize proximity/walkability (which matters for playdates and self sufficiency as they get older). If any of those schools are within a walkable mile (i.e., crossing Georgia Ave is much different than walking through the neighborhood), that would get a lot of weight in my decision making. In terms of the schools themselves, I myself would choose Whittier, John Lewis, then Takoma.