KIPP in DC

[Anonymous]

Our family is moving to DC from TX and I'm so glad we found this site.

We have two boys - one starting middle school and the other getting ready to start high school. They both attend KIPP schools in Texas and we have been very happy with the quality of the schools there. They are happy, supported and challenged.

We planned to transfer them to KIPP schools in DC, but I've been doing some research and I've been surprised at what I'm seeing. I'm hoping someone here can give me a local perspective. Are the KIPP schools in DC better than the data suggests?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

What is it that surprises you about the data?

We have a really wide variety of schools here. If you know roughly what area you'll be living in, people can help you find schools within a reasonable distance.

Also be aware that some middle schools here start in 5th, some in 6th. Just FYI.

[Anonymous]

Where will you be living?

[Anonymous]

KIPP schools in DC typically serve extremely disadvantaged populations.

I don't know what your experience may be in Texas or your demographics.

I think they do an excellent job with these kids, but many come from extreme poverty and/or homelessness and need significant educational help.

[Anonymous]

Before I moved here I thought of Kipp as mostly serving middle class families with a no excuses model. Here it’s the same model- and I know some of the admins, they are good people- but the population they serve is extremely underprivileged and resource poor.

[Anonymous]

You probably will not learn that much about Kipp on this board. Look now into whether the oldest can apply to the dcps application high schools - the deadline is Feb. 1. I think several of the dcps middle schools are pretty okay, and for high school look JR, MacArthur, or the application schools.

[Anonymous]

KIPP in DC serves among the hardest school populations, but typically with the advantage of having at least one family member who cared enough about education to lottery them in. Their test scores for demographics are actually quite good in multiple (but not all) campuses.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to DC! KIPP has many (20) schools in the District and they're not all exactly alike. A good way to get a feeling is by attending one of their virtual events or their open houses (https://www.kippdc.org/school-tours/). This board skews white and middle class and upper middle class, so there are few people who have first hand KIPP DC knowledge. That said, I have several friends who both work for and send their kids to KIPP DC schools and they're pretty happy. Good luck finding your best fit!

[Anonymous]

My child attended KIPP through 6th grade here, and we were very happy with it. The middle school he was in wasn't the best fit for him socially, for a variety of reasons (his last 2 years at KIPP were during COVID, so it may have been better if not for that), but we also moved out of DC for work related reasons. I have no experience with the KIPP high schools in DC.