Where did your 8th grader end up enrolling?

[Anonymous]

To start a new thread (that may need to get bumped up in a few weeks) - after all of the back and forth the pass the past few weeks about interviews, school options, staying in DC vs. moving, etc - I am curious about the 'what next'.

As has been said in a few of these threads and conversations, the number of middle and high school students in DC public/charter schools has increased, and more middle schools have been providing more rigorous options (ie algebra, geometry, ELA where kids actually read novels and dig a bit deeper, etc.). So the pool of kids is larger. Schools like McKinley and Banneker are getting more attention, and to a lesser extent the IB track at Eastern, and other application programs. As much as it sucks to not get the interview to the first (or maybe second) choice school, the lack of spots and difficulty/non interest in moving will mean that families will need to find a plan B.

For those of us in lower middle school or upper elementary grades and looking ahead at this process, it would be interesting to if folks replied with where they end up enrolling their child.

[Anonymous]

Our child went through Powell and MacFarland dual language all the way and is now a ninth grade student at Banneker.

Walked to school every day through eighth grade and now takes bus and Metro.

We have not had to move.

[Anonymous]

Our child attended Bridges and Inspired Teaching Demonstration School and then moved on to McKinley Technology High School.

It has been a good fit. He was looking for a larger school.

We did not have to move. We have a second child coming along who will be in high school in a few years. I really hope that the high school application process becomes less subjective by then, regardless of how it impacts my family.

[Anonymous]

He's not an 8th grader, but I have a middle schooler at BASIS who is doing very well and told me that "he loves it" and wants to stay through high school. I'm fine with that. So that is one other available path.

[Anonymous]

JKLMM-->Deal-->Big3 Private with financial aid.
Did not want JR (done with the chaos after Deal) and did not get an interview at SWW despite having all As. All's well that ends well--he is very happy, now midway through 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

My high schooler is at DCI and overall happy, but hates the commute. We as a family decided not to move, but it was an option. (Honestly, if we were to move, I'd want to move away from DMV area entirely.)

[Anonymous]

With due respect, Banneker has always gotten attention and produced outstanding grads. It's just that now white people are paying attention to it too. Don't erase its great history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With due respect, Banneker has always gotten attention and produced outstanding grads. It's just that now white people are paying attention to it too. Don't erase its great history.

+1

It is new to have it discussed so much in this forum, but it has been a strong school for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With due respect, Banneker has always gotten attention and produced outstanding grads. It's just that now white people are paying attention to it too. Don't erase its great history.

+1. That statement should have been qualified by OP as for White residents. Banneker has been a preferred option for Black and Brown families for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With due respect, Banneker has always gotten attention and produced outstanding grads. It's just that now white people are paying attention to it too. Don't erase its great history.

+1. That statement should have been qualified by OP as for White residents. Banneker has been a preferred option for Black and Brown families for decades.

I agree with the above posters. It is important to be stated and understood.

[Anonymous]

We went private. Kid is very happy (and so are we).

[Anonymous]

To the PPs who went private, where? How was the process?

I thought it was pretty much near impossible to get into privates by HS (w/out connections or very high scores, etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PPs who went private, where? How was the process?

I thought it was pretty much near impossible to get into privates by HS (w/out connections or very high scores, etc).

It's not impossible at all, it's just very hard to do at the top-tier privates. If you aim a little lower it can totally happen. Also it's easier at schools that start in 9th. Inspired Teaching kids routinely go to St. John's, Gonzaga, Elizabeth Seton, and Burke, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PPs who went private, where? How was the process?

I thought it was pretty much near impossible to get into privates by HS (w/out connections or very high scores, etc).

It's not impossible at all, it's just very hard to do at the top-tier privates. If you aim a little lower it can totally happen. Also it's easier at schools that start in 9th. Inspired Teaching kids routinely go to St. John's, Gonzaga, Elizabeth Seton, and Burke, for example.

This is all helpful. For those of us new to the high school game, what are the various deadlines? I know the public school HS lottery was due Feb 1, when do people have to choose where they enroll? What is the average timeline for privates?

I will be curious to refresh this thread in a few weeks or whenever the deadlines are to see where this year's 8th graders ended up.

[Anonymous]

You can read all about this on the myschooldc website.