What Highschools are your kids applying to/going to?

[Anonymous]

My DC is in 8th grade and we are getting ready for applications. Their in boundary school right now is Macarthur but we might (not sure at all yet) be moving in a couple months and will then be in boundary for Jackson Reed. I don't want my kid to stress and apply to too many school like some of their friends are planning on. My first question is Macarthur or Jackson Reed? Although Jackson Reed is the better school right now, its very very big and neither my child or I are interested in such a big school. There is a lot of discussion about Macarthur though and I just don't know if it will end up being a good school or a total failure. I know Hardy kids feed into Macarthur but I would've thought that the "good" kids get into selective or private schools. Next for application schools; Walls seems like the best option to apply to but I have heard some negative things about it such as the staff and principal not being very good and communicative and it being very cliquey so I'm wondering if that's true. Banneker seems like a truly great school but is a bit far for us and the commute is difficult. Duke is out of the question and same with McKinley tech as it doesn't interest my child. I'm wondering if they should just go to Macarthur or if it's too risky and should apply to walls or even Banneker? My dc are very academic focused and we care about that as well. Any opinions, facts or experiences from current or former parents of these schools would be greatly appreciated!! And as the title states, what schools are your kids going to/applying to?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I want to know this too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in 8th grade and we are getting ready for applications. Their in boundary school right now is Macarthur but we might (not sure at all yet) be moving in a couple months and will then be in boundary for Jackson Reed. I don't want my kid to stress and apply to too many school like some of their friends are planning on. My first question is Macarthur or Jackson Reed? Although Jackson Reed is the better school right now, its very very big and neither my child or I are interested in such a big school. There is a lot of discussion about Macarthur though and I just don't know if it will end up being a good school or a total failure. I know Hardy kids feed into Macarthur but I would've thought that the "good" kids get into selective or private schools. Next for application schools; Walls seems like the best option to apply to but I have heard some negative things about it such as the staff and principal not being very good and communicative and it being very cliquey so I'm wondering if that's true. Banneker seems like a truly great school but is a bit far for us and the commute is difficult. Duke is out of the question and same with McKinley tech as it doesn't interest my child. I'm wondering if they should just go to Macarthur or if it's too risky and should apply to walls or even Banneker? My dc are very academic focused and we care about that as well. Any opinions, facts or experiences from current or former parents of these schools would be greatly appreciated!! And as the title states, what schools are your kids going to/applying to?

Did you research the forum on these questions? Tons of discussion addressing the schools you mentioned. Walls is a great high school and my DC loves it. It would beneficial to visit Walls on the upcoming open house to help form your personal views and impression.
The next open house is set on Saturday November 15th and registration deadline was on November 10th. https://www.swwhs.org/admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in 8th grade and we are getting ready for applications. Their in boundary school right now is Macarthur but we might (not sure at all yet) be moving in a couple months and will then be in boundary for Jackson Reed. I don't want my kid to stress and apply to too many school like some of their friends are planning on. My first question is Macarthur or Jackson Reed? Although Jackson Reed is the better school right now, its very very big and neither my child or I are interested in such a big school. There is a lot of discussion about Macarthur though and I just don't know if it will end up being a good school or a total failure. I know Hardy kids feed into Macarthur but I would've thought that the "good" kids get into selective or private schools. Next for application schools; Walls seems like the best option to apply to but I have heard some negative things about it such as the staff and principal not being very good and communicative and it being very cliquey so I'm wondering if that's true. Banneker seems like a truly great school but is a bit far for us and the commute is difficult. Duke is out of the question and same with McKinley tech as it doesn't interest my child. I'm wondering if they should just go to Macarthur or if it's too risky and should apply to walls or even Banneker? My dc are very academic focused and we care about that as well. Any opinions, facts or experiences from current or former parents of these schools would be greatly appreciated!! And as the title states, what schools are your kids going to/applying to?

Did you research the forum on these questions? Tons of discussion addressing the schools you mentioned. Walls is a great high
school and my DC loves it. It would beneficial to visit Walls on the upcoming open house to help form your personal views and impression.

Thanks! We will definitely sign up for the open houses. Does walls do all grade field trips like to a museum or to a fun place? How about dances like winter formal or homecoming?
The next open house is set on Saturday November 15th and registration deadline was on November 10th. https://www.swwhs.org/admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in 8th grade and we are getting ready for applications. Their in boundary school right now is Macarthur but we might (not sure at all yet) be moving in a couple months and will then be in boundary for Jackson Reed. I don't want my kid to stress and apply to too many school like some of their friends are planning on. My first question is Macarthur or Jackson Reed? Although Jackson Reed is the better school right now, its very very big and neither my child or I are interested in such a big school. There is a lot of discussion about Macarthur though and I just don't know if it will end up being a good school or a total failure. I know Hardy kids feed into Macarthur but I would've thought that the "good" kids get into selective or private schools. Next for application schools; Walls seems like the best option to apply to but I have heard some negative things about it such as the staff and principal not being very good and communicative and it being very cliquey so I'm wondering if that's true. Banneker seems like a truly great school but is a bit far for us and the commute is difficult. Duke is out of the question and same with McKinley tech as it doesn't interest my child. I'm wondering if they should just go to Macarthur or if it's too risky and should apply to walls or even Banneker? My dc are very academic focused and we care about that as well. Any opinions, facts or experiences from current or former parents of these schools would be greatly appreciated!! And as the title states, what schools are your kids going to/applying to?

Hardy parent here as well and I’m glad this forum is anonymous because I can’t get over the fact that you used the word “good” kids… as opposed to… the “bad” kids? Only “bad” kids go to MacArthur? Really?

[Anonymous]

Hardy parent here. Ours is most likely going to MacArthur. Started all the application stuff for privates, but then visited MacArthur, was impressed with what she saw for academics and clubs offered. She liked the teachers she met and also got excited about the opportunity to stay with friends and stay in the neighborhood.

We will see what happens with Walls, we are going to the open house there this weekend, but unless it blows DD away and she has luck in the lottery, she will most likely be at MacArthur and we are happy with that choice.

[Anonymous]

it sounds like you could apply and then decide. if you move to the JR boundary and are not at Hardy, you should also apply to MacArthur (so you can consider it alongside JR)

[Anonymous]

I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

I would stay at your charter. The future kids coming up the chain to high school is going to be even less prepared as DCPS continues to dumb down the curriculum in middle school.

Just search the recent discussions here about the new ELA and science curriculum. It’s not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

There is no gaming the system, this is more of an urban myth. The kids in middle schools still have to get pretty much As on all their classes, including ELA and Algebra1 (pushed by DCPS for all 8th grades) or geometry. There isn’t really choose “easy classes”. And even if these students are invited for an interview at selective schools such as Banneker or Walls, they still have to sit for a handwritten essay on the school premises as part of their interview process. In short, there is no gaming the system.. let’s focus on supporting and prepping our kids the best we can without these urban legends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

My kiddo is at Banneker. Lots of work, some of it busy work, more of it valuable. They had a fairly easy run in middle school and earned straight As throughout, so the grind is a bit challenging, but they are working through it by being organized and in conversation with their teachers. They LOVE their community lab site. I was a little nervous about that. They have a small but mighty friend group, a mix of friends from middle and friends they made in BSI.

They currently have straight As (maybe 1 A-) for Q1, so we are good with that.

[Anonymous]

If you google the name of each single high school you will get lots of feedback from parents who have sent their kids to each school.

Parents who post positive comments about anything other than Walls and Jackson Reed generally earn themselves a pile on any time they share their observations of their kids' high school.

Understandably, it gets emotional. People accuse others of not caring about their kids because they sent their kids to a school that didn't have the right score on the right test for a particular poster.

That's why i'm not posting about my kids' school. Others will call me a booster and it shuts down discussion.

It would be great if people would actually just post their experiences and not slam schools that other posters have actually entrusted their kids' education to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

There is no gaming the system, this is more of an urban myth. The kids in middle schools still have to get pretty much As on all their classes, including ELA and Algebra1 (pushed by DCPS for all 8th grades) or geometry. There isn’t really choose “easy classes”. And even if these students are invited for an interview at selective schools such as Banneker or Walls, they still have to sit for a handwritten essay on the school premises as part of their interview process. In short, there is no gaming the system.. let’s focus on supporting and prepping our kids the best we can without these urban legends.

Banneker and Walls look at GPA. If taking easier classes gets a kid a higher GPA, then it will get the kid into the school. This is not the college application system. No one is carefully evaluating whether or not your kid can handle the rigor. Test scores have not counted at all since COVID. Likely there is some effort to have students from all over the city, but these are all school officials making these decisions very quickly based on interviews and essays. Subjectivity is inherently a factor. So try not to worry too much, except do worry about getting your kids to do their homework. It's the only part of this you can control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you google the name of each single high school you will get lots of feedback from parents who have sent their kids to each school.

Parents who post positive comments about anything other than Walls and Jackson Reed generally earn themselves a pile on any time they share their observations of their kids' high school.

Understandably, it gets emotional. People accuse others of not caring about their kids because they sent their kids to a school that didn't have the right score on the right test for a particular poster.

That's why i'm not posting about my kids' school. Others will call me a booster and it shuts down discussion.

It would be great if people would actually just post their experiences and not slam schools that other posters have actually entrusted their kids' education to.

Same poster clarifying that if people have actual negative experiences with a certain school that I'm all for them posting it.

But a lot of posters have negative impressions based exclusively on publicly available statistics, which are, obviously available to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know more about Walls and Banneker as well. I have numerous friends whose children think they’ll game the system by taking easy classes at our Capitol Hill middle school while we went to a charter and took the most demanding classes. I honestly would prefer continuing at our charter than having my kid get bored with a bunch of kids who aren’t on grade level. But then again maybe Walls or Banneker is better?

This makes no sense since grade inflation is rampant at DCPS in both “hard” and easy classes. Everyone gets an A!