Right middle school for artsy and sensitive kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP in similar situation. Are there any small, hidden gem by-rights middle schools in the close in suburbs? Ignoring high schools for the sake of discussion

As someone who has been in the suburbs all along for work reasons, I normally don't jump into DC threads, but since you asked the question and I do have a similar kid. There aren't any "small" middle schools in the suburbs, but here are a few options.

HB Woodlawn in Arlington would be great for a kid with this profile, but you could make the move and not lottery in.

In Montgomery County, Takoma Park MS has a nice arts program and then you the Downcounty Consortium lets you lottery into various high schools. If you are IB for Takoma Park MS, your by-rights school is Blair. It's an enormous school but has a nice arts program in part because the size lets them offer a lot of classes. But the consortium model means you would pretty easily get into Einstein if your home school is Blair. Einstein is one of the smallest high schools in MoCo and houses the Visual Arts magnet and the Visual and Performing Arts concentration in the DCC.

I'm not arguing that you should move to the suburbs, but those are the options I considered with a kid who is pretty similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP in similar situation. Are there any small, hidden gem by-rights middle schools in the close in suburbs? Ignoring high schools for the sake of discussion

As someone who has been in the suburbs all along for work reasons, I normally don't jump into DC threads, but since you asked the question and I do have a similar kid. There aren't any "small" middle schools in the suburbs, but here are a few options.

HB Woodlawn in Arlington would be great for a kid with this profile, but you could make the move and not lottery in.

In Montgomery County, Takoma Park MS has a nice arts program and then you the Downcounty Consortium lets you lottery into various high schools. If you are IB for Takoma Park MS, your by-rights school is Blair. It's an enormous school but has a nice arts program in part because the size lets them offer a lot of classes. But the consortium model means you would pretty easily get into Einstein if your home school is Blair. Einstein is one of the smallest high schools in MoCo and houses the Visual Arts magnet and the Visual and Performing Arts concentration in the DCC.

I'm not arguing that you should move to the suburbs, but those are the options I considered with a kid who is pretty similar.

the high schools are all massive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you strike out in the lottery and have flexibility to move, embrace it. Don’t rule out the close-in schools in Montgomery County. We live in the city, our son is at Latin (2nd st), but many of our friends have kids thriving in MS. Tons of activities, arts programs, etc.
The cruel reality is that there are very few decent MS and HS options in DC. Private school becomes incredibly competitive to get into in MS even if you have money because there are A LOT of families in this city that settle for DCPS or charter in ES before going private in 5th and 6th grade. You would be foolish to send your kid to a subpar DC school just because you insist on staying in the city.

Some would say Latin is subpar …

[Anonymous]

OP I don't know what the answer is for you but did want to tell you that we are also on the Hill with a very similar kid in 3rd grade (IB for Stuart-Hobson and currently attending an S-H feeder) and can share our thinking based on perhaps a bit more familiarity with DC schools and neighborhood dynamics because we've lived her for 20+ years and have had a kid in DCPS since PK3:

- We actually like Eliot Hine as a potential option for our kid. A lot of people on the Hill prefer S-H in part because it is larger -- this allows them to somewhat track in math and there are lots and lots of clubs and after school activities. While that is appealing to us as well we also worry about our kid in a larger school environment and we don't know if she'll be able to take advantage of those features. Eliot Hine has about 150 fewer kids and much more of a small school feel. So we currently rank it a bit higher than S-H as an option. We've visited and know families with kids there or who will go there next year (now in 5th and not headed to Latin or BASIS).

- We will lottery for Latin for 5th and do think it could be a decent fit. The bus from the Hill is pretty convenient and I understand the kids really do form a community in part becasue of that commute they do together there. Love the HS option from Latin and also like the IB program there which I think would be appealing to our kid who loves reading and writing and likes to process information by writing about it (as much as you can guess at what kind of high school student your 8 year old will be).

- We will not lottery for BASIS. Just does not seem like a good fit for our kid or family.

- We've looked a lot at ITDS and have actually received an offer there at one point but turned it down due to commute. ITDS is really appealing for kids like ours because it's small and very nurturing (the admin and all the teachers know all the kids by name and the school is pretty intimate). They also do emphasize arts programming a lot (including dance which is an interest for my kid). So with ITDS our main concerns are commute (no way for her to walk or bike there in middle) and also perhaps a worry that it's *too* small and might not stretch our kid enough to prepare her for high school. Especially since there is no way to know where she will wind up in high school from ITDS -- it's application schools or moving since we don't view private or Eastern as real options.

All of which is to say: Eliot Hine may actually be the happy medium for our similar kid even though we will absolutely be looking at and considering S-H and Latin and ITDS (and moving). We own our home and have been on the Hill forever so moving feels like a bigger deal for us (but may be inevitable for HS).

Not sure if that sways you any direction or another but might inform your choices. You certainly aren't alone on the Hill in thinking through this and also not alone in having a sensitive and artsy kid and wanting a middle school that will work well for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I don't know what the answer is for you but did want to tell you that we are also on the Hill with a very similar kid in 3rd grade (IB for Stuart-Hobson and currently attending an S-H feeder) and can share our thinking based on perhaps a bit more familiarity with DC schools and neighborhood dynamics because we've lived her for 20+ years and have had a kid in DCPS since PK3:

- We actually like Eliot Hine as a potential option for our kid. A lot of people on the Hill prefer S-H in part because it is larger -- this allows them to somewhat track in math and there are lots and lots of clubs and after school activities. While that is appealing to us as well we also worry about our kid in a larger school environment and we don't know if she'll be able to take advantage of those features. Eliot Hine has about 150 fewer kids and much more of a small school feel. So we currently rank it a bit higher than S-H as an option. We've visited and know families with kids there or who will go there next year (now in 5th and not headed to Latin or BASIS).

- We will lottery for Latin for 5th and do think it could be a decent fit. The bus from the Hill is pretty convenient and I understand the kids really do form a community in part becasue of that commute they do together there. Love the HS option from Latin and also like the IB program there which I think would be appealing to our kid who loves reading and writing and likes to process information by writing about it (as much as you can guess at what kind of high school student your 8 year old will be).

- We will not lottery for BASIS. Just does not seem like a good fit for our kid or family.

- We've looked a lot at ITDS and have actually received an offer there at one point but turned it down due to commute. ITDS is really appealing for kids like ours because it's small and very nurturing (the admin and all the teachers know all the kids by name and the school is pretty intimate). They also do emphasize arts programming a lot (including dance which is an interest for my kid). So with ITDS our main concerns are commute (no way for her to walk or bike there in middle) and also perhaps a worry that it's *too* small and might not stretch our kid enough to prepare her for high school. Especially since there is no way to know where she will wind up in high school from ITDS -- it's application schools or moving since we don't view private or Eastern as real options.

All of which is to say: Eliot Hine may actually be the happy medium for our similar kid even though we will absolutely be looking at and considering S-H and Latin and ITDS (and moving). We own our home and have been on the Hill forever so moving feels like a bigger deal for us (but may be inevitable for HS).

Not sure if that sways you any direction or another but might inform your choices. You certainly aren't alone on the Hill in thinking through this and also not alone in having a sensitive and artsy kid and wanting a middle school that will work well for them.

ITDS parent here and you are 100% right. My 6th grader is already feeling like socially it's small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I don't know what the answer is for you but did want to tell you that we are also on the Hill with a very similar kid in 3rd grade (IB for Stuart-Hobson and currently attending an S-H feeder) and can share our thinking based on perhaps a bit more familiarity with DC schools and neighborhood dynamics because we've lived her for 20+ years and have had a kid in DCPS since PK3:

- We actually like Eliot Hine as a potential option for our kid. A lot of people on the Hill prefer S-H in part because it is larger -- this allows them to somewhat track in math and there are lots and lots of clubs and after school activities. While that is appealing to us as well we also worry about our kid in a larger school environment and we don't know if she'll be able to take advantage of those features. Eliot Hine has about 150 fewer kids and much more of a small school feel. So we currently rank it a bit higher than S-H as an option. We've visited and know families with kids there or who will go there next year (now in 5th and not headed to Latin or BASIS).

- We will lottery for Latin for 5th and do think it could be a decent fit. The bus from the Hill is pretty convenient and I understand the kids really do form a community in part becasue of that commute they do together there. Love the HS option from Latin and also like the IB program there which I think would be appealing to our kid who loves reading and writing and likes to process information by writing about it (as much as you can guess at what kind of high school student your 8 year old will be).

- We will not lottery for BASIS. Just does not seem like a good fit for our kid or family.

- We've looked a lot at ITDS and have actually received an offer there at one point but turned it down due to commute. ITDS is really appealing for kids like ours because it's small and very nurturing (the admin and all the teachers know all the kids by name and the school is pretty intimate). They also do emphasize arts programming a lot (including dance which is an interest for my kid). So with ITDS our main concerns are commute (no way for her to walk or bike there in middle) and also perhaps a worry that it's *too* small and might not stretch our kid enough to prepare her for high school. Especially since there is no way to know where she will wind up in high school from ITDS -- it's application schools or moving since we don't view private or Eastern as real options.

All of which is to say: Eliot Hine may actually be the happy medium for our similar kid even though we will absolutely be looking at and considering S-H and Latin and ITDS (and moving). We own our home and have been on the Hill forever so moving feels like a bigger deal for us (but may be inevitable for HS).

Not sure if that sways you any direction or another but might inform your choices. You certainly aren't alone on the Hill in thinking through this and also not alone in having a sensitive and artsy kid and wanting a middle school that will work well for them.

ITDS parent here and you are 100% right. My 6th grader is already feeling like socially it's small.

OP here - thank you both for sharing these insights, which are tremendously helpful and appreciated. The gut check re BASIS is also very helpful. I guess with everything being quite a long shot I keep thinking we should be ranking every school possible, but I keep thinking BASIS sounds wonderful for many kids but just not for ours (…and then second guessing myself). Sounds like we will visit the Latins and ITDS this year and try our hand at the lottery, and if we lose out (which I realize is very likely), we will do a *lot* of visiting next year, including E-H and some close-in options that the PPs have kindly mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Lottery for Latin I and Latin II. If you strike out, move IB for Deal or Hardy (or out of the city if that's an option).

Do not send your kid to Elliot Hine. That is a ridiculous suggestion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I don't know what the answer is for you but did want to tell you that we are also on the Hill with a very similar kid in 3rd grade (IB for Stuart-Hobson and currently attending an S-H feeder) and can share our thinking based on perhaps a bit more familiarity with DC schools and neighborhood dynamics because we've lived her for 20+ years and have had a kid in DCPS since PK3:

- We actually like Eliot Hine as a potential option for our kid. A lot of people on the Hill prefer S-H in part because it is larger -- this allows them to somewhat track in math and there are lots and lots of clubs and after school activities. While that is appealing to us as well we also worry about our kid in a larger school environment and we don't know if she'll be able to take advantage of those features. Eliot Hine has about 150 fewer kids and much more of a small school feel. So we currently rank it a bit higher than S-H as an option. We've visited and know families with kids there or who will go there next year (now in 5th and not headed to Latin or BASIS).

- We will lottery for Latin for 5th and do think it could be a decent fit. The bus from the Hill is pretty convenient and I understand the kids really do form a community in part becasue of that commute they do together there. Love the HS option from Latin and also like the IB program there which I think would be appealing to our kid who loves reading and writing and likes to process information by writing about it (as much as you can guess at what kind of high school student your 8 year old will be).

- We will not lottery for BASIS. Just does not seem like a good fit for our kid or family.

- We've looked a lot at ITDS and have actually received an offer there at one point but turned it down due to commute. ITDS is really appealing for kids like ours because it's small and very nurturing (the admin and all the teachers know all the kids by name and the school is pretty intimate). They also do emphasize arts programming a lot (including dance which is an interest for my kid). So with ITDS our main concerns are commute (no way for her to walk or bike there in middle) and also perhaps a worry that it's *too* small and might not stretch our kid enough to prepare her for high school. Especially since there is no way to know where she will wind up in high school from ITDS -- it's application schools or moving since we don't view private or Eastern as real options.

All of which is to say: Eliot Hine may actually be the happy medium for our similar kid even though we will absolutely be looking at and considering S-H and Latin and ITDS (and moving). We own our home and have been on the Hill forever so moving feels like a bigger deal for us (but may be inevitable for HS).

Not sure if that sways you any direction or another but might inform your choices. You certainly aren't alone on the Hill in thinking through this and also not alone in having a sensitive and artsy kid and wanting a middle school that will work well for them.

ITDS parent here and you are 100% right. My 6th grader is already feeling like socially it's small.

OP here - thank you both for sharing these insights, which are tremendously helpful and appreciated. The gut check re BASIS is also very helpful. I guess with everything being quite a long shot I keep thinking we should be ranking every school possible, but I keep thinking BASIS sounds wonderful for many kids but just not for ours (…and then second guessing myself). Sounds like we will visit the Latins and ITDS this year and try our hand at the lottery, and if we lose out (which I realize is very likely), we will do a *lot* of visiting next year, including E-H and some close-in options that the PPs have kindly mentioned.

My pleasure. Do visit ITDS, because Latin Cooper was really hard to get into this year and you need list every school you might possibly be willing to attend. As I'm sure you're aware, small school pros and cons are a fact of life and cannot be totally mitigated, but my kid is happy and engaged in various activities, and they recently rolled out changes to the math curriculum which will mean that Geometry becomes available for next year's 8th graders. I do think they do a good job with the high school application process, but of course that's cold comfort if your kid strikes out, and so much of this is out of any middle school's control. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I have a somewhat similar profile DD at a Hardy feeder, and am excited for it for her. I think it’s a good balance of big enough to have challenging academics and all of the extras, but still personal, with plenty of creative options for kids with those interests. I’m hopeful about MacArthur, but it’s so new that we’ll have to see how it develops. But if it’s similar to JR in the way that Hardy is to Deal, then we’ll be good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lottery for Latin I and Latin II. If you strike out, move IB for Deal or Hardy (or out of the city if that's an option).

Do not send your kid to Elliot Hine. That is a ridiculous suggestion.

Posts like this post right here are the opposite of helpful, and I hope people actually looking for advice skip past this type of sweeping comment (whether it is about EH or any other school).

I appreciate the longer post a few prior by the person who has obviously done research, spoken to families at different schools, and knows what various programs and pros/cons are at each school. One thing I would add/correct is that EH has started tracking in math as well, not sure if it is exactly like SH, but there are kids doing algebra in 7th, or 8th, and some 8th graders taking geometry now.

My older child who is already in middle school is into sports so I have not had to think about the arts side of things, but will have to for my younger one. From friends of ours that have artsy/non sporty kids, I will say an advantage of a smaller school (EH or elsewhere) is that there are a lot of options (band, theater, art, book clubs, other types of clubs) that are easier to participate in because there aren't as many students vying for spots.

[Anonymous]

Francis Education Campus (formerly School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens) could maybe be a good fit. Small, decent CAPE scores, manageable Metro commute from the Hill.

We're a few years out from this but situation has similarities (IB for Jefferson and almost definitely won't go, have flexibility to move within the city). One thing I've considered is moving to Oyster-Adams catchment. Francis is the sister school for students IB to O-A who don't speak Spanish, then you're IB for Jackson-Reed for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lottery for Latin I and Latin II. If you strike out, move IB for Deal or Hardy (or out of the city if that's an option).

Do not send your kid to Elliot Hine. That is a ridiculous suggestion.

Posts like this post right here are the opposite of helpful, and I hope people actually looking for advice skip past this type of sweeping comment (whether it is about EH or any other school).

I appreciate the longer post a few prior by the person who has obviously done research, spoken to families at different schools, and knows what various programs and pros/cons are at each school. One thing I would add/correct is that EH has started tracking in math as well, not sure if it is exactly like SH, but there are kids doing algebra in 7th, or 8th, and some 8th graders taking geometry now.

My older child who is already in middle school is into sports so I have not had to think about the arts side of things, but will have to for my younger one. From friends of ours that have artsy/non sporty kids, I will say an advantage of a smaller school (EH or elsewhere) is that there are a lot of options (band, theater, art, book clubs, other types of clubs) that are easier to participate in because there aren't as many students vying for spots.

What’s not helpful is suggesting a school like EH to an OP who clearly cares about academics and has described her child as sensitive. EH is a rough middle school with bad academics.

You jump into every middle school thread to boost EH, desperately trying to distract from the horrible test scores and behavior problems.

OP needs helpful suggestions, not your smoke and mirrors BS.

[Anonymous]

Disagree. It takes older kids time to make close friends and to convert sort of friends and acquaintances into closer friends. Lottery for Latin 1 and 2 this spring. But also having your child stay just put with an open mind towards attending the feeder middle school is probably long-term socially going to better than a shy child fully starting over repeatedly at a brand new school. If you rent, you have some flexibility to move as needed for high school and/or even during middle school if and when something is not working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disagree. It takes older kids time to make close friends and to convert sort of friends and acquaintances into closer friends. Lottery for Latin 1 and 2 this spring. But also having your child stay just put with an open mind towards attending the feeder middle school is probably long-term socially going to better than a shy child fully starting over repeatedly at a brand new school. If you rent, you have some flexibility to move as needed for high school and/or even during middle school if and when something is not working.

This! Your kid may need more time. My kid at a K-8 is only just now really getting to be friends with some of the kids who have been in her grade for several years, because they weren't in the same homeroom in past years so they didn't have much time together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I don't know what the answer is for you but did want to tell you that we are also on the Hill with a very similar kid in 3rd grade (IB for Stuart-Hobson and currently attending an S-H feeder) and can share our thinking based on perhaps a bit more familiarity with DC schools and neighborhood dynamics because we've lived her for 20+ years and have had a kid in DCPS since PK3:

- We actually like Eliot Hine as a potential option for our kid. A lot of people on the Hill prefer S-H in part because it is larger -- this allows them to somewhat track in math and there are lots and lots of clubs and after school activities. While that is appealing to us as well we also worry about our kid in a larger school environment and we don't know if she'll be able to take advantage of those features. Eliot Hine has about 150 fewer kids and much more of a small school feel. So we currently rank it a bit higher than S-H as an option. We've visited and know families with kids there or who will go there next year (now in 5th and not headed to Latin or BASIS).

- We will lottery for Latin for 5th and do think it could be a decent fit. The bus from the Hill is pretty convenient and I understand the kids really do form a community in part becasue of that commute they do together there. Love the HS option from Latin and also like the IB program there which I think would be appealing to our kid who loves reading and writing and likes to process information by writing about it (as much as you can guess at what kind of high school student your 8 year old will be).

- We will not lottery for BASIS. Just does not seem like a good fit for our kid or family.

- We've looked a lot at ITDS and have actually received an offer there at one point but turned it down due to commute. ITDS is really appealing for kids like ours because it's small and very nurturing (the admin and all the teachers know all the kids by name and the school is pretty intimate). They also do emphasize arts programming a lot (including dance which is an interest for my kid). So with ITDS our main concerns are commute (no way for her to walk or bike there in middle) and also perhaps a worry that it's *too* small and might not stretch our kid enough to prepare her for high school. Especially since there is no way to know where she will wind up in high school from ITDS -- it's application schools or moving since we don't view private or Eastern as real options.

All of which is to say: Eliot Hine may actually be the happy medium for our similar kid even though we will absolutely be looking at and considering S-H and Latin and ITDS (and moving). We own our home and have been on the Hill forever so moving feels like a bigger deal for us (but may be inevitable for HS).

Not sure if that sways you any direction or another but might inform your choices. You certainly aren't alone on the Hill in thinking through this and also not alone in having a sensitive and artsy kid and wanting a middle school that will work well for them.

ITDS parent here and you are 100% right. My 6th grader is already feeling like socially it's small.

OP here - thank you both for sharing these insights, which are tremendously helpful and appreciated. The gut check re BASIS is also very helpful. I guess with everything being quite a long shot I keep thinking we should be ranking every school possible, but I keep thinking BASIS sounds wonderful for many kids but just not for ours (…and then second guessing myself). Sounds like we will visit the Latins and ITDS this year and try our hand at the lottery, and if we lose out (which I realize is very likely), we will do a *lot* of visiting next year, including E-H and some close-in options that the PPs have kindly mentioned.

We did ITDS and it got small socially, but my kid ended up with four friends he still keeps in touch with in HS and also enjoyed participating in the musicals and art class, so, you know, pluses and minuses. Also, he is enjoying a bigger high school.