Switching schools at 5th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend learning more about Jefferson before writing it off.

Agree. I don't think it's worse than Eliot-Hine or CHML (unless you really like Montessori, in which case you'd probably already be there). If you switch to JO Wilson, you'd be in swing space for at least part of next year, so factor that in. Also consider how many kids from the 5th grade at each school actually go to the middle school. If your kid is adaptable, or willing to sacrifice for the opportunity to go to a middle school he or she prefers, then it's worth it. If your kid is sad to switch, it could be a hard year.

[Anonymous]

I definitely wouldn't switch at this point for Maury or SWS. Your kid will feel left out of the stuff that celebrates how far the 5th grade has come, since he wasn't there before. Few kids go on to EH so chances are the friends he makes won't carry over to 6th. And EH isn't better than JA. Are you on the WL for Inspired Teaching? I think that's a better option than EH or CHML. Also agree with looking at Francis and its feeders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend learning more about Jefferson before writing it off.

I came here to say this too. Especially if your kid is happy at ES, two transitions in two years is a lot. We are heading there next year, and I’ve talked to a lot of parents that are really happy there. I’ve also talked to several families that initially saw Jefferson as a nonstarter until they visited and talked with staff, and many of them attended or will be attending next year.

Don't fall this sort of whitewashing BS, OP. The truth is that there hasn't been a year when "many" UMC Brent grads (read a dozen+) went to Jefferson since pre-Covid. I know this because my kids' time at Brent extended from 2014 to 2024. We know several families where older sibs attended Jefferson during the pandemic yet younger sibs are at SH now. Jefferson has a nice building and faculty and staff talk the talk about supporting advanced learners but there isn't much to inspire.

The inconvenient truth is that hardly anybody bothers with Jefferson when they have access to SH and some of the UMC Brent families who start at Jefferson bail before 8th grade year after year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend learning more about Jefferson before writing it off.

I came here to say this too. Especially if your kid is happy at ES, two transitions in two years is a lot. We are heading there next year, and I’ve talked to a lot of parents that are really happy there. I’ve also talked to several families that initially saw Jefferson as a nonstarter until they visited and talked with staff, and many of them attended or will be attending next year.

Don't fall this sort of whitewashing BS, OP. The truth is that there hasn't been a year when "many" UMC Brent grads (read a dozen+) went to Jefferson since pre-Covid. I know this because my kids' time at Brent extended from 2014 to 2024. We know several families where older sibs attended Jefferson during the pandemic yet younger sibs are at SH now. Jefferson has a nice building and faculty and staff talk the talk about supporting advanced learners but there isn't much to inspire.

The inconvenient truth is that hardly anybody bothers with Jefferson when they have access to SH and some of the UMC Brent families who start at Jefferson bail before 8th grade year after year.

While I think it would be great if more Brent families attended, there are kids other than the UMC Brent grads who attend and thrive at Jefferson. Those families, who represent current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, were the ones who informed my family's decision (not kids who attended during the pandemic 5 years ago). I get that different families are going to make different choices, my main point was to agree with the person who recommended learning more before writing it off completely because I've seen people (not all UMC and not all white, but all kind, smart kids) change their mind after doing so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend learning more about Jefferson before writing it off.

I came here to say this too. Especially if your kid is happy at ES, two transitions in two years is a lot. We are heading there next year, and I’ve talked to a lot of parents that are really happy there. I’ve also talked to several families that initially saw Jefferson as a nonstarter until they visited and talked with staff, and many of them attended or will be attending next year.

Don't fall this sort of whitewashing BS, OP. The truth is that there hasn't been a year when "many" UMC Brent grads (read a dozen+) went to Jefferson since pre-Covid. I know this because my kids' time at Brent extended from 2014 to 2024. We know several families where older sibs attended Jefferson during the pandemic yet younger sibs are at SH now. Jefferson has a nice building and faculty and staff talk the talk about supporting advanced learners but there isn't much to inspire.

The inconvenient truth is that hardly anybody bothers with Jefferson when they have access to SH and some of the UMC Brent families who start at Jefferson bail before 8th grade year after year.

It's fine if you don't like Jefferson. But I think the families that are dissatisfied with Jefferson will find similar issues at Eliot Hine. Maybe a few less of those issues at Stuart-Hobson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd recommend learning more about Jefferson before writing it off.

I came here to say this too. Especially if your kid is happy at ES, two transitions in two years is a lot. We are heading there next year, and I’ve talked to a lot of parents that are really happy there. I’ve also talked to several families that initially saw Jefferson as a nonstarter until they visited and talked with staff, and many of them attended or will be attending next year.

Don't fall this sort of whitewashing BS, OP. The truth is that there hasn't been a year when "many" UMC Brent grads (read a dozen+) went to Jefferson since pre-Covid. I know this because my kids' time at Brent extended from 2014 to 2024. We know several families where older sibs attended Jefferson during the pandemic yet younger sibs are at SH now. Jefferson has a nice building and faculty and staff talk the talk about supporting advanced learners but there isn't much to inspire.

The inconvenient truth is that hardly anybody bothers with Jefferson when they have access to SH and some of the UMC Brent families who start at Jefferson bail before 8th grade year after year.

While I think it would be great if more Brent families attended, there are kids other than the UMC Brent grads who attend and thrive at Jefferson. Those families, who represent current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, were the ones who informed my family's decision (not kids who attended during the pandemic 5 years ago). I get that different families are going to make different choices, my main point was to agree with the person who recommended learning more before writing it off completely because I've seen people (not all UMC and not all white, but all kind, smart kids) change their mind after doing so.

Well said. There is no harm in learning more and talking with current families/admin.

[Anonymous]

OP again. We have toured Jefferson and know 3 families there (1 happy fam, 1 not happy fam, and 1 who left). We wrote it off!

[Anonymous]

We are not in DCPS so I'm not familiar with the schools you mentioned. I will say that we switched my child in 5th from one FCPS school to another (close enough that she can still see her old friends occasionally) and it was a VERY easy adjustment. She made friends quickly and in fact, the friends at her new school are lovely and they are already much closer than she ever was with friends at her old school. Do it!

[Anonymous]

I would not switch to JOW (which is still in a swing space) or CHML. Maybe talk to current 5th grade families at your school about their plans for 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in 4th grade now, and happy at his ES. But its in an undesirable feeder pattern (Jefferson). We played the lottery for 5th for Latin and Basis, but also threw on some feeder schools for Stuart Hobson and Eliot Hine. Its looks like we will get called off the WL for at least one of Ludlow, Watkins, Wilson. I expect a call anytime now for Wilson, but maybe we will pass up on that offer.

But is it worth switching to LT or Watkins for 5th? I know SH isn't the best choice but it seems like the best one we have left, and playing the lottery at 6th may leave us with Jefferson as our only choice.

We also have very low WL numbers for SWS and Maury that feed into EH.

Is switching for 5th grade a tough adjustment? Or no big deal? I am already thinking about how we may strike out in the lottery for 6th and that April is very late in the year to try to move before the next school year starts.

I would switch to LT, no question. 3 5th grade classes this year, so they'll take some new kids (your kid won't be the one newbie). The Departmentalized setup for 3rd-5th grade classes is great and the ELA 5th grade teacher is terrific. LT's extracurricular set up is also more like a middle school than most elementary schools -- so many great options. All that said, you won't hear until August whether you get in as they aren't moving the WL until then for grades K-5th. Last year, there was an unexpected IB surge in enrollment in 1st grade and so they want to wait until the dust shakes out this year since grade levels are pretty full. However, since they went to 3 5th grade classes, I would bet you do get in in August.

I second this poster. My daughter switched to LT this year for 5th (we actually didn’t need the feeder as we’re already IB for SH, we just were unhappy with our old school and she has a younger sib who made the switch too) and it’s been mostly great. The teachers, family community and after school options are all excellent. I also agree with the PP that the 5th grade ELA teacher is particularly amazing. Some of my daughter’s friends are leaving for private, but a solid chunk are heading to SH together next year. She picked up a new extracurricular hobby that she’ll carry over with her too. She met the SH principal and the teacher who runs her extracurricular on one of the step up days they do for feeder students and she’s now excited about SH.

[Anonymous]

Would recommend checking out @ltesconnects on Insta to get a good sense of the LT community. You will get in in late August but before school starts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I definitely wouldn't switch at this point for Maury or SWS. Your kid will feel left out of the stuff that celebrates how far the 5th grade has come, since he wasn't there before. Few kids go on to EH so chances are the friends he makes won't carry over to 6th. And EH isn't better than JA. Are you on the WL for Inspired Teaching? I think that's a better option than EH or CHML. Also agree with looking at Francis and its feeders.

It sounds like Ludlow will probably work out, but if not, I came on to say that a good number of kids from Maury go to EH, but the prior poster is correct. They are not a ton of kids that come from SWS. I have a child at EH and the past few years especially there have been a so many kids coming from the various feeders they had to add extra classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Also at a Jefferson feeder, a few years behind you. I think a move in 5th is worth it only if 1) a decent proportion of the new school's 5th grade class moves on to 6th together and 2) the new school's 5th grade class has a reasonable cohort of kids meeting grade level expectations.

Given this, I think Ludlow-Taylor and Watkins are solid bets. Maybe also Maury? Eliot-Hine's IB buy-in and test scores have really shot up in the last couple years. For us, when the time comes we'll likely add John-Francis and Payne to the list as well.

[Anonymous]

If you want to see how many kids move from 5th to the designated feeder school in 6th for each school, there's a dashboard here: https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1640846

[Anonymous]

So OP, you are going to move your kid to 5th to a new school. Then majority of those kids won’t go to the feeder SH or EH or whatever.

You send your kid to the feeder then fund out that it’s not a good fit for various reasons and then what? Switch where? Move? So now your kid has had 3-4 major disruptive moves.

Lots of risks and variable that you can’t control and won’t know. You should have been planning your move as back up 2 years ago since you are not in a good feeder.