Capitol Hill Day School

[Anonymous]

How are the middle school teachers? How is the administration?

[Anonymous]

DC did only middle school at CHDS. Overall academics are strong. Kids go to a good mix of HS including some of the schools people on this list consider the "top" schools. HS application process is handled extremely well. MS faculty is very strong -- huge focus on writing (and reading a great list of challenging books), taking responsibility for one's own assignments/work, and being a responsible and good person (as manifested in a well-developed service program, mentoring younger students, etc). Head of School is a former math teacher there. Very accessible. Feel very lucky we were able to be a part of CHDS, if only for three years.

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to get in for 6th grade? We are happy in our elementary school, but are considering CHDS for middle school in a couple of years. Are students who get in for middle school at a marked social disadvantage considering so many of the children have been there since pre-K?

[Anonymous]

Current MS parent here. A few random answers:

Middle school teachers are currently very strong. We did have an issue with a middle school math teacher a couple of years ago but she has moved on.

MS math, English, science, history teachers are all outstanding, and I have seen the difference that the upfront emphasis on MS study skills has made in both my DC and in the class.

The kids are outstanding writers and they get a lot of practice and editing and feedback. They are reading works in 7th and 8th grade that others are reading in high school.

Do be aware that right now at best your DC will only go through Algebra1 by the time he or she graduates. I believe that this is more due to parental preference as anything else; most of the parents tend to be liberal arts majors and they don't seem to see the need for advanced math education. Hasn't been a huge issue for us but I do notice that DC is now competing for HS slots against kids who are currently taking geometry, etc., so a thought to keep in mind if YOUR DC is a math prodigy.

The current adminstration is very good as well. Losing Cemmy Peterson to retirement a few years back made the school drift for a couple of years, but things are now back on track.

We would make the same decision again in a heartbeat.

WRT previous questions:

There are a few slots each year between K and 5th usually due to folks relocating from DC. We have had very few transfers to other DC schools.

There are more slots in upper grades as some kids tend to leave after 5th grade. The sports program is enthusiastic, but given the size of the student body, not very extensive.

Coming in later than 6th grade could potentially put your child at a disadvantage so do make sure your child has learned the same general skills (there are some in our class who took a while to catch up).

About 25% of our class does not live on the Hill (most of those are from Maryland). Many of them do visit and many of them play sports on the Hill. The after-school progam also tends to keep the non-Hill ones on the Hill until 6PM anyway, and once they are older, they can always go to someone's house, so they still seem to make good friends.

Our kids apply to and get admitted to the same high schools in the area that the bigger name schools do. The high school admissions folks we have talked to all know who we are and all have gone out of their way to say nice things not only about the school, but also about our middle school teachers (by name).

Many but not all CHDS graduates seem to prefer smaller high schools (and colleges), but the colleges they go to are impressive and the students are certainly quite competitive at Madeira/GDS/StA/Potomac/SFS/etc. They also tend to scatter to different high schools, but they do keep in touch with each other for years afterwards.

Hope this helps -- good luck...

[Anonymous]

As stated by the PP, the administration is very accessible. Middle school faculty is excellent. Typically there's at least a couple spaces available in 6th grade-- there's only one class per grade, and by that point there's usually some attrition.

Field education is definitely aligned with the curriculum. Middle school students take some incredible trips, particularly in science and history.

It has not been my impression that kids who come in the later grades are at a social disadvantage. If anything, the kids seem excited to have some new kids in the class. By middle school they are ready to shake things up a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bump. I would love to hear some thoughts from current parents. Is K admissions as difficult as I've read?

Unfortunately K can be difficult, as it's not an entry year.

[Anonymous]

I believe it's usually 4-6 for K. Not sure how many for this year though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bump. I would love to hear some thoughts from current parents. Is K admissions as difficult as I've read?

I think there are 5 spots this year (but re-enrollment contracts were only due this week so there could be a few more spots opening up). And I've heard 40-50 applicants bandied about. It's becoming more difficult to get in as you have more families moving to the Hill who are willing to pay full freight, and CHDS is the only game in town. That may also explain why our experience in the lower grades has been that 90+ percent of the kids live on or in close proximity to the Hill.

We are extremely happy, but I can see why the school is not for everyone. It is small. As in you know all the staff and they know you. And because it is only one class per grade, if you make any sort of effort, you will know the other kids in the class and their parents...well. We like that. It is not cheap and you will not get lush rolling NW DC hills for your money and the facilities that come with abundant space. Some people are turned off by that, and I get it. But many parents who send their kids there have already chosen to opt out of having things like "garages," and "yards," and normal sized bedrooms, so they are not bothered by the absence of, say, a gym, and instead focus on the benefits that come with a semi-urban school in the shadow of the Capitol.

For people who can afford it and live on the Hill, I think it is an easy choice compared to the alternatives, especially with the utter absence of MS options. But would I commute there from upper NW? No. For the same reasons, I wouldn't commute to Sidwell from SE.