9th grade student moving to area. What's the best way to find a good school?

[Anonymous]

Do you have a friend in the Wilson district who she could live with for a few weeks and apply for Wilson from there? Generally I wouldn't advise this since it is sort of fraudulent but since your house isn't really her real address anyway and she is in transition, maybe it is ok

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]A friend of mine is moving to the area and will be staying with me until she gets established with job, etc. She has a DD who will be entering 9th grade. The DD is very smart. Selected for Duke TIP, Honor roll (Straight A's for all of MS), and scored perfect on TX Standardized test. I live in Ward 5 so public school is out of the question. At this late stage all the good schools are already filled. What would be a good last option school? BASIS would be perfect for her, but they have a waitlist of 25 and Latins' WL is outrageous. She cannot afford private. Any suggestions? TIA.[/quote]

DD should get on the WLs for Basis, Hardy and Latin anyway. Even in the mid-60s, my DS got calls in the first weeks of school. For a particularly bright kid, the only DCPS schools worth considering would be SWW, Banneker or Wilson, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]If you are ward 5 - Bishop Carroll may be an option and possibly Elizabeth Seton. Both Catholic but good options. Also it would not be difficult to get into McKinley or Banneker. Both of those schools are doing ok so if she has initiative she will do well. Frankly if your friend is that poor she may not have options and just needs to make some things work. [/quote]

Seton HS is actually in Bladensburg, MD.

[Anonymous]

Haynes went through their 9th grade wait list last year. Definitely worth exploring.

[Anonymous]

Every year, I always take time to glance at Greatschools.org and the school profiles directory at DCPS.dc.gov to check test scores, teams and clubs. If she has time, maybe she could tour some schools, as several will host camps and summer school classes.

[Anonymous]

I would say that Eastern is also a good candidate their 9th graders were testing off the charts and as for a comprehensive high-school they are holding firm against the application schools. Plus their 9th grade academy will be among the smallest school population. The other schools mentioned are larger in capacity.

[Anonymous]

EL Haynes has a high school as well. The lower school is more well known and established, but the high school has very rigorous classes and a lot of partnerships. This year, a larger number of students will attend the high school because the middle school program was increased to have more students feed to the high school who were already a part of the school culture. Check out as many schools as you can and reach out to principals to see if you can reach out to students this summer to get a better feel.

Wilson - Peter Cahall
Eastern - Rachel Skerritt
EL Haynes - Caroline Hill

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I really think if we can solidify something for her DD school, she will be able to better focus on finding a job. Most of her anxiety is about finding a good school for her daughter.

[Anonymous]

I would second trying Haynes or Capital City. Good luck. You are a good friend.

[Anonymous]

Maybe she could go to your IB school temporarily and move to Silver Spring, Maryland either off of East-West highway or up Colesville road. They both have great school options with B-CC and Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe she could go to your IB school temporarily and move to Silver Spring, Maryland either off of East-West highway or up Colesville road. They both have great school options with B-CC and Blair.

OP here. I think my IB school is Dunbar. She(the mother) would never be OK with sending her child there. I don't send my DD there. We are at a charter with a substantial WL so that is also out the question, although I am going to have her submit an app to the school for S&G, you just never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would second trying Haynes or Capital City. Good luck. You are a good friend.

OP here. Didn't realize that Haynes went through HS (On GA Ave, right?). We will check it out. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect if you stay on top of Basis, she can get in there sometime in September. Add her to the OOB waitlist of Eastern. Also, add her to the waitlist at Capital City. I might also go straight to the principal of McKinley Tech with her grades. Actually, I'd email all of these principals with her story and a copy of her grades. Sometimes, they can make magic happen. (When we moved back here a couple of years ago, I hit the jackpot emailing the principals).

Not McKinley Tech, I would go to Banneker. The element of the student population is different and it's hard as hell. The principal is wonderful and it's the only IB program in the city. My son didn't make it there, but I love it just the same.

[Anonymous]

Not sure about this but do you think she could get special consideration somewhere as a homeless child (no permanent residence)?

[Anonymous]

Double posting. How about reaching out to Ellington too if she had talents in that direction. One of my neighbors just finished 9th grade there and liked it. Know it's app based though.