Still on waitlist - are you surprised?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very little movement at all (maybe more in the wrong direction than the right direction). Still wait listed all 12 places for PK3. I thought something would move more than a handful of spots but no.

Where do you live? Did you list any schools for round 2?

There was no round 2 this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm afraid that belief was pre-common lottery. After 2014, the WLs didn't move much. It is a bummer.

Sure, I guess it's a bummer for people on waitlists but for the schools and the school communities it's great. Less shuffling around at the start of school when things are chaotic already. It's a pretty big bummer for a class to begin to gel and then a handful of kids are suddenly no longer there. The basic problem in DC now is there are just not enough spots at desirable or even acceptable schools.

Just go to your IB school. It will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm afraid that belief was pre-common lottery. After 2014, the WLs didn't move much. It is a bummer.

Sure, I guess it's a bummer for people on waitlists but for the schools and the school communities it's great. Less shuffling around at the start of school when things are chaotic already. It's a pretty big bummer for a class to begin to gel and then a handful of kids are suddenly no longer there. The basic problem in DC now is there are just not enough spots at desirable or even acceptable schools.

Just go to your IB school. It will be fine.

Unless you are wait listed at your IB as well...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised considering that our WL numbers were in the triple digits almost everywhere. Thankfully, we had put together a strategic list and got in somewhere that is fine for our purposes.

What do you mean "strategic" list?

A list that included some definite safeties, i.e. schools that historically had accepted a number of OOB students and weren't being hyped on DCUM (but seemed fine for PK to us). When people say they were shut out everywhere, they didn't include such schools.

[Anonymous]

When the lottery results were posted, my DC was under 5 on the WL for DCB PK3. We were matched elsewhere and were happy, so I wasn't worried, but I decided to make a bet on when I would get the call. "Probably in May" I said to myself, naively.

Here we are at the end of August and my kid has moved six spots in the wrong direction. I am willing to bet no one got off the WL without sibling preference. Crazy. DCB is more difficult to get into than I thought. Any other HRCSes with so little movement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised considering that our WL numbers were in the triple digits almost everywhere. Thankfully, we had put together a strategic list and got in somewhere that is fine for our purposes.

What do you mean "strategic" list?

A list that included some definite safeties, i.e. schools that historically had accepted a number of OOB students and weren't being hyped on DCUM (but seemed fine for PK to us). When people say they were shut out everywhere, they didn't include such schools.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised considering that our WL numbers were in the triple digits almost everywhere. Thankfully, we had put together a strategic list and got in somewhere that is fine for our purposes.

What do you mean "strategic" list?

A list that included some definite safeties, i.e. schools that historically had accepted a number of OOB students and weren't being hyped on DCUM (but seemed fine for PK to us). When people say they were shut out everywhere, they didn't include such schools.

+1

I don't think any of the schools geographically feasible for me accepted any OOB PK3s (on capitol hill). But, I am find to keep on paying at our daycare for another year or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised considering that our WL numbers were in the triple digits almost everywhere. Thankfully, we had put together a strategic list and got in somewhere that is fine for our purposes.

What do you mean "strategic" list?

A list that included some definite safeties, i.e. schools that historically had accepted a number of OOB students and weren't being hyped on DCUM (but seemed fine for PK to us). When people say they were shut out everywhere, they didn't include such schools.

+1

I don't think any of the schools geographically feasible for me accepted any OOB PK3s (on capitol hill). But, I am find to keep on paying at our daycare for another year or two.

+1. Also on Capitol Hill and didn't get in anywhere for pk3 (we listed the 12 closest schools to us). We are ok staying where we are but were surprised at the lack of waitlist movement across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not surprised considering that our WL numbers were in the triple digits almost everywhere. Thankfully, we had put together a strategic list and got in somewhere that is fine for our purposes.

What do you mean "strategic" list?

A list that included some definite safeties, i.e. schools that historically had accepted a number of OOB students and weren't being hyped on DCUM (but seemed fine for PK to us). When people say they were shut out everywhere, they didn't include such schools.

+1

I don't think any of the schools geographically feasible for me accepted any OOB PK3s (on capitol hill). But, I am find to keep on paying at our daycare for another year or two.

+1. Also on Capitol Hill and didn't get in anywhere for pk3 (we listed the 12 closest schools to us). We are ok staying where we are but were surprised at the lack of waitlist movement across the board.

I suppose it depends on where you work, but Capitol Hill might be a special case in this regard, since it's somewhat geographically isolated from the rest of the city, and has a particularly high density of higher SES residents that crowd the schools. If you live in NW or NE and work downtown, you have a lot more school options on your way to work.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, surprised. Last year the waitlist seemed to move faster and we were offered an opening, but were already settled in another school. Now, we could use the slot, but it isn't moving. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised our IB Sib Pref position has only moved one spot since March. I was really hoping we'd have a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it is different every year but much less movement now when almost all schools in common lottery.

And if your friends' oldest entered school 2-3 (or more) years ago then their experience isn't relevant to today.

So true. DC has had such a baby boom. The schools haven't caught up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When the lottery results were posted, my DC was under 5 on the WL for DCB PK3. We were matched elsewhere and were happy, so I wasn't worried, but I decided to make a bet on when I would get the call. "Probably in May" I said to myself, naively.

Here we are at the end of August and my kid has moved six spots in the wrong direction. I am willing to bet no one got off the WL without sibling preference. Crazy. DCB is more difficult to get into than I thought. Any other HRCSes with so little movement?

Sibling preference is a major factor at DCB and LAMB as well. Both schools tend to have more sibs than average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm afraid that belief was pre-common lottery. After 2014, the WLs didn't move much. It is a bummer.

Sure, I guess it's a bummer for people on waitlists but for the schools and the school communities it's great. Less shuffling around at the start of school when things are chaotic already. It's a pretty big bummer for a class to begin to gel and then a handful of kids are suddenly no longer there. The basic problem in DC now is there are just not enough spots at desirable or even acceptable schools.

Just being great for the school isn't good enough. The system needs to be great for families as well, or DC will continue to lose families to the suburbs - where they care about things like education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, I'm afraid that belief was pre-common lottery. After 2014, the WLs didn't move much. It is a bummer.

Sure, I guess it's a bummer for people on waitlists but for the schools and the school communities it's great. Less shuffling around at the start of school when things are chaotic already. It's a pretty big bummer for a class to begin to gel and then a handful of kids are suddenly no longer there. The basic problem in DC now is there are just not enough spots at desirable or even acceptable schools.

Just being great for the school isn't good enough. The system needs to be great for families as well, or DC will continue to lose families to the suburbs - where they care about things like education.

That's always the comeback but the truth is no one cares if you move. Families with kids are expensive for a city. The uncomfortable truth is the city would be just as happy, if not more so, with the retired couple with grown kids, the gay couple with no kids, (both flush with cash) etc. to buy and live in your house. Until the city thinks it will lose tax income that won't be replaced there is not going to be changes in the "system" that magically create 1000 new desirable school spots. DC is too hot right now. It stinks to realize that whether you stay or go doesn't really matter much, but it's true. We're staying because our school situation is solid and there are lots of schools that fit that category so there is a large number of families that won't go anywhere, creating the stable "family with kids" demographic the city needs. Until families choose their own IB school and help to turn it into what they envision the "to the burbs" churn will continue.