What's Banneker HS like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The attrition rate is very high. They lose at least 30% of students by 12th grade, graduating about 75 each year. They start with 125-150.

Basis apparently only KEEPS about 30%, losing 60-70% of their students by graduation, yet some people think it's a great school. So apparently attrition isn't something many parents consider, for better or worse.

Basis loses most student at 8th. The attrition from 9th to 12th is negligible.

Comparing a 5th-12th grade school to a 9th-12th is misleading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The attrition rate is very high. They lose at least 30% of students by 12th grade, graduating about 75 each year. They start with 125-150.

Basis apparently only KEEPS about 30%, losing 60-70% of their students by graduation, yet some people think it's a great school. So apparently attrition isn't something many parents consider, for better or worse.

Basis loses most student at 8th. The attrition from 9th to 12th is negligible.

Comparing a 5th-12th grade school to a 9th-12th is misleading.

I'm not so sure it's a bad comparison. Banneker, I've heard, has highly demanding standards that results in a sort of up-or-out dynamic. I've heard the same thing about Basis. Since basis starts at 5th grade it makes sense that the attrition would happen earlier on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The attrition rate is very high. They lose at least 30% of students by 12th grade, graduating about 75 each year. They start with 125-150.

Basis apparently only KEEPS about 30%, losing 60-70% of their students by graduation, yet some people think it's a great school. So apparently attrition isn't something many parents consider, for better or worse.

Basis loses most student at 8th. The attrition from 9th to 12th is negligible.

Comparing a 5th-12th grade school to a 9th-12th is misleading.

I'm not so sure it's a bad comparison. Banneker, I've heard, has highly demanding standards that results in a sort of up-or-out dynamic. I've heard the same thing about Basis. Since basis starts at 5th grade it makes sense that the attrition would happen earlier on.

[Anonymous]

My kid just finished Junior year at Banneker. It's a very tough school, especially for boys which is why they don't have many. Very few make it through to graduation. My son has had to scale back on extracurricular it's hard to manage the enormous homework load and the school has said, in not so many words, that academics are all they care about and focus on.

I think it's a great school for a kid who is extremely academically focused and has a goal of excelling in high school and going on to college, doesent need a lot of school/spirit type activities and doesent need arts or creative outlets. I've heard the same about Basis so I wonder if they are similar in that way. If you think your kid might need more than that from a school I'd think twice.

I was so impressed with some Banneker students I came across that I was determined my kid would go there. Now, in retrospect, it's taken a lot out of him and we probably should have chosen another route. I wont send my younger kid there.

Again, Banneker is a great school, but just like any other school you have to really figure out if it's going to be a great fit for your own kid. They allow a shadow day, make sure you have your kid do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished Junior year at Banneker. It's a very tough school, especially for boys which is why they don't have many. Very few make it through to graduation. My son has had to scale back on extracurricular it's hard to manage the enormous homework load and the school has said, in not so many words, that academics are all they care about and focus on.

I think it's a great school for a kid who is extremely academically focused and has a goal of excelling in high school and going on to college, doesent need a lot of school/spirit type activities and doesent need arts or creative outlets. I've heard the same about Basis so I wonder if they are similar in that way. If you think your kid might need more than that from a school I'd think twice.

I was so impressed with some Banneker students I came across that I was determined my kid would go there. Now, in retrospect, it's taken a lot out of him and we probably should have chosen another route. I wont send my younger kid there.

Again, Banneker is a great school, but just like any other school you have to really figure out if it's going to be a great fit for your own kid. They allow a shadow day, make sure you have your kid do it.

^this is helpful. thank you

[Anonymous]

^^ You're welcome. I should also add, one of the things I hear over and over again from Banneker alumni is that while everyone else is catching the freshmen blues in college and struggling to adjust to the rigorous requirements and workload, Banneker grads have no problem being successful right off the bat. Also, there are zero disciplinary problems at Banneker so there are none of those distractions. Their disciplinary problems are basically kids not doing homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid just finished Junior year at Banneker. It's a very tough school, especially for boys which is why they don't have many. Very few make it through to graduation. My son has had to scale back on extracurricular it's hard to manage the enormous homework load and the school has said, in not so many words, that academics are all they care about and focus on.

I think it's a great school for a kid who is extremely academically focused and has a goal of excelling in high school and going on to college, doesent need a lot of school/spirit type activities and doesent need arts or creative outlets. I've heard the same about Basis so I wonder if they are similar in that way. If you think your kid might need more than that from a school I'd think twice.

I was so impressed with some Banneker students I came across that I was determined my kid would go there. Now, in retrospect, it's taken a lot out of him and we probably should have chosen another route. I wont send my younger kid there.

Again, Banneker is a great school, but just like any other school you have to really figure out if it's going to be a great fit for your own kid. They allow a shadow day, make sure you have your kid do it.

Why is it so tough for boys? thanks

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Banneker. I apologize if this is slightly incoherent and rambling. I'm rushing to an appointment, but wanted to seize the chance to talk about my alma mater. To understand what it's like, you have to first consider what it's like growing up in DCPS for the majority of its students.

90% of us went to elementary and middle schools with lackluster academics and rampant behavior problems. The risks of confidently displaying your intelligence far outnumber the rewards. You're either harassed (physically or verbally) all of the time or you're ignored because the teachers have to focus on the kids who are behind. Most incentive programs like field trips and parties are targeted toward the bad kids and they're often canceled at a moment's notice due to behavior problems. You learn to just keep your head down and try to get through the day the best you can. Be smart, but don't draw attention to yourself.

The first thing you realize at Banneker is that everyone is just like you. With the exception of the handful of kids who went to private schools or relocated from somewhere outside of the District, everyone had to deal with the same B.S. and is happy to be done with that. Everyone raises their hand. Everyone tries to answer questions. It's corny, but we used to say that we were like the X-Men. We found a place where we could use our gifts and not be chastised for it.

In the morning, the people who get there early go to the auditorium. A handful are just talking, but the majority of students are doing homework. The cool part is that there's usually someone playing the piano. It's so cool to walk into a place and hear someone confident enough around their peers to play Mozart or some classical piece. No one is going to laugh. We used to have Celebrate Success assemblies where every month or so, people would get up and play an instrument, give a speech, or share something about their culture. Banneker always tried to undo the damage and the tunnel vision that we experienced in DCPS. We celebrated other cultures and people's differences. They pushed us to learn to think critically and outside of the box.

Now, it's not for everyone. Yes, we had a lot of people leave before sophomore year. It's not that those people weren't smart, but after years of getting A's for doing little to no work, some people couldn't adjust to 2-3 hours of homework every night and being challenged for small mistakes. I was a straight A student my entire life. Banneker is the first place I ever got a C, then a D, and eventually an F. They used to tell us all the time that being in the top 10% of our middle school class meant absolutely nothing because DC has the worst education system in the country. We weren't competing against DC schools out there in the real world. We were competing against VA. We were told to use Jefferson in VA as our benchmark for success. The work was hard...to us. Like I said, some people came from private schools and didn't think Banneker was anything special, but my personal opinion is that Banneker is for those kids who are from DCPS and who need to be given adequate college prep and need to erase some of the damage that DCPS does.

There are no fights. No one steals. If you go on a tour, you'll see all of the backpacks lined up in front of the lockers. The lockers work, but they're narrow, so everyone just leaves their stuff in front of their lockers. There's a lot of work, but it's not busy work. By the time you graduate, you can write a 10 page paper in a day if you have to. All of us get into college and it's not just UDC or some school with open admission(no disrespect intended). I graduated second from the bottom of my class at Banneker. I was lazy by Banneker standards and broke the sacred rule of not focusing solely on school. I ran track and played basketball at a rec center near my house. I also had two part time jobs on top of the hectic community service that Banneker required. I'll also admit that I was lazy and waited until the last minute to do all of my work. I got a partial scholarship to five schools and ended up at UNC. I got my masters from GW. At no point in college did I feel challenged anywhere near the level of what I experienced at Banneker. Most alumni will say the same. I even used some of my thesis papers from Banneker in college.
Gotta run. Sorry for the rant. Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

I heard that they give a lot of busy work and not meaningful homework. Is that true? My reason for not choosing that school was because there was not a lot of courses to choose from especially in science. The IB program seems great but, you have to take a prescribed list of classes. Also, my daughter did not enjoy her shadow day.

[Anonymous]

Wow, 9:35, what a vivid and thoughtful description of the school. Thank you for posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 9:35, what a vivid and thoughtful description of the school. Thank you for posting.

+1.

Thank you for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 9:35, what a vivid and thoughtful description of the school. Thank you for posting.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, 9:35, what a vivid and thoughtful description of the school. Thank you for posting.

Yes thank you for sharing! I loved reading your experience.

[Anonymous]

Banneker sounds like the prep school I went to, minus the sports.

[Anonymous]

i did a presentation there once and then had to take urine samples in the bathroom. was prepared to potentially be in danger bc of expereicne in cardozo, roosevelt. but the kids were lovely. fantastic lovely young people