Moving to DC - Murch vs. Eaton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eaton gets much stronger reviews than Murch does. I think the incremental difference you get from any of the top schools is about fit. You/your child with the school.

From the non-charter schools that have a strong track record of performance in order of size, Mann is the smallest, followed by Key, Eaton, Janny and Laffeyette.
Hyde is very small and you might want to consider it.

Where? On Mars?

Seriously, a search of this site will reveal the consensus to be about 99% in Murch's favor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eaton gets much stronger reviews than Murch does. I think the incremental difference you get from any of the top schools is about fit. You/your child with the school.

From the non-charter schools that have a strong track record of performance in order of size, Mann is the smallest, followed by Key, Eaton, Janny and Laffeyette.
Hyde is very small and you might want to consider it.

Where? On Mars?

Seriously, a search of this site will reveal the consensus to be about 99% in Murch's favor.

Sort of on Mars. Eaton has some vocal boosters.

[Anonymous]

Mann.

[Anonymous]

Eaton has vocal boosters because it [i]is wonderful. Test scores are way up, and, depending how you deconstruct the test scores, put Eaton ahead of Murch and Janney. As well, some say (and we will soon see, when it is posted on DCPS) that the inboundary percentage has increased significantly this year. Regardless, Eaton's dynamic principal, the great teachers that she attracts and the super-involved parent community which funds lots of extras, all combine to make it a great school, which explains the vocal boosters on this thread.

[Anonymous]

I think there's one vocal booster and a sock puppet or two...

[Anonymous]

Hi, I am 22:41 and that post was my only one on this thread so there must be more than one booster...... I have always wondered: what is a sock puppet in the context of DCUM?

[Anonymous]

As an impartial observer (my child does not attend any of these schools) the DCPS elementary schools which consistently get the most raves are (in alpha order):

Janney
Key
Lafayette
Mann
Murch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eaton has vocal boosters because it [i]is wonderful. Test scores are way up, and, depending how you deconstruct the test scores, put Eaton ahead of Murch and Janney. As well, some say (and we will soon see, when it is posted on DCPS) that the inboundary percentage has increased significantly this year. Regardless, Eaton's dynamic principal, the great teachers that she attracts and the super-involved parent community which funds lots of extras, all combine to make it a great school, which explains the vocal boosters on this thread.

New poster here, and I believe all of this. I think the initial pushback on this thread was against the poster who said that "Eaton gets much stronger reviews than Murch." Those of us who follow these boards closely know that simply not to be true. That said, I think the people who dismiss all enthusiasm for Eaton as the work of a few tireless "boosters" are also silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an impartial observer (my child does not attend any of these schools) the DCPS elementary schools which consistently get the most raves are (in alpha order):

Janney
Key
Lafayette
Mann
Murch

You forgot Oyster. There are some hard-core Oyster Haters who disagree, but many devoted parents and a long track record with a great program. It was ranked in top 10 for "advanced" test scores even though it has the most FARM / economically disadvantaged kids of any of the top NW schools by a wide margin, plus the kids come out of the school bilingual. It goes to grade 8 and even though the intermediate campus has had mixed reviews in the past, the parents group and the principal are going gangbusters on facilities and curriculum. Good friends of ours who have boatloads of money for Sidwell or a house near Mann have two in Adams, one in Oyster, and are very happy. Ours is in the elementary campus right now and we love it. Oyster-Adams parents group raises a ton of money for great extras, and the after care (OCA) involves fun and interesting activities. Plus it's walkable to the entire in-boundaries area, because the neighborhood is higher density than, say, Janney or Mann.

I know that it's not comparable because it's a "special program," but for us, it was hands-down the top choice, in part because we had many friends who'd gone through. There are apartment buildings on Connecticut with great light and space, and some houses in Oyster district are comparable in price to Murch (others crazy expensive).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an impartial observer (my child does not attend any of these schools) the DCPS elementary schools which consistently get the most raves are (in alpha order):

Janney
Key
Lafayette
Mann
Murch

You forgot Oyster. There are some hard-core Oyster Haters who disagree, but many devoted parents and a long track record with a great program. It was ranked in top 10 for "advanced" test scores even though it has the most FARM / economically disadvantaged kids of any of the top NW schools by a wide margin, plus the kids come out of the school bilingual. It goes to grade 8 and even though the intermediate campus has had mixed reviews in the past, the parents group and the principal are going gangbusters on facilities and curriculum. Good friends of ours who have boatloads of money for Sidwell or a house near Mann have two in Adams, one in Oyster, and are very happy. Ours is in the elementary campus right now and we love it. Oyster-Adams parents group raises a ton of money for great extras, and the after care (OCA) involves fun and interesting activities. Plus it's walkable to the entire in-boundaries area, because the neighborhood is higher density than, say, Janney or Mann.

I know that it's not comparable because it's a "special program," but for us, it was hands-down the top choice, in part because we had many friends who'd gone through. There are apartment buildings on Connecticut with great light and space, and some houses in Oyster district are comparable in price to Murch (others crazy expensive).

I'm the PP who did the list. I didn't forget Oyster, I just left it off the list b/c I thought it is sort of an apples vs. engine blocks comparison. You're right, it's an amazing program, has MANY loyal families and the waitlist (and lack of movement on it) speaks for itself. It's a highly regarded program, and in retrospect I should have included it and simply put an asterisk to indicate that's it is something "above and beyond." Thank you for correcting me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an impartial observer (my child does not attend any of these schools) the DCPS elementary schools which consistently get the most raves are (in alpha order):

Janney
Key
Lafayette
Mann
Murch

You forgot Oyster. There are some hard-core Oyster Haters who disagree, but many devoted parents and a long track record with a great program. It was ranked in top 10 for "advanced" test scores even though it has the most FARM / economically disadvantaged kids of any of the top NW schools by a wide margin, plus the kids come out of the school bilingual. It goes to grade 8 and even though the intermediate campus has had mixed reviews in the past, the parents group and the principal are going gangbusters on facilities and curriculum. Good friends of ours who have boatloads of money for Sidwell or a house near Mann have two in Adams, one in Oyster, and are very happy. Ours is in the elementary campus right now and we love it. Oyster-Adams parents group raises a ton of money for great extras, and the after care (OCA) involves fun and interesting activities. Plus it's walkable to the entire in-boundaries area, because the neighborhood is higher density than, say, Janney or Mann.

I know that it's not comparable because it's a "special program," but for us, it was hands-down the top choice, in part because we had many friends who'd gone through. There are apartment buildings on Connecticut with great light and space, and some houses in Oyster district are comparable in price to Murch (others crazy expensive).

I'm the PP who did the list. I didn't forget Oyster, I just left it off the list b/c I thought it is sort of an apples vs. engine blocks comparison. You're right, it's an amazing program, has MANY loyal families and the waitlist (and lack of movement on it) speaks for itself. It's a highly regarded program, and in retrospect I should have included it and simply put an asterisk to indicate that's it is something "above and beyond." Thank you for correcting me.

I'm the Oyster poster. Really hope that I didn't sound snarky and apologize if I did. I knew it was just as likely that you had chosen not to include it because it's not quite comparable, and should have said that instead of "you forgot."

If I were choosing from the non-Oyster list, I'd be attracted to Hyde, Murch, Lafayette, or Eaton. Hyde has a writing program but a bit of turnover because of diplomatic families. Murch has some better-priced neighborhoods with some walkable commerce nearby and more diversity than some of the other "top." Lafayette has a Sesame Street-like neighborhood, beautiful park attached, and the Broad Branch Market, but no metro. Eaton is in a cool neighborhood where there is commerce and good public services (like the library that we hike to from Woodley). We didn't like Mann in spite of the high quality because the student body is very homogeneous (including economically) and the neighborhood is not walkable/ has very little other than houses. We liked Janney's "vibe" but didn't like the choice between suburban-like streets or the busy commercial area on Wisconsin. All of these are really good choices, though-- I'm expressing some of the preferences that my family personally has, and not what would make a school good or bad for others.

[Anonymous]

If I were choosing from the non-Oyster list, I'd be attracted to Hyde, Murch, Lafayette, or Eaton. Hyde has a writing program but a bit of turnover because of diplomatic families. Murch has some better-priced neighborhoods with some walkable commerce nearby and more diversity than some of the other "top." Lafayette has a Sesame Street-like neighborhood, beautiful park attached, and the Broad Branch Market, but no metro. Eaton is in a cool neighborhood where there is commerce and good public services (like the library that we hike to from Woodley). We didn't like Mann in spite of the high quality because the student body is very homogeneous (including economically) and the neighborhood is not walkable/ has very little other than houses. We liked Janney's "vibe" but didn't like the choice between suburban-like streets or the busy commercial area on Wisconsin. All of these are really good choices, though-- I'm expressing some of the preferences that my family personally has, and not what would make a school good or bad for others.

Wow, I could have written every word of those sentences. I've never before seen my own thinking reflected back so clearly. We're still a year or two out from having to make a real neighborhood/school decision, but I'd love to pick your brain a little offline if you'd be willing -- dmccuaig (at) gmail.com. Many thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If I were choosing from the non-Oyster list, I'd be attracted to Hyde, Murch, Lafayette, or Eaton. Hyde has a writing program but a bit of turnover because of diplomatic families. Murch has some better-priced neighborhoods with some walkable commerce nearby and more diversity than some of the other "top." Lafayette has a Sesame Street-like neighborhood, beautiful park attached, and the Broad Branch Market, but no metro. Eaton is in a cool neighborhood where there is commerce and good public services (like the library that we hike to from Woodley). We didn't like Mann in spite of the high quality because the student body is very homogeneous (including economically) and the neighborhood is not walkable/ has very little other than houses. We liked Janney's "vibe" but didn't like the choice between suburban-like streets or the busy commercial area on Wisconsin. All of these are really good choices, though-- I'm expressing some of the preferences that my family personally has, and not what would make a school good or bad for others.

See today's Post article re. commerce in Cleveland Park: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090902566.html

[Anonymous]

Eaton has a great principal!

[Anonymous]

What's the OOB % at each school?