Middle school after Brent?
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Anonymous
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There are more options than that, both private and public. Here's a preliminary stab at a longer list of places where I know of Capitol Hill kids in middle school currently (Capitol Hill parent of an 8th grader and a high schooler):
Public: Washington Latin BASIS DCI Two Rivers Middle Hardy Deal (by lotterying into a feeder in 4th or 5th grade) Stuart-Hobson Jefferson Eliot-Hine Private: St. Peter's Capitol Hill Day School St. Anselm's Abbey School Friends Community School Burgandy Farm Burke GDS Sidwell Friends Although I agree that this is wildly premature because the landscape shifts so dramatically. Also, at this point you have no idea if your child has learning differences, will be the kind of kid who can commute by themselves on public transportation, will have a specialized interest, etc. But there are a LOT of options out there, to fit every child. It takes more work than moving to Tenleytown and walking into Deal to register, but then again, Deal isn't right for every kid either. |
Anonymous
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The PARCC scores at Jefferson vs. SH don't really support the idea that a kid will do much better at one than the other. Both schools have a long time until your kid will go there. Have you visited Jefferson? Talked to the principal or any families whose kids go there? What about it do you dislike and what metrics would it have to hit for it to be acceptable to you? Knowing that might help people make suggestions.
Other middle schools nearby include Two Rivers and Inspired Teaching. Whether your kid will get a space at them or whether they'd be a good fit is something you can't know for a while. OP, if you are risk averse you are going to need to prepare to move for 6th grade. If you are really risk averse, just move now. If you can afford to live IB for Brent, you can afford to live in a good school district in Montgomery county. |
Anonymous
Or choose to go private now or later. That seems to be OP's preferred choice. Not everyone has the stomach for risk and uncertainty. But OP as for whether it's easier to get into a private school at k or at 4th or 5th -- that depends on the private. Search on the private school board for endless threads on that topic. |
Anonymous
| I wouldn't change your whole life with a 5 year old based on their schooling needs 6-7 years from now. Send your kid to Brent, enjoy the wonderful privilege of a great neighborhood elementary school, take advantage of your extra time and money, get involved in the school, and you'll figure something out when the time comes. |
Anonymous
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+1. Agree w/poster above.
Extending his or her argument, if you lean strongly risk averse as a parent, or don't have a lot of dough to throw at privates, or don't want your kid in a public school w/out established above-grade level offerings, or don't want to move from the Hill after ES, Brent probably isn't for you. We know parents who bailed from Brent after PreK or K to nail down a spot at CHD or St. Peter's. We know many more parents who ride Brent because they like the school and it's far and away the most affordable option at this age. We're in 3rd and plan to stay through 5th. We're Catholic and plan to jump to St. Peter's or St. Anselm's for 6th if either has a spot (unlikely), or a parochial school in VA we're taking to. Good luck making your decision OP. |
Anonymous
I find this really curious and would love to hear more about your perspective. What is it precisely that you don't like about the MS options? Is it test scores? Safety? Educational and enrichment opportunities? It's so easy to form an opinion about a place without first hand experience. MS in general can be an intimidating step for parents of younger children. Maybe more first hand experience confirms what you suspect, or maybe you walk away with a different point of view. Lots of DCUM snarky commentary is simply going to reinforce your fears. You have a LOT of time to see how things shake out. You have a 4 year old -- have you actually visited Jefferson? Talked to the principal (a rising star in DCPS fwiw), staff or parents attending? Have you talked to upper grade Brent parents considering Jefferson? [BTW don't listen PPs who say they don't exist because there is a modest contingent at Brent right now] Good luck. Enjoy the next 6-7 years at a fantastic public neighborhood school. |
Anonymous
FYI, both St. Peter's and St. Anselm's have spaces at 6th grade, especially St. Anselm's. St. Anselm's starts at 6th grade, and they take all the boys that they think will succeed in the program - it's really a question of whether your son's test scores and grades (less important than test scores) make him a good match. And because a number of St. Peter's boys make the jump to St. Anselm's in the entry year, there are typically spaces that open up there too -- especially if you have a son, as the class demographics are lopsided. |
Anonymous
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Catholic PP saying thanks for the info.
Kid's a pretty average student so far, meaning that I'm having trouble feeling confident that he'll crack St. Anselm's, but maybe he will. There seem to be more applying to St. Peter's MS out of Brent every year (with a lot more staying for 5th at Brent every year for several years running, and St. Peter's on the up and up), so not holding my breath on that one. |
Anonymous
If you want Capitol Hill Day for middle school it's best to have the child in Capitol Hill Day now. We went from private to Stuart Hobson and then back to private. We had a good experience there. |
Anonymous
PP with long list of schools here. We know plenty of parents who went to CHDS in later elementary/early middle school grades over the past 3-6 years, as well as parents who made similar moves to schools like Friends Community School from a public or public charter. FWIW, CHDS also loses kids at the middle-school level as they angle to get into the most prestigious upper NW private schools in the earliest entry year rather than try to face the more competitive entry for 9th grade. There is a very real domino factor at these schools (as well as a lot of pressure on parents to think that if they don't go at the absolutely earliest moment, they will never be able to get in a child later, much of which I have considerably skepticism about). |
Anonymous
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We are a Brent family with our oldest in 2nd grade. I pay close attention (to the extent that I can) to all things middle school in DC. Here is our current thinking.
We are definitely interested in St Anselm's (and maybe St Peters) for our son (we're Catholic), and we'll certainly apply for some charters (Latin and Two Rivers in particular). But we are also very comfortable with starting out at Jefferson if admissions/finances/desires dictate that it is the best option for us. Then we'd play it by ear to see if Jefferson is working for our child. If it didn't work, we'd explore other options including moving. I have been very impressed by the administration at Jefferson, and the experiences of most of the Brent/Maury families who have/are attending Jefferson (yes, they exist) has been very positive. And if there is a considerable movement of Brent kids to Jefferson by the time our son reaches 6th, we might consider it as our primary option. If you really don't like any uncertainty with regard to schooling, yes, you might be better off applying to private now. CHDS seems like a lovely school. But it doesn't actually seem better than Brent to me, particularly for $30K a year. |
Anonymous
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9:48's list was quite thorough.
I also think there are Brent kids who go to St. Jerome's in Hyattsville and St. Ann's in Arlington. And Creative Minds and Inspired Teaching and Capital City charters might also be of interest. |
Anonymous
+1 We are in the exact same boat. Not counting on Jefferson but know the next 3 years could bring a lot of change. I don't think it will be Deal but could it be closer to Hardy than SH? |
Anonymous
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I can speak to many options, comparatively and otherwise, but would simply like to chime in here to say that we have been extremely happy at Jefferson and so is our 6th grader there. Our child has been an advanced student for all of ES, to whom nothing mattered more for MS than being challenged, especially in math. So finding the right school after 5th grade was indeed a concern for us. No longer. Jefferson has been a great fit and has proactively worked with us to achieve those objectives. Our child has a long list of friends and is clearly thriving socially. The teachers are without fail outstanding, really knowledgeable and all around personable, communicative, and proactive. Jefferson is deliberate and reliable about parent engagement. There is systematic follow-through on all of the promises made. What you hear at an open house, that's how it is. Last but not least, it has an outstanding leader, who has solid leadership and administrative skills while not forgetting that his heart is in the classroom and with students, all of whom he knows personally. No, Jefferson is not Brent but we sincerely love it.
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Anonymous
Thanks for the info! What are the arts options like? |