Ludlow-Taylor?

[Anonymous]

Hello, current LT parent here, we have been very happy with the school. Our oldest child is in an upper grade and there is very little memorization/drilling. Honestly it seems like they are encouraged to be much more creative than my own school experience.

We are unsure about SH for our oldest but for our youngest child (same age as the OP) it seems like almost everyone is planning on staying through middle school. We heard good things from parents with children at SH now.

I will also add that we have friends at virtually every DCPS and charter school around the Hill, for the most part people seem happy! Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks to everyone for the feedback! We have actually talked to some parents of current students and have heard almost exclusively positive things (except about TV at aftercare, but we don't need aftercare in the short term since we have a nanny for our two pre-preschool kids), but I think asking anonymously can have value too. (Also, most of the parents we know have kids about the same age as ours and most DCPS schools seem to do ECE well, so I was interested in hearing from the parents of older kids too.)

In any case, our offer was accepted last night... so L-T here we come!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for the feedback! We have actually talked to some parents of current students and have heard almost exclusively positive things (except about TV at aftercare, but we don't need aftercare in the short term since we have a nanny for our two pre-preschool kids), but I think asking anonymously can have value too. (Also, most of the parents we know have kids about the same age as ours and most DCPS schools seem to do ECE well, so I was interested in hearing from the parents of older kids too.)

In any case, our offer was accepted last night... so L-T here we come!

Great! Congrats OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

SH seems to be as good as it gets for a guaranteed path outside of Deal (+/- Hardy). As of now, I would say that I'm hoping for Latin or BASIS and possibly willing to pony up for the expanding CHDS MS; however, having SH as a guaranteed backup seems valuable even now and, fingers crossed, maybe I'll love it when the time comes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

SH seems to be as good as it gets for a guaranteed path outside of Deal (+/- Hardy). As of now, I would say that I'm hoping for Latin or BASIS and possibly willing to pony up for the expanding CHDS MS; however, having SH as a guaranteed backup seems valuable even now and, fingers crossed, maybe I'll love it when the time comes.

DP. It depends on your kid and their cohort to some degree. I had one kid whom we moved out of Watkins before SH because that DC was noticeably more advanced, some giftedness in specific areas, for private (for those following the other thread - this is when Joe and Amy Weedon reacted badly to our decision). We have younger kids who are now in SH and they have a great cohort of friends, old and new, and the classes, whether honors or not, are well-aligned with their individual strengths and challenges. So far, we have been very happy with SH for these kids. For us the change over 5 years has been remarkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

SH seems to be as good as it gets for a guaranteed path outside of Deal (+/- Hardy). As of now, I would say that I'm hoping for Latin or BASIS and possibly willing to pony up for the expanding CHDS MS; however, having SH as a guaranteed backup seems valuable even now and, fingers crossed, maybe I'll love it when the time comes.

DP. It depends on your kid and their cohort to some degree. I had one kid whom we moved out of Watkins before SH because that DC was noticeably more advanced, some giftedness in specific areas, for private (for those following the other thread - this is when Joe and Amy Weedon reacted badly to our decision). We have younger kids who are now in SH and they have a great cohort of friends, old and new, and the classes, whether honors or not, are well-aligned with their individual strengths and challenges. So far, we have been very happy with SH for these kids. For us the change over 5 years has been remarkable.

OP here. Thanks for the info! Very hard to know what our kids will be like, though I obviously engage in baseless speculation. I admit that I am worried they'll take after me (very susceptible to cohort influence/never wanted to stick out, so just skated by w/ very little work and always in the top 25% of the class but never the top 5-10%; had I not gone to a TJ-esque magnet where there was some pressure to achieve/25th% was good enough, I would never have gotten into the college I attended), so SH kind of scares me from that perspective. On the other hand, if they take after my DH (super over-achiever, favorite of every teacher he ever encountered, #1 at everything), they'd be totally fine at any school they attended and might actually do better at a school that didn't heap on added pressure. If only I could know in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

SH seems to be as good as it gets for a guaranteed path outside of Deal (+/- Hardy). As of now, I would say that I'm hoping for Latin or BASIS and possibly willing to pony up for the expanding CHDS MS; however, having SH as a guaranteed backup seems valuable even now and, fingers crossed, maybe I'll love it when the time comes.

DP. It depends on your kid and their cohort to some degree. I had one kid whom we moved out of Watkins before SH because that DC was noticeably more advanced, some giftedness in specific areas, for private (for those following the other thread - this is when Joe and Amy Weedon reacted badly to our decision). We have younger kids who are now in SH and they have a great cohort of friends, old and new, and the classes, whether honors or not, are well-aligned with their individual strengths and challenges. So far, we have been very happy with SH for these kids. For us the change over 5 years has been remarkable.

OP here. Thanks for the info! Very hard to know what our kids will be like, though I obviously engage in baseless speculation. I admit that I am worried they'll take after me (very susceptible to cohort influence/never wanted to stick out, so just skated by w/ very little work and always in the top 25% of the class but never the top 5-10%; had I not gone to a TJ-esque magnet where there was some pressure to achieve/25th% was good enough, I would never have gotten into the college I attended), so SH kind of scares me from that perspective. On the other hand, if they take after my DH (super over-achiever, favorite of every teacher he ever encountered, #1 at everything), they'd be totally fine at any school they attended and might actually do better at a school that didn't heap on added pressure. If only I could know in advance!

TJ-esque magnet for HS? The DC application high schools are quite good. It's true DC does not have magnet for middle schools but I don't think the charters are much more advanced, except for BASIS for very specific areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

I have never heard of a single person doing this, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

Nah.

-IB for SH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

I have never heard of a single person doing this, ever.

You need a broader circle of people you speak with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

I have never heard of a single person doing this, ever.

You need a broader circle of people you speak with.

This approach may be suited towards someone buying outside the Wilson catchment. The Hill can be as unaffordable as parts of upper NW but if you're not set on Wilson catchment this is a reasonable approach. It doesn't solve HS but pubic options expand after MS. The SH catchment may be a factor for anyone considering public middle school with a preference for neighborhood schools or without the benefit of sibling priority for desired charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

SH seems to be as good as it gets for a guaranteed path outside of Deal (+/- Hardy). As of now, I would say that I'm hoping for Latin or BASIS and possibly willing to pony up for the expanding CHDS MS; however, having SH as a guaranteed backup seems valuable even now and, fingers crossed, maybe I'll love it when the time comes.

DP. It depends on your kid and their cohort to some degree. I had one kid whom we moved out of Watkins before SH because that DC was noticeably more advanced, some giftedness in specific areas, for private (for those following the other thread - this is when Joe and Amy Weedon reacted badly to our decision). We have younger kids who are now in SH and they have a great cohort of friends, old and new, and the classes, whether honors or not, are well-aligned with their individual strengths and challenges. So far, we have been very happy with SH for these kids. For us the change over 5 years has been remarkable.

OP here. Thanks for the info! Very hard to know what our kids will be like, though I obviously engage in baseless speculation. I admit that I am worried they'll take after me (very susceptible to cohort influence/never wanted to stick out, so just skated by w/ very little work and always in the top 25% of the class but never the top 5-10%; had I not gone to a TJ-esque magnet where there was some pressure to achieve/25th% was good enough, I would never have gotten into the college I attended), so SH kind of scares me from that perspective. On the other hand, if they take after my DH (super over-achiever, favorite of every teacher he ever encountered, #1 at everything), they'd be totally fine at any school they attended and might actually do better at a school that didn't heap on added pressure. If only I could know in advance!

TJ-esque magnet for HS? The DC application high schools are quite good. It's true DC does not have magnet for middle schools but I don't think the charters are much more advanced, except for BASIS for very specific areas.

I went to a NYC equivalent of TJ for middle school and high school. I would be extremely happy with my kids going to SWW if they can get in; just need to find a middle school that can get them there. Buying IB for SH seems like the best Hill-based option I have towards that end.

[Anonymous]

DD is about to graduate from LT - she’s been there since pk3. We are all sad to leave, LT has been such a great community. Just about every teacher she has had has been very good, all the way through. I would say LT is particularly good at meeting kids where they are and encouraging them to succeed to their full capability. We’ve been here through three principals and are very happy with Principal Smith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

I have never heard of a single person doing this, ever.

You need a broader circle of people you speak with.

I agree. My friends are really invested in their children’s education and aren’t willing to settle for something close and easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s your plan for middle school OP? If I was moving (unless I was renting), I would want a longer term path.

People buy in-bounds for L-T specifically for the middle school path.

I have never heard of a single person doing this, ever.

You need a broader circle of people you speak with.

I agree. My friends are really invested in their children’s education and aren’t willing to settle for something close and easy.

You're a peach. So anyone who doesn't choose like you and your friends isn't invested in their children's education?