MacArthur feeder panic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's very hard to tell what's going on. The academic performance and disciplinary numbers from osse are on par with Anacostia and Ballou.

It’s not hard to tell what’s going on. Most of the white kids in bounds go to private or another HS like Walls.

At Hardy, a lot of kids will apply to selective high schools but their back up is MacArthur. Most kids who apply to Walls won’t get in because it’s so competitive. A lot of in boundary kids don’t want to go to Banneker because the commute is way worse. A lot of Hardy families don’t want private or can’t afford it. They are expecting a lot of Hardy kids to attend MacArthur in the fall and they only have 200 seats for 9th grade.

They won’t fill it if it is anything like this fall. Only 1/2 the class went to MA and i’m guessing it’s not the higher performing kids either.

Half seems pretty good. What percent of Hardy 8th graders used to go to Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson)? Not all of them. There have always been a lot of kids peeling off for Private/Walls/DESA. And obviously it’s always been the higher performing kids headed to academically selective schools like Walls and most privates.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. There are not that many good high schools in this city. The fact that MacArthur is an option now, and the demand so far outpaces supply, combined with how much effort students have to make to get to isolated MacArthur, means that over time, more and more good students will choose MacArthur, and if they are not motivated, they won't make the effort to travel there for school.

MacArthur is on a track to get a better and better set of students over the years as their track record gets stronger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the thing. There are not that many good high schools in this city. The fact that MacArthur is an option now, and the demand so far outpaces supply, combined with how much effort students have to make to get to isolated MacArthur, means that over time, more and more good students will choose MacArthur, and if they are not motivated, they won't make the effort to travel there for school.

MacArthur is on a track to get a better and better set of students over the years as their track record gets stronger.

DCPS used to have a rule that 5 (or was it 10?) unexcused absences would get you kicked out of an OOB school. I doubt DCPS is enforcing (even if it is on the books), but I’d imagine that MA may lean this to start counseling out unmotivated students.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this was mentioned already but MacArthur is being renamed next year: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/502

I thought we’d all learned our lesson about naming schools and other institutions after people, but I guess not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent of a Hardy 8th grader, and my impression too is that while lots of kids are applying lots of places right now, in the end most of them will go to MacArthur. Hardy is great, and I fully expect MacArthur will be too, especially as it gets more established.

No, lots families moving to burbs is what I’m hearing

I’m the parent you quoted and I do not know a single family considering moving to the burbs. I don’t doubt there are some, but I question the idea that there are lots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent of a Hardy 8th grader, and my impression too is that while lots of kids are applying lots of places right now, in the end most of them will go to MacArthur. Hardy is great, and I fully expect MacArthur will be too, especially as it gets more established.

No, lots families moving to burbs is what I’m hearing

I’m the parent you quoted and I do not know a single family considering moving to the burbs. I don’t doubt there are some, but I question the idea that there are lots.

Yes, I knew lots of families who moved to the burbs before PreK but very few since late elementary.

[Anonymous]

Agree - current Hardy parent of an 8th grader in all accelerated classes (eg Geometry, year-long physics elective, the advanced lit group within ELA) and MacArthur is on the table. Applied to Walls but many do and most don't get in. MHS is the back up and many will go. I don't know of a single family in our group of "advanced" kids moving to avoid MHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this was mentioned already but MacArthur is being renamed next year: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/502

I thought we’d all learned our lesson about naming schools and other institutions after people, but I guess not.

... DCPS is going to have a Thomas, a Thomson, and a Thompson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this was mentioned already but MacArthur is being renamed next year: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/502

I thought we’d all learned our lesson about naming schools and other institutions after people, but I guess not.

... DCPS is going to have a Thomas, a Thomson, and a Thompson?

https://www.tintin.com/en/characters/thomson-and-thompson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's very hard to tell what's going on. The academic performance and disciplinary numbers from osse are on par with Anacostia and Ballou.

It’s not hard to tell what’s going on. Most of the white kids in bounds go to private or another HS like Walls.

At Hardy, a lot of kids will apply to selective high schools but their back up is MacArthur. Most kids who apply to Walls won’t get in because it’s so competitive. A lot of in boundary kids don’t want to go to Banneker because the commute is way worse. A lot of Hardy families don’t want private or can’t afford it. They are expecting a lot of Hardy kids to attend MacArthur in the fall and they only have 200 seats for 9th grade.

They won’t fill it if it is anything like this fall. Only 1/2 the class went to MA and i’m guessing it’s not the higher performing kids either.

Half seems pretty good. What percent of Hardy 8th graders used to go to Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson)? Not all of them. There have always been a lot of kids peeling off for Private/Walls/DESA. And obviously it’s always been the higher performing kids headed to academically selective schools like Walls and most privates.

Half. So the same as now go to MacArthur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree - current Hardy parent of an 8th grader in all accelerated classes (eg Geometry, year-long physics elective, the advanced lit group within ELA) and MacArthur is on the table. Applied to Walls but many do and most don't get in. MHS is the back up and many will go. I don't know of a single family in our group of "advanced" kids moving to avoid MHS.

+1. Another current 8th grade Hardy parent and MacArthur is on the table and we applied to Walls as well, but honestly, after the Walls open house, we weren’t that jazzed. MacArthur felt like more of a traditional HS experience, especially with the new renovations happening. We also don’t know anyone moving to the burbs and among my kids friends, MacArthur is where they are going or an option, except for 2 who are likely peeling off for schools for sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know the parents of the kid who went to A&T and they’re furious he went there over Michigan.

Happy that the student had a good head on his/her shouldiers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the parents of the kid who went to A&T and they’re furious he went there over Michigan.

Happy that the student had a good head on his/her shouldiers.

Exactly. Have the parents been through a Michigan winter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a parent of a Hardy 8th grader, and my impression too is that while lots of kids are applying lots of places right now, in the end most of them will go to MacArthur. Hardy is great, and I fully expect MacArthur will be too, especially as it gets more established.

No, lots families moving to burbs is what I’m hearing

Ugh the burbs mean schools with 2000+ kids. I’m not sure we can make that leap. I think I might prefer MacArthur with all its flaws (which I know because I know DCPS!) to a massive HS. Not an easy choice.

Not all schools have 2000 kids and they are much better. Plus you get the option of the benefit of state schools for college, saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yes, ALL the suburban high schools have 2000 (or 3000) kids except for Falls Church City.

Wow - I never realized that. Wild!

[Anonymous]

But suburban high schools tend to have much better facilities than we have in DC. They also offer test-in school-within-a-school programs in many cases, e.g. well-established International Baccalaureate programs. They have partnerships with vocational/career high schools for enrichment so students in academic programs can access hands-on classes. The big high schools often teach half a dozen language to AP level and offer a vast array of strong extra-curriculars.'

I'd be OK with a giant HS in the District it offered all that!