Capitol Hill - middle school and beyond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have lived on the hill a decade now with no plans to leave - DH is obsessed with being in the city and we can't afford upper NW so for the foreseeable future we plan to stay in our townhouse. Both kids are in a DCI feeder school so we are putting all our eggs in the DCI basket. Will try for one of the Latin campuses in 6th if we don't get into DCI.

You should prod DH on whether he really believes that people really he cool because he lives near the federal government.

I am the PP who is moving and my DH was like this too, and actually it really is worth it to unpack why one or both partners are very attached to living "in the city." For my DH, he had this idea that moving outside the city was moving backwards because he'd lived in the suburbs in his 20s before finally moving into DC and being much happier to be close to friends and things to do. He moved into DC around the time we met, and he associates moving into DC as the time his life got really good.

But that was over a decade ago, before we married, owned a home, or had kids. When I'd suggest moving, he'd talk about how lonely he was in the burbs and how much less lonely his is now, and it took some time for me to convince him that living in a 1-bedroom apartment in the suburbs at the age of 26 is a totally different deal than living in a 3 bedroom house with your wife and family in your 40s. I actually think that potentially we will be more social and go out more once we move, because our lifestyle will be more in line with neighbors and also the lower cost of living will leave more money for babysitters and date nights.

It is somewhat comical how long it took to convince him of this but eventually he came around. But yes, initially he was incredibly attached to staying in the city, like if he left it would be some kind of tragedy. We're talking about moving 30 minutes away to a close-in suburb!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct in that we will have less of a chance at Latin but our first choice is DCI and I don't want to forgo that chance for 6th. I guess the question is - is it harder to get into DCI or Latin in 6th? Latin is our #2 choice if we don't get into DCI in 6th from a feeder.
. I guess I need to look at the odds of getting into each for 6th.

The math isn't hard. Latin is a much harder nut to crack.

Disagree. Everybody has an equal chance at Latin at 5th. All seats in 5th are open.

The feeder kids get all the seats in 6th at DCI. So if you are a non-feeder family, you are competing for a handful of seats among hundreds on the waitlist.

DCI is much, much harder to crack as non-feeder and much easier to crack as feeder no matter what grade.

Yes...PP said "Latin is our #2 choice if we don't get into DCI in 6th from a feeder." So, thanks for making my point for me...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have lived on the hill a decade now with no plans to leave - DH is obsessed with being in the city and we can't afford upper NW so for the foreseeable future we plan to stay in our townhouse. Both kids are in a DCI feeder school so we are putting all our eggs in the DCI basket. Will try for one of the Latin campuses in 6th if we don't get into DCI.

You should prod DH on whether he really believes that people really he cool because he lives near the federal government.

I am the PP who is moving and my DH was like this too, and actually it really is worth it to unpack why one or both partners are very attached to living "in the city." For my DH, he had this idea that moving outside the city was moving backwards because he'd lived in the suburbs in his 20s before finally moving into DC and being much happier to be close to friends and things to do. He moved into DC around the time we met, and he associates moving into DC as the time his life got really good.

But that was over a decade ago, before we married, owned a home, or had kids. When I'd suggest moving, he'd talk about how lonely he was in the burbs and how much less lonely his is now, and it took some time for me to convince him that living in a 1-bedroom apartment in the suburbs at the age of 26 is a totally different deal than living in a 3 bedroom house with your wife and family in your 40s. I actually think that potentially we will be more social and go out more once we move, because our lifestyle will be more in line with neighbors and also the lower cost of living will leave more money for babysitters and date nights.

It is somewhat comical how long it took to convince him of this but eventually he came around. But yes, initially he was incredibly attached to staying in the city, like if he left it would be some kind of tragedy. We're talking about moving 30 minutes away to a close-in suburb!

Different strokes for different folks.

My sister and her DH are home homebodies and burbs would fit them fine.

Whereas we do a lot of things in the city with dining out, Kennedy center, theater, concerts, family friendly activities in the city. Even if we moved just 1/2 hour outside, there is no way we would do 2/3rd of the things we would do because of the hassle of driving into the city.

It’s much easier though because we have only 1 and more time for outside interests/hobbies/friends and don’t need a huge place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving. We waffled the first few years of elementary because we like the neighborhood and our ES. And we've done the dance with "well SH seems okay, maybe we can put it off."

But then one morning I woke up and decided: I don't want to do this anymore. We are moving after this year ends. Our primary goal in where we end up is solid ES-MS-HS situation, no surprises. I think we have lower standards for what that means than many in this area, but higher than Eastern. We want honors tracking, foreign language, good IB or AP offerings, and a solid extracurricular program. I don't need my kids to go to "the best" high school. I didn't. But I want them to have options, whether they are high achievers or just middle of the road.

We are also excited about more space (a yard!), better in state college options, and hopefully a slightly slower paced neighborhood with less crime and general angst. We'll miss the walkability and great transit options, and some of our neighbors

I’m excited for you. I wish we had moved years ago.

Thank you, we are excited too. That's how I knew it was the right choice. The thought if just putting this whole conversation in our rear view just filled me when the joy.

Just curious—how old are your kids? And where are you considering? Hoping to stay on the Hill at the school we love a bit longer, but I don’t want to wait too long and have the transition be tougher on the kids having to make new friends. Curious when you are making the leap. I also feel like I will be so relieved once we’ve just chosen a path through high school, but we gotta hang on a bit. Uncertainty is not my forte though 😫

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving. We waffled the first few years of elementary because we like the neighborhood and our ES. And we've done the dance with "well SH seems okay, maybe we can put it off."

But then one morning I woke up and decided: I don't want to do this anymore. We are moving after this year ends. Our primary goal in where we end up is solid ES-MS-HS situation, no surprises. I think we have lower standards for what that means than many in this area, but higher than Eastern. We want honors tracking, foreign language, good IB or AP offerings, and a solid extracurricular program. I don't need my kids to go to "the best" high school. I didn't. But I want them to have options, whether they are high achievers or just middle of the road.

We are also excited about more space (a yard!), better in state college options, and hopefully a slightly slower paced neighborhood with less crime and general angst. We'll miss the walkability and great transit options, and some of our neighbors

I’m excited for you. I wish we had moved years ago.

Thank you, we are excited too. That's how I knew it was the right choice. The thought if just putting this whole conversation in our rear view just filled me when the joy.

Just curious—how old are your kids? And where are you considering? Hoping to stay on the Hill at the school we love a bit longer, but I don’t want to wait too long and have the transition be tougher on the kids having to make new friends. Curious when you are making the leap. I also feel like I will be so relieved once we’ve just chosen a path through high school, but we gotta hang on a bit. Uncertainty is not my forte though 😫

I will say this as someone who has a clear path through high school: having a path doesn't necessarily make things easier. We are at BASIS and my child is doing very well (top 5%), and I am constantly questioning whether we should just move. BASIS is stressful and the building sucks. The city feels like it is getting more and more dangerous. We love the Hill and our friends, but we are questioning our choices all the time.

[Anonymous]

We moved and are very happy about it. We were very conflicted about it up until we actually made the move, because we love the community and neighborhood, but life is a lot easier out of the city for me. The school experience just feels a lot more normal (I know my own suburban experiences are baked into that), and it is such a weight off my chest to not obsess over what we’ll do for MS and HS. Plus, having a yard is more amazing than I expected for my kids! And some extra space. And we ended up in a place that’s pretty close in/near transit and has its own walkable neighborhood, so we feel like we will still get into town. Anyway, just our perspective, and good luck!

[Anonymous]

We have two kids. Don't want to deal with the lottery 2x (what if first kid is fine, but not in a siblin preference location, and by highschool, 2nd kid doesn't get lucky in MS lottery?). So we're moving.

[Anonymous]

We have 3 kids (upper ES through ECE) on the Hill and intend to stay. We love our life here & far prefer urban density to suburban sprawl. We live on a tight knit street with tons of MS/HS kids (at least 10), so it can be done. We'd love for our kids to get into BASIS or Latin, but if that doesn't work, we'll give SH (our IB) a try.

Clearly different things work for different people and uncertainty bugs some people more than others. Like most Hill dwellers, we have good friends who have left for the suburbs and most - though not quite all - are very happy with their choices too. I will say that I think they overestimate how often they will still get into DC to do city stuff anyway; it basically never happens unless it's a really big event/all day thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving. We waffled the first few years of elementary because we like the neighborhood and our ES. And we've done the dance with "well SH seems okay, maybe we can put it off."

But then one morning I woke up and decided: I don't want to do this anymore. We are moving after this year ends. Our primary goal in where we end up is solid ES-MS-HS situation, no surprises. I think we have lower standards for what that means than many in this area, but higher than Eastern. We want honors tracking, foreign language, good IB or AP offerings, and a solid extracurricular program. I don't need my kids to go to "the best" high school. I didn't. But I want them to have options, whether they are high achievers or just middle of the road.

We are also excited about more space (a yard!), better in state college options, and hopefully a slightly slower paced neighborhood with less crime and general angst. We'll miss the walkability and great transit options, and some of our neighbors

I’m excited for you. I wish we had moved years ago.

Thank you, we are excited too. That's how I knew it was the right choice. The thought if just putting this whole conversation in our rear view just filled me when the joy.

Just curious—how old are your kids? And where are you considering? Hoping to stay on the Hill at the school we love a bit longer, but I don’t want to wait too long and have the transition be tougher on the kids having to make new friends. Curious when you are making the leap. I also feel like I will be so relieved once we’ve just chosen a path through high school, but we gotta hang on a bit. Uncertainty is not my forte though 😫

I will say this as someone who has a clear path through high school: having a path doesn't necessarily make things easier. We are at BASIS and my child is doing very well (top 5%), and I am constantly questioning whether we should just move. BASIS is stressful and the building sucks. The city feels like it is getting more and more dangerous. We love the Hill and our friends, but we are questioning our choices all the time.

This is a great point. Just because you lottery into a middle schoo/high school path in 5th doesn't mean that you will stay on that path.

[Anonymous]

I have a 7th grader in Jefferson (our IB feeder) and an ES at our IB. My kid has thrived at JA and we have our eyes on SWW (1st) and Banneker (2nd). DC has the grades for it if they can maintain what they did last year. DC is in an advanced section for all classes and enjoyed the clubs and sports they did last year. We were shut out of Latin I and II and Basis in 5th, 6th and 7th and DCI and ITS as well. Private HS is our back up plan if the magnets don't work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving. We waffled the first few years of elementary because we like the neighborhood and our ES. And we've done the dance with "well SH seems okay, maybe we can put it off."

But then one morning I woke up and decided: I don't want to do this anymore. We are moving after this year ends. Our primary goal in where we end up is solid ES-MS-HS situation, no surprises. I think we have lower standards for what that means than many in this area, but higher than Eastern. We want honors tracking, foreign language, good IB or AP offerings, and a solid extracurricular program. I don't need my kids to go to "the best" high school. I didn't. But I want them to have options, whether they are high achievers or just middle of the road.

We are also excited about more space (a yard!), better in state college options, and hopefully a slightly slower paced neighborhood with less crime and general angst. We'll miss the walkability and great transit options, and some of our neighbors

I’m excited for you. I wish we had moved years ago.

Thank you, we are excited too. That's how I knew it was the right choice. The thought if just putting this whole conversation in our rear view just filled me when the joy.

Just curious—how old are your kids? And where are you considering? Hoping to stay on the Hill at the school we love a bit longer, but I don’t want to wait too long and have the transition be tougher on the kids having to make new friends. Curious when you are making the leap. I also feel like I will be so relieved once we’ve just chosen a path through high school, but we gotta hang on a bit. Uncertainty is not my forte though 😫

I will say this as someone who has a clear path through high school: having a path doesn't necessarily make things easier. We are at BASIS and my child is doing very well (top 5%), and I am constantly questioning whether we should just move. BASIS is stressful and the building sucks. The city feels like it is getting more and more dangerous. We love the Hill and our friends, but we are questioning our choices all the time.

We're in the same situation as you -- kid at BASIS with consistent straight As -- but kid isn't stressed and thinks the building is fine. So I'm the one who wants to move, but I wonder if the move is more for me than for my kid? Would I make his situation worse off by moving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving. We waffled the first few years of elementary because we like the neighborhood and our ES. And we've done the dance with "well SH seems okay, maybe we can put it off."

But then one morning I woke up and decided: I don't want to do this anymore. We are moving after this year ends. Our primary goal in where we end up is solid ES-MS-HS situation, no surprises. I think we have lower standards for what that means than many in this area, but higher than Eastern. We want honors tracking, foreign language, good IB or AP offerings, and a solid extracurricular program. I don't need my kids to go to "the best" high school. I didn't. But I want them to have options, whether they are high achievers or just middle of the road.

We are also excited about more space (a yard!), better in state college options, and hopefully a slightly slower paced neighborhood with less crime and general angst. We'll miss the walkability and great transit options, and some of our neighbors

I’m excited for you. I wish we had moved years ago.

Thank you, we are excited too. That's how I knew it was the right choice. The thought if just putting this whole conversation in our rear view just filled me when the joy.

Just curious—how old are your kids? And where are you considering? Hoping to stay on the Hill at the school we love a bit longer, but I don’t want to wait too long and have the transition be tougher on the kids having to make new friends. Curious when you are making the leap. I also feel like I will be so relieved once we’ve just chosen a path through high school, but we gotta hang on a bit. Uncertainty is not my forte though 😫

I will say this as someone who has a clear path through high school: having a path doesn't necessarily make things easier. We are at BASIS and my child is doing very well (top 5%), and I am constantly questioning whether we should just move. BASIS is stressful and the building sucks. The city feels like it is getting more and more dangerous. We love the Hill and our friends, but we are questioning our choices all the time.

We're in the same situation as you -- kid at BASIS with consistent straight As -- but kid isn't stressed and thinks the building is fine. So I'm the one who wants to move, but I wonder if the move is more for me than for my kid? Would I make his situation worse off by moving?

The MS years are hard enough (physically, socially, mentally, etc) so if you have a kid who is happy at school and doing well, I wouldn't rock the boat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were also in the “SH is a viable middle school” camp. Ended up going private. There’s a fair number of Hill families who do. Most that stay go to a charter and/or application high school.

Was that after attending SH? If so, what in particular made you move? SH families we know report variable things: A few left for private, a few moved for the suburbs, but most stayed.

[Anonymous]

We thought we’d be set with BASIS for middle and then high school either at BASIS or another option like Walls or Banneker.

We’re two years into BASIS and deeply unimpressed. Child has good grades and likes it, but we have found the teaching quality inconsistent and the administration infuriating. We came to the conclusion we were not okay with it as a high school option; other options are too big of a question mark in terms of admission. So we’re actively house hunting outside DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We thought we’d be set with BASIS for middle and then high school either at BASIS or another option like Walls or Banneker.

We’re two years into BASIS and deeply unimpressed. Child has good grades and likes it, but we have found the teaching quality inconsistent and the administration infuriating. We came to the conclusion we were not okay with it as a high school option; other options are too big of a question mark in terms of admission. So we’re actively house hunting outside DC.

What about the administration is infuriating?