Supplementing a sub-par school

[Anonymous]

Are you a POC or minority? You could try applying to probate schools and get a scholarship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I cannot afford to move out of the urban school my kid is in: I ideally would like to like in a suburb with good schools but I can’t afford it.

Issues I’m running into include my kid getting good grades, but testing very portly in math in spite of high grades. There are a lot of social and behavioral issues with the kids at my daughter’s school. A lot of the values amongst the other students don’t match the values i try to teach at home.

You aren't going to be able to do anything about the other kids at your child's school and it's probably going to get worse as your daughter gets older. Find a school that seems to have the type of community that you want your daughter to be a part of. If you are in DC, enter the lottery to try to switch schools for the 2025-2026 school year. If your child is in elementary, target schools that you have a good chance at getting in and which have decent middle and high school pathways.

Does your daughter like music? Sports? Theatre? Robotics? Chances are, there is an activity or program in DC that she could get involved in that would give her exposure to other kids/families outside of school that would complement the values you are trying to reinforce at home.

Meanwhile, Khan Academy is a free online resource that serves kids as young as 2nd or 3rd grade up through high school. It provides supplementation for math, science and other subjects (for older grades). The courses align pretty well with the DCPS curriculum for math. Not sure if the same is true for science but it's close.

[Anonymous]

Depending on your financial situation, you may qualify for financial aid at a private school.

[Anonymous]

Prívate tutor for math and language.

[Anonymous]

What are serious music lessons?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are serious music lessons?

Learning to play an instrument from a serious studio/teacher, actually following through with daily practice, perhaps joining DCYOP or another orchestra program, etc.

[Anonymous]

AoPS for math.
Tutor off and on for English, plus workbooks from Critical Thinking Company.
DC also plays competitive chess if that counts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I cannot afford to move out of the urban school my kid is in: I ideally would like to like in a suburb with good schools but I can’t afford it.

Issues I’m running into include my kid getting good grades, but testing very portly in math in spite of high grades. There are a lot of social and behavioral issues with the kids at my daughter’s school. A lot of the values amongst the other students don’t match the values i try to teach at home.

You aren't going to be able to do anything about the other kids at your child's school and it's probably going to get worse as your daughter gets older. Find a school that seems to have the type of community that you want your daughter to be a part of. If you are in DC, enter the lottery to try to switch schools for the 2025-2026 school year. If your child is in elementary, target schools that you have a good chance at getting in and which have decent middle and high school pathways.

What are these?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depending on your financial situation, you may qualify for financial aid at a private school.

+1. Many people who are probably richer than you get financial aid at DC privates. You should try applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I cannot afford to move out of the urban school my kid is in: I ideally would like to like in a suburb with good schools but I can’t afford it.

Issues I’m running into include my kid getting good grades, but testing very portly in math in spite of high grades. There are a lot of social and behavioral issues with the kids at my daughter’s school. A lot of the values amongst the other students don’t match the values i try to teach at home.

You aren't going to be able to do anything about the other kids at your child's school and it's probably going to get worse as your daughter gets older. Find a school that seems to have the type of community that you want your daughter to be a part of. If you are in DC, enter the lottery to try to switch schools for the 2025-2026 school year. If your child is in elementary, target schools that you have a good chance at getting in and which have decent middle and high school pathways.

What are these?

Middle schools with >10 students passing the Algebra I or Geometry PARCC:

Deal, Hardy, Latin, Oyster-Adams, Stuart-Hobson, DC Prep Edgewood, Inspired Teaching, School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Jefferson, Capital City

BASIS and DCI middle schools offer high school math but students don't take the corresponding PARCC. Both schools do, however, have the highest number of students passing the 8th grade PARCC.

Feeder elementary schools for the DCPS schools above that offered seats to more than 20% of 3rd-5th grade applicants in SY22-23 and SY23-24:

Lafayette, Hyde-Addison, Mann, Stoddert, J.O. Wilson, Ludlow-Taylor, Watkins, Ross, School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Thomson

[Anonymous]

CTY camps, you can get high school credits for some of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I cannot afford to move out of the urban school my kid is in: I ideally would like to like in a suburb with good schools but I can’t afford it.

Issues I’m running into include my kid getting good grades, but testing very portly in math in spite of high grades. There are a lot of social and behavioral issues with the kids at my daughter’s school. A lot of the values amongst the other students don’t match the values i try to teach at home.

You aren't going to be able to do anything about the other kids at your child's school and it's probably going to get worse as your daughter gets older. Find a school that seems to have the type of community that you want your daughter to be a part of. If you are in DC, enter the lottery to try to switch schools for the 2025-2026 school year. If your child is in elementary, target schools that you have a good chance at getting in and which have decent middle and high school pathways.

What are these?

Middle schools with >10 students passing the Algebra I or Geometry PARCC:

Deal, Hardy, Latin, Oyster-Adams, Stuart-Hobson, DC Prep Edgewood, Inspired Teaching, School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Jefferson, Capital City

BASIS and DCI middle schools offer high school math but students don't take the corresponding PARCC. Both schools do, however, have the highest number of students passing the 8th grade PARCC.

Feeder elementary schools for the DCPS schools above that offered seats to more than 20% of 3rd-5th grade applicants in SY22-23 and SY23-24:

Lafayette, Hyde-Addison, Mann, Stoddert, J.O. Wilson, Ludlow-Taylor, Watkins, Ross, School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Thomson

Forgot the Jefferson feeders: Amidon-Bowen, Brent, Tyler, Van Ness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CTY camps, you can get high school credits for some of them.

You need to be 98th percentile (on PARCC or SAT relative to your age group) to access those CTY camps. Great option for very high achievers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CTY camps, you can get high school credits for some of them.

You need to be 98th percentile (on PARCC or SAT relative to your age group) to access those CTY camps. Great option for very high achievers.

(But not necessarily a solution to a subpar middle school unless you are at that level)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CTY camps, you can get high school credits for some of them.

You need to be 98th percentile (on PARCC or SAT relative to your age group) to access those CTY camps. Great option for very high achievers.

Once you join, it lasts through high school. So if your kid has a good PARCC year, it's worth paying the $50 to lock it in.