Lottery lists: What's best now, or look ahead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally would not drive far across town starting in first grade just for feeder rights to Hardy or Deal.

We’ve done this with all three kids, no biggie when it comes to education. Granted it was only a 20 minute drive which was doable.

yeah, and MANY families do it for private school (proportionally few kids coming from walking distance). I taught at one and kids were commuting for an hour each way, and it was quite rare to be closer than 15 minutes. No doubt it was worth it to the families. This is just a choice families have to make.

NP. That is a different scenario altogether though. For a top private school, I might consider a 45 minute commute but for just a mediocre elementary WOTP or mediocre middle school like Deal or Hardy, nope.

[Anonymous]

OP, sounds like you live in or near Center City?

Depending on exactly where you are, I'd consider a Stuart Hobson feeder, especially Ludlow. I don't know much about the other feeders - Watkins or JO Wilson - but they seem worth investigating.

Or pick a school that feeds Francis or Francis itself. All three - Francis, Ross, Thomson - are strong and accessible via transit.

Both those middles work for me after I checked how kids like mine (white, not SPED, not an english learner) are doing compared to kids at Deal and Hardy. The CAPE performance of that group at all four schools is pretty similar, or similar enough for me anyway. Haven't checked Wells but you may find the same pattern.

If you're thinking you want a sure-thing path all the way through high school, then yeah, maybe you leg it to Ward 3.

[Anonymous]

Awesome that you are car-free! Our family, now with a late-elementary student and a middle school student, is as well. The best part is the independence they have as they start taking themselves to activities on the transit they are so accustomed to.

We personally lived in a central-ish spot, went to our not really popular in-bound elementary (that we loved), moved aboard, and when we moved back, we moved into an apartment west of the park. It gave us a foot into the lottery, but we ended up loving the neighborhood, so we are going to stay. I wouldn’t be too worried about moving schools later socially, as people in DC are constantly switching schools for moves or lotteries.

Being car-free is such an amazing positive, but you do have to plan your life carefully (as you know!). I’d start local and then fret about middle school as it gets closer. There are more good options these days as other posters have mentioned.

[Anonymous]

If you can’t/won’t move or get a car, don’t go WOTP for ES. You will no longer have the lovely lifestyle you have now. Your kids will be on unreliable public transport during rush hour every day and that’s a big family stressor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awesome that you are car-free! Our family, now with a late-elementary student and a middle school student, is as well. The best part is the independence they have as they start taking themselves to activities on the transit they are so accustomed to.

We personally lived in a central-ish spot, went to our not really popular in-bound elementary (that we loved), moved aboard, and when we moved back, we moved into an apartment west of the park. It gave us a foot into the lottery, but we ended up loving the neighborhood, so we are going to stay. I wouldn’t be too worried about moving schools later socially, as people in DC are constantly switching schools for moves or lotteries.

Being car-free is such an amazing positive, but you do have to plan your life carefully (as you know!). I’d start local and then fret about middle school as it gets closer. There are more good options these days as other posters have mentioned.

Love this!

Liberate yourself from your car!

[Anonymous]

Being “car free” is good for a variety of reasons (many congrats!), but here the key is not being car free or not but whether or not dependent on the car to get your kids to and from school. We have two (paid off cars), but both kids (who are at different schools) walk or take metro to school. This is a recent change for us; before, we had to drive 20 mins back and forth. It’s been life changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can’t/won’t move or get a car, don’t go WOTP for ES. You will no longer have the lovely lifestyle you have now. Your kids will be on unreliable public transport during rush hour every day and that’s a big family stressor.

I don't find the metro (how our middle schooler commutes) to be unreliable. Though we are a "car-light" family and use it to get to activities that aren't convenient on transit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For kids in 3rd grade and below, there will be a new middle school by the time they’re in 6th: Euclid in Shaw (feeders: Garrison, Seaton, and Cleveland). How many would consider it?

Where in Shaw? I thought it was going to be in the old Banneker building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For kids in 3rd grade and below, there will be a new middle school by the time they’re in 6th: Euclid in Shaw (feeders: Garrison, Seaton, and Cleveland). How many would consider it?

Where in Shaw? I thought it was going to be in the old Banneker building.

The planning information is available online: https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-new-middle-school-euclid-street

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For kids in 3rd grade and below, there will be a new middle school by the time they’re in 6th: Euclid in Shaw (feeders: Garrison, Seaton, and Cleveland). How many would consider it?

Where in Shaw? I thought it was going to be in the old Banneker building.

Pretty sure the old Banneker building neighborhood is in Shaw, so both things are accurate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For kids in 3rd grade and below, there will be a new middle school by the time they’re in 6th: Euclid in Shaw (feeders: Garrison, Seaton, and Cleveland). How many would consider it?

Where in Shaw? I thought it was going to be in the old Banneker building.

Pretty sure the old Banneker building neighborhood is in Shaw, so both things are accurate

Its kinda like North Shaw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can’t/won’t move or get a car, don’t go WOTP for ES. You will no longer have the lovely lifestyle you have now. Your kids will be on unreliable public transport during rush hour every day and that’s a big family stressor.

I don't find the metro (how our middle schooler commutes) to be unreliable. Though we are a "car-light" family and use it to get to activities that aren't convenient on transit.

Depends on the school. For those right on Metro (Murch, Ross, Janney?), it’s not bad, even remembering that OP will have to go with two or three young children who can’t ride by themselves. If on a bus line (OP mentions Eaton and Hearst), it gets less reliable and much more of a hassle with two or three ES age kids.

Our kids have gotten to school on foot, by bike and car, and on Metro and the bus.

[Anonymous]

Euclid middle school should be successful if people at the feeders are willing to give it a try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Euclid middle school should be successful if people at the feeders are willing to give it a try.

Do you think it is still needed? All signs seem to point to the DC population shrinking. And Francis seems to have the capacity right now for Ross, Thompson, Seaton, Garrion, Cleveland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Euclid middle school should be successful if people at the feeders are willing to give it a try.

Do you think it is still needed? All signs seem to point to the DC population shrinking. And Francis seems to have the capacity right now for Ross, Thompson, Seaton, Garrion, Cleveland.

I do think it's needed, because the Cardozo building is pretty full. We'll see next time the Master Facilities Plan is published, but I think Wells middle is pretty full too. Not that Wells is super close by, but all these things are interconnected. Stuart-Hobson is getting more popular too. Some charters may fail this year and next (SSMA, Rocketship), and that will mean DCPS picks up some of the population. None of the soon-to-fails are super close to the Shaw area, but these things have an impact on the whole system.