Banneker vs Wilson, any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son attended Banneker, until he couldn't keep up. It happens to boys. He and his best friend (a white kid) both had to leave. I LOVED Banneker. The kids are so smart and accepting. Your DD will not be phased. The kids will accept her. It's that kind of place. My son and his best friend, both loved it. Boys just don't do as well there. No fights, no bullying, no drama. Just kids trying to get a good education. I wish more white parents would give it a chance and they would see.

I'm a Banneker parent and I agree with this 100%. My son is a freshman and he is having a hard time academically. I'm hoping it was just him adjusting to first semester and that he is able to meet the demands. He loves it there and wants to stay and I really love the school and hope he is able to stay, but he is going to have to show that he can meet the demands of the school. I have also heard that you will not be invited back for the following year if you are not able to maintain a certain GPA - so the decision might be made for him. I agree that the non-academic activities are limited, which is a bummer for my very athletic sports focused son. The school is all about academics. Sports are limited, and what they do have is because the kids fought for it. Any sporting activity that requires you to leave early, Banneker will not allow. So you either have to miss the activity - or attend late.

Someone said that behavior problems. I will have to disagree. In talking with others, and in my very limited experience as a new parent, there are zero behavior problems at this school. Their behavior problems are kids not doing their homework.

As for the Basis recruiter - you have posted that before, about the SAT score being below the national average and I asked the question, and I'll ask again. Where can I find that information? Another poster brought up a good point and I'd also like to know how their scores compare with other AA kids around the nation.

Good luck OP, I know how stressful it is, hoping to make the best decision possible for your child. Banneker has shadow day, I suggest you send your child in for that. My kid was dead set against Banneker (he heard of the academic reputation and though it would be too hard) but I sent him for shadow day and he loved the school and had a total change of heart. Shadow day is a great way to have your kid get a feel for the school and the environment/culture.

[Anonymous]

If you take the racial breakdown as a previous poster asked, they are doing better. For better or worse the SAT tracks too close to income to be a deteriminer of actual capacity and intelligence.


SAT I
Banneker Combined Reading, Math, and Writing = 1466

SAT I Reading Math Writing
DCPS: 473 466 461
Banneker: 496 506 486
National: 496 514 488

This is a breakdown of nationall by race

SAT Averages by Race and Ethnicity, 2013


Group Critical Reading Mathematics Writing Total
American Indian 480 486 461 1,427
Asian 521 597 527 1,645
Black 431 429 418 1,278
Mexican-American 449 464 442 1,355
Puerto Rican 456 453 445 1,354
Other Latino 450 461 443 1,354
White 527 534 515 1,576


https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/26/sat-scores-are-flat

[Anonymous]

It looks like bannaker's scores are exactly at the national average, not below as many posters claim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like bannaker's scores are exactly at the national average, not below as many posters claim.

Nope. Do your math again.

[Anonymous]

I got 780/710 without paying for SAT prep. DH only got in the 500s but got into an Ivy League school as an aggie (at least at first.) The difference was we took the PSAT twice and the SAT twice at my school. The teachers made time during the week to have us work on our writing and take sample questions.

[Anonymous]

Well marginally lower, but not meaningfully

[Anonymous]

Banneker SATs are 200 points above national average comparing more appropriate demos. This is quite impressive. I am pleased that it appears to be growing in diversity year by year. We plan to send DC to Bannker (in 6 years) and we are IB for Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I for one liked hearing the BASIS post - plus the others with feedback on the high schools

+1
The Basis bashing gets old.

Why not start a separate post then? This post specifically asked about 2 schools.

[Anonymous]

To the Banneker parent of a boy. Please reach out to multiple sources for help. My kids did not end up at Banneker but I spent enough time at the school to feel like the teachers, administrators, and counselors want kids to succeed and will go above and beyond to help with tutoring, office hours, other resources. At another school where I have a struggling student and not much response from a teacher, I reached out to the 9th grade academic counselor. She was very helpful going to the teachers directly and meeting with my child. It has been a lifeline in what I thought was sink or swim by yourself attitude and a lesson in gently pursuing lots of avenues. Don't just transfer out thinking your child just couldn't handle it--these selective schools accepted your child and need to be responsive and accountable to helping him succeed now that he is there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I ran the idea of Bannekar past my bi-racial child who has attended schools that are more majority non-white (60/40) split and her reaction was that she would not want to go to a school where everyone was non-white. She thought it would be weird. It's probably a good idea to actually ask your kid how they might feel about this experience before getting too vested.

As far as academics, my preliminary look at it, seemed that it was for kids who excelled in the DC public schools. But what exactly does that mean? I think that is still below kids who excelled in say Fairfax or Arlington. So while it's likely the best of the best of DC school students, that's a tough sell to me as a parent.

Out of curiosity, how would your daughter feel about attending a school that is almost exclusively white?

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Banneker SATs are 200 points above national average comparing more appropriate demos. This is quite impressive. I am pleased that it appears to be growing in diversity year by year. We plan to send DC to Bannker (in 6 years) and we are IB for Wilson.[/quote
You mean the national average for AA students, right?