Critic our rankings and chances of getting in?

[Anonymous]

No Burroughs?

[Anonymous]

If you like Whittier, I would keep it on the list. I am pretty sure OOB kids were offered WL spots for preK this year.

If you like DCB, don't leave it off just because you think "it's a non-starter". Some years they have 3 preK3 classes and most years some kids get in without siblings, even if not a lot.

[Anonymous]

You've gotten some decent advice here OP, out of curiosity (and given that you know your specific commuting route) are you thinking of making any changes. I'm just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like Whittier, I would keep it on the list. I am pretty sure OOB kids were offered WL spots for preK this year.

If you like DCB, don't leave it off just because you think "it's a non-starter". Some years they have 3 preK3 classes and most years some kids get in without siblings, even if not a lot.

They are out of space to add another Pre-k 3 class, which is how they've dealt with siblings on the waitlist in the past. There are no more classrooms to expand into, so unless demand goes down, non-preference spots are not going to open up.

[Anonymous]

I think this is all good advice but a lot of it boils down to: if you are probably not going to stay somewhere past PK years, then you may as well go to your in bound. I think people like it this year. We were scared away from Bunker and the other DCPS in the neighborhood, but now I'm more aware that people are dissatisfied with a lot of charters beyond PK-K years as well. Those include: SSMA, CMI, Bridges, maybe Sela, Breakthrough. So, if you're likely to want to trade up anyways, may as well walk to school for a couple of years first. In other words, charters are not always better!!! However there is one elephant in the room which is that our DCPS often has zero white kids and probably zero gentrifiers. And by zero I really do mean zero.

[Anonymous]

We had a very good lottery number last year and my DC still didn't get into YY. I don't think that waitlist moves much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about LAMB - South Dakota? You have other Spanish and other Montessori and it would be close to you for three years before it moves. Better than some of the schools low down on your list.

At this point, I would only put LAMB if the Kingsbury location is a viable option. Only because a number good enough for LAMB is going to be good enough for schools that are much closer and won't require getting lucky in the lottery again and another school transition for the child.

I don't know if this is true. With the impending move and as the school's first year in the Common Lottery (meaning you don't have people doing the lottery "just because, why not? it doesn't waste a spot") I think it's really possible that it will be easy to get a spot in South Dakota. It might be worth adding it in the number 10 or 11 spot. If you're IB at Bunker Hill you could always go there later.

I'm not sure - there could be a lot of applicants from those who live nearer to Kingsbury and will put up with commute for a while to move there. That's actually true already, LAMB in Brookland is full of Petworth people.

Totally agree. Plenty of Petworth families commute into Brookland. But Brookland has so many more bilingual or Montessori options, that Brookland folks are less likely to commute to Petworth. I would love if LAMB suddenly got "easy" to get a spot in, but that feels like wishful thinking to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is all good advice but a lot of it boils down to: if you are probably not going to stay somewhere past PK years, then you may as well go to your in bound. I think people like it this year. We were scared away from Bunker and the other DCPS in the neighborhood, but now I'm more aware that people are dissatisfied with a lot of charters beyond PK-K years as well. Those include: SSMA, CMI, Bridges, maybe Sela, Breakthrough. So, if you're likely to want to trade up anyways, may as well walk to school for a couple of years first. In other words, charters are not always better!!! However there is one elephant in the room which is that our DCPS often has zero white kids and probably zero gentrifiers. And by zero I really do mean zero.

I agree with this PP, except I think this is a little unfair. SSMA is going down in flames, CMI is falling steadily, Bridges is as stable as it's always been (fine to good for pre-k, weak after that), but I've heard nothing but really positive things about Sela and Breakthrough. Sela has amazing scores and is not competitive, and Breakthrough's scores are a little weak, but I think that's common for a Montessori at first since the methodology is so different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is all good advice but a lot of it boils down to: if you are probably not going to stay somewhere past PK years, then you may as well go to your in bound. I think people like it this year. We were scared away from Bunker and the other DCPS in the neighborhood, but now I'm more aware that people are dissatisfied with a lot of charters beyond PK-K years as well. Those include: SSMA, CMI, Bridges, maybe Sela, Breakthrough. So, if you're likely to want to trade up anyways, may as well walk to school for a couple of years first. In other words, charters are not always better!!! However there is one elephant in the room which is that our DCPS often has zero white kids and probably zero gentrifiers. And by zero I really do mean zero.

I agree with this PP, except I think this is a little unfair. SSMA is going down in flames, CMI is falling steadily, Bridges is as stable as it's always been (fine to good for pre-k, weak after that), but I've heard nothing but really positive things about Sela and Breakthrough. Sela has amazing scores and is not competitive, and Breakthrough's scores are a little weak, but I think that's common for a Montessori at first since the methodology is so different.

I only included Sela and Breakthrough because I think parents do not tend to stay but look to lottery out for various reasons as the kids get older. I could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

If you get a great master number you have a shot at some of these. If you have a crappy number you won’t.

Unless you have more than 12 schools you are willing to attend, I don’t subscribe to the wasted spot theory. Only put schools you would be willing to attend and rank in your true preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is all good advice but a lot of it boils down to: if you are probably not going to stay somewhere past PK years, then you may as well go to your in bound. I think people like it this year. We were scared away from Bunker and the other DCPS in the neighborhood, but now I'm more aware that people are dissatisfied with a lot of charters beyond PK-K years as well. Those include: SSMA, CMI, Bridges, maybe Sela, Breakthrough. So, if you're likely to want to trade up anyways, may as well walk to school for a couple of years first. In other words, charters are not always better!!! However there is one elephant in the room which is that our DCPS often has zero white kids and probably zero gentrifiers. And by zero I really do mean zero.

We know at least one white family that is having a good pk3 experience at Bunker Hill and heading back next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you like Whittier, I would keep it on the list. I am pretty sure OOB kids were offered WL spots for preK this year.

If you like DCB, don't leave it off just because you think "it's a non-starter". Some years they have 3 preK3 classes and most years some kids get in without siblings, even if not a lot.

Whittier didn’t go very far into their waitlist last year (we were on it with a proximity preference and never got an offer). And they just got a ton of recognition this year- so I think it will be even tougher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is all good advice but a lot of it boils down to: if you are probably not going to stay somewhere past PK years, then you may as well go to your in bound. I think people like it this year. We were scared away from Bunker and the other DCPS in the neighborhood, but now I'm more aware that people are dissatisfied with a lot of charters beyond PK-K years as well. Those include: SSMA, CMI, Bridges, maybe Sela, Breakthrough. So, if you're likely to want to trade up anyways, may as well walk to school for a couple of years first. In other words, charters are not always better!!! However there is one elephant in the room which is that our DCPS often has zero white kids and probably zero gentrifiers. And by zero I really do mean zero.

We know at least one white family that is having a good pk3 experience at Bunker Hill and heading back next year.

Black and Latino families are also having a good PreK3 experience at Bunker Hill and heading back next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Whittier, I would keep it on the list. I am pretty sure OOB kids were offered WL spots for preK this year.

If you like DCB, don't leave it off just because you think "it's a non-starter". Some years they have 3 preK3 classes and most years some kids get in without siblings, even if not a lot.

Whittier didn’t go very far into their waitlist last year (we were on it with a proximity preference and never got an offer). And they just got a ton of recognition this year- so I think it will be even tougher.

+1. Whittier is doing amazingly well and a PK3 seat is more coveted than ever before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you like Whittier, I would keep it on the list. I am pretty sure OOB kids were offered WL spots for preK this year.

If you like DCB, don't leave it off just because you think "it's a non-starter". Some years they have 3 preK3 classes and most years some kids get in without siblings, even if not a lot.

They are out of space to add another Pre-k 3 class, which is how they've dealt with siblings on the waitlist in the past. There are no more classrooms to expand into, so unless demand goes down, non-preference spots are not going to open up.

It may not happen in time for next year but there is talk of an addition to the building and growth.