Finding Middle Schools?

[Anonymous]

We just moved to District of Columbia and I am looking for information on Middle Schools. I have a son currently in Middle School and a daughter who will be in Middle School next year. I am not crazy about our neighborhood school (we are in bounds for Jefferson), so I am curious how you research/apply/enroll children into middle schools?

Are there any great resources? Blogs?

I am going to cast a wide net here, so I am looking at all school options (PUBLIC/CHARTER/PRIVATE).

[Anonymous]

Inspired Teaching PCS will have a 6th and 7th grade next year and will expand the following year to 8th. The MS principal is amazing and the programming they've started with this age band echoes what's in place for elementary: imaginative, inquiry-based, child-centered. It's a small group for now so you won't find teams and clubs at every step. It's worth looking into if you want a smaller MS experience and a quality academic program. You can apply via common lottery.

Inspiredteachingschool.org

[Anonymous]

Go to find.myschooldc.org -- you can filter by grade and location. I would check out Hardy (some of my neighbors go there OOB and love it), School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens, Inspired Teaching, Washington Latin, Two Rivers, and Capital City. Deal is the most popular but doesn't take any out of bounds applicants through the lottery. I'm sure there are others as well, but that list should get you started. Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Hire a consultant. But there really aren't that many options, good and bad. The District is small don't forget.
In regards to public middle school: Compare characteristics and profiles here (there are several tabs per school): http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/
Charter schools: Locate a charter school or check out the school quality reports here http://www.dcpcsb.org/resource-hub

Here some options you may want to consider from where you live:
Public: Jefferson MS, seriously do take a closer look; Stuart-Hobson MS behind Union Station (but you have to lottery in, the lottery is going on right now don't forget, the Metro Circulator could get your child there but that and driving are not easy from where you live); Hardy (feasible by car only but also out of boundary lottery for you of course)
Charter: Latin (on a straight shot by Metro from Navy Yard and a shuttle or walking at the other end), Basis (downtown, though I wonder how long given rent there, not everyone's thing), Two Rivers MS (a little complicated by Metro and probably nightmarish by car in rush hour from your place, small may be good for kids who move and start anew), Basis and Latin have connecting high schools, so that might be a consideration for your children, who may not already have a strong peer group
Private: Don't know much but Capitol Hill Day and St. Peters are nearby for you

Don't forget these schools start in different grades, so you may want to factor that in since you seem to have one child at the cut-off. Having two in the lottery for one and the same school will increase your chances. The one in a higher grade can get in more easily and the younger one then is moved up on the waitlist due to sibling preference.

[Anonymous]

This thread may help you.


http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/422465.page

[Anonymous]

Do you need a middle school/elementary school now? Like, after winter break?

[Anonymous]

BASIS writ large owns the building, so they will not, unfortunately, be moving. But the red line access is great, and for 6th graders some neighborhoods run a bus privately. BASIS is different - it is really a STEM school, and by 6th grade there are comps and if you fail them you can retake at the end of the summer but if you fail again, you have to either repeat the grade or leave the school. So no social promotion, high quality motivated kids, options for serious acceleration in math immediately and science by 8th. A ton of work for 5th graders, but it will go all the way through high school and is getting better every year. Gives your child a good foundation if they want to go private or go to Walls for high school, but if you have a smart kid who loves learning and loves math and science there is really no other place to go IMO, and they will stay. I have one who will be in their third graduating class and think her options for college will be unlimited. Chain founded in AZ if you look up the ranking of their older schools they are great (two in top 5) and it ends up being a very small school. Even the oldest schools only graduate 50 per class usually.

Latin is much harder to get into (they are both lottery) and both are one and done - meaning if your first kid gets in, your younger one is virtually guaranteed admission because of sibling preference. Latin is much more liberal arts, you can get by with much less work, and admits kids after 6th all the way up to high school (Basis only does 5th and 6th) so you can keep trying. Without knowing much about your kids can't help much but I would check myschools.com or greatschools or whatever and also check the descriptions on the charter board.

I think a lot of the kids now at top private schools are incredibly wealthy (I went to one and wasn't, but then you could do it for three kids on one income), and I would never want my kids to feel poor because they are surrounded by people who go to Vail over Christmas and summer in Nantucket and whose parents are at least in large part insufferably self important..........just take a look at the private school board and you will get a sense. Different crowd in private schools now I think. Catholic schools are different.

[Anonymous]

research this forum. On the upside, them middle school so bleak that it narrows down the search considerable.
DCPS-Deal is the best and then maybe, just maybe Stuart Hobson (and thats far behind Deal). You won't get into Deal though unless you move IB.
Charters-Basis, Latin, Inspired Teaching. Most of those expect you lottery into by 5th grade. (thus the mass exodus of high SES kids out of DCPS right after 4th grade).
Jefferson is ok. You have to decide what you are comfortable with in terms of your kid "fitting in" etc and discpline and behavior management.

[Anonymous]

Basis is not taking kids beyond 5th & 6th. They may take them into the lottery but Principal told me flat out they will not accept kids. I was told I could retain my kid if I wanted. Of course that could change if there is a huge flight from say rising 7th or 8th graders. But given the current MS options I doubt that will happen. Latin is VERY hard to get into. DCI is an option but seem to have a big focus on technology (as the education delivery system, not in teaching technology), haven't hear much talk on their academic strengths (too soon?). They offer spots to beginning 2nd language learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hire a consultant. But there really aren't that many options, good and bad. The District is small don't forget.
In regards to public middle school: Compare characteristics and profiles here (there are several tabs per school): http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/
Charter schools: Locate a charter school or check out the school quality reports here http://www.dcpcsb.org/resource-hub

Here some options you may want to consider from where you live:
Public: Jefferson MS, seriously do take a closer look; Stuart-Hobson MS behind Union Station (but you have to lottery in, the lottery is going on right now don't forget, the Metro Circulator could get your child there but that and driving are not easy from where you live); Hardy (feasible by car only but also out of boundary lottery for you of course)
Charter: Latin (on a straight shot by Metro from Navy Yard and a shuttle or walking at the other end), Basis (downtown, though I wonder how long given rent there, not everyone's thing), Two Rivers MS (a little complicated by Metro and probably nightmarish by car in rush hour from your place, small may be good for kids who move and start anew), Basis and Latin have connecting high schools, so that might be a consideration for your children, who may not already have a strong peer group
Private: Don't know much but Capitol Hill Day and St. Peters are nearby for you

Don't forget these schools start in different grades, so you may want to factor that in since you seem to have one child at the cut-off. Having two in the lottery for one and the same school will increase your chances. The one in a higher grade can get in more easily and the younger one then is moved up on the waitlist due to sibling preference.

Both of the private schools on the Hill end with 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill Day School is excellent in every way possible -- small classes, excellent teaching in the classroom (which does not equate to tons of homework). Hands on experiences, meaningful field trips.

For Middle school I would choose Latin or Deal for a well rounded high quality education.

[Anonymous]

You aren't getting into Deal unless you live in-bounds.

Hardy and Stuart-Hobson might be good DCPS options. In the charter realm, is DC International a possibility? As previously noted, myschooldc will help you figure out which other DCPS and charter schools take applicants for the grades your kids are in.

However, Jefferson is doing a lot better recently. Its test scores are not that much worse than Stuart-Hobson's. If you haven't already, you may want to take a tour of Jefferson and talk with the principal before ruling it out. You may find that there are schools you're willing to commute for, but that some schools are not sufficiently better than Jefferson to make it worth the time and effort required to get there.

[Anonymous]

Maybe look into Howard Middle School for Math and Science (MS^2). Test scores are a little better than Jefferson and it would be a reasonable commute.

Brookland Middle School is opening this year. The building is beautiful and they will have an arts focus. Since it's brand new, no one knows what the kids or teachers will be like, though, so you'd have to go in with a sense of adventure. Could be way better than Jefferson or way worse.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid that went through Stuart Hobson Middle School, it's not popular on DCUM but we had a great experience there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid that went through Stuart Hobson Middle School, it's not popular on DCUM but we had a great experience there.

Stuart Hobson also undergoing $40 rennovation with new gymnasium, music rooms and athletic field, HVAC, and rennovated classrooms and IT infrastructure. It's scheduled to be completed by summer 2015. It will have vastly improved facilities fwiw.