Move schools for 5th or try the lottery again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SH does not have good buy in from the feeders. It’s IB rate is only 28% so 3 out of every 4 kids are leaving.
And no, 3 out of 4 kids in its feeders are not getting into Latin and Basis BTW.

That's just such rubbish! It's a city-wide fact that most students leave elementary school into other feeders and other systems (charter, private). For better (and for worse!) we have school choice DC. It's for middle school that parents are making it. We took our kids OOB from Maury to Stuart Hobson and to Jefferson. We fell outside of those 28%; now, per the above statement, that should tell you these schools are undesirable?! (FYI, both kids went on to excellent high schools and colleges of their choice. No, at best, that indicator tells you nothing. Or maybe it tells you they're doing something right.)

Today, we might prefer Eliot Hine, or maybe we'd go back and choose that DCI French track we wavered after all. You need to look at your student, at what they need, at your situation, at the opportunities before you, at what's important to you and your family here and now, and make choices on that basis. Then commit to it and make it work. I'm convinced that more than half the success that our kids stand for can be credited to minimizing commutes and investing in our family's convenience and happiness. That left us with plenty of bandwidth to support everyone and bring our best selves into our family's needs. This may not be how others see it, and that's fine and exactly what the system allows. I'm not a big supporter of school choice but I am for making the best of it since we have it. And let's stop judging people and schools about it!

Stuart Hobson and Eliot Hine now have comparable IB participation rates around 30%. As you point out, that is only one data point, but EH's has been steadying climbing for years, which is a positive trend.

Was going to come on here to comment on that - Eliot Hine is 44% IB with feeders Payne at 59% IB, Maury at 84% IB, and Miner at 62% IB. SH feeder is a bit of a range, Ludlow IB is 60%, Watkins is 33% and JO Wilson is 31%. But yes, there are out of boundary students at any feeder which then matriculate to various middle schools, either their feeder, a nearby middle school, or one across town. If you are really interested in this, EdScape has data about where students come from, although it is already a year + outdated https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1640846 .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SH does not have good buy in from the feeders. It’s IB rate is only 28% so 3 out of every 4 kids are leaving.
And no, 3 out of 4 kids in its feeders are not getting into Latin and Basis BTW.

That's just such rubbish! It's a city-wide fact that most students leave elementary school into other feeders and other systems (charter, private). For better (and for worse!) we have school choice DC. It's for middle school that parents are making it. We took our kids OOB from Maury to Stuart Hobson and to Jefferson. We fell outside of those 28%; now, per the above statement, that should tell you these schools are undesirable?! (FYI, both kids went on to excellent high schools and colleges of their choice. No, at best, that indicator tells you nothing. Or maybe it tells you they're doing something right.)

Today, we might prefer Eliot Hine, or maybe we'd go back and choose that DCI French track we wavered after all. You need to look at your student, at what they need, at your situation, at the opportunities before you, at what's important to you and your family here and now, and make choices on that basis. Then commit to it and make it work. I'm convinced that more than half the success that our kids stand for can be credited to minimizing commutes and investing in our family's convenience and happiness. That left us with plenty of bandwidth to support everyone and bring our best selves into our family's needs. This may not be how others see it, and that's fine and exactly what the system allows. I'm not a big supporter of school choice but I am for making the best of it since we have it. And let's stop judging people and schools about it!

Stuart Hobson and Eliot Hine now have comparable IB participation rates around 30%. As you point out, that is only one data point, but EH's has been steadying climbing for years, which is a positive trend.

Was going to come on here to comment on that - Eliot Hine is 44% IB with feeders Payne at 59% IB, Maury at 84% IB, and Miner at 62% IB. SH feeder is a bit of a range, Ludlow IB is 60%, Watkins is 33% and JO Wilson is 31%. But yes, there are out of boundary students at any feeder which then matriculate to various middle schools, either their feeder, a nearby middle school, or one across town. If you are really interested in this, EdScape has data about where students come from, although it is already a year + outdated https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1640846 .

I'm not sure how helpful any of these stats are. For instance, LT has a lot of OOB kids from Watkins and JOW, but they suddenly become IB at SH. Similarly, LT has a lot of OOB kids from Miner; do they somehow become less desirable if at SH because they're labelled OOB than at EH where the exact same kids are IB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SH does not have good buy in from the feeders. It’s IB rate is only 28% so 3 out of every 4 kids are leaving.
And no, 3 out of 4 kids in its feeders are not getting into Latin and Basis BTW.

That's just such rubbish! It's a city-wide fact that most students leave elementary school into other feeders and other systems (charter, private). For better (and for worse!) we have school choice DC. It's for middle school that parents are making it. We took our kids OOB from Maury to Stuart Hobson and to Jefferson. We fell outside of those 28%; now, per the above statement, that should tell you these schools are undesirable?! (FYI, both kids went on to excellent high schools and colleges of their choice. No, at best, that indicator tells you nothing. Or maybe it tells you they're doing something right.)

Today, we might prefer Eliot Hine, or maybe we'd go back and choose that DCI French track we wavered after all. You need to look at your student, at what they need, at your situation, at the opportunities before you, at what's important to you and your family here and now, and make choices on that basis. Then commit to it and make it work. I'm convinced that more than half the success that our kids stand for can be credited to minimizing commutes and investing in our family's convenience and happiness. That left us with plenty of bandwidth to support everyone and bring our best selves into our family's needs. This may not be how others see it, and that's fine and exactly what the system allows. I'm not a big supporter of school choice but I am for making the best of it since we have it. And let's stop judging people and schools about it!

Stuart Hobson and Eliot Hine now have comparable IB participation rates around 30%. As you point out, that is only one data point, but EH's has been steadying climbing for years, which is a positive trend.

Was going to come on here to comment on that - Eliot Hine is 44% IB with feeders Payne at 59% IB, Maury at 84% IB, and Miner at 62% IB. SH feeder is a bit of a range, Ludlow IB is 60%, Watkins is 33% and JO Wilson is 31%. But yes, there are out of boundary students at any feeder which then matriculate to various middle schools, either their feeder, a nearby middle school, or one across town. If you are really interested in this, EdScape has data about where students come from, although it is already a year + outdated https://edscape.dc.gov/node/1640846 .

I'm not sure how helpful any of these stats are. For instance, LT has a lot of OOB kids from Watkins and JOW, but they suddenly become IB at SH. Similarly, LT has a lot of OOB kids from Miner; do they somehow become less desirable if at SH because they're labelled OOB than at EH where the exact same kids are IB?

Not PP, but I think that agrees with the prior comment. Students move around a lot, especially in the super small Cap Hill boundaries, and with families who commute from further east and enroll in Cap Hill schools. Having 3 middle schools on Cap Hill relatively close to each other, a good percent of the OOB kids may not be from far, others may be from further away.

[Anonymous]

I was in the same situation did lottery for 6th grade decided to stay at my DCPS elementary school which does not have a great feeder. I would consider some of the catholic schools for middle school if public does not work out. They are much more affordable than the expensive independent schools if you don't get the charter or DCPS middle school you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

No don’t wait. Housing prices go up especially in better schools so the earlier you move, the better chance you will get into the neighborhood you want. If you wait, you might be priced out and have to move further out.

So many people have made this mistake and regretted it big time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

No don’t wait. Housing prices go up especially in better schools so the earlier you move, the better chance you will get into the neighborhood you want. If you wait, you might be priced out and have to move further out.

So many people have made this mistake and regretted it big time.

Forgot to add, the crime in DC has gotten much worst and also driving families out so this will also drive up demand and thus prices in the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

No don’t wait. Housing prices go up especially in better schools so the earlier you move, the better chance you will get into the neighborhood you want. If you wait, you might be priced out and have to move further out.

So many people have made this mistake and regretted it big time.

Forgot to add, the crime in DC has gotten much worst and also driving families out so this will also drive up demand and thus prices in the burbs.

I never understand this mindset. Why would I move prematurely and significantly lower my family's quality of life for years just because I *might* not be able to afford a house (in a place I don't even really want live) in the future?

I grew up in the suburbs. It sucked. It's why I live in the city in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

No don’t wait. Housing prices go up especially in better schools so the earlier you move, the better chance you will get into the neighborhood you want. If you wait, you might be priced out and have to move further out.

So many people have made this mistake and regretted it big time.

Forgot to add, the crime in DC has gotten much worst and also driving families out so this will also drive up demand and thus prices in the burbs.

I never understand this mindset. Why would I move prematurely and significantly lower my family's quality of life for years just because I *might* not be able to afford a house (in a place I don't even really want live) in the future?

I grew up in the suburbs. It sucked. It's why I live in the city in the first place.

Because some families prioritize their kids education with schools above all else, not want to deal with the stress of uncertainty, letting a lottery determine their kids education for the trade off to live in the city. Add that bigger house, yard, better city services, less crime, no pot smell, kids being able to roam more on their own, etc…and these things can actually significantly increase a family’s quality of life.

I love the city, spent my college and adult life in the city but no question that if we were not happy about school, would have moved out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP giving the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I think this is key. If you are unhappy with your elementary school, feeder pattern aside, then no don’t keep your child there. But if you are otherwise happy, feeder pattern aside, then I don’t see the harm in continuing to play the lottery. Maybe you’ll get lucky or maybe you won’t, but there’s so much school choice in DC and MCPS that it’s really NBD to wait to relocate.

No don’t wait. Housing prices go up especially in better schools so the earlier you move, the better chance you will get into the neighborhood you want. If you wait, you might be priced out and have to move further out.

So many people have made this mistake and regretted it big time.

Forgot to add, the crime in DC has gotten much worst and also driving families out so this will also drive up demand and thus prices in the burbs.

I never understand this mindset. Why would I move prematurely and significantly lower my family's quality of life for years just because I *might* not be able to afford a house (in a place I don't even really want live) in the future?

I grew up in the suburbs. It sucked. It's why I live in the city in the first place.

I really feel like the burbs people should mind their own business and stay out of these threads. This is about how to navigate the school system while living in the city, and actually this forum is extremely helpful. families in NYC and SF are dealing with this sort of system, too. Assume that there is some segment of the population (raises hand) that is not moving to the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just move to the burbs for better schools and a guaranteed pyramid.

You send your child to a subpar school or your poorly performing IB school and then have to do the lottery all over again in high school. Then if you strike out, then what? Regrets that you did not make the move in middle to give your child a much better experience all around in middle school. And if you find the IB poorly performing middle school is terrible after 1 year, you will be in the same position the following year.

Is it really worth it to compromise your kids education just to stay in the city?

Not everyone can just move, it's really not that simple.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone can afford a standalone house is one of the more sought after suburban school districts. People move all the time only to decide the new schools maybe are not all-around everything that they had hoped for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP given the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I'm who wrote we should stop measuring schools about IB/OBB rates because it cuts both ways, and that we should stop judging parents about making choices. I instead recommend making choices and committing to them. I'm sorry this didn't work for you. For the benefit of other's learning experience: Sure, you might have needed to pull the plug when you didn't. But there is also this to consider: Could your wavering and the holding out you mention about schools have left yourself and your student in the awkward position of not knowing and not going in there with both feet on the ground, thereby undermining their commitment and confidence (and maybe your availability) to connect?

Not saying you did, as I'm not in your shoes. I just want to stress that the choices we make are one thing. What conspires around the dinner table about those choices may matter just as much. Kids pick up on their parent's sentiments, and not always to their benefit and in ways we anticipate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
SH does not have good buy in from the feeders. It’s IB rate is only 28% so 3 out of every 4 kids are leaving.
And no, 3 out of 4 kids in its feeders are not getting into Latin and Basis BTW.

That's just such rubbish! It's a city-wide fact that most students leave elementary school into other feeders and other systems (charter, private). For better (and for worse!) we have school choice DC. It's for middle school that parents are making it. We took our kids OOB from Maury to Stuart Hobson and to Jefferson. We fell outside of those 28%; now, per the above statement, that should tell you these schools are undesirable?! (FYI, both kids went on to excellent high schools and colleges of their choice. No, at best, that indicator tells you nothing. Or maybe it tells you they're doing something right.)

Today, we might prefer Eliot Hine, or maybe we'd go back and choose that DCI French track we wavered after all. You need to look at your student, at what they need, at your situation, at the opportunities before you, at what's important to you and your family here and now, and make choices on that basis. Then commit to it and make it work. I'm convinced that more than half the success that our kids stand for can be credited to minimizing commutes and investing in our family's convenience and happiness. That left us with plenty of bandwidth to support everyone and bring our best selves into our family's needs. This may not be how others see it, and that's fine and exactly what the system allows. I'm not a big supporter of school choice but I am for making the best of it since we have it. And let's stop judging people and schools about it!

Curious if you moved a kid from SH to Jefferson or if that was a different child? What are the pros and cons of each?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:my family is one that sat in the lottery for a long time and left our kid in a "bad" school for too long and regret it. my child was bullied. in hindsight, we should of moved ASAP given the unlikely odds of actually landing a spot in desired school.

I'm who wrote we should stop measuring schools about IB/OBB rates because it cuts both ways, and that we should stop judging parents about making choices. I instead recommend making choices and committing to them. I'm sorry this didn't work for you. For the benefit of other's learning experience: Sure, you might have needed to pull the plug when you didn't. But there is also this to consider: Could your wavering and the holding out you mention about schools have left yourself and your student in the awkward position of not knowing and not going in there with both feet on the ground, thereby undermining their commitment and confidence (and maybe your availability) to connect?

Not saying you did, as I'm not in your shoes. I just want to stress that the choices we make are one thing. What conspires around the dinner table about those choices may matter just as much. Kids pick up on their parent's sentiments, and not always to their benefit and in ways we anticipate.

WTF. PP kid was BULLIED. It sounds like the school did not do much about it. He tried to stick it out and in hindsight expressed major regrets, likely because it had a big impact on his kid negatively. And you are basically blaming him that it was because he wasn’t all in making fiends with families or going to whatever school event.

Have your kid get bullied day in and day out and then get back to us. JFC