What will you do if you don't get into BASIS/Latin?

[Anonymous]

We are at an EH feeder. We “struck out” for the 5th grade lottery. Applied to privates starting in the fall (it’s a process, be familiar with it if it’s your backup plan). Heading to private for 6th and not mad about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at an EH feeder. We “struck out” for the 5th grade lottery. Applied to privates starting in the fall (it’s a process, be familiar with it if it’s your backup plan). Heading to private for 6th and not mad about it.

PP here. Our decision to go private wasn’t because we aren’t comfortable with EH. We were tired of the angst of not having a clear path and the worry about what to do about high school.

[Anonymous]

If you are unhappy in your current ES and don't have a path to MS/HS, your strategy should assume that you won't get into Basis/Latins and have a plan in place to move schools in 5th or 6th grade. Then if you get in to any of these schools (and feel it would be a good fit for your child), then great, the lottery gods have blessed you. But you are foolish to hinge your plans on either Basis or the Latins given the slim odds of getting into these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The test scores at EH are high for white students who aren't ell and don't have disabilities. But they are high for that population at any dcps that has enough of such kids to report. But getting a 4 or 5 on parcc isn't the same as having good language and arts classes, sports and other extracurriculars, and a group of classmates from stable and highly educated families. Some people are happy or ok without those things. Some see the economic diversity at a school like EH as a positive that outweighs any negatives, or at least something tolerable because it allows them to stay in their home on the Hill. Some kids will thrive and others will wish their parents moved to MoCo. There isn't one right answer.

I’m an EH parent and I can tell you my kid is having a great time, teachers have been very responsive, and some of the admins are flat-out wonderful. It’s not a fancy private school where you can pay to filter out real life. Given the US will be majority-minority for our kids I actually think this is crucial for white boys. It is FAR from perfect but calling it “terrible” is ridiculous. PS the kids love the extra curriculars.

(also LOL at the idea that the school has no “stable and highly educated families.” I’d list the credentials we all have but that would be obnoxious. It’s just not dominated by “us” which makes people uncomfortable in theory I get it. But in practice it’s absolutely the least of my concerns.)

No one said the school was completely lacking in stable and highly educated families. But if you compare it to some suburban school districts, including ones that have a lot of diversity and transit and cheaper housing, the difference is marked. Same with the arts instruction. What a school can do with a bunch of kids who started lessons in early elementary (and often private lessons before that) is different than what can be done at EH.

If you’re in that rat race you should just be all-in and go move to Potomac or whatever. Not sure why you are here.

The choice isn't just Hill East v. Potomac. There are plenty of places with metro access, more diversity, better achievement across various demographics, lower housing costs, and lower crime than the EH zone. Some people would rather stay on the Hill. That's fine. Different schools and living situations work for different kids. But don't pretend that the only two options are a school where 2/3 of the kids aren't proficient in reading and 4/5 in math (there are more non- proficient kids than economically disadvantaged so it's not "just" poverty that's an issue) or Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are unhappy in your current ES and don't have a path to MS/HS, your strategy should assume that you won't get into Basis/Latins and have a plan in place to move schools in 5th or 6th grade. Then if you get in to any of these schools (and feel it would be a good fit for your child), then great, the lottery gods have blessed you. But you are foolish to hinge your plans on either Basis or the Latins given the slim odds of getting into these schools.

It's definitely not a guarantee, but it's not really "slim odds" either. Here's what it looked like last year for 5th:

BASIS: (150 matches + 75 waitlist offers)/338 applicants = 66% offered

Latin Cooper: (73 matches + 51 waitlist offers)/295 applicants = 42% offered

Latin: (75 matches + 11 waitlist offers)/418 applicants = 20% offered

For applicants without sibling preference it's 56%, 36%, and 12% respectively, i.e., if you applied to BASIS and Latins with no sibling preference last year, you had better than 50/50 odds of eventually getting a spot somewhere.

[Anonymous]

If you are okay with Basis, your odds are decent. But a lot of us are only okay with Latin (and maybe some combination of Hardy/SWWFS/SH/Inspired Teaching) and that is a slightly different calculus.

[Anonymous]

How can you be ok with Inspired Teaching and SWWFS and not BASIS?

May as well keep them at EH then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are unhappy in your current ES and don't have a path to MS/HS, your strategy should assume that you won't get into Basis/Latins and have a plan in place to move schools in 5th or 6th grade. Then if you get in to any of these schools (and feel it would be a good fit for your child), then great, the lottery gods have blessed you. But you are foolish to hinge your plans on either Basis or the Latins given the slim odds of getting into these schools.

It's definitely not a guarantee, but it's not really "slim odds" either. Here's what it looked like last year for 5th:

BASIS: (150 matches + 75 waitlist offers)/338 applicants = 66% offered

Latin Cooper: (73 matches + 51 waitlist offers)/295 applicants = 42% offered

Latin: (75 matches + 11 waitlist offers)/418 applicants = 20% offered

For applicants without sibling preference it's 56%, 36%, and 12% respectively, i.e., if you applied to BASIS and Latins with no sibling preference last year, you had better than 50/50 odds of eventually getting a spot somewhere.

Nothing about these odds convinces me not to have a solid plan B in place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are unhappy in your current ES and don't have a path to MS/HS, your strategy should assume that you won't get into Basis/Latins and have a plan in place to move schools in 5th or 6th grade. Then if you get in to any of these schools (and feel it would be a good fit for your child), then great, the lottery gods have blessed you. But you are foolish to hinge your plans on either Basis or the Latins given the slim odds of getting into these schools.

It's definitely not a guarantee, but it's not really "slim odds" either. Here's what it looked like last year for 5th:

BASIS: (150 matches + 75 waitlist offers)/338 applicants = 66% offered

Latin Cooper: (73 matches + 51 waitlist offers)/295 applicants = 42% offered

Latin: (75 matches + 11 waitlist offers)/418 applicants = 20% offered

For applicants without sibling preference it's 56%, 36%, and 12% respectively, i.e., if you applied to BASIS and Latins with no sibling preference last year, you had better than 50/50 odds of eventually getting a spot somewhere.

Nothing about these odds convinces me not to have a solid plan B in place.

Oh, absolutely. You still need a plan B. But I think it's misleading to say the odds are slim when you have a better than 1 in 2 chance of landing at BASIS and 1 in 3 at Latin Cooper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are okay with Basis, your odds are decent. But a lot of us are only okay with Latin (and maybe some combination of Hardy/SWWFS/SH/Inspired Teaching) and that is a slightly different calculus.

Well, ITS and a bunch of SWWFS and SH feeders for 5th take more than half the kids from the wait-list. I'm not sure how all of those odds work together, but I think there is a fair chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can you be ok with Inspired Teaching and SWWFS and not BASIS?

May as well keep them at EH then.

Because the style of the school is very different. Some of don't think much of BASIS, or don't have the kind of kid who would thrive at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can you be ok with Inspired Teaching and SWWFS and not BASIS?

May as well keep them at EH then.

Because it's nice how at ITS and SWWFS you can have your younger children attend the same school, keeping everyone in one location and on one calendar.

[Anonymous]

Why it says *maybe some combination.* Most not Basis families probably are taking a closer look at EH or their IB school, because you cannot really rely on admission to Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The test scores at EH are high for white students who aren't ell and don't have disabilities. But they are high for that population at any dcps that has enough of such kids to report. But getting a 4 or 5 on parcc isn't the same as having good language and arts classes, sports and other extracurriculars, and a group of classmates from stable and highly educated families. Some people are happy or ok without those things. Some see the economic diversity at a school like EH as a positive that outweighs any negatives, or at least something tolerable because it allows them to stay in their home on the Hill. Some kids will thrive and others will wish their parents moved to MoCo. There isn't one right answer.

I’m an EH parent and I can tell you my kid is having a great time, teachers have been very responsive, and some of the admins are flat-out wonderful. It’s not a fancy private school where you can pay to filter out real life. Given the US will be majority-minority for our kids I actually think this is crucial for white boys. It is FAR from perfect but calling it “terrible” is ridiculous. PS the kids love the extra curriculars.

We are a DCPS family who doesn't live on the Hill, so no dog in the EH fight, but ... I went to a school similar to EH growing up and it was only good for me personally and professionally. (And for my sibling, a doctor!) I think it'll be even more important for my kid to experience people who aren't like them, for exactly the reason PP highlighted.

I would seriously consider sending my kid to EH if we were IB or if I didn't like our by-rights MS. (I actually do like our middle, SWW@F-S). I can't say I definitely would choose EH, because I've never visited the school myself, only talked to friends on the Hill with kids there who feel similarly to the PP.

I know that everyone has their own feelings about schools and it is personal - we all know our kids best, so no judgement on making a different choice. I am just a booster for keeping an open-mind, especially about schools with a high number of poor kids of color, but excellent teachers/administrators. That might well describe EH, from what I hear. Your kid can still learn a lot and succeed in high school and beyond in that environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are unhappy in your current ES and don't have a path to MS/HS, your strategy should assume that you won't get into Basis/Latins and have a plan in place to move schools in 5th or 6th grade. Then if you get in to any of these schools (and feel it would be a good fit for your child), then great, the lottery gods have blessed you. But you are foolish to hinge your plans on either Basis or the Latins given the slim odds of getting into these schools.

It's definitely not a guarantee, but it's not really "slim odds" either. Here's what it looked like last year for 5th:

BASIS: (150 matches + 75 waitlist offers)/338 applicants = 66% offered

Latin Cooper: (73 matches + 51 waitlist offers)/295 applicants = 42% offered

Latin: (75 matches + 11 waitlist offers)/418 applicants = 20% offered

For applicants without sibling preference it's 56%, 36%, and 12% respectively, i.e., if you applied to BASIS and Latins with no sibling preference last year, you had better than 50/50 odds of eventually getting a spot somewhere.

But the point is, it is either feast or famine. For us, with a bad lottery number, it was famine. We weren't getting into any of those by any chance.