Brent v Maury v Capitol Hill Day for 26-27

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aw, Brent is such a lovely school. Too bad you’re moving while they are in the swing space.
I’d go with Maury to avoid commute.

I would not go with Van Ness if your child is in 1st and not Pre-K.

I’m sure Van Ness is just fine for 1st grade.

A school where half the students are at risk and scores are low is not great for 1st. Kids learn many critical things in that grade so personally I wouldn’t want my kid to go to a school that’s ’just fine.’

It actually is just fine. You are looking at test scores for 3-5 grades at a school where the younger grades have a very different socioeconomics makeup. You think a few numbers on a page tells you something but actually you are ignorant.

So half the kids being at risk is a lie? That making a difference must also be a lie.

I am a coach for a DCPS school, I can see the kids iReady scores (from all schools). Just in case you are more daft than I think, iReady starts in K.

Nope, you don’t want to be there for first, if anyone is ‘ignorant’ it is you for not having all the information. Or perhaps you are an admin trying to advertise your mediocre school.

Wow, this makes you sound insane.

My kid attended a school for 1st where half the kids were at risk and yes, it was fine. Very welcoming school, fantastic teachers, academics were good. I wouldn't want to stay at the school through 5th but it was fine for 1st.

But good to know a coach at a DCPS school is using their access to student data to sit around judging at risk kids and treat them like the plague. What a delight, so glad you work with young kids.

Aw, you are just upset because your child went to a similar school.

And it’s not really so strange to look at other scores to make my point. You tried to insinuate that scores are lower due to the scores shown being from 3-5.
However, if they are low in 3-5, they were low in K-2.

Lastly quit the holier than thou BS, you are not better for sending your kid to a title 1 school - especially when they didn’t even attend the whole time. Ha.

I don't feel holier than thou for sending my kid to a T1 for 1st -- we wound up there because we were stuck in our condo longer than expected and didn't get a spot at a better school until 2nd. I would have preferred to go to move earlier but lottery luck is what it is.

But also the T1 was fine for 1st. There were not really behavioral issues at that age, my child's teacher was AMAZING (I think T1s tend to attract teachers who are really, really passionate about teaching, and also in DCPS T1 teachers make a bit more so it may be more competitive -- I can't speak highly enough about my kids 1st grade teacher) and we wound up having a wonderful year. I'm not defensive or upset about it. It wound up working out great and I have zero regrets, which is why I feel pretty confident telling OP, who is in DC for exactly one year for 1st grade, that they will likely be totally fine at one of the T1 schools on the Hill, especially if they find an ideal housing situation nearby and it's what works best for their commute. I would absolutely prioritize the housing and commute set up over a specific school, as I think having a small yard, being close to a playground or park, being in a houses with nicer finishes, and having a short, walkable commute to school and work would be way more important to me in that situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP and wanted to add some more detail on our wish list. Our top priorities are strong academics and a short, manageable commute, since we don't want to be either spending lots of time commuting to work or having our son be on a bus for a big portion of each day. We like the feel of a community school, and would like families to live within the area around the school generally. A nice facility and playground are also really great to have. We likely don’t need extensive after-school programming, as we’ll have a nanny to help with pickup.
We’re very happy with our current public school in NYC and are hoping to find something comparable. Our current school is in a safe neighborhood, has nice facilities, strong academic outcomes (around 88% proficiency in reading and math), and lots of extras like dance and specialized gardening and language classes. The student body is roughly 60% white and 10% are on free/reduced lunch; I’m sharing that only to give context for the environment we’re coming from, not as a target necessarily. We are comfortable and happy with diverse environments.

I’d temper expectations given your very limited stay. Coming in for 1st grade already puts you a bit behind in the friends groups for any of those Hill schools you listed. With a one-year timeline, most families will be perfectly nice at pickup but aren’t going to go out of their way to build strong relationships with you or your kid. I’m not saying it to be negative, it’s just a reality of Capitol Hill and its transience. You don’t want to put in effort with someone you know is on the clock — We’ve been in Hill elementary schools for a long time and have seen a lot of appointees etc. come and go. You invite the kid to full-class parties but you’re not having one-on-one hang outs with people who are here short-term. IMHO, in that respect re: established cliques, Maury will absolutely be the hardest nut to crack for a rising 1st. LT easier but still a very strong cohort coming up from K, though they took a few 1st grade kids from the lottery this year. Brent not worth it for one year because of the bus. (FWIW we are at one of those schools.)

It’s not as highly rated as the others right now, but an interesting option could be Watkins because it starts at 1st (Peabody is its PK-K feeder) so everyone is “new” in 1st. We aren’t there, but we know families there who are very happy and we also know others that weren’t and lotteried out. Just depends.

As others have said, almost anywhere on the Hill ECE is very good, education-wise. So yes, go for convenient location since you’re short term.

Look for local weekend activities like soccer where you might hang with others his age outside of school, and outside of their friend groups, to strengthen connections.

You could also try to not broadcast that you’re a one and done — might be better for your kid’s sake.

Oh Lordy. I guess you are the Hill parent who is social climbing from PK3. OP don’t listen to this - the Hill is friendly and you will not have a scarlet letter just because you are here for one year. There are parents like PP but they are rare.

TBH I wouldn’t brush all of the above off. My kid switched Hill schools in first. It’s not easy if you know no one at all. It was worth it in the long-term for us, and luckily we did know other families, but it took longer than expected to make new friends despite putting in effort in all the right places. I’d describe my kid as OP did hers, too. People at our school, which is mentioned in this thread, are friendly, but pointing out that there are established groups by 1st is totally fair.

And Maury is a great school but if you don’t acknowledge it can be a little cliquey, that’s really not fair to OP. You’ve got moms that went through PACE groups together so have been in contact daily about kids and life for six+ years by 1st. (And that’s wonderful for them!)

I do think OP’s family will have a totally fine year regardless of where they enroll given the places they’re looking, but while it could have been written a lot more nicely, there’s definitely truth in this post.

I mean, 90% of the parents at the school are there for the kids and don’t care about “relationships with other families.” You and PP are the self-selecting 10% who have an expectation that your kid’s school will be your own social life. The rest of us just go along with the flow, have play dates with the kids our kids get along with, and if we click with another parent along the line and become friends, great!

I’m giving some of this grace because I should have been more specific that it took my kid (not me) longer than expected to make new friends. We’re very close with our (adult) friends on our immediate block. I have (adult) friends locally from pre-kids. We’re fine. We do want our kid to have friends in their class, for obvious reasons. And they made them and kept them, but it took longer when transferring for 1st than it did for the same kid in PK and K. There’s absolutely no harm in acknowledging that. And I honestly assume that would be the case anywhere where the entry years are the same as DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

That’s definitely not true for 3-5th.

[Anonymous]

OP - I think after you weeded through the typical DCUM bickering, you found the advice that Maury or Ludlow will be a great fit for you. I have friends with K-3rd graders at each and they are all very happy. For my child, lotteried every year for K, 1st, and 2nd and got a match or waitlist for Ludlow each year. We were still relatively happy at our T1 in bound (until 1st when it was obvious we needed something else) so we turned them down until 2nd, when we ended up taking a lottery spot at a NW school because we plan to be in DC for a long time and wanted the middle and high school options. But it was really hard to turn down the Ludlow offer since it gave us such good vibes.

I am assuming your spouse is here for some kind of fellowship? I would have them check with the coordinator and their office to see where coworkers live. Just thinking based on experience that there will be a social cohort there and that may be your “in” for your child’s social group as well.

Welcome to Dc!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

That’s definitely not true for 3-5th.

Not sure what you’re saying isn’t true. It is 100% true and confirmable on the lottery results page that Maury hasn’t offered a seat in the initial lottery in 1st grade or up since at least 2019, so any new kids in a particular grade are very hit or miss (they have often offered some seats via the WL; it’s hard to know how many seats v offers). That’s very different than Ludlow (and most other Hill schools) that routinely offer 5-15 spots a year, so there are reliably new kids in every grade. That’s not an insult to Maury; it’s a sign of its popularity. But it’s also a reason it might be harder to be a new kid there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aw, Brent is such a lovely school. Too bad you’re moving while they are in the swing space.
I’d go with Maury to avoid commute.

I would not go with Van Ness if your child is in 1st and not Pre-K.

I’m sure Van Ness is just fine for 1st grade.

A school where half the students are at risk and scores are low is not great for 1st. Kids learn many critical things in that grade so personally I wouldn’t want my kid to go to a school that’s ’just fine.’

It actually is just fine. You are looking at test scores for 3-5 grades at a school where the younger grades have a very different socioeconomics makeup. You think a few numbers on a page tells you something but actually you are ignorant.

So half the kids being at risk is a lie? That making a difference must also be a lie.

I am a coach for a DCPS school, I can see the kids iReady scores (from all schools). Just in case you are more daft than I think, iReady starts in K.

Nope, you don’t want to be there for first, if anyone is ‘ignorant’ it is you for not having all the information. Or perhaps you are an admin trying to advertise your mediocre school.

Why would a coach have access to the iReady scores of all students at all schools? Why would a coach for a particular school spend their time looking at students' scores from other schools?

If you care about average student performance, of course a school with 46% of kids at risk isn't going to be doing as well academically as somewhere like Brent with only 8% at risk. But it is still possible, albeit harder, for a school with a higher at risk percentage to have a cohort of students performing well academically, and for the school to find ways to support those students' continued academic success.

Yep, I sit around looking at other students scores, it’s not because I decided to look to prove my point.


I work at a title 1 school, there are higher performing students but believe me when I say it’s not just the staff -the difference is the parents and the level of outside support they can give.

And as a parent would you rather I just lie? Title 1 schools are not simply dealing with academics there is a whole heap of things teachers have to deal with -that makes it much more difficult to teach.

So fool yourself into thinking you are progressive or whatever it is you believe. If there is over 30% or so of at risk kids it is so much more difficult. Kids at schools 40% + need school and city supports, as well as higher standards that DC/DCPS refuses to give.

Not progressive at all. Just making the choices I think are best for my family for now. I would love if the school had better CAPE scores, but for early elementary I don't think it warrants moving or committing to long/multiple school commutes. I can see my own child's iReady scores. I know the kids in my child's peer group and their families.

I'm not sure why anyone would trust the advice of someone who admits to looking up student data just to "prove a point" on the internet. Seems very unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

That’s definitely not true for 3-5th.

Not sure what you’re saying isn’t true. It is 100% true and confirmable on the lottery results page that Maury hasn’t offered a seat in the initial lottery in 1st grade or up since at least 2019, so any new kids in a particular grade are very hit or miss (they have often offered some seats via the WL; it’s hard to know how many seats v offers). That’s very different than Ludlow (and most other Hill schools) that routinely offer 5-15 spots a year, so there are reliably new kids in every grade. That’s not an insult to Maury; it’s a sign of its popularity. But it’s also a reason it might be harder to be a new kid there.

Yeah you need to stop thinking you know everything. TONS of kids were added in the upper grades post-pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Maury gets a ton of new students starting in K who dont get a PreK spot. It is heavily IB but people move into the boundary not all that infrequently, the grade size is large, and a new IB family there is not going to have a more difficult time there socially than anywhere else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aw, Brent is such a lovely school. Too bad you’re moving while they are in the swing space.
I’d go with Maury to avoid commute.

I would not go with Van Ness if your child is in 1st and not Pre-K.

I’m sure Van Ness is just fine for 1st grade.

A school where half the students are at risk and scores are low is not great for 1st. Kids learn many critical things in that grade so personally I wouldn’t want my kid to go to a school that’s ’just fine.’

It actually is just fine. You are looking at test scores for 3-5 grades at a school where the younger grades have a very different socioeconomics makeup. You think a few numbers on a page tells you something but actually you are ignorant.

So half the kids being at risk is a lie? That making a difference must also be a lie.

I am a coach for a DCPS school, I can see the kids iReady scores (from all schools). Just in case you are more daft than I think, iReady starts in K.

Nope, you don’t want to be there for first, if anyone is ‘ignorant’ it is you for not having all the information. Or perhaps you are an admin trying to advertise your mediocre school.

Why would a coach have access to the iReady scores of all students at all schools? Why would a coach for a particular school spend their time looking at students' scores from other schools?

If you care about average student performance, of course a school with 46% of kids at risk isn't going to be doing as well academically as somewhere like Brent with only 8% at risk. But it is still possible, albeit harder, for a school with a higher at risk percentage to have a cohort of students performing well academically, and for the school to find ways to support those students' continued academic success.

Yep, I sit around looking at other students scores, it’s not because I decided to look to prove my point.


I work at a title 1 school, there are higher performing students but believe me when I say it’s not just the staff -the difference is the parents and the level of outside support they can give.

And as a parent would you rather I just lie? Title 1 schools are not simply dealing with academics there is a whole heap of things teachers have to deal with -that makes it much more difficult to teach.

So fool yourself into thinking you are progressive or whatever it is you believe. If there is over 30% or so of at risk kids it is so much more difficult. Kids at schools 40% + need school and city supports, as well as higher standards that DC/DCPS refuses to give.

Not progressive at all. Just making the choices I think are best for my family for now. I would love if the school had better CAPE scores, but for early elementary I don't think it warrants moving or committing to long/multiple school commutes. I can see my own child's iReady scores. I know the kids in my child's peer group and their families.

I'm not sure why anyone would trust the advice of someone who admits to looking up student data just to "prove a point" on the internet. Seems very unprofessional.

And the advice of a random mother who only has the experience from a single child is more of an expert? Hm, ok.

Unprofessional? You act as if I posted scores, or even mentioned exact scores.

You may say ‘on the internet’ as if that equates to evidence not needing to be validated in some way. You tried to lie and insulate your claim that first is ‘fine.’ Or perhaps more than it being a lie, it’s just your own ignorance.

Now I won’t be replying on this matter again. Van Ness is not the worst school, there’s simply better options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

That’s definitely not true for 3-5th.

Not sure what you’re saying isn’t true. It is 100% true and confirmable on the lottery results page that Maury hasn’t offered a seat in the initial lottery in 1st grade or up since at least 2019, so any new kids in a particular grade are very hit or miss (they have often offered some seats via the WL; it’s hard to know how many seats v offers). That’s very different than Ludlow (and most other Hill schools) that routinely offer 5-15 spots a year, so there are reliably new kids in every grade. That’s not an insult to Maury; it’s a sign of its popularity. But it’s also a reason it might be harder to be a new kid there.

Yeah you need to stop thinking you know everything. TONS of kids were added in the upper grades post-pandemic.

I mean, yikes, most Maury families I know are way better than this thread, but like the PP before this is right that all of this info is oubligalotba

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maury is not welcoming to new kids. It is good academically, but for one year, your kid have a much better experience at L-T. Don’t overcount test scores that don’t even come from the grades your kid would be attending.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but I think this is true. It’s not that the kids or families at Maury are mean, they’re not at all. But Maury gets very few new kids after K and this isn’t a situation where the family will know some Maury families already from DC Way or Studio One or whatever. That means that most friendship groups — including parents — are already pretty established and there’s not a culture of welcoming new kids/families every year. Of course her kid could get lucky, but it could also be an uphill climb. Maury is a very good school and if she was staying long-term, sure it could be worth it. But for one first grade year, going to a school that has similar test scores for demographics (slightly worse overall, but almost entirely drive by demographic differences & still good, especially in ELA) but a culture of kids coming in every year is going to be a much easier nut to crack. Ask a Maury family what year the kids at their kids’ birthday party started at the school and I guarantee you the answer is overwhelmingly PK3-K; the same thing simply isn’t true at L-T where more lottery movement means that new kids are integrated into friendship groups every year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. maury gets a lot of new kids in the older grades and a steady stream of turn over every year. And although I guess some parents have weird hang ups and insecurities, the vast majority of kids don’t and make friends readily. This is about the dumbest discourse on Hill schools I have read recently and that is saying a lot. My guess is that if you approach *first grade* as a “nut to crack,” you are the one with the problem, not the other parents.

The fact that you think Maury gets a lot of new kids in older grades compared to almost any DCPS in the city shows how out of touch you are. Last year, Maury offered 0 seats from 1st upwards in the initial lottery. They filled approx 5 seats across those grades from the WL. The year before they also offered zero slots, but filled more from the WL. The other schools were talking about offer 5-15 seats per grade initially. Last year, Ludlow had 9 1st grade lottery seats, so at least than many new 1st graders.

That’s definitely not true for 3-5th.

Not sure what you’re saying isn’t true. It is 100% true and confirmable on the lottery results page that Maury hasn’t offered a seat in the initial lottery in 1st grade or up since at least 2019, so any new kids in a particular grade are very hit or miss (they have often offered some seats via the WL; it’s hard to know how many seats v offers). That’s very different than Ludlow (and most other Hill schools) that routinely offer 5-15 spots a year, so there are reliably new kids in every grade. That’s not an insult to Maury; it’s a sign of its popularity. But it’s also a reason it might be harder to be a new kid there.

Yeah you need to stop thinking you know everything. TONS of kids were added in the upper grades post-pandemic.

I didn’t realize how clueless Maury parents were. You get very, very new few kids in upper grades. Your “TONS” is most kids normal. Like you apparently have no idea what most kids face; it’s crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aw, Brent is such a lovely school. Too bad you’re moving while they are in the swing space.
I’d go with Maury to avoid commute.

I would not go with Van Ness if your child is in 1st and not Pre-K.

I’m sure Van Ness is just fine for 1st grade.

A school where half the students are at risk and scores are low is not great for 1st. Kids learn many critical things in that grade so personally I wouldn’t want my kid to go to a school that’s ’just fine.’

It actually is just fine. You are looking at test scores for 3-5 grades at a school where the younger grades have a very different socioeconomics makeup. You think a few numbers on a page tells you something but actually you are ignorant.

So half the kids being at risk is a lie? That making a difference must also be a lie.

I am a coach for a DCPS school, I can see the kids iReady scores (from all schools). Just in case you are more daft than I think, iReady starts in K.

Nope, you don’t want to be there for first, if anyone is ‘ignorant’ it is you for not having all the information. Or perhaps you are an admin trying to advertise your mediocre school.

Why would a coach have access to the iReady scores of all students at all schools? Why would a coach for a particular school spend their time looking at students' scores from other schools?

If you care about average student performance, of course a school with 46% of kids at risk isn't going to be doing as well academically as somewhere like Brent with only 8% at risk. But it is still possible, albeit harder, for a school with a higher at risk percentage to have a cohort of students performing well academically, and for the school to find ways to support those students' continued academic success.

Yep, I sit around looking at other students scores, it’s not because I decided to look to prove my point.


I work at a title 1 school, there are higher performing students but believe me when I say it’s not just the staff -the difference is the parents and the level of outside support they can give.

And as a parent would you rather I just lie? Title 1 schools are not simply dealing with academics there is a whole heap of things teachers have to deal with -that makes it much more difficult to teach.

So fool yourself into thinking you are progressive or whatever it is you believe. If there is over 30% or so of at risk kids it is so much more difficult. Kids at schools 40% + need school and city supports, as well as higher standards that DC/DCPS refuses to give.

Not progressive at all. Just making the choices I think are best for my family for now. I would love if the school had better CAPE scores, but for early elementary I don't think it warrants moving or committing to long/multiple school commutes. I can see my own child's iReady scores. I know the kids in my child's peer group and their families.

I'm not sure why anyone would trust the advice of someone who admits to looking up student data just to "prove a point" on the internet. Seems very unprofessional.

And the advice of a random mother who only has the experience from a single child is more of an expert? Hm, ok.

Unprofessional? You act as if I posted scores, or even mentioned exact scores.

You may say ‘on the internet’ as if that equates to evidence not needing to be validated in some way. You tried to lie and insulate your claim that first is ‘fine.’ Or perhaps more than it being a lie, it’s just your own ignorance.

Now I won’t be replying on this matter again. Van Ness is not the worst school, there’s simply better options.

You have been arguing with at least three different posters -- the PP you're replying to isn't even the one who said 1st is "fine" (that would be me and I stand by it). Glad to hear you're taking a break, it seems like you need a breather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aw, Brent is such a lovely school. Too bad you’re moving while they are in the swing space.
I’d go with Maury to avoid commute.

I would not go with Van Ness if your child is in 1st and not Pre-K.

I’m sure Van Ness is just fine for 1st grade.

A school where half the students are at risk and scores are low is not great for 1st. Kids learn many critical things in that grade so personally I wouldn’t want my kid to go to a school that’s ’just fine.’

It actually is just fine. You are looking at test scores for 3-5 grades at a school where the younger grades have a very different socioeconomics makeup. You think a few numbers on a page tells you something but actually you are ignorant.

So half the kids being at risk is a lie? That making a difference must also be a lie.

I am a coach for a DCPS school, I can see the kids iReady scores (from all schools). Just in case you are more daft than I think, iReady starts in K.

Nope, you don’t want to be there for first, if anyone is ‘ignorant’ it is you for not having all the information. Or perhaps you are an admin trying to advertise your mediocre school.

Why would a coach have access to the iReady scores of all students at all schools? Why would a coach for a particular school spend their time looking at students' scores from other schools?

If you care about average student performance, of course a school with 46% of kids at risk isn't going to be doing as well academically as somewhere like Brent with only 8% at risk. But it is still possible, albeit harder, for a school with a higher at risk percentage to have a cohort of students performing well academically, and for the school to find ways to support those students' continued academic success.

Yep, I sit around looking at other students scores, it’s not because I decided to look to prove my point.


I work at a title 1 school, there are higher performing students but believe me when I say it’s not just the staff -the difference is the parents and the level of outside support they can give.

And as a parent would you rather I just lie? Title 1 schools are not simply dealing with academics there is a whole heap of things teachers have to deal with -that makes it much more difficult to teach.

So fool yourself into thinking you are progressive or whatever it is you believe. If there is over 30% or so of at risk kids it is so much more difficult. Kids at schools 40% + need school and city supports, as well as higher standards that DC/DCPS refuses to give.

Not progressive at all. Just making the choices I think are best for my family for now. I would love if the school had better CAPE scores, but for early elementary I don't think it warrants moving or committing to long/multiple school commutes. I can see my own child's iReady scores. I know the kids in my child's peer group and their families.

I'm not sure why anyone would trust the advice of someone who admits to looking up student data just to "prove a point" on the internet. Seems very unprofessional.

And the advice of a random mother who only has the experience from a single child is more of an expert? Hm, ok.

Unprofessional? You act as if I posted scores, or even mentioned exact scores.

You may say ‘on the internet’ as if that equates to evidence not needing to be validated in some way. You tried to lie and insulate your claim that first is ‘fine.’ Or perhaps more than it being a lie, it’s just your own ignorance.

Now I won’t be replying on this matter again. Van Ness is not the worst school, there’s simply better options.

I never suggested Van Ness for OP. I also wasn't the one who said it would be fine. For OP it's probably going to be too far outside of her comfort zone. There are enough viable options elsewhere on the Hill.

I have access to a lot of sensitive personal data at work. I use it when necessary to do my job. I cannot imagine accessing it to prove a point to "a random" on the internet.