S/O - At which DCPS would you consider staying through 4th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent staying through 4th and maybe 5th. I think we're moving to Fairfax County. We live near a really busy Hill street, our house is small for five, basis and Latin don't seem like a great fit for our kid, we want more of a developed honors/gifted curriculum than they have at Hobson. I'm sad about the thought of moving because I love our neighbors and Brent.

You could take a tour and have your child shadow for a day at Basis and Latin. I would consider checking them out while in 4th grade since it is much easier to get into Basis and latin in 5th grade than in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of the people I have observed moving on from Brent to Basis and Latin in the last few years have been OOB AA parents who came to Brent from another school because they know quality and they moved on because they know their kids, they have high expectations and they know quality. I believe one or two may have left Basis and returned to 5th at Brent which is simply more evidence that parents who are in search of a good fit for their own child can be relied upon to do what it takes. It's all good.

They were forced out of BASIS. It's not "all good."

1st off the family that went back to Brent are in bound for Brent.
They were not forced out! That is all I am going to say about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We plan to stay at Brent through 4th or 5th, not sure about BASIS or Latin. Forget EH or SH. We are Asian immigrants looking for a MS/HS sequence where our kids won't end up being about the only Asians in 12th grade (at least the only ones not adopted by non-Asians), so probably MoCo. I'm not concerned about the quality of MS education at either, but am concerned about HS at under-funded and highly experimental charters. BASIS and Latin are only receiving a little more than half the per student allocation as MoCo schools, which shows in the facilities they can offer. I'm not knocking these schools, which I've visited, I'm just not confident they will be a good bet for HS for us, IF we can get into MS. Big IF in a few years.

I've interviewed half a dozen BASIS Arizona kids on the phone for my Ivy (which doesn't have enough alums on the ground in the Southwest to interview all local applicants) in the last few years and they were as dull as paint. Well-prepped and polite but boring, not competing in national science competitions or, it seemed, thinking much for themselves. I don't doubt that BASIS is a hundred times better than some the DCPS middle schools though.

BASIS DC Science Bowl team will represent DC in the nationals!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Really wish I was in-bounds for Brent - lots of happy, long-term parents represented here.

What I get is that lots plan to not stay for 5th. It's just one more year-- why is it considered so bad? Or is it that 5th elsewhere is just too good to miss?

Simple - it's the feeder pattern. Brent feeds a lousy MS and the powers that be in DCPS have exactly zero interest in changing that. So parents have no choice but to find their own escape route. Latin and BASIS both start in 5th, so if you want to get your child in there, you need to get in at the entry level grade to have your best chance in the lottery. Plus, the only decent DCPS option is Deal, but since no-one gets in OOB anymore, you have to get into one of the feeder schools at 4th or 5th when space starts opening up (because of kids leaving for privates). If you're still at Brent in 5th, your options have pretty much run out and you need to reconcile yourself to moving or paying for private school.

[Anonymous]

:^^ I don't think this is exactly true. If you are at Brent in 5th grade and want to stay public, you will get in somewhere ( Stuart Hobson, Hardy, Basis, Latin, EL Haynes, Two Rivers.) but you wont be guaranteed a spot at any of them. so if you have strong feelings about which school, make a move for 5th, if you are equally happy to have a slot at any of the above, you can safely wait until 6th.

What gets tricky is if you want to make the move with particular classmates. It will be harder to manage multiple spots at one school if you wait until 6th. And don't forget to think about where they all lead for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Really wish I was in-bounds for Brent - lots of happy, long-term parents represented here.

Anonymous wrote:What I get is that lots plan to not stay for 5th. It's just one more year-- why is it considered so bad? Or is it that 5th elsewhere is just too good to miss?

Anonymous wrote:Simple - it's the feeder pattern. Brent feeds a lousy MS and the powers that be in DCPS have exactly zero interest in changing that. So parents have no choice but to find their own escape route. Latin and BASIS both start in 5th, so if you want to get your child in there, you need to get in at the entry level grade to have your best chance in the lottery. Plus, the only decent DCPS option is Deal, but since no-one gets in OOB anymore, you have to get into one of the feeder schools at 4th or 5th when space starts opening up (because of kids leaving for privates). If you're still at Brent in 5th, your options have pretty much run out and you need to reconcile yourself to moving or paying for private school.

It's similar to what happens at Mann. It's a pretty good elementary school that feeds into Hardy which most Mann parents are not satisfied with (yet?). In the past many stayed at through fifth grade, but recently Mann has seen fourth graders enroll at Latin and especially BASIS.

[Anonymous]

That'd is fascinating about Mann. I am guessing most of those families would have gone to private schools pre Latin and Basis. Kudos to Latin and Basis for offering something to keep families invested in the public school system.

Now, if only DCPS could offer a similar program in middle school. But all indications are that they are happy to let the charters fill the niche.

[Anonymous]

Eaton!!