Where do families in Petworth send their kids for Elementary School?

[Anonymous]

look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

DC is no longer majority AA.

[Anonymous]

DC and DCPS east of Rock Creek Park = strongly majority black.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI for those saying "why not just buy in Glover Park" - you haven't bought recently. There are no 3 bedroom condos in Glover Park (or really, EOTP period that doesn't need extensive renovation costing 100k +) that are under 750K, except for a handful that have HOA fees of over $800/month. There are plenty of renovated condos, and a number of rowhomes that don't need more than 30-40K of renovation, in Petworth for under 750K.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

Where did the OP say the bolded?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC and DCPS east of Rock Creek Park = strongly majority black.

Brent Elementary School in Southeast DC is 65% white and 19% black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quite a lot IB at Powell (this is in the "Petworth nether region" between 13/14th and Georgia, north of Spring). The rapidly changing demographics of Powell, strong PTO, and the dual language program are getting a lot of attention from people who can't be bothered with the lottery / charter shuffle.

You just described Petworth. What makes it "nether" ? Not enough precious restaurants yet along 14th, I'm guessing, but that's the historic, pre-Metro stop "heart of Petworth." Not the nether regions.

No poster on this thread had ever heard of Petworth before there was a metro stop there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

DC is no longer majority AA.

Chocolate City is melting.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

Where did the OP say the bolded?

Come on, it is clearly implied. The OP asked why there were so few white kids and so many poor kids. SO CLUELESS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

In most of the United States, a white family that wants to send their kid to a school that is 50% african american, or even 70% african american, but is not 99% african american, would be accepted as having pro-integratioin values. I am not saying that is right, but just wanted to bring in that reality check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

Where did the OP say the bolded?

Come on, it is clearly implied. The OP asked why there were so few white kids and so many poor kids. SO CLUELESS.

But Petworth has a higher white percentage than most of EOTP DC, and a higher percentage of families than most of the whiter parts of EOTP DC, so it actually is an interesting question where those kids are going. As note above - many of them are going to charters or going OOB to WOTP schools - IE exactly the same choices many african americans who live EOTP are making.

[Anonymous]

OP poster here. This whole integration thing in DC really confuses me. Is a school that is 100% African American diverse- absolutely not.

If every school in DC matched the DC population %- 50% black, 40% white, 10% Asian/ other- and the quality was good across the board- wouldn't everyone be happy.

Seems like people here are implying white people don't want blacks kids in their school because they are racist. But I don't think that is true at all. Racists don't move to DC period.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who says "poors" doesn't belong in an urban city such as DC. Move to Bethesda.

The OP didn't say "poors". You guys are being a little harsh. The OP wrote:

"Looking at the demographics for Powell or Barnard there seems to be a very high number of poorer kids and few Caucasians."

According to profiles.dcps.gov, the white kids are 3% of Powell's student body and 2% of Barnard's. Both schools are 99% FARMS. So, that is simply a factually-correct observation.

There is significant buy-in to both schools among new residents, including significant "rolling of sleeves". While things can't change overnight, the trajectory in terms of test scores and overall performance is very good. Powell's Principal was just selected as Principal of the Year. The limiting factor now is not the elementary schools, but middle school and that is where efforts are now being placed.

A bit of a spin-off, but I've been wondering what 99% FARMS really means, since schools, once they reach a certain percentage, can apply and give free meals to everyone, regardless of income. Is the 99% just a proxy, since the schools no longer have to verify?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI for those saying "why not just buy in Glover Park" - you haven't bought recently. There are no 3 bedroom condos in Glover Park (or really, EOTP period that doesn't need extensive renovation costing 100k +) that are under 750K, except for a handful that have HOA fees of over $800/month. There are plenty of renovated condos, and a number of rowhomes that don't need more than 30-40K of renovation, in Petworth for under 750K.

You can't buy a split/converted to condo bay-front rowhouse in Bloomingdale for less than $575K, and that's for the lower half. The top two floors will easily be $800K.

Nobody buys boutique housing at these prices and expects to also raise children in that space.

WotP might as well be the suburbs. It's boring. It's over. It's too far from downtown. It's Rockthesda. Why pay to live in DC if you can't actually get there without a car?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:look, OP, diverse neighborhood is what a lot of DC white people say when they mean they want a DCPS/charter/neighborhood/etc., that has demographics that doesn't match DC or DCPS. east of Rock Creek Park, i.e., strongly majority black. I know you may be new to DC, but effectively the only way to not put your white/Asian/high-SES child into a school where they are in the 4/8/10 percent that are of similar status is to live on the other side of the segregation divide.

So saying you don't want to be a significant minority is a crutch many use to say they don't want to integrate DC.

So please, evaluate your biases and live according to your values.

In most of the United States, a white family that wants to send their kid to a school that is 50% african american, or even 70% african american, but is not 99% african american, would be accepted as having pro-integratioin values. I am not saying that is right, but just wanted to bring in that reality check.

The point is, you cannot customize a boutique diversity experience the same way you pick the backsplash for your kitchen. I'm sure most gentrifier parents would be happy if little Atticus were at a school that was diverse, but not too diverse -- say 30% high SES AA, plus a few Hispanics because "languages are so important", and a generous smattering of model minority Asians. It just doesn't work that way -- people of color are not here to give your child a "diverse" experience according to your demands.