I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Anonymous]

Being from new York and unlucky with the g and t lottery two years running, I am sad for you having to give up the spot. Those things are like gold!

People from NYC hate charters because for the most part they have been colocated with existing schools, siphoning resources away from them. In Dc... well, the same thing might be happening? But not in the same building. Op, you will be shocked at how nice the physical facilities are here. But note--there's no bussing.

We did the move last year. I think your kids will be fine, but I would look at charters and see if you can tour a few neighborhood schools. Maybe Francis Stevens? SSMA is a good suggestion too. Their upper elementary is very new and might have some space just due to people not knowing it's there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since it sounds like you're moving no matter what and you really want your G&T child to stay ahead, you really have only private as an option for this coming school year given what you're looking for in a school. At least for your older child that's true. I agree, your younger child probably would be fine at Garrison or Marie Reed. But for what you want, private (maybe parochial? But I don't know those schools) is all you got, really.

And at this late date, you're highly unlikely to get into any of the most popular public schools at all. Lottery and 2nd round lottery are both long over with, so all that's left are spots no one else took.

No, she's moving for the 16-17 school year. She has plenty of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read these boards. A lot. Old threads about the lottery this year etc.

You have time to play the lottery for the 15-16 school year. Hopefully you can come down and visit schools. Definitely recommend that.

Garrison should be fine for your 3 yo.

Some popular charters on DCUM
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers
Cap City
Lee Montessori (though this only just finished its first year)

Popular immersion charters (but difficult to enter so late, with no language background:
Mundo Verde (Spanish)
Stokes (Spanish and French)
Yu Ying (Chinese - but wow that would be really hard!)

Hope this helps.

This is so so so helpful. Thank you so much!

OP might not realize this now, but no, that's not really helpful. The odds that they'll get into any of the 8 listed charter schools are abysmal. Or does everything change in 2nd grade?

A lot changes in second grade.

I'd add DCPS schools Hearst, Murch and Shepherd to that list although the commutes would be rough. Long shots but worth a look.

We have lottery numbers in the 100s this year for all of those schools for second grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the 'top' charters? How is that determined , by popularity or achievement scores or what? Help!

As an educator I am looking at the fact that your child is currently in a G&T program. I would look for a school that is going to provide a similar experience. A top charter is not necessarily going to do that. You want to look for the school that offers PBL or project based learning opportunities. That is going to take some time to research. You also will want smaller class sizes because G&T students need as much time and attention as students who are struggling. Again charters sometimes pack in 30 or more kids into a classroom and teach to the middle. A former colleague is at Cap City and she likes it. It sounds like they do a lot of experiential learning which is what is going to be beneficial to your gifted child. After the 3rd grade you will want to look for a SEM school in DCPS. Look into Renzulli Learning for more information about SEM schools.

Creative Minds also might be a good option for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read these boards. A lot. Old threads about the lottery this year etc.

You have time to play the lottery for the 15-16 school year. Hopefully you can come down and visit schools. Definitely recommend that.

Garrison should be fine for your 3 yo.

Some popular charters on DCUM
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers
Cap City
Lee Montessori (though this only just finished its first year)

Popular immersion charters (but difficult to enter so late, with no language background:
Mundo Verde (Spanish)
Stokes (Spanish and French)
Yu Ying (Chinese - but wow that would be really hard!)

Hope this helps.

This is so so so helpful. Thank you so much!

OP might not realize this now, but no, that's not really helpful. The odds that they'll get into any of the 8 listed charter schools are abysmal. Or does everything change in 2nd grade?

A lot changes in second grade.

I'd add DCPS schools Hearst, Murch and Shepherd to that list although the commutes would be rough. Long shots but worth a look.

We have lottery numbers in the 100s this year for all of those schools for second grade.

I don't think people leave any of those schools in the upper grades since Deal has gotten so strong, not like they used to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being from new York and unlucky with the g and t lottery two years running, I am sad for you having to give up the spot. Those things are like gold!

People from NYC hate charters because for the most part they have been colocated with existing schools, siphoning resources away from them. In Dc... well, the same thing might be happening? But not in the same building. Op, you will be shocked at how nice the physical facilities are here. But note--there's no bussing.

We did the move last year. I think your kids will be fine, but I would look at charters and see if you can tour a few neighborhood schools. Maybe Francis Stevens? SSMA is a good suggestion too. Their upper elementary is very new and might have some space just due to people not knowing it's there.

Thanks so much for the reply. I hate to pull her. It's an amazing school but our lives will be better overall in DC

[Anonymous]

In DC, you have to decide what kind of school will work for your kid. Do you want language immersion? Montessori? Expeditionary learning?

Test scores are pretty important to me, but you need to look at them in the context of the school. Some schools are changing in the lower grades while still having difficulties in the upper grades.

You also need to understand that a lot of schools here which are touted as the "best" are brand spanking new and largely untested. That's not to say they're bad schools, but just realize that while a school can get a lot of buzz on dcum, it may be new. New schools are Creative Minds, Shining Stars, Lee Montessori, and Mundo Verde. Please correct me if I've missed some.

Some schools don't accept kids past a certain age. LAMB, one of the most established and best charters only accepts kids at ages 3 and 4. Yu Ying stops accepting kids at first grade.

Finally, some cbarters have middle schools or feeder middle schools. The newest one is DC International School which is an IB School. Lots of people really like this school because DCI feeders (Yu Ying, LAMB, Stokes, Mundo Verde, and DC Bilingual) are very highly regarded. But that is a totally brand new school. Inspired Teaching, EL Haynes, Two Rivers, Capital City, and CMI (right?) all have middle schools. Please note that this is not even close to a complete List. I only mention this because it's worthwhile to have a middle school option.

While this while discussion has centered around Charters, there are some great DCPS schools. Most of them have a preference for kids in the cachement, but there are some slots here and there. Some have a citywide lottery like School Within a School, SWW@ Francis Stevens, and Capitol hill Montessori at Logan.

Hope this helps! There are some educational consultants here and there like EV Downey who can help you through the process.

[Anonymous]

Reread my post and wanted to clarify that I did not mean to imply that some of the newer schools weren't great. I just want to note that newer schools do have some growing pains, and the OP should be aware of that.

FWIW, I've toured a lot of them and would love my kids to go there.

I also forgot to mention that it is next to impossible to get into any of the schools mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In DC, you have to decide what kind of school will work for your kid. Do you want language immersion? Montessori? Expeditionary learning?

Test scores are pretty important to me, but you need to look at them in the context of the school. Some schools are changing in the lower grades while still having difficulties in the upper grades.

You also need to understand that a lot of schools here which are touted as the "best" are brand spanking new and largely untested. That's not to say they're bad schools, but just realize that while a school can get a lot of buzz on dcum, it may be new. New schools are Creative Minds, Shining Stars, Lee Montessori, and Mundo Verde. Please correct me if I've missed some.

Some schools don't accept kids past a certain age. LAMB, one of the most established and best charters only accepts kids at ages 3 and 4. Yu Ying stops accepting kids at first grade.

Finally, some cbarters have middle schools or feeder middle schools. The newest one is DC International School which is an IB School. Lots of people really like this school because DCI feeders (Yu Ying, LAMB, Stokes, Mundo Verde, and DC Bilingual) are very highly regarded. But that is a totally brand new school. Inspired Teaching, EL Haynes, Two Rivers, Capital City, and CMI (right?) all have middle schools. Please note that this is not even close to a complete List. I only mention this because it's worthwhile to have a middle school option.

While this while discussion has centered around Charters, there are some great DCPS schools. Most of them have a preference for kids in the cachement, but there are some slots here and there. Some have a citywide lottery like School Within a School, SWW@ Francis Stevens, and Capitol hill Montessori at Logan.

Hope this helps! There are some educational consultants here and there like EV Downey who can help you through the process.

This is incredibly helpful. Thank you! I def don't want dual language (I know they're popular but we didn't choose it in ny so it would seem silly to switch in 2nd grade). Her current school is very traditional (not progressive) and it's great for her. Any thoughts on which are more traditional? She did Montessori preschool and it was great for her so that could work too.

[Anonymous]

OP, you also need to keep in mind that no matter how much research you do, unless you are IB for the school, you're going to need a lot of luck to get into any decent school in the district.

[Anonymous]

Private. The schools in public schools in dc are terrible for gt kids. Nyc is a much better system. Can we have your spot?

[Anonymous]

Private. The schools in public schools in dc are terrible for gt kids. Nyc is a much better system. Can we have your spot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private. The schools in public schools in dc are terrible for gt kids. Nyc is a much better system. Can we have your spot?

Oh shut it PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you also need to keep in mind that no matter how much research you do, unless you are IB for the school, you're going to need a lot of luck to get into any decent school in the district.

Agreed. You need to decide how risk-averse you are, and proceed accordingly. Some who are more conservative with risk may opt for a neighborhood zoned for a good in-boundary school (although, again, the definition of "good" will vary by person). Others who are less risk-averse opt to take their chances with the lottery, although the odds of getting into one of the most sought-after schools are becoming slimmer each year.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you know any people in DC? This board, while helpful, can give you a somewhat biased idea of schools. I would suggest coming down to the DC school fair in the fall and walking around and meeting some of the parents/school admins in person. You will get a real feel for some of the schools, not just on paper (don't bring your kids).