getting into middle/high schools

[Anonymous]

What are the chances of getting into one of the better DCPS in 8th or 9th grade (for a kid who's transfering from another state)? I gather getting into elementary schools & charter schools out of the neighborhood is really difficult, but is it any easier in the upper grades?

Also, any recommendations, preferably for schools that are easily accessible by public transportation? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

If the school is fully enrolled, I don't see how it could take a new student unless he/she were in-boundary. If a school is underenrolled, presumably it would take an OOB student, if there were not mitigating factors. I'd call your target schools. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Deal is close to the metro (Tenleytown) and bus lines.

[Anonymous]

And Hardy Middle School is on the 30s bus lines. Lots of Hardy kids take the bus.

9th grade is high school here. Wilson is even closer to the T'town metro than Deal (which is a middle school).

Ellington and School without Walls are some other HS possibilities that are good and reasonably accessible via public transit -- bus in Ellington's case; Metro for Walls). Might be too late for admission at either though -- they are selective programs with special emphases (arts, early access to college course.) Phelps and Banneker are other magnet programs that might be interesting. Don't know about transit access in either case.

I agree that you should give the schools you're interested in a call.

[Anonymous]

If you live in boundary for one of these schools, they have to take your child, even if he/she just shows up on the first day of school.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, no. Not in boundary for those schools.

Basically, I have a teenager who may come live with us in a year or 2. It seems like our best bet (assuming circumstances don't change so that he has to move in sooner) is to apply for schools next winter and see where he gets in. Is it hard to get into Wilson out-of-boundary? Grades aren't great so I'm not sure about getting into School Without Walls. Ellington could be interesting for him, but it's not super-convenient to get to from here.

[Anonymous]

22:11 These three schools are so different, is mass transit the deciding factor? If he's artistic, Ellington is terrific, it's a few blocks west of the bus that goes down Wisconsin Avenue (I forgot the line). Walls is getting competitive, new facility, new program w/GW are drawing more applicants. Wilson has several academies for college bound students, I'd look at those and apply to the one that's the best match.

[Anonymous]

There is also Washington Latin PCS. It is on 16th Street, so the S1, S2 and S4 run up. Plus, I think that there are buses from Union Station and Tenley Town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is also Washington Latin PCS. It is on 16th Street, so the S1, S2 and S4 run up. Plus, I think that there are buses from Union Station and Tenley Town.

Wouldn't a 9th grader need to already have a few years of latin study?

[Anonymous]

Is the plan with Latin to have it go up to 12th grade I'm assuming? It's another one where you need better grades to get in, right?

Mass transit isn't the only factor, of course, but it is A factor, esp since we already have to drive to drop a younger child off in the morning. It's not as bad as I thought to get there though.

Has anyone sent kids there?

[Anonymous]

I have friends with children at Latin and they are very happy. Again, these schools are all so different ... I can't figure out what kind of a teen this is. Latin is traditional and rigorous. Not sure if it's strong on arts. I believe Latin will go through 12. I suggest calling to see how they handle upper grade applicants.

[Anonymous]

We're another family at Latin and we think it's great. Unfortunately I think they stopped taking new kids for high school (at 9th grade) for the reason you mentioned, that the new entrants were behind in language and other coursework. But do call to check if this policy has changed.

[Anonymous]

Basically, the kid is bright but lazy. Tries to get out of doing schoolwork, but hasn't figured out yet that in the end we figure it out & he ends up doing that & more b/c of it. Is driving Mom nuts, thus, he might come live with Dad to see if he can inspire some responsibility/respect/etc. It would be great to find a place where it's relatively easy to check up on him & how he's doing. Of course that depends on the specific teachers & how willing they are. It's a mixed bag at his current school district & I imagine that only gets worse the older they get.

Latin seems like not such a good fit since I think he's barely had any language in his current school district & he probably couldn't get in, though being around kids who are used to doing a lot of work could be good for him. But maybe Ellington or Wilson... His 1 "A" this semester is in band...

[Anonymous]

Latin is by lottery. For middle school entrance you don't need any previous languages because Latin starts in Middle and a modern language (French or Chinese) starts in 8th. Although perhaps you meant that lack of demonstrated language ability was a potential concern for a less motivated kid.

[Anonymous]

Investigate Wison very closely. It is a big place. A student with questionable self-motivation skills could easily fall behind and have some trouble academically. (This happened to a neighbor's daughter.) I think that you could make it work, but it will take a lot of vigilance and proactive involvement on the parents' part.