What kind of school will Van Ness Elementary end up being? More like Brent, Maury, or Ludlow-Taylor?

[Anonymous]

We're thinking of moving into the Capitol Riverfront and would love for the kids to attend the in-bound school, which is Van Ness. What do people think of Van Ness now, and what do people anticipate the school will be like in the next 5 years or so?

[Anonymous]

It will gradually improve, but ultimately the upper grades will only be as good as the middle school to which it feeds.

[Anonymous]

JO wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're thinking of moving into the Capitol Riverfront and would love for the kids to attend the in-bound school, which is Van Ness. What do people think of Van Ness now, and what do people anticipate the school will be like in the next 5 years or so?

Hard to say. If I had to put $$$ on it I would say in between those groups. The staff is amazing, as is the building. However the school community is still forming so I think it is too early to say how this will all shake out.

That being said, it is a bet that I would take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JO wilson

JO Wilson and LT have more potential than Maury and Brent and Van Ness due to middle school feed. Maury and Brent are played out and will always be chaotic in the upper grades with churn.

[Anonymous]

You ppl are ridiculous. These are all lovely schools, not "played out" schools, as if they were sports teams.

[Anonymous]

It will have a lot of IB kids in the early grades and be fairly racially and economically diverse, with some kids from public housing and some from million-dollar homes.

By the testing grades, many families with the means to move will do so (if you can't afford a big townhome, you may not want to squeeze in a 2br apartment; if you can afford one of the big houses you could just as easily afford a place in the suburbs or upper NW). This will create room for more OOB kids, who will mostly be residents of Wards 7 and 8 (the school is conveniently located near metro and bus lines, on the way to downtown). Test scores will reflect large racial and economic achievement gaps, and the perceived lack of a good middle school option will amplify the issue. The high-scoring kids who stick it out until 3rd or 4th grade will leave if they get into Latin, Basis, or a school that feeds Deal, Hardy, possibly Stuart-Hobson, and maybe a few charters with middle schools (DCI, IT, 2R).

The PTA will be dominated by higher-income kids in younger grades, and will struggle to get participation from others. It will raise a lot of money, though--from parents and local businesses.

The school may go back and forth in terms of Title I status, leading to frequent changes in programming, costs for aftercare, etc. Some people will be glad if the school is not Title I and others will want the money it provides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JO wilson

JO Wilson and LT have more potential than Maury and Brent and Van Ness due to middle school feed. Maury and Brent are played out and will always be chaotic in the upper grades with churn.

Got an axe to grind because you couldn't afford a 3-bed house in the Brent or Maury Districts?

Not buying it. It's not unusual for kids from Maury and Brent to head to private or parochial middle schools, or charters. The PTAs both raise a lot of dough, and have done for years - Brent now pulls in more than 300K annually. The resources pay for classroom aides, pullout groups for advanced learners, even specials teachers. The problematic middle school feeds aren't pushing down enrollment. This year's Brent 5th grade will be 40% larger than last year's.

Brent essentially has no public housing in its school district, Maury has little, and Van Ness has some (but will have less as the years go by and Navy Yard development continues a pace). Van Ness is already attract a higher percentage of whites and non-FARMs than Ludlow. I see Van Ness emerging on a par with Maury demographically and academically once it has at least one class per grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It will gradually improve, but ultimately the upper grades will only be as good as the middle school to which it feeds.

Well, none of the schools OP mentioned has a good middle school (the best MS feed is LT, which is apparently the school OP is least interested in). So that does nothing to answer the question. I think those are all nice schools, but if you will only be comfortable with a majority-white class then you should buy IB for Brent or Maury.

[Anonymous]

Van Ness scored an awesome ECE teacher who is former teacher of the year. Things are looking up!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It will gradually improve, but ultimately the upper grades will only be as good as the middle school to which it feeds.

Well, none of the schools OP mentioned has a good middle school (the best MS feed is LT, which is apparently the school OP is least interested in). So that does nothing to answer the question. I think those are all nice schools, but if you will only be comfortable with a majority-white class then you should buy IB for Brent or Maury.

Is this what the discourse has come to?

[Anonymous]

My kids are older so no dog in the fight anymore, but I visited VN and found it to be amazing. I think it has just as much potential as Brent/Maury, possibly even more than LT with a new principal yet again, though LT does have the advantage of a S-H feed. I'm really excited about VN's prospects. I think there are plenty of middle class people who will want to stay in such a vibrant area close to work and Metro and keep their kids at VN. Then they can look at the charters, Catholic, private for middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will have a lot of IB kids in the early grades and be fairly racially and economically diverse, with some kids from public housing and some from million-dollar homes.

By the testing grades, many families with the means to move will do so (if you can't afford a big townhome, you may not want to squeeze in a 2br apartment; if you can afford one of the big houses you could just as easily afford a place in the suburbs or upper NW). This will create room for more OOB kids, who will mostly be residents of Wards 7 and 8 (the school is conveniently located near metro and bus lines, on the way to downtown). Test scores will reflect large racial and economic achievement gaps, and the perceived lack of a good middle school option will amplify the issue. The high-scoring kids who stick it out until 3rd or 4th grade will leave if they get into Latin, Basis, or a school that feeds Deal, Hardy, possibly Stuart-Hobson, and maybe a few charters with middle schools (DCI, IT, 2R).

The PTA will be dominated by higher-income kids in younger grades, and will struggle to get participation from others. It will raise a lot of money, though--from parents and local businesses.

The school may go back and forth in terms of Title I status, leading to frequent changes in programming, costs for aftercare, etc. Some people will be glad if the school is not Title I and others will want the money it provides.

So it will be like a smaller Watkins?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are older so no dog in the fight anymore, but I visited VN and found it to be amazing. I think it has just as much potential as Brent/Maury, possibly even more than LT with a new principal yet again, though LT does have the advantage of a S-H feed. I'm really excited about VN's prospects. I think there are plenty of middle class people who will want to stay in such a vibrant area close to work and Metro and keep their kids at VN. Then they can look at the charters, Catholic, private for middle schools.

Why did you visit, then? Just curious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will have a lot of IB kids in the early grades and be fairly racially and economically diverse, with some kids from public housing and some from million-dollar homes.

By the testing grades, many families with the means to move will do so (if you can't afford a big townhome, you may not want to squeeze in a 2br apartment; if you can afford one of the big houses you could just as easily afford a place in the suburbs or upper NW). This will create room for more OOB kids, who will mostly be residents of Wards 7 and 8 (the school is conveniently located near metro and bus lines, on the way to downtown). Test scores will reflect large racial and economic achievement gaps, and the perceived lack of a good middle school option will amplify the issue. The high-scoring kids who stick it out until 3rd or 4th grade will leave if they get into Latin, Basis, or a school that feeds Deal, Hardy, possibly Stuart-Hobson, and maybe a few charters with middle schools (DCI, IT, 2R).

The PTA will be dominated by higher-income kids in younger grades, and will struggle to get participation from others. It will raise a lot of money, though--from parents and local businesses.

The school may go back and forth in terms of Title I status, leading to frequent changes in programming, costs for aftercare, etc. Some people will be glad if the school is not Title I and others will want the money it provides.

So it will be like a smaller Watkins?

It will be an urban DC school. Which means, no, you cannot guarantee that it will be majority white/0 FARMS. For that you need to move elsewhere. Or you can adjust your attitude/expectations.