How are things going at Walls this year?

[Anonymous]

Sought-after privates are irrelevant to the great majority of DC middle-class public school parents because.....tuition is out of reach, even with a little fi aid. Wealthy parents may be concerned that admissions tests have gone, and lower middle-class minority families of star students who can expect boatloads of fi aid.

I don't see much changing at BASIS as Walls' quality dips. Few Upper NW parents in Deal feeders will give up 5th grade locally for BASIS, with its miserable facility (no gym, library, outdoor space, computer lab, performance space, decent art or music rooms). BASIS has already been retaining more of its 8th graders for HS with each passing year. But as Walls goes downhill, demand for BASIS 5th grade spots will rise, with the number of spots being offered dropping as the program's HS grows. With fewer 5th grade BASIS spots, more middle-class parents EotP will turn to other public middle schools, especially DCI, Two Rivers, Inspired Teaching and Jefferson Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many sought after privates are still waiving the test this year and also giving signs of not bringing it back (Maret, St Albans, GDS)

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/08/31/pandemic-has-proven-standardized-tests-dont-measure-whats-important-opinion

Lol.

Top privates have a bit more rigorous admissions system than SWW.

For instance, interviews at top privates aren’t student-led and they last more than 3 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sought-after privates are irrelevant to the great majority of DC middle-class public school parents because.....tuition is out of reach, even with a little fi aid. Wealthy parents may be concerned that admissions tests have gone, and lower middle-class minority families of star students who can expect boatloads of fi aid.

I don't see much changing at BASIS as Walls' quality dips. Few Upper NW parents in Deal feeders will give up 5th grade locally for BASIS, with its miserable facility (no gym, library, outdoor space, computer lab, performance space, decent art or music rooms). BASIS has already been retaining more of its 8th graders for HS with each passing year. But as Walls goes downhill, demand for BASIS 5th grade spots will rise, with the number of spots being offered dropping as the program's HS grows. With fewer 5th grade BASIS spots, more middle-class parents EotP will turn to other public middle schools, especially DCI, Two Rivers, Inspired Teaching and Jefferson Academy.

All that's going to change are that top public-school performers whose families can scrape privates or are willing to move to the burbs for HS mostly won't bother will Walls. Their reticence will be reflected in Walls' college admissions outcomes (fewer students to highly competitive colleges). Shame on DCPS for beating up on the goose laying the golden eggs.

Demand for BASIS spots has been climbing for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sought-after privates are irrelevant to the great majority of DC middle-class public school parents because.....tuition is out of reach, even with a little fi aid. Wealthy parents may be concerned that admissions tests have gone, and lower middle-class minority families of star students who can expect boatloads of fi aid.

I don't see much changing at BASIS as Walls' quality dips. Few Upper NW parents in Deal feeders will give up 5th grade locally for BASIS, with its miserable facility (no gym, library, outdoor space, computer lab, performance space, decent art or music rooms). BASIS has already been retaining more of its 8th graders for HS with each passing year. But as Walls goes downhill, demand for BASIS 5th grade spots will rise, with the number of spots being offered dropping as the program's HS grows. With fewer 5th grade BASIS spots, more middle-class parents EotP will turn to other public middle schools, especially DCI, Two Rivers, Inspired Teaching and Jefferson Academy.

I know about 30 kids who applied from Deal to GDS for 9th grade last year. And that's the just kids I know. GDS only took about 2/30 and both were siblings. So this is not an solution but parents are trying it.

[Anonymous]

I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

Banneker parent. My kid is happy. I seem much happier than my friends who are Walls or Wilson parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

But not until you see a safe amount of white students there right? We know, you don’t want to be an only. DCUM is so predictable. Walls is failing, Wilson failing and has behavior issues, where’s the next safe spot where I can send my kid for free to be able to say you’re still cool that you live in the city. I have been imploring you all to look at Banneker for over a decade and have only received “but I don’t want my kid to be an only” or “Banneker’s SAT scores are only barely above national average” for many years. 😂😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

But not until you see a safe amount of white students there right? We know, you don’t want to be an only. DCUM is so predictable. Walls is failing, Wilson failing and has behavior issues, where’s the next safe spot where I can send my kid for free to be able to say you’re still cool that you live in the city. I have been imploring you all to look at Banneker for over a decade and have only received “but I don’t want my kid to be an only” or “Banneker’s SAT scores are only barely above national average” for many years. 😂😂

If that poster’s kids are in elementary, why would they have been thinking about HS a decade ago? Now that people with kids just entering the system are considering Banneker, you want them to…?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

But not until you see a safe amount of white students there right? We know, you don’t want to be an only. DCUM is so predictable. Walls is failing, Wilson failing and has behavior issues, where’s the next safe spot where I can send my kid for free to be able to say you’re still cool that you live in the city. I have been imploring you all to look at Banneker for over a decade and have only received “but I don’t want my kid to be an only” or “Banneker’s SAT scores are only barely above national average” for many years. 😂😂

Banneker is about 50% nationally for SAT scores. You think that is funny? That is supposed to be an endorsement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the EdFest meeting on Saturday, there will be no admissions test this year (2022-23 school year) and it sounded like there is no urgency to bring it back.

Unfortunately, SWW will just slide into mediocrity, Basis DC will quickly supplant SWW as the best high school, if it hasn't already.

A lot of parents that passed up Basis DC for 5th grade in the lottery will regret that decision.

SWW for 9th grade no longer looks like a great option for the most academically minded kids.

I don't see SWW's development trajectory as becoming more intertwined with BASIS', mainly because the venn diagram overlap between potential students is mainly just Ward 6.

SWW draws heavily from both Upper NW AND Ward 6, while BASIS doesn't. Very few parents who are in-boundary for Deal bother with BASIS, and BASIS hardly admits for 6th grade and doesn't admit after 6th.

What I see happening as Walls slips is that Wilson and suburban privates become more of a draw for DC public school families of high achievers. You're going to see more Upper NW and Ward 6 families renting and buying suburban properties just for HS, with parents returning to their DC homes as empty nesters. You're also going to see DC, MD and VA parochial high schools charging HS tuition in the 20s (St. John's, DeMatha, Gonzaga) enjoy a popularity boost.

Fair points but don’t forget:

1) Up until now, a relatively big chunk of some of Basis DC’s best students have decamped to SWW for 9th grade. Basis is less likely to lose them now.

2) Basis is in a super convenient location downtown, near multiple metro stops and bus lines. It it just as easy to get to Basis as it is to SWW from Upper NW. Lots of parents commute downtown from Upper NW during regular non-Covid times.

3) Some parents don’t care much about academics in middle school and just opt for Deal/Hardy, thinking that if their kids do OK they will apply to SWW and, if the kids don’t get in, they can go to Wilson/Jackson-Reed. Now, with the issues with SWW and problems at Wilson, we will likely see more parents from Wards 3 and 2 try to lottery into Basis for 5th grade so that they have Basis as an option for high school.

+1

[Anonymous]

But as BASIS keeps more kids in HS, they have less spots for MS. It will be an interesting cycle to watch.

[Anonymous]

My kid was at DeaL and I know about 5 kids at Walls this year who are there because they didn't get in to any private. they wound have gone to GDS in a heartbeat but did not get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect Banneker will be the school that changes more because of Walls losing its way. It is perfectly positioned to due so - new building, prime location, room to expand, etc.

Just as Walls has shifted in demographics over the years so will Banneker. In 5 years (or less) it won't be a Title I school. Maybe this is what DCPS actually wants and figures Walls will be ok regardless. Doesn't make sense but time will tell.

Interesting. I live in Shaw and have two elementary kids and would love to send them to Banneker.

But not until you see a safe amount of white students there right? We know, you don’t want to be an only. DCUM is so predictable. Walls is failing, Wilson failing and has behavior issues, where’s the next safe spot where I can send my kid for free to be able to say you’re still cool that you live in the city. I have been imploring you all to look at Banneker for over a decade and have only received “but I don’t want my kid to be an only” or “Banneker’s SAT scores are only barely above national average” for many years. 😂😂

Posted above. I took you up on your offer. My kid actually loved the interview in comparison to Walls and changed the first choice to Banneker. PSAT scores = 99 percentile for both. Parents have to get out of the low SAT scores mindset. If your rich and your kid doesn’t have test anxiety, they will score high. SAT scores track family income. (But I also know it’s code for I’m scared of minorities!)

[Anonymous]

Give us a break. Bright, hard-working HS students who've been reading literary classics for pleasure since middle school and did well in algebra and geometry have a strong tendency to score high on SATs, regardless of parents' income. Banneker's subpar SAT scores are indicative of most students' subpar prep. No surprises in a city without ES GT programs or test-in MS programs with scores of highly segregated K-8 programs.

DCPS' determination to beat back high SES/white buy-in at Walls is a grim development indeed. Walls was on the up and up until the strong head was canned. What a terrible shame. How deeply misguided on the part of all responsible. Only a new mayor could arrest Walls' slide.