Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The basis boosters make me not want to send my kids to basis.

It’s not a fun school…and let’s be honest, the vast majority of the kids are from Capitol Hill and other areas that have underperforming schools and it’s a relatively easy commute.

If I wasn’t in bounds for JR, it would be on the “list” for us as well (though behind Walls).

I would hope if they could retain more kids in HS it could start offering more of the high school experience.

It’s a nice asset for the city, as is Latin. These options didn’t exist 15 years ago, so it keeps people living in DC vs moving, and gives public options vs going private.

I think this is a really good summary of the school. It’s not as black and white as this board makes it seem- people don’t either love or hate the school. It has drawbacks and it’s all about your student and your other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some parents choose one school over the other. But please remember that Basis actively counsels kids out in middle school. And before anyone argues that this isn’t true, I know a child who goes to Basis whose parents were told this probably wasn’t a good fit for them and too difficult and they might want to transfer.

That's right. It's not a school for everyone. It's a school that works best for kids who are ok with very accelerated work (literally just learning more in within the same time period). Not geniuses, just kids who are not stressed by acceleration.

This thread is about why some people in bounds for JR might choose BASIS (or Latin). Hopefully it's clear that it's not crazy for some families to make that choice. Clearly many, many families choose to stay at JR.

This isn't true. The curriculum in the BASIS middle school isn't "very accelerated." No, it's geared at average students prepared to do a good amount of tedious homework. The work is too often dull, highly repetitive as the years go by, and unevenly taught, mostly by inexperienced young teachers with iffy classroom management skills. I know this because we switched from BASIS to an ordinary neighborhood middle school in Arlington after 7th grade where, overall, '"intensive" (honors) classes in science, social studies, English and math, which are open to all comers, have been better taught, more interesting and more challenging. My kids are strong in math, which isn't an issue in Arlington. The eldest takes Algebra II AND geometry in 8th grade. BASIS offers no more math challenge.

If you're fixated on staying in DC public schools for middle school, with no broader horizon, yeah, BASIS offers accelerated work.

We know -- the suburban schools are better than anything that is available in the DC public school system. No one is arguing against this. Also, living in the suburbs is not appealing to everyone.

The logical conclusion of every thread should not be "everyone should move to the suburbs." DC has a population of 700,000 and growing, and this entire sub forum is called "DC Public and Public Charter Schools." Really wish there were reddit -style mods who would ban parent who come in to talk about suburban schools or private in this forum.

Disagree. BASIS exceptionalism/boosterism seems endemic to me. The harsh reality is that it knows few bounds. We know many BASIS families after 20 years on Cap Hill and they insist that the place is wonderful. They don't seem to know what they're missing - everything from advanced languages in middle school, to a wide range of strong ECs, to daily band, chorus and orchestra in suburban schools, honors classes across the board as early as 4th grade etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some parents choose one school over the other. But please remember that Basis actively counsels kids out in middle school. And before anyone argues that this isn’t true, I know a child who goes to Basis whose parents were told this probably wasn’t a good fit for them and too difficult and they might want to transfer.

That's right. It's not a school for everyone. It's a school that works best for kids who are ok with very accelerated work (literally just learning more in within the same time period). Not geniuses, just kids who are not stressed by acceleration.

This thread is about why some people in bounds for JR might choose BASIS (or Latin). Hopefully it's clear that it's not crazy for some families to make that choice. Clearly many, many families choose to stay at JR.

This isn't true. The curriculum in the BASIS middle school isn't "very accelerated." No, it's geared at average students prepared to do a good amount of tedious homework. The work is too often dull, highly repetitive as the years go by, and unevenly taught, mostly by inexperienced young teachers with iffy classroom management skills. I know this because we switched from BASIS to an ordinary neighborhood middle school in Arlington after 7th grade where, overall, '"intensive" (honors) classes in science, social studies, English and math, which are open to all comers, have been better taught, more interesting and more challenging. My kids are strong in math, which isn't an issue in Arlington. The eldest takes Algebra II AND geometry in 8th grade. BASIS offers no more math challenge.

If you're fixated on staying in DC public schools for middle school, with no broader horizon, yeah, BASIS offers accelerated work.

We know -- the suburban schools are better than anything that is available in the DC public school system. No one is arguing against this. Also, living in the suburbs is not appealing to everyone.

The logical conclusion of every thread should not be "everyone should move to the suburbs." DC has a population of 700,000 and growing, and this entire sub forum is called "DC Public and Public Charter Schools." Really wish there were reddit -style mods who would ban parent who come in to talk about suburban schools or private in this forum.

Disagree. BASIS exceptionalism/boosterism seems endemic to me. The harsh reality is that it knows few bounds. We know many BASIS families after 20 years on Cap Hill and they insist that the place is wonderful. They don't seem to know what they're missing - everything from advanced languages in middle school, to a wide range of strong ECs, to daily band, chorus and orchestra in suburban schools, honors classes across the board as early as 4th grade etc.

If I said my job was wonderful, would you assume I was unaware that some people earn a lot more money and have better benefits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some parents choose one school over the other. But please remember that Basis actively counsels kids out in middle school. And before anyone argues that this isn’t true, I know a child who goes to Basis whose parents were told this probably wasn’t a good fit for them and too difficult and they might want to transfer.

That's right. It's not a school for everyone. It's a school that works best for kids who are ok with very accelerated work (literally just learning more in within the same time period). Not geniuses, just kids who are not stressed by acceleration.

This thread is about why some people in bounds for JR might choose BASIS (or Latin). Hopefully it's clear that it's not crazy for some families to make that choice. Clearly many, many families choose to stay at JR.

This isn't true. The curriculum in the BASIS middle school isn't "very accelerated." No, it's geared at average students prepared to do a good amount of tedious homework. The work is too often dull, highly repetitive as the years go by, and unevenly taught, mostly by inexperienced young teachers with iffy classroom management skills. I know this because we switched from BASIS to an ordinary neighborhood middle school in Arlington after 7th grade where, overall, '"intensive" (honors) classes in science, social studies, English and math, which are open to all comers, have been better taught, more interesting and more challenging. My kids are strong in math, which isn't an issue in Arlington. The eldest takes Algebra II AND geometry in 8th grade. BASIS offers no more math challenge.

If you're fixated on staying in DC public schools for middle school, with no broader horizon, yeah, BASIS offers accelerated work.

We know -- the suburban schools are better than anything that is available in the DC public school system. No one is arguing against this. Also, living in the suburbs is not appealing to everyone.

The logical conclusion of every thread should not be "everyone should move to the suburbs." DC has a population of 700,000 and growing, and this entire sub forum is called "DC Public and Public Charter Schools." Really wish there were reddit -style mods who would ban parent who come in to talk about suburban schools or private in this forum.

Disagree. BASIS exceptionalism/boosterism seems endemic to me. The harsh reality is that it knows few bounds. We know many BASIS families after 20 years on Cap Hill and they insist that the place is wonderful. They don't seem to know what they're missing - everything from advanced languages in middle school, to a wide range of strong ECs, to daily band, chorus and orchestra in suburban schools, honors classes across the board as early as 4th grade etc.

Very strong disagree. We are at BASIS and talk to many other parents -- there is not a single parent who doesn't acknowledge the downsides, and is making a rational decision that the upsides are worth it *to them.* When talking to parents not at the school, no one is having as detailed of a conversation. You just can't know all the pros and cons from the outside.

[Anonymous]

We're on the inside. We know the pros and cons. We're tired of hearing admins and other parents claim that BASIS is wonderful. We're not as impressed with academics as we thought we'd be. We can do better by our children. This will be our last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're on the inside. We know the pros and cons. We're tired of hearing admins and other parents claim that BASIS is wonderful. We're not as impressed with academics as we thought we'd be. We can do better by our children. This will be our last year.

Calling BS on lots of other parents saying BASIS is wonderful. Even those that are satisfied are typically unhappy with sports offerings and ECs. My question is, where are these other school options that are so perfect? JR, SWW, Latin, Blair, St. John’s, GDS, Whitman, whatever. None of them are perfect for every kid. I think BASIS is so divisive for two reasons. One, however you characterize the curriculum, if you fall behind, the school is not super sympathetic. If you attrit out, so be it. They would probably prefer to be test to enter anyway. Second, for those who stay through high school, the results are good enough that those who left have to make it seem like hells half acre to justify their choice. (This doesn’t mean everyone goes to an Ivy+. It means you don’t have to leave to get there. This year is very good so far but that has been true for many years). Neither of those things need be necessary. As has been noted elsewhere, BASIS is a niche option among a handful for DC families and if you can make it work for you, it might be better than your IB option. For some it works very well. And for some it just doesn’t work at all. Totally depends on the kid and the family situation.

[Anonymous]

This former BASIS parent can't agree with you, PP. Most families who bail don't leave because their children fall behind, because the curriculum is over their heads. That dimension of BASIS, while real, is not what makes the program divisive, not here in 2025, 15 years in. BASIS DC still attracts so much derision, particularly from former families, because, overall, it doesn't provide a happy or thoughtful learning experience for students. This is true no matter how industrious, enthusiastic and bright the kids may be on arrival at any point along the way. Same for parents and teachers. From where I sit, weak, tin-eared, bullying leadership and a franchise that hasn't been founded or run by educators have long been the crux of the problem.

Even so, BASIS has become the jewel in the DPCS crown, getting rave reviews for two reasons, neither of which should wow us. Reason #1:half a dozen seniors with unusual stamina for a dreary high school experience crack some of the country's most highly competitive colleges. Reason #2: public school alternatives for the most academic and ambitious students/families EotP remain even less appealing.

From where I sit, top public-school programs shouldn't operate as survival courses, with self-satisfied pols demurring to BASIS' corporate leadership on almost all aspects of how the place operates. No surprise that the great majority of families in the Deal-J-R pyramid avoid BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This former BASIS parent can't agree with you, PP. Most families who bail don't leave because their children fall behind, because the curriculum is over their heads. That dimension of BASIS, while real, is not what makes the program divisive, not here in 2025, 15 years in. BASIS DC still attracts so much derision, particularly from former families, because, overall, it doesn't provide a happy or thoughtful learning experience for students. This is true no matter how industrious, enthusiastic and bright the kids may be on arrival at any point along the way. Same for parents and teachers. From where I sit, weak, tin-eared, bullying leadership and a franchise that hasn't been founded or run by educators have long been the crux of the problem.

Even so, BASIS has become the jewel in the DPCS crown, getting rave reviews for two reasons, neither of which should wow us. Reason #1:half a dozen seniors with unusual stamina for a dreary high school experience crack some of the country's most highly competitive colleges. Reason #2: public school alternatives for the most academic and ambitious students/families EotP remain even less appealing.

From where I sit, top public-school programs shouldn't operate as survival courses, with self-satisfied pols demurring to BASIS' corporate leadership on almost all aspects of how the place operates. No surprise that the great majority of families in the Deal-J-R pyramid avoid BASIS.

Never said kids washing out was the only reason families leave, but otherwise you are essentially making my point. The school didn’t work for your family and you believe it is irredeemable. Both policy-wise and experientially. Again, I think you’d be hard pressed to find current parents who have no issues with the school. But to suggest it is a choice only for those with no better options is just silly. There are privileged families in the BASIS community, and there are objectively very strong students who stay through high school. They are not on some vision quest, subjecting themselves to the “worst high school experience possible” in service of some higher ideal. Stop kidding yourself. Nor are they trapped. They made a choice that the juice of moving wasn’t worth the squeeze. That’s why people hate BASIS and you can’t convince me otherwise. Those who were unhappy and left can’t understand why anyone with options would stay. And yet we do and kids end up doing great.

[Anonymous]

How could there be a “former Basis parent” who is so deeply and fundamentally unfamiliar with DC schools that they could call Basis “the jewel in the DCPS crown”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How could there be a “former Basis parent” who is so deeply and fundamentally unfamiliar with DC schools that they could call Basis “the jewel in the DCPS crown”?

Exactly. Charters are a direct threat to DCPS. PP had a bad experience with BASIS and takes every opportunity to gore the ox. Biased opinion noted. Keep it moving.

[Anonymous]

Should this thread be titled should I pick one weak high school over another weak high school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How could there be a “former Basis parent” who is so deeply and fundamentally unfamiliar with DC schools that they could call Basis “the jewel in the DCPS crown”?

Exactly. Charters are a direct threat to DCPS. PP had a bad experience with BASIS and takes every opportunity to gore the ox. Biased opinion noted. Keep it moving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Should this thread be titled should I pick one weak high school over another weak high school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How could there be a “former Basis parent” who is so deeply and fundamentally unfamiliar with DC schools that they could call Basis “the jewel in the DCPS crown”?

Exactly. Charters are a direct threat to DCPS. PP had a bad experience with BASIS and takes every opportunity to gore the ox. Biased opinion noted. Keep it moving.

Nice to hear from you Sidwell mom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This former BASIS parent can't agree with you, PP. Most families who bail don't leave because their children fall behind, because the curriculum is over their heads. That dimension of BASIS, while real, is not what makes the program divisive, not here in 2025, 15 years in. BASIS DC still attracts so much derision, particularly from former families, because, overall, it doesn't provide a happy or thoughtful learning experience for students. This is true no matter how industrious, enthusiastic and bright the kids may be on arrival at any point along the way. Same for parents and teachers. From where I sit, weak, tin-eared, bullying leadership and a franchise that hasn't been founded or run by educators have long been the crux of the problem.

Even so, BASIS has become the jewel in the DPCS crown, getting rave reviews for two reasons, neither of which should wow us. Reason #1:half a dozen seniors with unusual stamina for a dreary high school experience crack some of the country's most highly competitive colleges. Reason #2: public school alternatives for the most academic and ambitious students/families EotP remain even less appealing.

From where I sit, top public-school programs shouldn't operate as survival courses, with self-satisfied pols demurring to BASIS' corporate leadership on almost all aspects of how the place operates. No surprise that the great majority of families in the Deal-J-R pyramid avoid BASIS.

Never said kids washing out was the only reason families leave, but otherwise you are essentially making my point. The school didn’t work for your family and you believe it is irredeemable. Both policy-wise and experientially. Again, I think you’d be hard pressed to find current parents who have no issues with the school. But to suggest it is a choice only for those with no better options is just silly. There are privileged families in the BASIS community, and there are objectively very strong students who stay through high school. They are not on some vision quest, subjecting themselves to the “worst high school experience possible” in service of some higher ideal. Stop kidding yourself. Nor are they trapped. They made a choice that the juice of moving wasn’t worth the squeeze. That’s why people hate BASIS and you can’t convince me otherwise. Those who were unhappy and left can’t understand why anyone with options would stay. And yet we do and kids end up doing great.

New Poster. Sorry, but I can't agree with above. We've been at BASIS for 4.5 years. Every family we know there that was able to line up a significantly better option has left by now. We'd leave ourselves if we could afford a private. We would already have left if our kid had cracked Walls (3.9 GPA and couldn't even get an interview). Nobody sends their children to a school like BASIS if they can do better. The building is much too crappy, the extra curriculars are too thin on the ground, the curriculum is too narrow and inflexible and there's too much teacher turnover. You avoid getting melodramatic (like you, PP) and make do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This former BASIS parent can't agree with you, PP. Most families who bail don't leave because their children fall behind, because the curriculum is over their heads. That dimension of BASIS, while real, is not what makes the program divisive, not here in 2025, 15 years in. BASIS DC still attracts so much derision, particularly from former families, because, overall, it doesn't provide a happy or thoughtful learning experience for students. This is true no matter how industrious, enthusiastic and bright the kids may be on arrival at any point along the way. Same for parents and teachers. From where I sit, weak, tin-eared, bullying leadership and a franchise that hasn't been founded or run by educators have long been the crux of the problem.

Even so, BASIS has become the jewel in the DPCS crown, getting rave reviews for two reasons, neither of which should wow us. Reason #1:half a dozen seniors with unusual stamina for a dreary high school experience crack some of the country's most highly competitive colleges. Reason #2: public school alternatives for the most academic and ambitious students/families EotP remain even less appealing.

From where I sit, top public-school programs shouldn't operate as survival courses, with self-satisfied pols demurring to BASIS' corporate leadership on almost all aspects of how the place operates. No surprise that the great majority of families in the Deal-J-R pyramid avoid BASIS.

Never said kids washing out was the only reason families leave, but otherwise you are essentially making my point. The school didn’t work for your family and you believe it is irredeemable. Both policy-wise and experientially. Again, I think you’d be hard pressed to find current parents who have no issues with the school. But to suggest it is a choice only for those with no better options is just silly. There are privileged families in the BASIS community, and there are objectively very strong students who stay through high school. They are not on some vision quest, subjecting themselves to the “worst high school experience possible” in service of some higher ideal. Stop kidding yourself. Nor are they trapped. They made a choice that the juice of moving wasn’t worth the squeeze. That’s why people hate BASIS and you can’t convince me otherwise. Those who were unhappy and left can’t understand why anyone with options would stay. And yet we do and kids end up doing great.

New Poster. Sorry, but I can't agree with above. We've been at BASIS for 4.5 years. Every family we know there that was able to line up a significantly better option has left by now. We'd leave ourselves if we could afford a private. We would already have left if our kid had cracked Walls (3.9 GPA and couldn't even get an interview). Nobody sends their children to a school like BASIS if they can do better. The building is much too crappy, the extra curriculars are too thin on the ground, the curriculum is too narrow and inflexible and there's too much teacher turnover. You avoid getting melodramatic (like you, PP) and make do.

Well, you can disagree all you want, but that doesn't make you correct. I personally know one BASIS sophomore who got into Walls but stayed at BASIS to be with their friends. I also know there are families that could afford and navigate private alternatives if that was important to them. There are tons of options, not all of them with huge bars to entry like the so called Big 3 privates. Most importantly, I think, I know plenty of BASIS families that are happy and proud of their BASIS experience, warts and all. Why is it so hard for people to accept that the school works for some families and they stay through high school because that is what works best for them? So weird to have so many people confidently say what you see every day is wrong and everyone there is trapped. I mean, there were three NMSFs in the senior class this year. An aberration, maybe, but don't tell me those families didn't have options. Jeez.

[Anonymous]

Clearly, all the NMSF winners and Ivy/T20 admits at Basis are trapped and miserable and would love to be at J-R instead watching kids learn to read and do basic algebra and brawl daily….,

Makes perfect sense.