Did Walls interview invites go out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

Well almost 1/3rd of the kids there are not even on grade level in math. For what is supposed to be the best, selective school in this city, that is telling.

You think they have those stats in the magnet schools in the burbs??

[Anonymous]

My kid who has a whole lot going for them and is also extroverted did not get a Walls interview. So you move on. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has a whole lot going for them and is also extroverted did not get a Walls interview. So you move on. End of story.

This. My kid did not get an interview, but he applied to a handful of the selective schools and wound up at one that has been a terrific fit. If he'd gone to our IB (J-R), I'm sure he would have been just fine there, too. I'm not bitter about Walls; I'm happy he's doing well and likes where he is, now. I know parents who are bitter about their kid not getting in, and it is so annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

DP. The evidence of the decline at Walls is the average SAT score, which (after a long period of gradual growth), peaked at 1326 in the 2022-23 school year (ie, the last year for which all juniors and seniors at Walls were admitted by exam), and has been falling since, to last year’s 1270. Which, yes, is still the highest average score in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

DP. The evidence of the decline at Walls is the average SAT score, which (after a long period of gradual growth), peaked at 1326 in the 2022-23 school year (ie, the last year for which all juniors and seniors at Walls were admitted by exam), and has been falling since, to last year’s 1270. Which, yes, is still the highest average score in DCPS.

And the SAT scores of the popular charters are around there.

BTW, kids at charters are declining Walls spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

I don't disagree with your take. I opted out of private when DCPS was uncooperative regarding PK4 on my first child. However, when I learned that kids were excelling in our private school environment mostly by supplementing on top of the $40k per year price tag, we opted to return and supplement to excel minus the $40k price tag.

There were no accelerated programs for my child when I entered DCPS. I was specifically told my child was not the target and that getting most of the kids up to proficiency is. While frustrating, I understood their dilemma and chose to organize with other like-minded parents who are a much smaller contingent than the masses. We have launched several programs and will leave our middle school in a better position than we found it. In my neighborhood, the schools are all growing because educated parents from all backgrounds are getting involved. You won't hear about the success for another 5-10 years but we are here, I promise.

I can't say DCPS was ever up in order to decline. There is alot of work to be done. What I do know is the parents at the SWW were thirsty about the label versus understanding the school and what it offers. If you are sporting Patagonia, Canada Goose, etc. and are complaining about not getting a SWW interview you simply have not done well in your parental choices if you don't have Maret, SF or renting a flat in Fairfax like all of the other successful parents who will do whatever is needed to ensure their child gets the best education for their child. You are just not as elite as you think you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

DP. The evidence of the decline at Walls is the average SAT score, which (after a long period of gradual growth), peaked at 1326 in the 2022-23 school year (ie, the last year for which all juniors and seniors at Walls were admitted by exam), and has been falling since, to last year’s 1270. Which, yes, is still the highest average score in DCPS.

And the SAT scores of the popular charters are around there.

BTW, kids at charters are declining Walls spots.

I’d find this claim about SAT scores at charters easier to believe if there were any public data. The SAT-derived public data available from OSSE (percent of students who are “college ready,” a metric that is correlated with average score but less susceptible to being distorted by a few high or low scores), shows that only Basis is anywhere close to Walls. Latin’s score on this metric is similar to Banneker's, and DCI’s is below J-R’s.

As to whether some charter-school students turn down Walls, naturally they do. Walls is an unusual school that doesn’t appeal to everyone, and there are high-performing students at many different public and charter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has a whole lot going for them and is also extroverted did not get a Walls interview. So you move on. End of story.

This. My kid did not get an interview, but he applied to a handful of the selective schools and wound up at one that has been a terrific fit. If he'd gone to our IB (J-R), I'm sure he would have been just fine there, too. I'm not bitter about Walls; I'm happy he's doing well and likes where he is, now. I know parents who are bitter about their kid not getting in, and it is so annoying.

It is harder to take when your kid has a 4.0 and doesn't even get an interview, and you don't have J-R as a perfectly acceptable backup option. I am hoping that Banneker or Duke works out -- if one does or my kid lucks into one of the very few slots at Latin or DCI, then I promise not to be bitter; until then, I am a little bitter that the process is sufficiently random that my kid who has a 4.0 in the hardest classes on offer at her school, is very involved in many aspects of school, and got recommendations that the recommenders deemed as good as they gave didn't even get an interview. It's easier not to be bitter if your alternative is J-R. And no, we aren't in a financial position to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im genuinely baffled by how many of my child’s friends that weren’t asked for an interview. These kids had 4.0s or close to it, took the hardest classes, and were excellent students and leaders in their schools. I understand they don’t look at GPA much and no CAPE, but I’m surprised that they were passed over.

I agree. It seems kind of BS. I am sure kids selected are great. But kids not selected seem equally great.

Let’s get real here.

It is BS because there is no objective data being used such as standardized testing.

It’s BS that they just look at GPA only and not at the actual courses that kids take and if it’s the most advance or hardest. Plus grade inflation.

It’s BS that so much of the criteria is weighted with recommendations and subjective and opaque.

The highest performing kids are not getting in due to above and the academic cohort coming into the school is lower.

That is the bottom line.

👍 Let’s say we accept your theory as a parent who has successfully managed your kid into being the smartest in the city but are upset with the interview process.

You can’t manage your finances into a top private with the rest of your cohort?

You can’t manage your kid to an “elite” university from any high school in the DC? While Walls is #1 on our list, we are perfectly confident in our safety school as an option.

I have no doubt that your child is academically superior to most in the city. Unfortunately, academically superior people who don’t react to failure with curiosity and intrigue are not the ideal community builders and leaders of the future.

You are a little blinded by how many great kids are in this city and not just within your small eco system.

That is the bottom line.

That is

I don’t have a kid applying to Walls. But posters like above who don’t want to accept the reality of the race to the bottom that is occurring in DCPS with responses like above helps no one. Expectations will just continue to decline.

Good luck in DCPS. Those of us who see the writing on the wall are opting out.

Where's the evidence of the race to the bottom at Walls? Your awesome kid not getting in? When I last looked at this, there were 10 more kids taking Algebra I relative to the testing days. That's the race to the bottom?

Good luck wherever you go.

DP. The evidence of the decline at Walls is the average SAT score, which (after a long period of gradual growth), peaked at 1326 in the 2022-23 school year (ie, the last year for which all juniors and seniors at Walls were admitted by exam), and has been falling since, to last year’s 1270. Which, yes, is still the highest average score in DCPS.

Evidence PP here. Thanks, I hadn’t seen last year’s data. It’s still a small sample but not great. I know the school is creating more scaffolding for SAT prep via an elective. All 9th graders have to take the PSAT, so they can target SAT help if they want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, my 4.0 kid didn't get an invite to interview at SWW either (assuming they've all been sent out). He's an introvert, and I assume his recs put him at the top for academic potential and intellectual curiosity but couldn't for leadership, teamwork, etc. Mercifully we are at one of the charters that goes through 12th, and we're not sure he would have even chosen SWW over staying put anyway. It makes decisonmaking easier! Good luck to everyone in this process, and I hope all the kids land somewhere that serves them well.

I’m not sure if that’s the case to be honest (about introversion being the reason for less enthusiastic recs). I’m a PP with a kid with a 4.0 and he’s extroverted and friends with everyone. I would say his kindness and friendliness is much stronger than his academic ability (he has to work hard for those grades, it does not come naturally to him). His teachers have always highlighted what a pleasant, friendly, cooperative kid he is. That said, the teacher who would have given him his strongest recommendation ended up leaving the school and we had no way to contact the teacher, so our recommendations may not have been as strong because we had to scramble last minute to find another recommender. In any event, it seems like there isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason to this process but I’m secretly relieved. My kid and I both thought the SWW building felt like a dungeon - very oppressive and dark. He was having second thoughts after the open house, so it’s for the best for us. Best of luck to everyone who wants to get in!

Are you sure you went to SWW? It is crowded but I’ve never heard it described as oppressive and dark. There are tons of windows and natural light.

The open house was at night and there were some areas that had no windows at all (like a science classroom and where the kids supposedly have lunch). Maybe that was why. In any event, it does not feel like the typical high school experience I had with a spacious campus, large auditorium, gymnasium, greenery, parking lot, etc.

Except for the greenery, some DC high schools do have above and also DCI

I know this is going on a bit of a tangent - but there are several DCPS high schools with large atriums, auditoriums, cafeterias, and outdoor space. Not as much as the suburbs, but more than SWW. Duke Ellington is the extreme (https://gcs-sigal.com/project/duke-ellington-school-of-the-arts/), but a lot of the public high schools have recently gotten modernizations recently - many with glass covered atriums, large gymnasiums, cafeterias, etc. Roosevelt (https://www.petworthnews.org/blog/roosevelt-high-tour-january-30-petworth) , Eastern (https://fhai.com/projects/eastern-high-school/) , Coolidge (https://educationsnapshots.com/projects/9712/coolidge-senior-high-school/), Dunbar (https://www.gilbaneco.com/projects/dunbar-high-school/), etc.

My kid goes to Banneker; the school is gorgeous.

Yes! Banneker and Jackson Reed too! For all the negative posts on here, I feel like the modernizations and facility space in DC is really strong. Compared to other districts around the country, and we are lucky. There are a few exceptions like Basis or SWW that don't have the same kind of space, but parents/students pick that intentionally and aware of the trade off.

They're also both in downtown spaces where land is impossible to find.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, my 4.0 kid didn't get an invite to interview at SWW either (assuming they've all been sent out). He's an introvert, and I assume his recs put him at the top for academic potential and intellectual curiosity but couldn't for leadership, teamwork, etc. Mercifully we are at one of the charters that goes through 12th, and we're not sure he would have even chosen SWW over staying put anyway. It makes decisonmaking easier! Good luck to everyone in this process, and I hope all the kids land somewhere that serves them well.

I’m not sure if that’s the case to be honest (about introversion being the reason for less enthusiastic recs). I’m a PP with a kid with a 4.0 and he’s extroverted and friends with everyone. I would say his kindness and friendliness is much stronger than his academic ability (he has to work hard for those grades, it does not come naturally to him). His teachers have always highlighted what a pleasant, friendly, cooperative kid he is. That said, the teacher who would have given him his strongest recommendation ended up leaving the school and we had no way to contact the teacher, so our recommendations may not have been as strong because we had to scramble last minute to find another recommender. In any event, it seems like there isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason to this process but I’m secretly relieved. My kid and I both thought the SWW building felt like a dungeon - very oppressive and dark. He was having second thoughts after the open house, so it’s for the best for us. Best of luck to everyone who wants to get in!

Are you sure you went to SWW? It is crowded but I’ve never heard it described as oppressive and dark. There are tons of windows and natural light.

The open house was at night and there were some areas that had no windows at all (like a science classroom and where the kids supposedly have lunch). Maybe that was why. In any event, it does not feel like the typical high school experience I had with a spacious campus, large auditorium, gymnasium, greenery, parking lot, etc.

lol.

This is DC.

OK but let’s admit that the facilities are not good compared to other high schools in DC.

It’s very lacking

Yes, that is my point exactly. Almost every other high school in DC has much better facilities and gives a more traditional high school experience than Walls. As illustrated by all the posts above linking some of those schools.

I think you're missing the point. Walls has never put out that it's a traditional high school, so if that's what you're looking for, you're in the wrong place. Whether and how much it lives up to the whole "city as your classroom" ideal, that is what it purports itself to be. It also has a humanities focus. Saying you want to go to Walls for the traditional high school experience is like saying you want to go to Walls for STEM. Neither are advisable.

FWIW my kid loves being in the midst of Foggy Bottom, takes classes at GW, interns down the street, and does sports practice on the National Mall.

Co-sign the above. Foggy bottom is beautiful and it is an amazing place for a humanities focused kid. Not great if you’re a student athlete or stem focused.

This. It has always been a niche school including in the 90s when I attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has a whole lot going for them and is also extroverted did not get a Walls interview. So you move on. End of story.

This. My kid did not get an interview, but he applied to a handful of the selective schools and wound up at one that has been a terrific fit. If he'd gone to our IB (J-R), I'm sure he would have been just fine there, too. I'm not bitter about Walls; I'm happy he's doing well and likes where he is, now. I know parents who are bitter about their kid not getting in, and it is so annoying.

It is harder to take when your kid has a 4.0 and doesn't even get an interview, and you don't have J-R as a perfectly acceptable backup option. I am hoping that Banneker or Duke works out -- if one does or my kid lucks into one of the very few slots at Latin or DCI, then I promise not to be bitter; until then, I am a little bitter that the process is sufficiently random that my kid who has a 4.0 in the hardest classes on offer at her school, is very involved in many aspects of school, and got recommendations that the recommenders deemed as good as they gave didn't even get an interview. It's easier not to be bitter if your alternative is J-R. And no, we aren't in a financial position to move.

A 4.0 is par for the course and not at all unusual. Get used to it as it will be the same when your kid is applying to colleges. A 4.0 actually meant something 25 years ago but grade inflation is rampant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has a whole lot going for them and is also extroverted did not get a Walls interview. So you move on. End of story.

This. My kid did not get an interview, but he applied to a handful of the selective schools and wound up at one that has been a terrific fit. If he'd gone to our IB (J-R), I'm sure he would have been just fine there, too. I'm not bitter about Walls; I'm happy he's doing well and likes where he is, now. I know parents who are bitter about their kid not getting in, and it is so annoying.

It is harder to take when your kid has a 4.0 and doesn't even get an interview, and you don't have J-R as a perfectly acceptable backup option. I am hoping that Banneker or Duke works out -- if one does or my kid lucks into one of the very few slots at Latin or DCI, then I promise not to be bitter; until then, I am a little bitter that the process is sufficiently random that my kid who has a 4.0 in the hardest classes on offer at her school, is very involved in many aspects of school, and got recommendations that the recommenders deemed as good as they gave didn't even get an interview. It's easier not to be bitter if your alternative is J-R. And no, we aren't in a financial position to move.

A 4.0 is par for the course and not at all unusual. Get used to it as it will be the same when your kid is applying to colleges. A 4.0 actually meant something 25 years ago but grade inflation is rampant.

The point honestly isn't that I think my kid is super special, it's that she could not have done better. So maxing out what was within her control, she still couldn't even get an interview. Yes, that makes me bitter.