Maury Capitol Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

[Anonymous]

What is so wrong with Eastern anyway? If its IB program is flooded with the above grade level students that seem to exist all over the Hill, wouldn’t it be ideal?

[Anonymous]

IME, middle school is when differences in families become stark. It sort of like the way BASIS and Latin attract 2 different sorts of families. I think EH attracts its own sorts of families, and there’s nothing invalid about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is so wrong with Eastern anyway? If its IB program is flooded with the above grade level students that seem to exist all over the Hill, wouldn’t it be ideal?

You are answering your own question. How do you "flood" its IB program with above grade level students? Right now, what is "wrong" with Eastern is an extremely high percentage of students who are below grade level and a very low IB percentage. Yes, if you changed those things, there would be nothing "so wrong" with Eastern. But changing those things is not so easy as just saying "what's wrong with Eastern anyway?"

Also, even if you flooded Eastern with Ward 6 students tomorrow, the transition would be painful and hard. The school is not ready for it, there would be massive cultural issues and a need for a huge reallocation in resources. Plus a lot of people who teach at Eastern would not be so enthusiastic about suddenly serving a mostly high-SES, white population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

Which part is recent, just the improvement of schools or reliance on the lottery? Agree school improvement is pretty recent, and the idea that you could send your kid to an IB elementary on CH and feel really good about it is definitely a recent development. And yes, I do think it will probably continue, though I'm not sure if that improvement is going to reach Eastern any time soon. We'll see. Even the middle schools I think have real barriers to improvement that don't exist for certain elementary schools.

It's tough because there is luck involved. Yes you can get a sense for where a school might improve and then buy in early before the school really improves and the real estate gets priced above what you can afford. But you might bet wrong. There are several schools on the Hill that I thought might really improve and haven't, and there is plenty of expensive real estate around them. There are no guarantees, and as long as there are no guarantees, the lottery, private, and moving away will continue to be options people avail themselves of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

The Brent development is not at all recent. Kindergartners there when it was seen as a good school would be in HS by now. (Maybe older. I’ve only been paying attention since my teenagers were starting out.)

There was a 15 year run of many schools improving, some schools having their reputations completely change etc., so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that would always continue.

I don’t see how anyone can think that now. If anything, some of the schools will continue to regress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

The Brent development is not at all recent. Kindergartners there when it was seen as a good school would be in HS by now. (Maybe older. I’ve only been paying attention since my teenagers were starting out.)

There was a 15 year run of many schools improving, some schools having their reputations completely change etc., so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that would always continue.

I don’t see how anyone can think that now. If anything, some of the schools will continue to regress.

Looking at you, Watkins. (And Maury if this proposal goes through).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

The Brent development is not at all recent. Kindergartners there when it was seen as a good school would be in HS by now. (Maybe older. I’ve only been paying attention since my teenagers were starting out.)

There was a 15 year run of many schools improving, some schools having their reputations completely change etc., so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that would always continue.

I don’t see how anyone can think that now. If anything, some of the schools will continue to regress.

Looking at you, Watkins. (And Maury if this proposal goes through).

It is amazing that they want to emulate the Cluster when the existing Cluster is pretty much the only CH/CH-adjacent DCPS solidity moving backwards over the last decade… except maybe Miner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is so wrong with Eastern anyway? If its IB program is flooded with the above grade level students that seem to exist all over the Hill, wouldn’t it be ideal?

What's obviously wrong with Eastern is little DCPS Ward 6 middle school feeder buy-in from UMC families. There's no middle school bridge to Eastern because most of the UMC families bail from DCPS elementary schools to charters after 4th grade. Change that and Eastern could change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so wrong with Eastern anyway? If its IB program is flooded with the above grade level students that seem to exist all over the Hill, wouldn’t it be ideal?

What's obviously wrong with Eastern is little DCPS Ward 6 middle school feeder buy-in from UMC families. There's no middle school bridge to Eastern because most of the UMC families bail from DCPS elementary schools to charters after 4th grade. Change that and Eastern could change.

Yeah I’m not going to gamble my child’s academic future on “could change”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone suggesting that an E-H solution would draw kids away from BASIS and Latin ignores the reality of how short the MS years are and how bad the Hill HS situation is. If you don't want and can't leave DC or move for 9th, you have no choice but to take the Latin or BASIS exit if you are lucky enough to be offered it. MS is 3 years, and there's only 2 years of it before you need to have an idea of what your HS plan is. I sincerely hope E-H and all Hill schools get their sh*t together and prosper in the coming years. But I can tell you from experience that families without guaranteed HS options (ability to move, $ to pay for private) are generally not going to be motivated by nonspecific promises of some sort of "tracking light" at E-H. Step one to getting buy-in at E-H or SH is to stand up and offer a formal tracking process. No more of this nonsense where SH doesn't advertise tracking but allows students to take math classes with the year above and pretends it isn't happening.

This. EH is filled with families who struck out in the lottery and are trying to get a few more years in the city / hoping to lottery into Walls. IB families are not “choosing” EH.

There are absolutely EH families that choose EH over one of those charters … I’m under no illusions about having to find a different solution for HS but so far so good.

So you "chose" EH over a spot at Latin? Even though you won't use your IB HS? You are an example of what I described my friend. You feel you have options for HS; private $, move within DC, move out of DC, etc.

This. People will talk about going to EH or SH (or Jefferson) but their plan for HS is Walls, Banneker, private, or move. The plan is never Eastern. So it's tiresome when people talk about increased buy in for SH and EH (and let's get real about how much increased buy-in these schools are getting) without acknowledging that this is just people postponing their Plan Bs a few more years, not actually buying into the Ward 6 high school.

Both of these conversations can be true. The prior poster had the uninformed and inaccurate picture that all families at EH had already tried and struck out lottery. My family and many others never did the lottery and intended ongoing to EH from the get go.
As for high school, we are not ruling out Eastern but plan to learn about other public school options as well. Participating in the city's school choice system, especially for high school when there are very different programs does not mean you cannot be interested in and choose to go to your neighborhood middle school.

Not even entering the lottery is the picture of entitlement. In order to have acted in that manner you must have access to resources that informed that decision. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way. I would love to have mommy/daddy money to pay for private school. I would love to have a job that allows me to cash flow Sidwell in 9th. I would love to be able to move houses at the drop of a hat without regard to financial impact. Good for you.

But here's the thing. People like you ought not lecture people without those options or advantages about what they could or should do. It's the equivalent of having a parachute on under your jacket and encouraging others to get on a plane that is likely to crash, because "what if it doesn't and we reach our destination?"

I stand by my position that no one without HS options chose E-H without at least considering alternatives that solved for HS.

Ok. What’s your point again? The actual EH families’ point is that EH is going fine and we are reasonably happy. Not that we love the HS options or might have taken a spot at Latin. There’s always something potentially better so I struggle to understand why “striking out in the lottery” means EH is bad.

DP, but the point is that when you say lots of Maury families are "choosing EH" without acknowledging that these families often have resources that make them less stressed about HS.

People will lament the families who leave Hill elementaries in 5th for Latin or BASIS and try to argue "what's wrong with EH, SH, and Jefferson?" But the MSs are not the point. The high schools are. The people who lottery for characters in 5th and take those spots are not thrilled about giving up neighborhood schools and taking on long commutes for the next 8 years. They do it because they cannot afford to risk their kid not getting into Walls or Banneker, because they have no other good options. If you absolutely, 100% cannot afford private, and if moving would be a major financial stress (keep in mind that if you don't have a ton of money for private, you will also be limited as to where you can move and will likely not have access to the best suburban high schools either), then EH could be a freaking palace and a lot of parents would still choose a charter with an okay HS feed.

I often hear from Hill families that you have to be "willing to play the game." What this ignores is that some people are playing that game with extra cards. It is much easier to "roll the dice" on EH and the hope of Walls admissions if your back up is, to give a very common example, Gonzaga with with help from grandparents to cover costs. It's also easier to do if you have an HHI of 500k and you bought your Hill row house for 400k 15 years ago, so if you want to bail and move to Bethesda or Northern Virginia at any point, there are few barriers to you doing so.

Some of us cannot afford to do that. I do not ever want to put my kid in the position of having to get a spot in an application high school in DC or attend Eastern. Especially when grabbing spots at those applications schools becomes more and more of a crap shoot every year.

Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??

Lol unless you can afford private, you are dependent on the lottery for good schools on the Hill. Even if you are IB for a good elementary like Maury, even if you are willing to try EH or SH for middle, you will need lottery help to deal with HS.

I know some of you think that everyone who lives on the Hill should be able to afford private, but many people here bought their homes for 500-700k 8-10 years ago (or for less if they bought pre-2013). Lots of dual feds or similar who are well off but not well off enough to drop 30-50k on private school for multiple kids.

The school ecosystem on the Hill has been lottery-dependent since the lottery came into existence. In fact, it was the lottery, combined with the development of schools like SWS and CHML, that made the Hill such a desirable neighborhood for UMC families. The culture that you enjoy on the Hill now, of a family- and kid-friendly culture with lots of well-educated and friendly UMC families, evolved because it was possible for many years to move the Hill and use the lottery to find acceptable educational options for your kids.

I don’t think anyone here has disputed that? This PP seemed to be trying to deny that former Maury families are satisfied with EH because we “struck out in the lottery.”

The question was "Why did you buy on the Hill in the first place if you are so dependent on the lottery??"

The answer is: nearly everyone who buys on the Hill is dependent on the lottery to some degree or another, even people who buy IB for elementary schools they like and are reasonably happy with their MS options. It's a silly question because the lottery is essential to most Hill families' plans, unless they are planning to move or can afford private. But a family who moves is no longer a Hill family, and only a small percentage of Hill families can afford private schools in this area.

I think this is a relatively recent development. I remember when Brent wasn’t a school anyone would send their kid to, let alone Maury or Ludlow. That so much positive change has happened in recent years makes me wonder why it wouldn’t continue- especially if there are now so many families who can’t afford to send their kids to private or Catholic schools like they did in my day.

The Brent development is not at all recent. Kindergartners there when it was seen as a good school would be in HS by now. (Maybe older. I’ve only been paying attention since my teenagers were starting out.)

There was a 15 year run of many schools improving, some schools having their reputations completely change etc., so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that would always continue.

I don’t see how anyone can think that now. If anything, some of the schools will continue to regress.

Looking at you, Watkins. (And Maury if this proposal goes through).

It is amazing that they want to emulate the Cluster when the existing Cluster is pretty much the only CH/CH-adjacent DCPS solidity moving backwards over the last decade… except maybe Miner.

You’re mistaken. Watkins decreasing test scores & IB participation is the result they actually want - this is “equity”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is so wrong with Eastern anyway? If its IB program is flooded with the above grade level students that seem to exist all over the Hill, wouldn’t it be ideal?

What's obviously wrong with Eastern is little DCPS Ward 6 middle school feeder buy-in from UMC families. There's no middle school bridge to Eastern because most of the UMC families bail from DCPS elementary schools to charters after 4th grade. Change that and Eastern could change.

Yeah I’m not going to gamble my child’s academic future on “could change”.

That’s right. Few people are willing to take this gamble all the way through HS.