Middle Schools for Cap Hill

[Anonymous]

Clearly not relevant. MIT grads on Capitol Hill = dingbats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on what you are looking for. If you are on the Hill:

BASIS is by far the best choice for academics. But it not a good choice if you don't want intellectual rigor and an advanced curriculum

Latin I offers an OK curriculum with more amenities.

Latin II is a total crapshoot. We'll have to wait a few years to see how it pans out.

Otherwise, you are looking at your in-bound options, which are decent for elementary, subpar for middle, and bad for high school.

For the families who choose E-H, S-H, or Jefferson, good luck with that but don't kid yourself that Basis or Latin are just "different" and not better. Basis is objectively the best, trailed by Latin, with E-H, S-H, and Jefferson way behind.

BASIS offers little more than test prep, with high teacher turnover. It's a march in step, salute program while intellectual rigor is about learning to question. We didn't find their middle school curriculum advanced outside math and science. Languages won't be taught before 8th grade at BASIS as of this fall. Not too impressive.

Nothing you say contradicts PPs contention that Basis is still the best option.

In the big picture, avoiding BASIS altogether can be a fine option, however that shakes out.

We're MITs grads who don't respect their obtuse one-size-fits-all approach to learning, or their leadership. The kids in charge didn't so much as attend elite colleges.

+100. BASIS DC has been seriously overrated from the get-go. I'd much rather have my high-achieving STEM oriented kid fail to get into MIT, Harvard etc. than get pushed around at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

how do you know if your child is a good or bad fit for basis? i have an extremely bright but disorganized boy who likes math/science but who now also when left to his own devices does a pretty sloppy/haphazard job on any schoolwork or homework assignments that does not next-level interest him.

[Anonymous]

Can you afford a private or parochial school that would nurture and inspire the kid, while gently instilling some discipline?

BASIS is essentially a kill and drill machine in a depressing facility. There's mix of inexperienced teachers who don't knock themselves out and good ones.

My own extremely bright kid did well enough there academically but wasn't happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford a private or parochial school that would nurture and inspire the kid, while gently instilling some discipline?

BASIS is essentially a kill and drill machine in a depressing facility. There's mix of inexperienced teachers who don't knock themselves out and good ones.

My own extremely bright kid did well enough there academically but wasn't happy.

Do you ever get tired of parroting the same old lies?

Your kid didn't do well at BASIS DC and dropped out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford a private or parochial school that would nurture and inspire the kid, while gently instilling some discipline?

BASIS is essentially a kill and drill machine in a depressing facility. There's mix of inexperienced teachers who don't knock themselves out and good ones.

My own extremely bright kid did well enough there academically but wasn't happy.

Do you ever get tired of parroting the same old lies?

Your kid didn't do well at BASIS DC and dropped out.

But if only the admin had been older or they'd had a library his kid would have been just fine!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how do you know if your child is a good or bad fit for basis? i have an extremely bright but disorganized boy who likes math/science but who now also when left to his own devices does a pretty sloppy/haphazard job on any schoolwork or homework assignments that does not next-level interest him.

Talk with neighborhood families who are currently at Basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford a private or parochial school that would nurture and inspire the kid, while gently instilling some discipline?

BASIS is essentially a kill and drill machine in a depressing facility. There's mix of inexperienced teachers who don't knock themselves out and good ones.

My own extremely bright kid did well enough there academically but wasn't happy.

Do you ever get tired of parroting the same old lies?

Your kid didn't do well at BASIS DC and dropped out.

The people on DCUM with vendettas against schools — that in some cases their child never attended! — are really weird. What do you think motivates them? We had an absolutely horrible experience at a school and while I did not hesitate to express how f-ed up it was, I always understood it was just my experience and other children were fine, even in the same class. I guess maybe it takes having a kid who does not fit the mold to be a parent who is more realistic about what schools can and cannot do?

[Anonymous]

The crux of the problem certainly isn't vendettas. It's black cloud we all live under, having been handed a raw deal by politicians for middle school and high school year after year, decade after decade.

Whatever solution you go for, you're just making do. After a point, Hill parents can have limited patience with those who claim otherwise ("Eliot-Hine, wonderful!," "Jefferson Academy, fantastic rigor!," "BASIS, couldn't be happier!" etc.).

I feel sorry for the many 11-18 year olds around here who spend over an hour schlepping to DCI by public transport one way. But that's the best their families can do to stay home in a wonderful community, so they cope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how do you know if your child is a good or bad fit for basis? i have an extremely bright but disorganized boy who likes math/science but who now also when left to his own devices does a pretty sloppy/haphazard job on any schoolwork or homework assignments that does not next-level interest him.

I have a kid with HFA and ADHD who is thriving at BASIS. My child excels academically, especially in math, and the school’s firm structure helps with organizational challenges. (But I knew my child was exceedingly bright and motivated.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The crux of the problem certainly isn't vendettas. It's black cloud we all live under, having been handed a raw deal by politicians for middle school and high school year after year, decade after decade.

Whatever solution you go for, you're just making do. After a point, Hill parents can have limited patience with those who claim otherwise ("Eliot-Hine, wonderful!," "Jefferson Academy, fantastic rigor!," "BASIS, couldn't be happier!" etc.).

I feel sorry for the many 11-18 year olds around here who spend over an hour schlepping to DCI by public transport one way. But that's the best their families can do to stay home in a wonderful community, so they cope.

It’s also the problem with school choice. People in DC are generally insecure, so unless everyone they know chooses the same school as they do, they constantly worry about whether they made the right choice. This worry turns into tearing down everyone else’s choice.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps, but the greater problem is that we're all mired in relativism, bickering over scraps essentially.

By upscale suburban and independent school standards in this Metro area, none of our public middle school options in the District are first-rate.

An individual student can have a good year or experience in any particular school without changing this calculus.

[Anonymous]

If Capitol Hill residents are unhappy with their elected officials, then why aren’t they running an opponent against their incomement council member in this month‘s primary?

[Anonymous]

*incumbent (not “incomement”)

[Anonymous]

Most CH voters could care less about middle school quality. They're too young to have middle school-age children, or OK with current middle schools (mostly low SES voters).