Is Latin really all that and a bag of chips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok I’ll bite - here are the top five reasons our family is very happy at Latin

1. Incredible, passionate, dedicated teaching and support staff - I’ve never met a group of people in a school setting like them and it goes all the way to the top -

2. The special ed team is great and always works to find the support solutions needed and changes it when it is not working - we have two kids one who needs support and one who doesn’t and both are thriving

3. The small size of the school allows kids to do lots of things they are interested in - like jazz band and wrestling- great do both!

4. The education philosophy I totally buy into - some may not - but the focus on humanities and learning deeply about a subject - classical education sounds stiff but honestly in todays world it is a breath of fresh air

5. Student autonomy - pushing students to interact directly with a teacher if they need help with an assignment or are missing work - I love that it is teaching our kids to take ownership over their own education.

Seems super vague.

Let me guess: your kids are "thriving" there, whatever that means.

[Anonymous]

For those considering whether to take a 5th grade spot at Latin (or BASIS or any other school) versus hold out for DCI at 6th grade, keep this in mind: if you have a younger sibling at a DCI feeder, you can always try a school for 5th grade and if it doesn’t work out, use the younger sibling preference to have a very strong shot of getting your 6th grader into DCI even though that 6th grader isn’t directly coming from the feeder.

Regarding speaking to other feeder families about DCI: many of them are already drinking the DCI Kool Aid and it’s good not to offend anyone by raising skepticism about the school. Many families do seem very happy with DCI and it seems to be the charter option most like Deal in terms of a larger school with a lot of extra curricular offerings and an IB curriculum. But note how many folks on this forum have different opinions about how Deal worked out for their kids and ask yourself if you and the families happy at DCI have the same goals and priorities for your students’ education. If you generally agree on what a good education looks like then that family’s opinion will be more relevant and helpful.

This applies for any school you are considering. Folks have different priorities and goals and value different subjects or philosophies differently. The attitude of the families attending a school and how much pressure the family asserts on academic related concerns should not be underestimated as a factor to consider when determining if a school is the right fit.

[Anonymous]

I’m from a feeder and went to the Latin main campus open house. FWIW, the question was asked if Latin has many families coming from immersion charters (DCI feeders) and admin says no they don’t.

The school is old, run down, and an odd layout like they threw some add ons without thinking of the flow. It’s night and day compared to facilities at DCI which feels like a college campus.

I also found leadership to be full of themselves and pompous. The presentation wasn’t much substance at all, mostly videos of staff praising the school. A number of families asked some good questions after and the answers were BS fluff responses without answering the question. No coverage of what a classical curriculum entailed except they talked about requiring Latin. So someone after the presentation actually asked this question and a fluff general response with no substance. Maybe they don’t need to try hard but we were not impressed at all.

We went to the open house at DCI and the presentation of great, covered a lot about IB curriculum, course offerings, tracks and options in addition to extracurricular, clubs, etc…. The principal did the presentation and we personally asked a few questions one on one after and wow, were we impressed by character and he gave thoughtful, direct, honest answers of substance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from a feeder and went to the Latin main campus open house. FWIW, the question was asked if Latin has many families coming from immersion charters (DCI feeders) and admin says no they don’t.

The school is old, run down, and an odd layout like they threw some add ons without thinking of the flow. It’s night and day compared to facilities at DCI which feels like a college campus.

I also found leadership to be full of themselves and pompous. The presentation wasn’t much substance at all, mostly videos of staff praising the school. A number of families asked some good questions after and the answers were BS fluff responses without answering the question. No coverage of what a classical curriculum entailed except they talked about requiring Latin. So someone after the presentation actually asked this question and a fluff general response with no substance. Maybe they don’t need to try hard but we were not impressed at all.

We went to the open house at DCI and the presentation of great, covered a lot about IB curriculum, course offerings, tracks and options in addition to extracurricular, clubs, etc…. The principal did the presentation and we personally asked a few questions one on one after and wow, were we impressed by character and he gave thoughtful, direct, honest answers of substance.

My kid doesn't go to a DCI feeder, and I thought this assessment was spot on. Keep drinking the Latin koolaid, kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok I’ll bite - here are the top five reasons our family is very happy at Latin

1. Incredible, passionate, dedicated teaching and support staff - I’ve never met a group of people in a school setting like them and it goes all the way to the top -

2. The special ed team is great and always works to find the support solutions needed and changes it when it is not working - we have two kids one who needs support and one who doesn’t and both are thriving

3. The small size of the school allows kids to do lots of things they are interested in - like jazz band and wrestling- great do both!

4. The education philosophy I totally buy into - some may not - but the focus on humanities and learning deeply about a subject - classical education sounds stiff but honestly in todays world it is a breath of fresh air

5. Student autonomy - pushing students to interact directly with a teacher if they need help with an assignment or are missing work - I love that it is teaching our kids to take ownership over their own education.

Seems super vague.

Let me guess: your kids are "thriving" there, whatever that means.

Would you prefer me to say I like assignment 2.9 in the honors physics class my freshman is in?

My kids are happy - I am happy - they are learning great things from great people. And that is what I define as “thriving” for you to add to your vocabulary.

[Anonymous]

We are waitlisted with extremely high numbers so unlikely to get a spot. It looks like we will be paying for private middle (and likely high school too). I do wonder if we are getting a better education going private anyway. Guess I'll never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Latin’s more average academics is why it appeals to such a vast number of families. So many more people can see themselves at Latin because it’s essentially a great compromise between “too rigorous” academics like BASIS and “non-existent” academics at their in-bound DCPS middle school. Latin’s academics are good, and lots of high achieving kids go there, which makes it a unicorn in DC. But based on conversations with families there, it’s not the best fit for students advanced in math and science. Also, the laid back attitude of the families there could be exactly what some people are looking for, but it could be the wrong fit for families looking to be surrounded by the type A families that are more likely to be found at a school like BASIS. Just because Latin is so popular doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for everyone.

The high performing kids and families go to Basis.

The average performing kids go to Latin. If your kid is average performing, families tend to be more laid back.

Sure they might be some high performing kids at Latin but it’s definitely not a large group and why their scores are so bad even though the majority of families at both school are from CH with similar SES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Latin’s more average academics is why it appeals to such a vast number of families. So many more people can see themselves at Latin because it’s essentially a great compromise between “too rigorous” academics like BASIS and “non-existent” academics at their in-bound DCPS middle school. Latin’s academics are good, and lots of high achieving kids go there, which makes it a unicorn in DC. But based on conversations with families there, it’s not the best fit for students advanced in math and science. Also, the laid back attitude of the families there could be exactly what some people are looking for, but it could be the wrong fit for families looking to be surrounded by the type A families that are more likely to be found at a school like BASIS. Just because Latin is so popular doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for everyone.

The high performing kids and families go to Basis.

The average performing kids go to Latin. If your kid is average performing, families tend to be more laid back.

Sure they might be some high performing kids at Latin but it’s definitely not a large group and why their scores are so bad even though the majority of families at both school are from CH with similar SES

The other side of this is that Basis is really an inappropriate school for average performers, bc that level of acceleration is stressful unless you really want it. Latin is a really excellent choice for an average learner with a bad IB school. It's kind of ideal. Saying all this as someone who ranked Basis higher and will be enrolling their child there next year.

[Anonymous]

Do lottery preferences play a role in the Latin demographics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok I’ll bite - here are the top five reasons our family is very happy at Latin

1. Incredible, passionate, dedicated teaching and support staff - I’ve never met a group of people in a school setting like them and it goes all the way to the top -

2. The special ed team is great and always works to find the support solutions needed and changes it when it is not working - we have two kids one who needs support and one who doesn’t and both are thriving

3. The small size of the school allows kids to do lots of things they are interested in - like jazz band and wrestling- great do both!

4. The education philosophy I totally buy into - some may not - but the focus on humanities and learning deeply about a subject - classical education sounds stiff but honestly in todays world it is a breath of fresh air

5. Student autonomy - pushing students to interact directly with a teacher if they need help with an assignment or are missing work - I love that it is teaching our kids to take ownership over their own education.

Seems super vague.

Let me guess: your kids are "thriving" there, whatever that means.

They actually explicitly said their kids are thriving. Reading comprehension seems to be a weak point for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Latin’s more average academics is why it appeals to such a vast number of families. So many more people can see themselves at Latin because it’s essentially a great compromise between “too rigorous” academics like BASIS and “non-existent” academics at their in-bound DCPS middle school. Latin’s academics are good, and lots of high achieving kids go there, which makes it a unicorn in DC. But based on conversations with families there, it’s not the best fit for students advanced in math and science. Also, the laid back attitude of the families there could be exactly what some people are looking for, but it could be the wrong fit for families looking to be surrounded by the type A families that are more likely to be found at a school like BASIS. Just because Latin is so popular doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for everyone.

The high performing kids and families go to Basis.

The average performing kids go to Latin. If your kid is average performing, families tend to be more laid back.

Sure they might be some high performing kids at Latin but it’s definitely not a large group and why their scores are so bad even though the majority of families at both school are from CH with similar SES

The other side of this is that Basis is really an inappropriate school for average performers, bc that level of acceleration is stressful unless you really want it. Latin is a really excellent choice for an average learner with a bad IB school. It's kind of ideal. Saying all this as someone who ranked Basis higher and will be enrolling their child there next year.

+1. BASIS is not a good fit for many kids, which is why I’m always surprised when people just throw it on their list. It makes sense if all you want is to attend 5th and then leave to somewhere else, but that should really be your plan if you’re simply looking for an alternative to Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from a feeder and went to the Latin main campus open house. FWIW, the question was asked if Latin has many families coming from immersion charters (DCI feeders) and admin says no they don’t.

Thanks for this. I trimmed just to reduce text.

We actually know a few different LAMB families at Latin and they highly recommended it to us and I don't know any other feeder families that got an offier so that part isn't super telling to me.

We watched presentations from both schools and didn't get the blown away reaction you had but will visit in person, I hope, and will see.

I'm assuming you didn't even enter the lottery based on what you saw?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do lottery preferences play a role in the Latin demographics?

Yes, the same way it is everywhere else? Sibling preference means you’re going to have same demographics for some period of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Latin’s more average academics is why it appeals to such a vast number of families. So many more people can see themselves at Latin because it’s essentially a great compromise between “too rigorous” academics like BASIS and “non-existent” academics at their in-bound DCPS middle school. Latin’s academics are good, and lots of high achieving kids go there, which makes it a unicorn in DC. But based on conversations with families there, it’s not the best fit for students advanced in math and science. Also, the laid back attitude of the families there could be exactly what some people are looking for, but it could be the wrong fit for families looking to be surrounded by the type A families that are more likely to be found at a school like BASIS. Just because Latin is so popular doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for everyone.

The high performing kids and families go to Basis.

The average performing kids go to Latin. If your kid is average performing, families tend to be more laid back.

Sure they might be some high performing kids at Latin but it’s definitely not a large group and why their scores are so bad even though the majority of families at both school are from CH with similar SES

This was clear to us and we didn't list basis because neither the child that matched or younger sib that will still be at the feeder next year are kids that would excel (or maybe even survive) at basis. My kids are great, curious, and bright. They are not academic superstars though. Actually one reason we are interested in Latin is my fear that they'll get lost at DCI. My sense was that kids that aren't super well organized and driven might fall through the cracks.
The other side of this is that Basis is really an inappropriate school for average performers, bc that level of acceleration is stressful unless you really want it. Latin is a really excellent choice for an average learner with a bad IB school. It's kind of ideal. Saying all this as someone who ranked Basis higher and will be enrolling their child there next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Latin’s more average academics is why it appeals to such a vast number of families. So many more people can see themselves at Latin because it’s essentially a great compromise between “too rigorous” academics like BASIS and “non-existent” academics at their in-bound DCPS middle school. Latin’s academics are good, and lots of high achieving kids go there, which makes it a unicorn in DC. But based on conversations with families there, it’s not the best fit for students advanced in math and science. Also, the laid back attitude of the families there could be exactly what some people are looking for, but it could be the wrong fit for families looking to be surrounded by the type A families that are more likely to be found at a school like BASIS. Just because Latin is so popular doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice for everyone.

The high performing kids and families go to Basis.

The average performing kids go to Latin. If your kid is average performing, families tend to be more laid back.

Sure they might be some high performing kids at Latin but it’s definitely not a large group and why their scores are so bad even though the majority of families at both school are from CH with similar SES

Latin is the third highest performing high school in the city on PARCCC. The two higher performing schools, SWS and Banneker are application schools.