Hardy over Deal?

[Anonymous]

We are IB for Deal but have been seriously thinking about applying to Hardy. Are we crazy? Has anyone else ever chosen Hardy over Deal? Any experiences with the two you’d like to share?

[Anonymous]

I don’t think you’re crazy. Deal is very crowded and the kids are really intense because the apples don’t fall far from the tree. Hardy would be a haul for us but I would prefer a better mix of kids. My child is new to DCPS and she is still searching for a nice group of girls at Deal.

[Anonymous]

What is it that you do not like about Deal? Did your child do the buddy day?

Have you attended the open house at both Deal and Hardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you’re crazy. Deal is very crowded and the kids are really intense because the apples don’t fall far from the tree. Hardy would be a haul for us but I would prefer a better mix of kids. My child is new to DCPS and she is still searching for a nice group of girls at Deal.

I think the intensity of kids is dependent on the peer group - as well as who you socialize with.

How do you define a "better" mix of kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you’re crazy. Deal is very crowded and the kids are really intense because the apples don’t fall far from the tree. Hardy would be a haul for us but I would prefer a better mix of kids. My child is new to DCPS and she is still searching for a nice group of girls at Deal.

I think the intensity of kids is dependent on the peer group - as well as who you socialize with.

How do you define a "better" mix of kids?

From different backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

I've also thought about this. We have a 2nd grader IB for Deal, but the idea of a smaller school like Hardy has some appeal. Also, not far from my office.

However, I think by the time she's of age, Hardy will be pretty hard to lottery into.

[Anonymous]

We live right next to Hardy. It's a much smaller school.

Also, it seems to have a nice mix of kids from different backgrounds: Af-Am's, upper middle class white kids, lots of Chinese kids from the embassy, etc. It similarly resembles my experience going to high school in Southern California. The kids also seem pretty well behaved, they are not a neighborhood nuisance before or after school. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think you’re crazy. Deal is very crowded and the kids are really intense because the apples don’t fall far from the tree. Hardy would be a haul for us but I would prefer a better mix of kids. My child is new to DCPS and she is still searching for a nice group of girls at Deal.

I think the intensity of kids is dependent on the peer group - as well as who you socialize with.

How do you define a "better" mix of kids?

From different backgrounds.

"Better mix of kids" and "different backgrounds". Nice. Look, especially to the PP with the 2nd grader, no matter WHERE you go to middle school, there is going to be middle school social drama, so just accept that right now and go with it. Yes, Deal is big, but with the team based approach they use it keeps the place smaller. We've always been impressed with the faculty but the last two years have been exceptionally in terms of the teaching. I think you need to stop following the crowd here, go visit both schools, and see what works best for your family. There is just no one size fits all experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is it that you do not like about Deal? Did your child do the buddy day?

Have you attended the open house at both Deal and Hardy?

The size of Deal gives me a little concern. My kid is also an athlete so I wonder about the competitiveness of making a team at Deal. I know that seems mundane but it’s a big deal to kid. We plan to attend the Jan 11 open house. No buddy days as my kid doesn’t attend a feeder school. Both Deal and Hardy are on the way to work for me as well.

[Anonymous]

Hardy over Deal?

Hardly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardy over Deal?

Hardly.

Very helpful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is it that you do not like about Deal? Did your child do the buddy day?

Have you attended the open house at both Deal and Hardy?

The size of Deal gives me a little concern. My kid is also an athlete so I wonder about the competitiveness of making a team at Deal. I know that seems mundane but it’s a big deal to kid. We plan to attend the Jan 11 open house. No buddy days as my kid doesn’t attend a feeder school. Both Deal and Hardy are on the way to work for me as well.

This sports thing is something we would not have said was a big deal, but it has been a big deal this year. We've got a kid who likes the social aspect of sports at least as much as the sport, and we are pretty certain would have been cut from any Deal team. Hardy (so far from what I've seen) doesn't cut kids.

You can look at the school report cards and slice and dice the academic and demographic info and see that both schools are doing a similarly good enough job at educating similar groups of kids.

Middle school is hard. Academically, the schools are similar. If sports will make your child happy, don't discount that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy over Deal?

Hardly.

Very helpful

This PP puts this comment on every Hardy thread--it wasn't funny the first time and it's getting old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is it that you do not like about Deal? Did your child do the buddy day?

Have you attended the open house at both Deal and Hardy?

The size of Deal gives me a little concern. My kid is also an athlete so I wonder about the competitiveness of making a team at Deal. I know that seems mundane but it’s a big deal to kid. We plan to attend the Jan 11 open house. No buddy days as my kid doesn’t attend a feeder school. Both Deal and Hardy are on the way to work for me as well.

This sports thing is something we would not have said was a big deal, but it has been a big deal this year. We've got a kid who likes the social aspect of sports at least as much as the sport, and we are pretty certain would have been cut from any Deal team. Hardy (so far from what I've seen) doesn't cut kids.

You can look at the school report cards and slice and dice the academic and demographic info and see that both schools are doing a similarly good enough job at educating similar groups of kids.


Middle school is hard. Academically, the schools are similar. If sports will make your child happy, don't discount that.

+1 Agreed. My Hardy kids participates in track and basketball and really needs it. Middle school is a tough time. Plus participating in those sports give him a chance to develop new friend groups within his school because for the most part he hangs with his cohort from his elementary school. I'm sure Deal is a terrific school...I just think it's too big. I need my kid to know that he is known.

[Anonymous]

Give it a try. You can always switch to Deal since you are in-bounds.