Middle schools and the lottery
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Anonymous
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Why does the Basis list move so much? Where do those kids go after declining a Basis spot?
If everyone is telling me that Basis is more math and Latin is more humanities, how do the two schools maintain those specializations if the prospective students don't really get a chance to pick between them? Why is Hardy nowhere on the thread if up until a year ago it was mostly OOB? I get that this year 6th great was almost all IB, but why doesn't anyone try to get in? With all the fear about McFarland, is noone on this forum trying to get into Hardy? |
Anonymous
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The Basis list moves because there are a bunch of people zone for Deal and Hardy who lottery just to see what will happen (and maybe some in the feeder at Two Rivers and Inspired and DCI) and then don't enroll because they decide that Basis isn't actually a trade up/best fit for them.
Though Latin might be, which is why its list doesn't move. |
Anonymous
Hardy - more IB families are attending, especially from Eaton now that the grandfathering at Deal is a thing of the past. Hardy offers fewer seats in the initial lottery than in the past (~20 vs. ~60 just a couple years ago). They will fill from their waitlist. ANd yes the wait list is pretty long. BASIS - it's an accelerated curriculum. Students start doing high-school level work in 6th grade (5th is a more standard curriculum). The facilities are not great, and extracurriculars have been limited in the past. That said, there are now inter-scholastic soccer, basketball, flag football, baseball teams, strong dance clubs, debate and a really strong Certamen team. The middle school students produce a musical each year. The homework load is pretty high - at least 60-90 minutes a night/weekend and the high stakes end of the year comprehensive exams can be daunting. It is just not what a lot of families are looking for, or at least not their first choice. MacFarland is growing, but perhaps not as much with the "gentrifier" crowd. DCI has taken a couple dozen students (from non-feeders) at 6th each year so some go there. Slowly Stuart Hobson and Jefferson are becoming more popular with families IB for those schools. |
Anonymous
Maybe some families apply to both, but my guess is selection bias in who applies to each--more STEM kids may apply to Basis, and more humanities-oriented kids may apply to Latin. |
Anonymous
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The math/humanities thing between BASIS and Latin is true, although I'd said it's BASIS = math and science and Latin is not.
Students at BASIS start taking 3 separate science classes every year in 6th (Bio/Chem/Physics, each about 3x a week). The default is for most students to begin Alg in 5th or 6th, but some do start with Math 5 or 6. Latin doesn't have the same sort of science curriculum. Some students can follow a faster math path if they need it or want it, often by doing a course over the summer. Anyway, BASIS isn't for everyone. I had one kid who has thrived there, and another who flamed out after 8th. |
Anonymous
Mostly people who live outside the Wilson feeders apply to both, and more rank Latin 1st. Some also put Hardy on their list, but Hardy offers fewer OOB seats. They "settle" for BASIS but have trepidation about it. |
Anonymous
| We are one of those. Matched for Basis, zoned into Hardy. The dilemma is that DS is (extremely) talented in math but is not thrilled about the whole package at Basis. As scientist parents who grew up with separate science classes and comprehensive exams, Basis is compelling. However, the homework mill reputation of Basis gives us pause. |
Anonymous
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We liked the idea of Latin a lot but the commute would have been super hard for us. BASIS was a much simpler commute for our family. Would have been happy with Hardy but didn't get in off the waitlist - however, we know a few kids who did and are happy there, and now have Wilson to feed into for high school.
I think lots of families have kids who could be happy at several different schools, but they also have to consider the feasibility of commute. And on top of all these considerations are the randomness of the lottery! |
Anonymous
| Tried Hardy this year and of course no luck. So we stay at our private for the remainder of Middle School. We kinda knew it would be this way. Very reluctant to gamble on MS. |
Anonymous
| We were matched with Basis and waitlisted for our first choice Latin. I am not sure if we will enroll. |
Anonymous
I'm very curious what private middle you're at where you consider Hardy an upgrade. We put our kids in private middle a couple of years ago and there were tons of kids who were in-boundary for Hardy. I realize that is changing. I also realize that the cost of private school -- even with financial aid -- is staggering. |
Anonymous
FWIW the homework load has been reduced significantly over the last 2 years. It is also much lighter in 5th grade. However, the work takes different kids longer to complete than others -- if your child has attention or executive function challenges, they will need more time to complete it. The homework is generally checked for accuracy, not just completion and the teachers use the information to see where students need more instruction. My suggestion is to have your child do a shadow day, and for you to tour and put this question directly to the school leaders. Also, if you know any BASIS parents, reach out to them directly. I don't think any of us will sugarcoat the strengths or the weaknesses. - 5 year BASIS parent |
Anonymous
| Waitlisted 19 at Deal. 6th grade. Any shot? |
Anonymous
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Op: Thank you for starting this thread. Hopefully we can cluster our middle school questions here. The other lottery threads are dominated by elementary school discussions.
Regarding BASIS, can someone clarify whether they’re accepting few total kids for 5th this year? I’m trying to assess whether we should expect similar waitlist movement to last year. |
Anonymous
| ^^ fewer |