Amidon Bowen vs Capitol Hill Montessori vs Appletree SW

[Anonymous]

For PK3 these are my only “realistic” options for public school. Test scores are important to me and I tried for schools that scored well in English and math, but met with little success. Could parents with children currently or formerly at these schools provide some insight into the good, bad, and uglies. I appreciate any insights offered.

[Anonymous]

If test scores are important, I would go with Appletree, which is probably the most academic PK3 program of your options. I think there are lot of good things about Amidon but it's not going to satisfy you long-term if test scores are your main criterion, so why take a spot there from someone who might stay longer? And I don't think you'd like CHML much either--Montessori as a philosophy is not very test-oriented. Go to Appletree, lottery again for PK4 and K, and figure out what you want to do it those years don't work out how you want them to.

[Anonymous]

Don't spook yourself OP-- stick with CHML. Great primary program

[Anonymous]

Go with Amidon. The best teachers from Appletree SW make their way to a teaching position there and the PK program is excellent.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks but I’m now hearing high teacher turnover and disorganization at CHM. I was unaware pre-lottery. That plus the test scores have scared me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go with Amidon. The best teachers from Appletree SW make their way to a teaching position there and the PK program is excellent.

Thank you. Any insight as to what is happening with the low test scores?

[Anonymous]

OP, there is a high at-risk population at Amidon. You can do your own research as to a correlation of at-risk populations and lower scores on standardized tests.

If you want some feedback from current Amidon parents, you might have better luck frequenting the playground during afternoons. You'll find a lot of us there and will have better luck getting more information about the school than on here.

[Anonymous]

OP, let's be real. You aren't going to be happy long-term at most DCPS schools. Do Appletree for a couple years, see if you luck into a Wilson feeder or maybe Brent/Maury/a few other schools with high enough scores for you, and if not you'll move IB for them or out of DC. Your kid is going to switch eventually in all of the places you listed, so go to the school that is most set up for preschoolers, which is Appletree, and then switch at K which is a normal transition point anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go with Amidon. The best teachers from Appletree SW make their way to a teaching position there and the PK program is excellent.

Thank you. Any insight as to what is happening with the low test scores?

Especially WRT elementary aged kids SW DC is a rapidly changing neighborhood. Amidon is following a progression similar to most of the other hill schools over the last 15 years or so. Test scores are improving over time. This change typically happens at the ECE level first and eventually upper elementary. I'd go with Amidon, as you have the option to continue past PK4 depending on the pace of change, but can also continue to lottery. I do agree with PP that AppleTree is also a very strong ECE program, so can't really go wrong, both are very good schools at the ECE level at this point.

[Anonymous]

Appletree.

Despite what the few boosters say you will not stay at Amidon long term. Why not start at a preschool that has no expectation that you'll stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go with Amidon. The best teachers from Appletree SW make their way to a teaching position there and the PK program is excellent.

Thank you. Any insight as to what is happening with the low test scores?

Especially WRT elementary aged kids SW DC is a rapidly changing neighborhood. Amidon is following a progression similar to most of the other hill schools over the last 15 years or so. Test scores are improving over time. This change typically happens at the ECE level first and eventually upper elementary. I'd go with Amidon, as you have the option to continue past PK4 depending on the pace of change, but can also continue to lottery. I do agree with PP that AppleTree is also a very strong ECE program, so can't really go wrong, both are very good schools at the ECE level at this point.

I think this logic is really sound - there's no downside to picking Amidon over Appletree for pre-K and it gives you a chance to see what you think about the school before you have to make a choice about higher grades. The neighborhood has a lot of elementary school friendly factors (the Amidon playground's large and nice, the new library is two blocks away and has nice programming, etc) so if you liked it for later grades, it'd be situated near useful amenities for an ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there is a high at-risk population at Amidon. You can do your own research as to a correlation of at-risk populations and lower scores on standardized tests.

If you want some feedback from current Amidon parents, you might have better luck frequenting the playground during afternoons. You'll find a lot of us there and will have better luck getting more information about the school than on here.

This is really sound advice. Judging from the posts here, in real estate and other threads, I'm not sure there are as many posters on DCUM that live in SW and I don't think you get a lot of feedback from people here with personal experience from the school community and neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I’d go with Amidon personally. Jefferson MS has solid potential and it’s nice for kids to go to a neighborhood school for the sense of community.
I understand why parents look at test scores, but especially in elementary school, most kids are probably going to be okay. Test scores are just a reflection of parental socioeconomics.