Lee or Breakthrough
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Anonymous
| We have been offered a prek spot at Breakthrough and a 1st grade spot at Lee. We can’t make it work logistically you drive to both in the morning and could opt to keep raising 1st at walkable charter. I like the montessori approach for elementary. Have enough 1st hand testimonials from breakthrough but don’t know anyone at Lee. From this forum, I gather that Lee has been around longer. Do students typically stick around through the end of elementary? We like our charter but it seems that all the children my child clicks with ends up moving schools or location. At this rate by the time we get through with elementary, I don’t know if we’ll have any original classmate-friends. My priority for elementary is socialization and fostering friendships. So far we’re striking out with a few good friends moving every school year. I don’t think it’s bc dc is transient so much as people (WOTP) stick through free PreK and maybe another year or two and then move to the burbs. |
Anonymous
| Lee is the more established school, and people do stay, but it depends on your interest in Montessori for upper elementary, your tolerance for low test scores, and how you feel about the new middle school. |
Anonymous
“Tolerance for low test scores” has me laughing. |
Anonymous
| Whats your number for the prek kiddo? Lee seems like a better place. Breakthrough is new so there'll be some growing pains. I'd accept the 1 st grader spot depending on the prek WL number. you'll have preference, so you'll jump in the WL. |
Anonymous
| OP here - I’ve seen other references to the low test scores at Lee and Montessori across the board. Can anyone truly speak to this? Or speak to how their child transitioned into traditional middle school after montessori? As for other child, she doesn’t currently have a waitlist spot at Lee bc she got into a school we ranked higher bc we foolishly just wanted a spot - any spot - for IPL pre-K. I don’t know if I can add a request for a waitlist spot now. Do I ask Lee or someone at the school board about this? There must be someone who can officially offer guidance. |
Anonymous
You can fill out a posy lottery application. If you choose it will move your preschooler to either "sibling accepted" or sibling enrolled category. Lee, like most school i assume, will always accommodate siblings. |
Anonymous
What new middle school? |
Anonymous
| OP, definitely add Lee back on as a post lottery application. One thing to note though is that after you add it you'll need to call Myschooldc so they can attach the sibling preference. It won't automatically attach since Lee had already dropped from your list when your other child got in. I went through this with my kids applications and started in the 200s once I added as a post lottery application. Once they attached the preference, jumped to 3! |
Anonymous
| what will happen if you don’t get your PK into Lee? your chances may be better at breakthrough which is a very good school. no drama and one campus starting this year with a true outdoor space. I would not drop your PK spot at breakthrough unless Lee can get your younger child in. |
Anonymous
Sojourner Truth |
Anonymous
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I've heard there's a higher than expected amount of teacher turnover at Breakthrough. That would concern me more for Montessori because of the 3-year class cycle. That said, parents seem to love Breakthrough and I wouldn't assume that their upper elementary test scores will turn out much better than Lee. With Montessori specifically, I'd ask a lot of questions about how upper elementary instruction works when a kid is progressing very quickly or slower than usual. Since Montessori is so individualized, that would be much more relevant than school wide test scores to me.
Also, you should really think about the transience issue. That's going to be an issue in 99% of charters and EOTP schools. It's a concern of mine too, but I feel like it's just something you have to accept or move. All of DC is transient, but it's much much worse in areas where the majority of families rely on the lottery for schools. What's your current walkable charter? I wouldn't move schools just because you see a lot of kids leaving at your current school, it could very well end up a grass is greener situation. |
Anonymous
Yes, concur with the advice above about post lottery application. I would think it's early enough in the summer you have a pretty good chance of getting your PK kid in if you enroll your older kid. Lee definitely wants to try to get siblings in together (have heard it multiple times from the head of school). We know people at Breakthrough that seem to like it a lot (though none of our close friends, so can't give super detailed advice). We just finished our second year at Lee (kid in primary and kid in lower el) and have been really happy with the school, even through the pandemic. There is transience as there is everywhere in DC, but there are also a lot of long term families that have been there since the founding. I know a few kids that finished 5th grade this year decided to go to Truth for 6th instead of staying at Lee, and some others are staying for 6th. But pretty much everyone we're friends with is continuing in upper el. As to the test scores, I don't have a kid in a testing grade yet, so admittedly haven't done a lot of due diligence. Although Lee is the more established school between the two, it is still relatively young in terms of testing grades. So when you're working with a smallish sample size, take it for what it's worth. For us, the socialization, classroom consistency, etc was a driving factor in our decision. The question about progression is an interesting one. Again I don't have upper el experience, but I have witnessed the differentiation in primary and lower el classrooms. My son has a kid in his class who is extremely bright in many ways (math, writing, drawing, music, etc) and is probably functioning at least 2 grades above his age. And I have seen how the teachers are able to challenge him using the materials available because they are able to progress the lessons and individualize. |
Anonymous
| Breakthrough family here. One in EL and one in primary. We have been happy so far, but the amount of turnover is super concerning this year. I’m not sure if they are unhappy with the school or just the pandemic issues in general. |
Anonymous
I've heard the administration is challenging for teachers. Relevant because that could indicate a longer term issue and potential disruption to the success of the school (cough cough, Shining Stars) versus a temporary pandemic related situation. |
Anonymous
Interesting. Yeah, SSMA being a cautionary tale... FWIW from a parent perspective it seems like there is a good vibe at Lee between the admin and the staff. Also from a parent perspective I think the Lee admin is really responsive and approachable. |