Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup, the kid's motivation and intellectual curiosity is critical in DCPS if you're aiming for elite colleges.

Elite college admission is a stretch for any kid these days. Sending your kid to a “W” school is not going to make the difference. You should pick a school based on your family’s overall needs and where you think your kid will thrive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

I work in college admissions, have a kid at J-R and don't think it's quite that simple. Yes, the "Yale" or "Jail" phenomenon is real. But there's a good-sized group of bright but not terribly motivated potential "Yale" students in the ES feeders and Deal who would do better in better-run and more demanding schools than DCPS, schools that would have pushed them harder from the upper ES grades. UMC parents can't always compensate for what schools aren't doing by supplementing extensively. All of these parents aren't going to find the time, resources, stamina or working relationship with a child to get and stay on track for "Yale" from DCPS. My do-the-minimum older kid wouldn't have worked hard at Deal or J-R (so attended parochial schools after ES), while my younger one has thrived in DCPS as a pre-teen and teen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

I work in college admissions, have a kid at J-R and don't think it's quite that simple. Yes, the "Yale" or "Jail" phenomenon is real. But there's a good-sized group of bright but not terribly motivated potential "Yale" students in the ES feeders and Deal who would do better in better-run and more demanding schools than DCPS, schools that would have pushed them harder from the upper ES grades. UMC parents can't always compensate for what schools aren't doing by supplementing extensively. All of these parents aren't going to find the time, resources, stamina or working relationship with a child to get and stay on track for "Yale" from DCPS. My do-the-minimum older kid wouldn't have worked hard at Deal or J-R (so attended parochial schools after ES), while my younger one has thrived in DCPS as a pre-teen and teen.

I went to a W school and this contingent was definitely present. There are many kids who don't excel at these schools but their parents have the resources to create a soft landing (i.e., mom's basement rather than jail).

Anonymous wrote:It's wrong for others who've put down deep roots in the District, old friends, easy work commutes, houses they own and love, beloved neighbors, churches, synagogues, scouts, etc.

But if you're a free bird who can't swing DC private school for years, or don't like them, head to the W schools. Walls is no longer a safe bet even for the strongest DCPS 8th graders and those who get in (weak leadership these days, no substitutes, a host of problems) and J-R isn't the school it was pre Covid.

If you can afford to buy a place in the burbs for schools just do it.

Transplant_1 wrote:Thank you. What you are saying is what I am finding to be the case.

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

They could care less? Really? By a lot? Or just a little?

It’s they COULDN’T care less.

Also those pre-college programs are a total scam but I hope they have fun.

Anonymous wrote:+1. Pre-college programs are very expensive though. It's much better if AP prep is done right at school. Agree that J-R and Walls aren't the schools they were for AP prep Pre Covid. Ferebee's weak leadership of DCPS has caught up with the system. The "W" schools look better than ever from NW.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All depends on the kid, the family, and the luck they have in DCPS. What's taught in DCPS is so patchy, with so many weak admins, weak students and unmotivated teachers onboard, that outcomes vary widely. Honors classes in the better suburban schools districts are simply a much safer bet. If you're not tied down in DC as a homeowner, a commute, a spouse's job etc. moving for schools if you can't swing a private is often worth it.

So...to summarize, you are not a parent of a DCPS graduate who is at or graduated from college. Thanks for an outsider's $.02 that nobody requested.

To answer the question, I have a JR grad attending a Top 10 school in the Fall. I feel my kid is well-prepared for their intended area of study. My kid took several dual enrollment classes at GW and earned As without much trouble, so has a decent amount of confidence heading into the Fall.

A neighbor's kid (JR grad) just graduated with honors from an Ivy in a STEM field. Have no idea if there was an adjustment period Freshman year, but certainly finished well overall.