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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a 9th grader at Walls and I'm not happy with the school, but she is.  She likes the motivated cohort of students and the vibrant discussions in class.

90% of the teachers she has are sub-par.  Completely wacky, or else phoning it in.  No Geometry teacher for most of the first quarter and then pulled in a teacher who is brand new to the profession and doing ok, but certainly not stellar teaching.

I like the 9th grade guidance counselor.  She is responsive and professional, but the rest of the administration is iffy.

The classes are unispiring--a slog through AP World History, Biology and Geometry.  Not sure what the humanities class is supposed to be, but I don't see any kind of in depth reading of literature or instruction in writing.

There is nothing special about this school at all, except that the students are selected for their academic abilities.  Otherwise, just four years of preparing kids to apply to college, no heart or greater mission detectable. 
[/quote]

I am a long time Walks parent. A lot of what you said is accurate. For me, I cannot afford private school. I still think Walls is the best public high school in DC. The counseling is not great there. The administration is not particularly warm. There is not many opportunities to go to the school. If like my student, your child happens to run into personal problems, don't expect the school to help much. You will need outside help. As far as college counseling goes, there is little help from the school. Some of the teachers absolutely will not return emails. The positive is that the students are around like minded hard working students. There are no fights, no disruptive kids. Your student will be overworked 9th grade especially. They will become articulate and able to speak up for themselves. They also have to do presentations in every class often, which is great preparation for college and the working world. If your child is extremely shy, that might be difficult. So, all in all , I am glad that my children attended.[/quote]

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