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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think you've got the basics.  Tour at Latin and Basis, with the understanding that Latin is truly a lottery (about 1 in 10 chance of getting in) and there are also kids who did not get in to Basis last year (I think 70-80 still on the waitlist).  I don't think Stuart Hobson let in any out of bounds kids this year (and that would include proximity preference).  You might want to also take a look at Two Rivers for 5th grade/middle school.  And, there are a (very) few Brent kids who have gone on to Jefferson and seem to be happy/doing well there.  My kid is at Basis now and enjoying it, for the most part.[/quote]

Thanks so much for your response! Do people have better luck with Two Rivers in fifth versus sixth grade?

I am actually wondering if it would [b]make sense for my kid to go to Basis for 5th and then Jefferson for 6th,[/b] if she decides Basis isn't for her. I feel like it would give her a better transition year. Or maybe she'll prefer to stay. In general, how much of the decision was yours versus your child's? [/quote]

I wouldn't do that.  First of all, you can't bank on a BASIS spot - this year, BASIS took around 2/3 of those who put their name in the lottery by the second week of school.  Next year, that number may fall as low as half.  More Brent parents are shut out of BASIS with every passing lottery year.

If you prefer Jefferson to BASIS, I wouldn't apply to BASIS and I wouldn't mess her up socially by removing her from the Jefferson Academy bound after 4th grade.  Very few families are unhappy at BASIS in 5th - if the misery kicks in, that happens a year or two later.   I'd let her do 5th grade with the Jefferson-bound at Brent.  It's a good year for kids who can manage the social transition (with 3/4 of the K-4th grade cohort gone).  As you may know, there are currently 3 full-time 5th grade teachers for two dozen Brent 5th graders.

We didn't visit anywhere, before lottery results came out - didn't see the point.  But prepare to be shocked come March if you're unlucky - we know half a dozen former Brent 4th families who got in nowhere in the DC public system among the schools they put in (generally Wash Latin, BASIS, Two Rivers, Hardy and Stuart Hobson) for both 5th and 6th grades.

If you're not OK with Jefferson Academy, like the majority of parents of Brent 4th graders, you might to develop a Plan B outside DC public, e.g. move to a certain burb or send the child to a private you can afford.  Some Brent parents go with St Peter School on the Hill, or parochial schools in Arlington and NW, or Friends Community (Quaker) School, all charging in the teens for middle school (vs. 30K plus for tony privates).

City politicians and ed leaders obviously have a lot to answer for in this grim game, but they don't answer for it.
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