Reply to DCI feeder families, with 4th graders, lottery?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "DCI feeder families, with 4th graders, lottery?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]It never hurts to keep options open. There is serious FOMO in DC.  That being said, here are some of the important questions/concerns to ask yourself or investigate in deciding between feeding to DCI or switching to Latin or BASIS (or an elementary school that feeds somewhere else if that’s also on your radar)

(1) is foreign language the main priority in your child’s education?  For example, you won’t get a foreign language at BASIS until 8th grade and even then you child will be placed in beginner Spanish, French, Chinese or Latin, regardless of prior knowledge/experience.  DCI is clearly the choice if advancing in the foreign language your child has been studying is the educational priority….
(2) is math/science a priority in your child’s education? Or is your child super academic in general?  If so, BASIS is the clear choice. 
(3) what is your commute ability/flexibility?  DCI is very far from its feeder schools and potentially not as easily accessible (BASIS has lots of public transportation available for it and Latin offers a bus).  DCI also has early release on Fridays.  Does your home or job make a particular school more or less accessible?
(4) how do you feel about IB versus AP?  DCI has IB (as does Deal Middle school).  Latin and BASIS are not IB schools and focus on APs instead.
(5) do you have an older or younger sibling to consider and how much does it matter to you that your kids attend the same school?  If you’re at a feeder school which has duplicated and in a Spanish program your younger child may not be guaranteed a future spot at DCI.  Many families are surprised to learn that DCI does not currently stack a feeder preference with a sibling preference.  (This could change since it has not yet been an issue because the duplicated schools do not yet have 5th grade classes trying to feed in).  It’s important to investigate the chances of a spot for your younger child down the road if you want the kids at the same school.  (Latin and BASIS and every other school has the usual sibling preference).  Similarly, if you want kids at the same school and one of them is less academic, you might not want to try for BASIS. 
(6) does your child have learning differences and how well can a school meet their needs?  
(7) have you taken a tour or had your kid experience a shadow day to get a better sense of the school and the best fit?

The answers to these questions should help you decide the best fit for your kid.  Try not to worry too much about what others are doing.  You will likely find many feeder families are going to stick around for DCI for middle but might make a different choice in high school.  You have to decide what’s right for your child based on the information you have right now.  Good luck!
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics