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[quote=Anonymous]I'll weight in and suggest it depends on the family situation, and the kid's particular interests. I say this as an educator who worked at BASIS several years ago.

BASIS parents often wind up ferrying kids to stronger extra-curriculars than the school offers, e.g. performance drama and music rehearsals (there really isn't a fine arts program) and sports travel teams (sports at BASIS getting more serious but not very serious).  If the kid already has strong extra-curricular interests not covered by BASIS options, you're not in a good position to squire him from place to place after school or confident that he'd be OK getting himself to lessons and practices, think twice about enrolling him at BASIS.

As you probably know, BASIS lacks a real gym, stage, library and real computer lab and good music and art rooms, let alone a student radio station, greenhouse, big playing fields etc. which you're likely to find in MD suburbs/Bethesda. The program does not claim to offer a well-rounded education, but does have its pluses. Class size at BASIS is likely to be smaller than in MoCo middle schools, and math and science acceleration stronger.  BASIS teachers have office hours kids can attend to get extra help, not always the case in big suburban schools.  BASIS is not nearly as white or Asian as MoCo West, if that matters to you. The peer group in MoCo will likely be more stable (most students proceeding up the established feeder pyramid), since at least half the BASIS MS students will be gone by 9th grade.  If your kid can test into the Montgomery Blair math or science magnets for HS, or the Richard Montgomery International Baccalaureate Diploma program, I'd say you'll be a lot better off than in BASIS' HS, but of course it's a crap shoot and you can't know if the kid will pull it off.[/quote]

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