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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Is "options" code for a $55k/year private school? Sure, ITDS is not that. But ITDS has sent a disproportionately high share of graduates to very well-regarded public high schools, such as Walls and Banneker, over the past few years. Extracurricular offerings have ramped up since the pandemic and are still expanding.

ITDS doesn’t have all the bells and whistles and is a little rough around the edges in places. It still has room to grow, no doubt. But the  academics are sound, the kids are grounded, the culture is nice, and the parents aren’t jerks.

Plenty of time still remaining for our kids to run the rat race later in life - in high school, college, and beyond.

[quote=Anonymous]Too small middle school, not enough high achieving peer group or rigor, lacking in extracurriculars and sports.

Families with options don’t stick around.  Open spots gets filled with new students to ITDS [/quote][/quote]

No majority are not going the 55k route.  They are leaving for better charters if they get in like Latin, Basis, DCI.  Or moving to the burbs or WOTP.  Some might be going parochial.[/quote]

Not all families with such options choose them. For instance, mine. We are zoned for Deal and were offered a spot at Basis but declined those to stay at ITDS. Just one example, of course.

And "better charters" is in the eye of the beholder. I agree with PP who says that no one school is perfect for every kid. ITDS was good for mine.

The thing that unites the "better charters" mentioned above is that they all have high schools; ITDS does not. We are lucky to have JR as our zoned high school. But families that *don't* have WOTP options might find those other charters significantly more attractive given they guarantee a decent or strong high school experience.

FWIW, ITDS punches way above its weight in terms of getting in to Walls, Banneker, and Duke Ellington. For such a small school, it makes up a significant fraction of every class at those selective public schools.

Lest I sound like a complete cheerleader for ITDS, I will say that it is by no means a perfect school, and that my family found the lower grades a better experience than the middle school. However, we don't regret keeping our kid there through 8th grade.[/quote]

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