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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes- you are right. I will just mention that mathematically with such a small population, small raw numbers make a big percentage change.

Perhaps 8-12 students out of 70 have historically left Latin after 8th grade to head to another high school. [b]Often Walls and often private and often because of sports or other extracurricular pursuits that are more robust elsewhere. 
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You are correct, few of this handful of students that switch out are at-risk students.

AND, at the same time, the proportion of at-risk students who are applying for the 9th grade slots that have opened is larger than at the middle school level. So non-at-risk students who leave are more likely be replaced with at-risk students in the high school.

Still small actual numbers, but the percentage does jump.

You can see it laid out in this presentation about the at-risk lottery preference that was given to parents over the summer:

https://latinpcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/21-0629-At-Risk-Preference-PPT-for-parents-updated.pdf[/quote]

You're sugarcoating the reasons driving the exodus. Latin's top 8th grade performers commonly leave in pursuit of greener pastures intellectually and academically as much as anything else. They go in search of far more robust instruction in STEM subjects, more serious instruction in modern languages, access to college classes at GW via Walls, higher-performing peers and better teaching. Wall's average SAT scores are more than 100 points higher than Latin's in math and English.  Latin's staunch refusal to track academically for humanities subjects, so-so science and math instruction, and half-baked teaching in modern languages hold back top performers, motivating some of the families of the strongest students to leave. Some of the brightest low SES minority students find scholarships at expensive privates.  This is just as true in 2021 as it was 10 years ago.  If BASIS allowed 9th graders to test in, Latin 8th graders would go there, where some 9th graders have already taken AP exams and scored high, something that almost never happens at Latin.  Let's not bury our heads in the sand where the appeal of studying alongside high school classmates who accrued the benefit of more challenging MS academics than Latin offers is concerned.  I'm not clear on why Latin bothers to track for MS math, when the high school STEM offerings waiting at the other end are decidedly lackluster.  Where is the Physics C or the BC Calculus at Latin?  For that matter, where is the AP Spanish Lit?  To be clear, Latin is an excellent school for the academically average and above average who are humanities-minded, not the rest of its students. [/quote]

“ You're sugarcoating the reasons driving the exodus. Latin's top 8th grade performers commonly leave in pursuit of greener pastures intellectually and academically as much as anything else.”

Your language gives you away as being hyperbolic and presumptuous.  Exodus. Ha. 8-10 kids who, more than anything, want different boys and girls to date and maybe better access to drugs on campus. You know nothing of why these handful of students decide to leave. Jeez.[/quote]

You are all nuts. Its very normal for churn between 8th and 9th at any school. Look at virtually any middle school in DC- private or public. Kids figure out what they are really interested in or have talents in or they want simply some change. For many they feel there may be a better "fit" elsewhere but it doesn't mean where they are for middle isn't good enough. "Better access to drugs on campus?" You'll need to troll harder.[/quote]

Yes, parents are indeed nuts to bail on Latin before HS because their children have been earning straight As for years without breaking a sweat.  [/quote]

No, you're nuts to think that this is something special about Latin. Kids leave middle school all over the city for different high schools--tougher academics, better sports, smaller school, bigger school, extracurriculars, etc. The traditional path for upper middle class kids in DC was to leave for private or parochial school in 6th or 9th grade. The fact that so many now stay in DCPS or charter schools at all is quite surprising for this DC native.[/quote]

Do have children at Latin? Granted, the school beats our dismal neighborhood schools. Good point. But it's not that great. It has the students to be great without the leadership.

Are we allowed to be surprised that a culture of social promotion and a resistance to ability grouping still spoil the party for too many in our highest-performing DC public schools? [/quote]

Like I said: strivers gonna strive. You aren't the first and won't be the last. We are sticking with Latin for our A student. He's happy, has a lot of friends, is an excellent test-taker and a very good writer. I love the curriculum and find it to be very well thought out. The mentoring he's received at Latin has really helped him develop into a confident, great kid. We are not URM and I don't think my kid is interested in my alma mater, so he's not likely to go to an Ivy no matter where he went to HS. Others have different goals for their kids--good luck to your family![/quote]

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