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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]More and more families are actually staying at Latin for HS. They had very few spots open for 9th grade this year.  [/b] 
 
Depends on what sort of high school program you want/need.  I'm with pps thinking that selective admissions work best for the top/most disciplined kids (but that it's in the DC DNA not to agree).  We didn't stay after 8th, moved, and sent him to the Blair math magnet because we don't have the money for independents (we work for nonprofits) and he's the sort of kid who has the talent/drive to compete in natl science competitions (he will start projects for Google and Siemens in 10th grade, and can take AP Latin at Blair).  We still own a house in the District and may try to send our younger son to Latin for ms.

I was disappointed that in Latin's first graduating class very few kids, if any, applied to Ivies, Little Ivies, military academies, MIT etc. True, more and more families are staying for HS, but science competitions and taking more than a few AP classes are not what Latin seems to have in mind.  In our experience, excellent tends to be code for above average in the DC charter world.   Not bad, just mediocre compared to the burbs.  I went to the US Naval Academy and MIT and couldn't see a path for him to reach either from Latin.  But if you're chasing state school admissions, or 2-4 star colleges, you're good at Latin now, and will surely be better off in a few years.

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Hello--sounds like you are a family with aspirations, an apparently brilliant and motivated kid, and a fantastic academic background, who left Latin and are disappointed in its first graduating class (this year).  Many founding Latin families like yours left this first graduating class and a few of the subsequent ones for reasons that can be dug up on many another thread.  I would (sincerely) suggest flipping your disappointment to congratulate the children who stayed and pressed on.  Considering that they were not the ones who peeled off for Walls and privates, Latin's very small first graduating class has done extremely well in both admissions and scholarships. The children are going to schools that are a good match, and they are getting tons of support to do so. I believe almost every single student has been accepted, and the combined scholarships are astounding. Latin's first graduating class rose above a huge brain drain to form a cohesive class with heart that has set a very positive example for the children coming into High School.   I congratulate them for sticking through some Latin transitions, and it looks to me like they have all found good academic footholds --places where they can succeed, put money away, and perhaps attend a more storied grad program (if they are inclined). In today's economy, that may be a smarter road forward than some Ivies (!), though of course it is always nice to have the option to turn an Ivy down. 
As more academically prepared students have stayed each year, the honors classes are filling up and the potential as you say for Ivy admissions is rising.   I agree that Latin should have more science projects and partnerships in mind--though these things take time.  In only their third year of State Science Fair I will say that FOUR Latin Upper School students placed in the top three for their category, with TWO freshmen taking 1st place: Behavioral Science and Biochemistry.  This is a state (all city) competition against schools public and private (Wilson, Walls, Visitation, Banneker). That's not going to look too shabby when these students apply to MIT, especially when MIT takes into consideration how motivated these kids had to be to accomplish this without all the bells and whistles of a Blair.  Please check out the results yourself:  http://www.dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/DCSTEMFair  Good luck to you and your family; I'm glad your children found a good foothold.  Google and Siemens, watch out, the Latin kids may be coming on board soon ! :-)[/quote]

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