Reply to Intresting Idea! Wilson as a test in Magnet

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DC has a population of about 700,000. FFX pop is 1.1 million, and TJHSST gets students from Loudoun, Arlington,  and Prince William as well.  DC cannot support a TJHSST.[/quote]

Realistically, the picture for a DC magnet is much worse than even the raw population totals suggest. The pertinent number for a high-standards magnet is the size of the Asian population. DC has about 25,000, Fairfax has about 200,000. Tack on another 100,000 or so for Loudoun, PWC, and Arlington. DC is light years away from being able to match that. DC magnet is just for people who want the veneer prestige without having to compete with the suburban talent.

[/quote]
The logic you're following on population size doesn't hold up.  You just don't need a giant population to support a great public high school, or a school-within-a-school program.  What you need to do is attract, vet and retain a critical mass of exceptionally strong and highly motivated students, halfway decent facilities and great teachers.  You also need to foster a happy atmosphere.

Take St. Anselm's, the grade 6-12 Benedictine Abbey school in Eckington.  They top Jay Matthews' list of best DC high schools although they only graduate four dozen students each year.

We have the students in DC, in abundance, but not the serious test-in magnet programs due to obnoxious racial politics.  [/quote]

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