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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DCI is pretty good [/quote]

+1.  IB program is rigorous.  Great facilities, beautiful campus, lots of extracurriculars, clubs, sports - similar to your typical suburban school.

The issue is that it’s very difficult to get in.  [/quote]

Sort of. DCI has often been boring for my 8th grader, who excels at STEM and doesn't want to stay for HS. Admins insist on lumping kids who work years behind grade level into the same MS English, science and social studies classes as advanced students. The arrangement leads to many classroom disruptions. 8th grade has been better than 6th and 7th because social studies classes are taught in the target language and she's finally being allowed to take more challenging math. Most of the other families don't take language as seriously as we'd like, e.g. few of the high SES families paying for summer immersion camps, and we've had good teachers quit during the school year. The HS is getting better but isn't great. Their clueless college counselors don't seem to know the basics about IBD for Americans, like doubling up on AP tests that correspond to IB subjects so kids have standardized subject test scores to submit with college applications (IBD exams aren't taken until June of senior year).

[/quote]

Middle school is typically the weak link in DC.  Starting grade with 6th grade with lots of different kids coming in is like a transiting year at most school.  I would expect 7th and 8th to be better.  We are in a feeder and following closely..  We know families with older siblings at the school and we have talked to parents and actual students and although anecdotal they are all happy.

Feedback from high school that I have gotten is that if your kid is in the IB program it’s pretty rigorous and the highest track.  Also the Spanish track of course is the strongest track with the most fluent students and families who take the language seriously.

BTW, even better than summer immersion camp is that DCI allows study abroad which is a rare opportunity for high school. 
[/quote]

Meh. Average MS academics and ECs lead to middling HS academics and ECs. The highest-performing families we know at DCI appear to have payed plenty to supplement in every grade. Top 8th graders commonly seek an alternative HS option, particularly the STEM minded.

From what I've observed, the happiest families aren't the most ambitious ones. If you're shooting for elite college admissions, in this country or abroad, you're going to need a lot of hustle for DCI. Parents hire writing tutors, pay to supplement for math, schlep kids to heritage language classes in MoCo on weekends, fork out for Concordia camp ($6,000 for HS program this summer, 4 wks). Some hire private college counselors.

DCI  is better than moving to the burbs for more serious IBD, but only marginally. One gratis summer immersion camp is nice, but won't cut it alone for high scores on IBD language exams. [/quote]

I think you are the same poster that is always stating that the highest performing 8th graders leave for HS.  I can attest from my DD's class 2 years ago, that the majority of the Valedictorians & Salutatorians (8 in total) all stayed for HS.  Not all, but a clear majority did.  And I know of other families whose children applied to Walls and were accepted, but decided not to go.  DCI has a 90%+ retention rate, so with that rate, there can't be that many top-performing students leaving.  My DD's close group of friends are all very smart, conscientious learners, and motivated and all have stayed into HS.  [/quote]

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