The comprehensive high schools offer an August "orientation" day with a couple of options on dates, for rising 9th graders. I know that's not what you're asking, but it's something.

For W-L check with the IB Director. If they allow shadowing it would be likely IB program specific, but I’m sure you could enquire about the other school offerings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler had an opportunity, when they were in 5th grade, to go to their neighborhood school with the rest of the kids assigned to that school for a day, around the same time as or maybe a month earlier than the shadow visits at the lottery schools. It's just arranged through the elementary school and you could opt in or opt out. I'm not sure why they would discontinue that. We're in 8th now, so that was 3 years ago.

It wasn't necessarily "shadowing" one student, but more of a group trip. But the lottery school visit wasn't a student-to-student "shadowing" either.

Aaaand I see I misread this and that you're looking at high schools, doh. Sorry. Seems like they would do the same thing but maybe like you said the numbers are prohibitive. Anyway, my bad, sorry!

Anonymous wrote:My middle schooler had an opportunity, when they were in 5th grade, to go to their neighborhood school with the rest of the kids assigned to that school for a day, around the same time as or maybe a month earlier than the shadow visits at the lottery schools. It's just arranged through the elementary school and you could opt in or opt out. I'm not sure why they would discontinue that. We're in 8th now, so that was 3 years ago.

It wasn't necessarily "shadowing" one student, but more of a group trip. But the lottery school visit wasn't a student-to-student "shadowing" either.

My middle schooler had an opportunity, when they were in 5th grade, to go to their neighborhood school with the rest of the kids assigned to that school for a day, around the same time as or maybe a month earlier than the shadow visits at the lottery schools. It's just arranged through the elementary school and you could opt in or opt out. I'm not sure why they would discontinue that. We're in 8th now, so that was 3 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only an option if she gets a spot for HB Woodlawn.

I don't know about this year but in the past Arlington Tech has offered shadow days too.

OP. Thanks, helpful to know that the lottery programs offer shadows. I can understand why, due to logistics of having potentially 500 kids ask to shadow each year, that the comprehensive high schools don't make shadows a normal thing for every rising 9th grader. But for kids who are looking at multiple options it would be nice to have the opportunity.

Anonymous wrote:Only an option if she gets a spot for HB Woodlawn.

I don't know about this year but in the past Arlington Tech has offered shadow days too.

Only an option if she gets a spot for HB Woodlawn.

I don't think this is a thing. Maybe at a private school who wants your $$ but public schools aren't just inviting 8th graders to come to the high school one day.

Anonymous wrote:Is she currently in APS?

OP - yes, she is.

Is she currently in APS?

I did a search in this forum but couldn't find anything. Is there an option for 8th graders to shadow for a day at the three regular high schools? We are hoping DD gets into one of the lottery schools and we are also looking at two different privates. It would be nice if she could spend a day at the APS high school we are zoned for to help her compare to the privates that she is visiting so that she has apples to apples information to make a decision this spring. Of course, this presumes she gets into the schools she is applying for, but you get my point.

If I called the front office at Yorktown, W-L or Wakefield to ask if a generic 8th grader could shadow a generic 9th grader for a standard day can someone do that? Before I call, wondered if DCUM knew or had advice.