I recommend you talk to the school directly as you have a very specific query. DCUM feedback is biased (both ways) and too general to offer you much help in this regard.

However, I will offer this : You can always accept the spot at Eastern and see how it goes. At any point, you can fall back to your home school (which I assume is Frost).

Anonymous wrote:I just have to ask...is Robert Frost still partially open plan like it was in the 1980s in the math area? Upstairs/main level? I went to middle school there for 1 year and it badly derailed my math achievement bc I couldn't learn very well in the math area and had to drop back a grade. I found it kind of an unfriendly place. And that was before DCUM and the whole concept of a "W school".

No

I just have to ask...is Robert Frost still partially open plan like it was in the 1980s in the math area? Upstairs/main level? I went to middle school there for 1 year and it badly derailed my math achievement bc I couldn't learn very well in the math area and had to drop back a grade. I found it kind of an unfriendly place. And that was before DCUM and the whole concept of a "W school".

I'm a big Eastern MS booster, as I really think it saved my kid's MS experience, but a couple of things you mention would give me pause.

First, the Eastern program has a high workload with a lot of projects and assignments that require high attention to detail. Teachers are not afraid to remove points (sometimes many points) for responses that are too long, too short, don't complete all the steps in order, etc. While this prepares kids from HS, there's really no "grace period" in 6th grade - it is straight into high expectations.

Two, I won't lie. Eastern is school with a wide mix of kids, including those who have experienced generational trauma and whose behavior can sometimes reflect those traumas. How would your child respond to a fight in the hallway? If they can just shrug and move on by, they'll be fine. But if their anxiety would be triggered, it might not be the best fit.

If you kiddo doesn’t do well with presentations or a lot of homework I would not recommend Eastern unless you are trying to push her out of her comfort zone. Eastern has many presentations - group and individual and a large homework load - especially if getting the work done during class time may be an issue with inattentive ADHD. It is a great program, but was challenging for my kid with anxiety and ADHD.

Just got an offer of a spot at the Eastern magnet program for DC2. DC2 has moderate ADHD (mostly inattentive when in the classroom) and pretty severe anxiety, especially social, with a 504, but is doing pretty well at a CES now. DC1 went to Frost and haaaated it (too big/too loud/not enough feedback&support), so DC2 is already very wary of Frost, but we're not sure Eastern would be any better in that regard? Most of DC2's friends are not going to Frost either (though we're not aware of anyone else going to Eastern yet), so the social situation at a brand new school wouldn't be that different. DC2 would not handle a ton of homework well, but we expected more at the CES and it's been manageable. (We're also fine with middling effort FWIW - not pushing for crazy high achievers here.) DC2 does well in small-group settings; it's things like assemblies, performances, presentations, that are really hard. Don't love the length of the drive, but Eastern is close to DC1's new school, which would actually be quite convenient. WWYD?