Related to what an PP said re: clubs - Latin has a wonderful theatre program with a play in the fall and musical in the spring. Banneker does not have an established program in the same way. I believe there is an after school club run by an English teacher that puts on one play. That may not make a difference for your kid, but if that's their thing, I think Latin would be preferable.

Anonymous wrote:Hmm.

Latin is 100% lottery. Last year, 16 of 760 were accepted (2.1%). For EA, it was a bit better: 13 of 191 (6.8%).

Banneker is selective but your chances are better. Last year, 245 of 1291 were accepted (19%).

But you should always rank your lottery choices by your actual preference.

DP. Yes. It's smart to know the odds, but the rankings should be done ignoring them. But sorry, OP, I don't know the best way to pick between those two.

Hmm.

Latin is 100% lottery. Last year, 16 of 760 were accepted (2.1%). For EA, it was a bit better: 13 of 191 (6.8%).

Banneker is selective but your chances are better. Last year, 245 of 1291 were accepted (19%).

But you should always rank your lottery choices by your actual preference.

Both good options.

Some possible considerations —

1. Clubs and sports. If there’s a particular activity your kid is likely to do, make sure it exists at both schools. If it’s only at one, rank that one higher. Also if it’s much more developed or competitive at one school, rank that one higher.

2. Size. Banneker is roughly twice as big as Latin. I think Latin has smaller classes, too. Some people prefer smaller, some prefer bigger.

3. Mission statement. How many schools really live their missions? I don’t know. But it’s not a terrible way to pick between two pretty good options. Latin and Banneker have similar values about academic preparation, moral character, and community service/public good, but there are distinctions too. Talk with your kid about which mission statement resonates with them.

4. Dress code/Uniform. Is your kid truly indifferent on this? Good for you. Mine is not.

5. Commute. If you’re both truly indifferent on everything else, rank on commute. It’s a daily issue.

That’s a good point about starting all new!
Also, there is quite a discrepancy in comparisons between Niche vs. U.S. News. And i don’t know much about the high school systems here so digging and researching.
No frisbee nor sports interests beyond a hobby.. we tend to be more of academic leaning. Also no issues with adding Latin as an additional as there are already 3 languages in our mix.

Anonymous wrote:Only if your student is really excited about taking Latin or maybe is a high-level Ultimate Frisbee player would I rank it above Banneker (even though yes, 9th graders do take Latin there) or Walls. My kid ended up elsewhere but felt that attending an application HS where the entire class would be starting at the school new would be highly preferred to a joining a lottery school (so not as selective) where she'd be new to an already cohesive class.

Only if your student is really excited about taking Latin or maybe is a high-level Ultimate Frisbee player would I rank it above Banneker (even though yes, 9th graders do take Latin there) or Walls. My kid ended up elsewhere but felt that attending an application HS where the entire class would be starting at the school new would be highly preferred to a joining a lottery school (so not as selective) where she'd be new to an already cohesive class.

Do you already know that in past years Banneker didn't have a waitlist, but Latin does? That might help you decide how to rank them. (Though to be sure, I don't know if anyone got off the Latin waitlist for 9th.)

Otherwise, it really depends on your student. Oh, at Latin they'd have to take 3 years of Latin. I think it's one year at Banneker?

Also will add that the current MS is not on the JR feeder track and the feeder HS is also not an option.

Distract, distract, distract. Keep your kid busy and active.

Take the opportunity to teach life lessons about coping and staying positive.

Please help finalize ranking 2nd and 3rd for the myschooldc application.
DC is indifferent (they interviewed at all selective public HS) and mainly interested in one. This also means the disappointment that will set in if they don’t get their first choice considering the randomness. It feels like a long way to find out by the end of March and a lot of anxiety.
How are you all navigating the wait game especially if you don’t have private as an option? Thank you.