My kid is at BASIS. There are great things and bad things. But obviously the much bigger problem is our lack of good DCPS options EOTP.

Anonymous wrote:Disagree. The real controversy is that DCPS refused to plant the seeds of a strong pan-Ward 6 middle school when it could have, 20-25 years ago.

With a Deal type middle school EotP feeding into a J-R type high school, we could have largely kept DCPS elementary school cohorts together, avoided the charter shuffle, stayed home, sent the kids off to school on their bikes from 6th-12th and enjoyed life more.

As for OP wanting the Peer Group not the Boot Camp, Stuart Hobson is your best EotP. Not a great bet, but your best if you don't crack BASIS or do but reject the option.

S-H is actually somewhat competitive to lottery into OOB.

6th grade S-H lottery
SY22-23 - 86% of applicants (not initially matched with a school ranked higher) were offered a seat by October
SY23-24 - 58% offered a seat by October
SY24-25 - 40% offered a seat by October

That's tough odds for Capitol Hill families OOB for S-H, and I think creates stronger incentives for people to try to settle the MS decision by 5th.

Disagree. The real controversy is that DCPS refused to plant the seeds of a strong pan-Ward 6 middle school when it could have, 20-25 years ago.

With a Deal type middle school EotP feeding into a J-R type high school, we could have largely kept DCPS elementary school cohorts together, avoided the charter shuffle, stayed home, sent the kids off to school on their bikes from 6th-12th and enjoyed life more.

As for OP wanting the Peer Group not the Boot Camp, Stuart Hobson is your best EotP. Not a great bet, but your best if you don't crack BASIS or do but reject the option.

Anonymous wrote:Basis seems like an imperfect school that works for a critical mass of DC families. The real controversy is that most in-bound middle schools are not a viable option for (or otherwise inaccessible) to UMC families. Seems like we need more schools of the Latin/Basis mold, not less. But the powers that be don’t want to see UMC families concentrating at a small slither of schools.

This. Especially in middle school. Seems like many DCPS elementary schools are willing to differentiate, and that options open up in high school with the application schools. But too many DCPS middle schools totally neglect advanced learners and fail to appropriately challenge them.

If anything is to come of these endless BASIS threads, maybe it's a recognition of that lack that could lead to awareness in the real world.

Anonymous wrote:Basis seems like an imperfect school that works for a critical mass of DC families. The real controversy is that most in-bound middle schools are not a viable option for (or otherwise inaccessible) to UMC families. Seems like we need more schools of the Latin/Basis mold, not less. But the powers that be don’t want to see UMC families concentrating at a small slither of schools.

Nobody’s stopping more schools that concentrate UMC families. In fact Latin opened a second location and DCPS has opened MacArthur, which gives geographic rights to UMC families, and expanded Banneker, a selective school now is on the verge of losing Title I status. Even the IB program at Eastern, though not yet enrolling a critical mass of UMC students, is poised to concentrate those students within in the school if and when they do arrive. As to Basis, I doubt the school sees enough demand to expand, simply because I don’t think the organization is stupid. If they saw unmet demand for their product, surely they too would be trying to expand in the MS/HS space. Instead they seem to have responded to the expansion of Latin (and perhaps also the marginally increased popularity of the Hill middle schools) by trying to expand down into the crowded K-4 space. That’s how a rational organization would respond if their internal data showed that they were not a first choice school for most of the families they want to enroll, and decided that the most effective way for them to compete for those families is to capture them early.

yes pretty much. if there were lots of other middle school options mostly accepted as good, people would care less and fewer kids would attend basis. you already have this somewhat in the neighborhoods zoned for deal/hardy. families in those zones are more likely to compare the neighborhood middle school to private school options and less likely to seriously consider basis. the problem/complication is basis does not exist in a vacuum. the franchise is concentrated in states with loose charter rules. its “success” and enrollment numbers is somewhat tied up with the neighborhood schools and their reputations.

The problem with Basis is that you can lottery in when you aren't a good fit and aren't prepared. Honestly, I wish Basis had been more aggressive in filtering out kids who weren't appropriate because the out of control classrooms and inability to discipline are what drove my high achieving kid away after middle.

Basis seems like an imperfect school that works for a critical mass of DC families. The real controversy is that most in-bound middle schools are not a viable option for (or otherwise inaccessible) to UMC families. Seems like we need more schools of the Latin/Basis mold, not less. But the powers that be don’t want to see UMC families concentrating at a small slither of schools.

OMG, not another post started by another Basis family. It’s like every week.

Just stop.

Are you all just so desperate to recruit families now that the deadline is approaching to enroll??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, what annoys me is the way Basis boosters like this one openly admit that Basis is a “magnet” using exams to screen out low-SES families — and then as soon as someone points that fact out, they’ll deny it and say Basis is a lottery school that takes all comers.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer schools that value intellectual honesty.

To the extent Basis uses exams, most of those getting screened out are not low SES.

Counterpoint:

BASIS HS at-risk percentage: 9%
BASIS HS SpEd percentage: 5%
BASIS PCS demographics: 49% white, 19% black, 15% multiracial, 10% Hispanic, 7% Asian

Break it out by at-risk by cohort over time via the CAPE scores.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, what annoys me is the way Basis boosters like this one openly admit that Basis is a “magnet” using exams to screen out low-SES families — and then as soon as someone points that fact out, they’ll deny it and say Basis is a lottery school that takes all comers.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer schools that value intellectual honesty.

To the extent Basis uses exams, most of those getting screened out are not low SES.

Counterpoint:

BASIS HS at-risk percentage: 9%
BASIS HS SpEd percentage: 5%
BASIS PCS demographics: 49% white, 19% black, 15% multiracial, 10% Hispanic, 7% Asian

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, what annoys me is the way Basis boosters like this one openly admit that Basis is a “magnet” using exams to screen out low-SES families — and then as soon as someone points that fact out, they’ll deny it and say Basis is a lottery school that takes all comers.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer schools that value intellectual honesty.

To the extent Basis uses exams, most of those getting screened out are not low SES.

It was OP who bragged that Basis offers “high-SES families.” Now the Basis booster turns around and says the opposite.

It’s always like this: claim one thing and as soon as someone takes that claim seriously, claim the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:Personally, what annoys me is the way Basis boosters like this one openly admit that Basis is a “magnet” using exams to screen out low-SES families — and then as soon as someone points that fact out, they’ll deny it and say Basis is a lottery school that takes all comers.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer schools that value intellectual honesty.

To the extent Basis uses exams, most of those getting screened out are not low SES.

Personally, what annoys me is the way Basis boosters like this one openly admit that Basis is a “magnet” using exams to screen out low-SES families — and then as soon as someone points that fact out, they’ll deny it and say Basis is a lottery school that takes all comers.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer schools that value intellectual honesty.

Reading through a lot of the Basis DC discussions, it strikes me that the real tension isn’t mainly about how “hard” the academics are.

It’s about families wanting access to the peer group — without having to sign up for the academic reality that comes with it.

Basis offers something few DC schools do:
• High-SES, academically serious families
• Kids who come from homes where school is a priority
• A culture of discipline and ambition

That’s the true magnet.

It’s not “because math is amazing” or “they offer Latin” or “my child loves structure.”

It’s because families know peer groups matter — socially, culturally, and long-term.

The problem?
Many don’t actually want the rigor that sustains that peer group. They want:
• The college-bound crowd
• The low-drama culture
• The motivated classmates

…but without:
• The workload
• The math pressure
• The tears when pre-algebra isn’t a cakewalk

And here’s the kicker:
There are plenty of public middle schools in DC with lower demands.
Most have open seats.
But those schools often come with very different demographics — lower-SES, more racial and economic diversity — and for a lot of families, that’s the deal-breaker, not the curriculum.

Let’s be honest:

It’s easier to demand Basis “slow down” than it is to walk away from the social capital it offers.

They want the neighborhood without the boot camp.
The “serious families” vibe without the cognitive climb.

And Basis — by design — doesn’t offer that.
It’s not a mistake. It’s the point.

Just putting it out there.