Shepherd

Anonymous wrote:Loved Shepherd! Loved the teachers and the community. Kid went K-5 so can’t speak to preK. We are white, if it matters. Lafayette would not be my scene. I knew quite a few parents there from kid’s preschool. Hard no.

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Loved Shepherd! Loved the teachers and the community. Kid went K-5 so can’t speak to preK. We are white, if it matters. Lafayette would not be my scene. I knew quite a few parents there from kid’s preschool. Hard no.

Lafayette is basically a bunch of IB white families who all hang out together and are generally insufferable. I would never lottery in there.

I was coming in to say if you're a Black family, Shepherd! Looks like that has been made clear though.

I have limited experience at both. IMO, Shepherd has some old school discipline I don’t love but is more rigorous academically (ie nightly homework). Way more diversity, though still not a ton of economic diversity. Feels very small and tight knit.

Lafayette is more touchy feely, talk about our feelings. No homework even in higher grades. Massive, but was easy for my kids to make friends. I experienced few of the “nightmare” parents this board talks about but they did pop up occasionally.

Obviously they have the same curriculum so they’re more alike than different. (I wouldn’t lottery for one from the other, with the caveat that if I were a Black family I would pick Shepherd hands down.) Also, my summary may be dated. I’m a few years out. If so, current parents can weigh in. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:Food for thought maybe and this is anecdotal- there are kids at Lafayette who are in-bound for Shepherd but I’ve never met anyone who is in-bound for Lafayette who lotteries out for Shepherd.

This is an interesting way to think about things. My guess is because location and proximity to families. Being IB to Lafayette you don’t really need to lottery. And if you did, leaving that area to feel on an island in Shepherd Park may not be the way..

But it is still a good observation.

Food for thought maybe and this is anecdotal- there are kids at Lafayette who are in-bound for Shepherd but I’ve never met anyone who is in-bound for Lafayette who lotteries out for Shepherd.

Those are the only 2 on my list but Shepherd is our #1 with a bullet - it's closer to our house and our kids are black. But Lafayette will do in a pinch.

Have no idea what the Shepherd parent community is like, but Lafayette parents are just a collective nightmare.

We had a very good experience with Lafayette with the lottery. Once one of our kids got in, within hours they called the other two from the waiting list. This process was under the old principal and may have changed.

Shepherd. Lafayette is too big. This is especially true if you're a Black family -- the difference between test scores among Black and white students at Lafayette is shameful.

-Former Lafayette family.

These are the only two schools we are placing on lottery.

We likely won’t get in either. Fully aware. We are happy currently at our IB, but nice to play the lottery. Never know.

Commute is about the same.

Second grader and Kinder.

Would only go if both get in.

What school would you rank 1 v 2?

In the chance we “win” the lottery..