Anonymous wrote:45 minutes is a really long commute for a middle schooler. Would they have a friend going with them every day?

As of now, no. The dream would be finding another kid in the neighborhood making the same commute but that's unlikely.

Anonymous wrote:Think down the road - Hardy feeds to MacArthur and Deal feeds to Jackson-Reed. Which would be better for your kid?

I am also not sure about that. My older child went to McArthur the first/second year it was open. It was a disaster. I know there are some growing pains and the school will probably change a lot as they find their footing but as of now, I'm not convinced MacArthur is a better choice for many reasons.

Anonymous wrote:My child will have the option to attend Hardy or Deal most days.

We live closer to Deal, which is a huge plus for me but I can make Hardy work. My child would probably take the bus to Hardy, which would likely take around 45 minutes to an hour each way, which is a huge negative.

Any thoughts on how the education, afterschool activities, social drama, etc. compare at the two schools?

What do you mean by "most days?" Won't they go to the same school every day?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Think down the road - Hardy feeds to MacArthur and Deal feeds to Jackson-Reed. Which would be better for your kid?

I agree but if OP is in boundary for both wouldn’t she be able to choose what Highschool she wants?

I am the OP. Not IB for both. IB for Deal/J-R but my child is currently enrolled at a Hardy feeder elementary school, so I have a choice for middle school. Also, my older child went to MacArthur and it was a disaster for them and we wound up taking them out. That said, the school can and probably will change a lot before my younger child gets there so I'm trying not to let that influence our decision.

We love Hardy. Such a great community. I couldn’t have picked a better middle school for my kids- but 45 minutes to an hour commute? Absolutely not worth it.

No brainer. Deal to JR. Shorter commute and better performing middle and high school.

No way would I have my kid do a 45 minute to 1 hour commute for Hardy each way. Nit worth it. Thats almost 2 hours a day.

deal because of commute

otherwise they have equal pros and cons

go with the shorter commute. there are reasons to pick hardy over deal but they dont outweigh that commute

Anonymous wrote:Think down the road - Hardy feeds to MacArthur and Deal feeds to Jackson-Reed. Which would be better for your kid?

MacArthur and Jackson Reed are so so different. Jackson reed is ginormous and good for very sporty and independent kids and already has a pretty good reputation while MacArthur is a smaller community school still gaining and developing. Then there’s also application schools like walls which is FILLED with deal kids and a couple hardy kids.

Anonymous wrote:Think down the road - Hardy feeds to MacArthur and Deal feeds to Jackson-Reed. Which would be better for your kid?

I agree but if OP is in boundary for both wouldn’t she be able to choose what Highschool she wants?

Anonymous wrote:Hardy 100%

I agree our kids LOVED their experience at hardy and I’m not even exaggerating. The teachers really care about the students and the staff and principal are great, sending weekly newsletters and updates. There’s also perks to being a smaller school and getting to form deeper connections with peers. The really question is where does your kid want to go? Do they care about the long commute and where will their friends be going to school?

Think down the road - Hardy feeds to MacArthur and Deal feeds to Jackson-Reed. Which would be better for your kid?

Hardy 100%

45 minutes is a really long commute for a middle schooler. Would they have a friend going with them every day?

My child will have the option to attend Hardy or Deal most days.

We live closer to Deal, which is a huge plus for me but I can make Hardy work. My child would probably take the bus to Hardy, which would likely take around 45 minutes to an hour each way, which is a huge negative.

Any thoughts on how the education, afterschool activities, social drama, etc. compare at the two schools?