Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette or Murch - best bets IMHO.

You're joking about Lafayette and Murch, right? I don't think OP wants her children to be the only Black kids in their class.

When my kid was at Murch, it was majority minority, although the largest single group was white they were about 45%. My son was one of about six black kids in his class, and all were middle class or above.

Our child is currently at Murch and we are very happy with the welcoming community. Murch is no longer majority minority (see below, the "white" student body is 64%). However, it has a huge mix of languages, religions, and ethnicities (as well has colors). For example, there were three AA kids in my child's class, however there were several dark brown children from other backgrounds. Murch has one of the largest Asian populations in DCPS and this diversity is present on campus. Many of the children of color are from affluent and/or professional homes. The international children are from Embassies, or the Banks, however some are from striving immigrant families. I really like that the school supports OOB kids and there is always a small group of kids (about 14%) that are from outside of the neighborhood. This just strikes me as fair and is aligned with DCPS overall goals that all schools should have a percentage of kids that are OOB.

I am AA and obsess about the schools that will provide the best outcomes for my kid. It is particularly tough in NW, because most of the privates are more racially diverse than the public elementaries in the neighborhood. There is also a black DC elite that strongly advocates for privates and there are multiple generations of these "legacy" kids. They may criticize you for considering public. As long as public is working for us we will continue with public school.

What I like about Murch is that if you look at the AA scores on DCPS there is a good segment of AA kids that do well on the tests and are in advanced or proficient range, this is slightly higher than some of the other WOTP schools, particularly those in the immediate neighborhood. The gap between AA and white students is also smaller than at other schools. There is also a significant AA staff prescence at the school, and several AA men that work on the campus. Our son of color is doing well, and I feel that the racial and socio-economic mix at Murch is good for our family.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS (from DCPS)
(2014-15)
Enrollment: 620
Black: 11%
Hispanic/Latino: 10%
White: 64%
Asian: 10%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 5%
English language learners 9%

Anonymous wrote:Affluent families send their children to provate schools.

Agree, for elementary and lower elementary.

Charters are offering a venue to those affluent families who are not scoring high in privates.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette or Murch - best bets IMHO.

You're joking about Lafayette and Murch, right? I don't think OP wants her children to be the only Black kids in their class.

When my kid was at Murch, it was majority minority, although the largest single group was white they were about 45%. My son was one of about six black kids in his class, and all were middle class or above.

Maybe an immersion charter school? Ours has a good mix.

EOTP- maybe Logan Montessori?

Affluent families send their children to provate schools.

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette or Murch - best bets IMHO.

You're joking about Lafayette and Murch, right? I don't think OP wants her children to be the only Black kids in their class.

Lafayette or Murch - best bets IMHO.

Really?

Anonymous wrote:Shepherd and Cleveland for sure. Maybe Maury?

Hearst is 53% AA. Lafayette is only 11%, but it is a big school so not actually that many fewer black kids. I would guess that those who either live in the area or trek their kids to Lafayette from OOB have a lot of money (or possibly a lot of time + interest in using it on their kids' education, which is also good).

If you have a little kid, Van Ness seems to have a fair amount of racial and economic diversity. But there are a lot of people from one side of the boundary freaked out about the fact that kids from the other side mostly live in public housing. Hard to tell if it's racism and/or classism but it could lead to some awkward or painful moments. The school only reopens this year so time will tell.

These will vary a lot by grade as well, OP. I think the older grades in Hearst are majority AA whereas there are fewer in the younger grades.

Shepherd and Cleveland for sure. Maybe Maury?

Hearst is 53% AA. Lafayette is only 11%, but it is a big school so not actually that many fewer black kids. I would guess that those who either live in the area or trek their kids to Lafayette from OOB have a lot of money (or possibly a lot of time + interest in using it on their kids' education, which is also good).

If you have a little kid, Van Ness seems to have a fair amount of racial and economic diversity. But there are a lot of people from one side of the boundary freaked out about the fact that kids from the other side mostly live in public housing. Hard to tell if it's racism and/or classism but it could lead to some awkward or painful moments. The school only reopens this year so time will tell.

Define affluent.
maybe Eaton?

I would have said Shepherd during my time attending DCPS. I'm not sure it exist now.

Most affluent AA's send their kids to WOTP schools like I do.

How old are your kids? That'll affect people's recs.

I ask b/c it seems like the "best" DCPS elementary schools have low AA numbers (in zone, at least). My family is AA and I'd rather not have my children perceived as outsiders in their own school. Appreciate any feedback!