I realize it happens in much bigger numbers in EOTP schools, but this is also the reality of DC schools generally. My kids went to private preschool and lost friends to international transfers or moves every single year there. Then they went to a JKLM and lost friends every single year for the same reasons. Then they were the friends who left when we switched schools (for reasons unrelated to the quality of the schools we were leaving), and now in the private school, again bffs have moved or switched schools every year.

In not one of the school situations have our DC kids been spared the turn over. I swear my oldest has needed to find a new bff every other year of the 14 years of school in DC.

The silver lining is that they and we have friends all over the city, suburbs, and the world.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with the first pp’s. My oldest is in 3rd at one of the DCPS that is spoken of positively but with a lousy middle school feed. New students have arrived but there has been little turnover since PK. The few families who have left moved out of the area. From what I see at the higher grades, many leave for 5th, but the cohorts are pretty solid through 4th.

+1. This is our experience as well, through two kids.

We also haven’t seen major attrition until 5th with two kids in a great ES feeding to a much weaker middle school. Maybe a couple of kids a year. (We are. at Maury.)

Anonymous wrote:Were the kids IB or were they OOB and now have the right to attend a school closer to them?

This. You'd be amazed how far people travel for EOTP preschool. DCPS wants schools to offer more preschool seats so that OOB kids can attend, yet then penalizes schools on the retention metric if they can't retain them. But really how can you retain someone who lives so far away and has a great school nearby?

Is it a majority non-white school? Truth be told, they’ll all move to Arlington or Bethesda or Silver Spring hoping for the best. Their liberal, equity loving persuasions not enough to counteract and east coast type A pull for perfection.

Were the kids IB or were they OOB and now have the right to attend a school closer to them?

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the responses. did it take a toll on your kid to keep losing friends? The lottery process is so frustrating.

No, if anything it was harder on me. A lot of people still live in the area so we see them. And I know in my heart we'll leave eventually too, so it's kind of good to normalize the idea that kids change schools sometimes. You might need to make a little more effort to socialize with the kids who are still there or those who are new additions.

I might feel differently if I felt better about our school. I'm very involved and volunteer and serve on the PTA board. So I know that there are some very real shortcomings of the school and I think it helps nobody to minimize their significance. I'm the type to prioritize diversity and minimize the number of times I move my kids, and I think a lot of the nearby charters are not as good as they might seem. But I certainly understand that people's needs aren't being met. And I'm fortunate enough to own a townhouse. If I were living in a tiny condo with these screaming, flatulent hyenas I call my offspring, I'd move away too.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with the first pp’s. My oldest is in 3rd at one of the DCPS that is spoken of positively but with a lousy middle school feed. New students have arrived but there has been little turnover since PK. The few families who have left moved out of the area. From what I see at the higher grades, many leave for 5th, but the cohorts are pretty solid through 4th.

+1. This is our experience as well, through two kids.

OP here - thanks for the responses. did it take a toll on your kid to keep losing friends? The lottery process is so frustrating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are frightened sheep

Nope, the reality is most people want to stay in the city and taking the long view with better peer groups in the upper grades in elementary and viable middle school track.

+1. Or maybe, just maybe, their experience hasn't been as good as yours. Or they have concerns or goals about their child's education that you don't have about yours. That's fine. But it's better to focus on improving the school than defensively disparaging others. There is room for improvement at every school in this city. And some EOTP elementaries don't have massive attrition entering K. If you are losing your PK4s, it's worth trying to figure out why. Because it doesn't have to be that way.

Anonymous wrote:People are frightened sheep

Nope, the reality is most people want to stay in the city and taking the long view with better peer groups in the upper grades in elementary and viable middle school track.

I disagree with the first pp’s. My oldest is in 3rd at one of the DCPS that is spoken of positively but with a lousy middle school feed. New students have arrived but there has been little turnover since PK. The few families who have left moved out of the area. From what I see at the higher grades, many leave for 5th, but the cohorts are pretty solid through 4th.

People are frightened sheep

Yes, it is like that every year. There are always people who move for reasons unrelated to school. K is when people can go to school IB WOTP, and in MD and VA, so that tends to be when people pull out and move. Or they move for their older child's academics and the younger child comes along. K is a much easier lottery year for that reason.

As a fellow parent at a similarly situated school, I would suggest that you proactively market the Kindergarten experience to your PK3 and PK4 families. Familiarize them with the teacher and the curriculum in January and February and they may lottery less ambitiously. You can get the principal to release K-2nd internal testing summaries if that would help. Beyond that, focus on whatever is unsatisfactory about your school and try to improve it. You can make a lot of progress improving quality, satisfaction, and retention without having a good middle school.

Anonymous wrote:We’re at a highly regarded DCPS ES that feeds into a lousy middle school. Kid started Kindergarten this week and lost about 15 of his friends from PK3 and PK4. We feel great about the school, but sad that so many have left. Does this school shuffle happen every year or is kindergarten just a big year for this? Id hate to see my kid lose this many friends every year but of course understand why people leave.

Wait until 3rd and 4th. If tou feed to a lousy middle then those are the years anyone who can leave does.

We’re at a highly regarded DCPS ES that feeds into a lousy middle school. Kid started Kindergarten this week and lost about 15 of his friends from PK3 and PK4. We feel great about the school, but sad that so many have left. Does this school shuffle happen every year or is kindergarten just a big year for this? Id hate to see my kid lose this many friends every year but of course understand why people leave.