I've had my kids in a collective 22 years of DCPS but have one in private high school this year and it's night and day over the DCPS foolery. Kid has already read 3 books including the Odyssey and written a half dozen papers. Classes are quiet and kids are respectful. My kid misses the fights and the drama of DCPS but he/she is learning.
The wealth is not an issue and there is about 55% kids of color, 30% of kids on aid. We are scraping our pennies together for this experience because we were tired of the hit-of-miss and often chaotic environment of DCPS. Last year my kid had an ELA teacher who only logged on 50% of the time. The other 50%? I have no idea. I talked to the principal and the principal
said there was nothing to be done because there was a valid excuse (different one each day) each time. My stress level over school has returned to zero. No fights. Quiet classrooms. Textbooks. Multiple writing assignments. It's ridiculous that we have to pay for what was a standard experience when we were kids.

No,, it's not the same everywhere. Wilson sounds toxic on a whole other level from what I have heard from friends (and on this thread). We have loved our DCPS ES but are definitely not sending our kids to Wilson when the time comes.

OP, you are not crazy to be considering pulling your kid. I'd do it as soon as I could in your shoes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current ninth grade was no picnic either.

yes, there were at least 3 episodes that I know of at Deal during 6th grade (with the current 9th grade) where kids were injured at school to the point of being taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Actually 2 involved injured kids, one event was an injured teacher.

Oh right, the kid getting pushed down the stairs.

The asst principal of that grade didn’t return to Deal this year with no word where he was going.

Deal’s a behavior mess this year too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took a kid from 9th grade at Whitman (MCPS) and sent him to St Andrew's, a coed boarding high school in Delaware. Mine repeated 9th grade, but they also have admissions into the 10th grade and very good financial aid. A world of difference, in all positive ways. Do some research into what else is out there (no, I would not have home-schooled)

We are considering this path - give walls/Wilson a chance but be ready to pull.

How did you navigate the timing? Did you know 9th grade wasn't going to work right away?

Don’t do this to your child. “Ready to pull” from high school is harder than you think.

As a relative with two kids in college advised me: in ninth tenth grade, students need to be focused on extracurricular activities, building relationships with teachers, test prep (if need be), honing academic and organizational skills, developing academic interests, maybe applying to summer programs. Not applying to a new high school.

OP believes Wilson is not a good fit, with potentially disastrous consequences; that’s one thing. But I wouldn’t enroll my child in any high school, planning to maybe bail. It’s tougher than it looks from the perspective of middle school.

So, this is advice for someone whose kids are in college? What makes you think their advice is any more valuable than anyone else's?

This is the post of someone whose kids have a good HS experience. And they're lucky. But if you kid is having a terrible HS experience, none of this matters. You just want them to be ok.

Also, what this poster is describing is very cookie cutter. Many colleges are interested in kids that have walked a different path and not just checked all the boxes.

Look, I shared that advice in response to someone who said they were pondering “trying” Wilson or Walls to see if it would work. And if not, then pull.

All I said was that executing the plan B may not be without some potential drawbacks.

I also said that in the case of OP — and by extension, anyone else whose child is truly unhappy with a current placement — this advice is not really relevant. Bc the consequences, as I said, could be potentially “disastrous.“

And for those who can’t make high school work in a linear path, yes, there are many, many colleges in the US, and many are looking for students who have walked a different path.

I was the poster keeping pulling out as an option. I also have a child in college so I guess that makes me an expert.

In our case, the DC who we would pull is on the young side so they would repeat 9th at a strong private, like the PP had their child do.

I believe in private school they call it "re-classing". Go for it! You're not happy because of the school environment, not because of your kid per se. What will change regarding that? Nothing. Switch. You won't look back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took a kid from 9th grade at Whitman (MCPS) and sent him to St Andrew's, a coed boarding high school in Delaware. Mine repeated 9th grade, but they also have admissions into the 10th grade and very good financial aid. A world of difference, in all positive ways. Do some research into what else is out there (no, I would not have home-schooled)

We are considering this path - give walls/Wilson a chance but be ready to pull.

How did you navigate the timing? Did you know 9th grade wasn't going to work right away?

Don’t do this to your child. “Ready to pull” from high school is harder than you think.

As a relative with two kids in college advised me: in ninth tenth grade, students need to be focused on extracurricular activities, building relationships with teachers, test prep (if need be), honing academic and organizational skills, developing academic interests, maybe applying to summer programs. Not applying to a new high school.

OP believes Wilson is not a good fit, with potentially disastrous consequences; that’s one thing. But I wouldn’t enroll my child in any high school, planning to maybe bail. It’s tougher than it looks from the perspective of middle school.

So, this is advice for someone whose kids are in college? What makes you think their advice is any more valuable than anyone else's?

This is the post of someone whose kids have a good HS experience. And they're lucky. But if you kid is having a terrible HS experience, none of this matters. You just want them to be ok.

Also, what this poster is describing is very cookie cutter. Many colleges are interested in kids that have walked a different path and not just checked all the boxes.

Look, I shared that advice in response to someone who said they were pondering “trying” Wilson or Walls to see if it would work. And if not, then pull.

All I said was that executing the plan B may not be without some potential drawbacks.

I also said that in the case of OP — and by extension, anyone else whose child is truly unhappy with a current placement — this advice is not really relevant. Bc the consequences, as I said, could be potentially “disastrous.“

And for those who can’t make high school work in a linear path, yes, there are many, many colleges in the US, and many are looking for students who have walked a different path.

I was the poster keeping pulling out as an option. I also have a child in college so I guess that makes me an expert.

In our case, the DC who we would pull is on the young side so they would repeat 9th at a strong private, like the PP had their child do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took a kid from 9th grade at Whitman (MCPS) and sent him to St Andrew's, a coed boarding high school in Delaware. Mine repeated 9th grade, but they also have admissions into the 10th grade and very good financial aid. A world of difference, in all positive ways. Do some research into what else is out there (no, I would not have home-schooled)

We are considering this path - give walls/Wilson a chance but be ready to pull.

How did you navigate the timing? Did you know 9th grade wasn't going to work right away?

Don’t do this to your child. “Ready to pull” from high school is harder than you think.

As a relative with two kids in college advised me: in ninth tenth grade, students need to be focused on extracurricular activities, building relationships with teachers, test prep (if need be), honing academic and organizational skills, developing academic interests, maybe applying to summer programs. Not applying to a new high school.

OP believes Wilson is not a good fit, with potentially disastrous consequences; that’s one thing. But I wouldn’t enroll my child in any high school, planning to maybe bail. It’s tougher than it looks from the perspective of middle school.

So, this is advice for someone whose kids are in college? What makes you think their advice is any more valuable than anyone else's?

This is the post of someone whose kids have a good HS experience. And they're lucky. But if you kid is having a terrible HS experience, none of this matters. You just want them to be ok.

Also, what this poster is describing is very cookie cutter. Many colleges are interested in kids that have walked a different path and not just checked all the boxes.

D. I think you misread that post. She is saying that you should try to start at the high school that you intend for your DC to graduate from, not one that you are trying out with a backup in the works. Changing high schools is a big deal. Sometimes it might be necessary, such as for the OP's DC. But it shouldn't be the plan from the beginning.

And by the way, my student is having a terrible high school experience. Which is why I’m consulting widely on this issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took a kid from 9th grade at Whitman (MCPS) and sent him to St Andrew's, a coed boarding high school in Delaware. Mine repeated 9th grade, but they also have admissions into the 10th grade and very good financial aid. A world of difference, in all positive ways. Do some research into what else is out there (no, I would not have home-schooled)

We are considering this path - give walls/Wilson a chance but be ready to pull.

How did you navigate the timing? Did you know 9th grade wasn't going to work right away?

Don’t do this to your child. “Ready to pull” from high school is harder than you think.

As a relative with two kids in college advised me: in ninth tenth grade, students need to be focused on extracurricular activities, building relationships with teachers, test prep (if need be), honing academic and organizational skills, developing academic interests, maybe applying to summer programs. Not applying to a new high school.

OP believes Wilson is not a good fit, with potentially disastrous consequences; that’s one thing. But I wouldn’t enroll my child in any high school, planning to maybe bail. It’s tougher than it looks from the perspective of middle school.

So, this is advice for someone whose kids are in college? What makes you think their advice is any more valuable than anyone else's?

This is the post of someone whose kids have a good HS experience. And they're lucky. But if you kid is having a terrible HS experience, none of this matters. You just want them to be ok.

Also, what this poster is describing is very cookie cutter. Many colleges are interested in kids that have walked a different path and not just checked all the boxes.

Look, I shared that advice in response to someone who said they were pondering “trying” Wilson or Walls to see if it would work. And if not, then pull.

All I said was that executing the plan B may not be without some potential drawbacks.

I also said that in the case of OP — and by extension, anyone else whose child is truly unhappy with a current placement — this advice is not really relevant. Bc the consequences, as I said, could be potentially “disastrous.“

And for those who can’t make high school work in a linear path, yes, there are many, many colleges in the US, and many are looking for students who have walked a different path.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I took a kid from 9th grade at Whitman (MCPS) and sent him to St Andrew's, a coed boarding high school in Delaware. Mine repeated 9th grade, but they also have admissions into the 10th grade and very good financial aid. A world of difference, in all positive ways. Do some research into what else is out there (no, I would not have home-schooled)

We are considering this path - give walls/Wilson a chance but be ready to pull.

How did you navigate the timing? Did you know 9th grade wasn't going to work right away?

Don’t do this to your child. “Ready to pull” from high school is harder than you think.

As a relative with two kids in college advised me: in ninth tenth grade, students need to be focused on extracurricular activities, building relationships with teachers, test prep (if need be), honing academic and organizational skills, developing academic interests, maybe applying to summer programs. Not applying to a new high school.

OP believes Wilson is not a good fit, with potentially disastrous consequences; that’s one thing. But I wouldn’t enroll my child in any high school, planning to maybe bail. It’s tougher than it looks from the perspective of middle school.

So, this is advice for someone whose kids are in college? What makes you think their advice is any more valuable than anyone else's?

This is the post of someone whose kids have a good HS experience. And they're lucky. But if you kid is having a terrible HS experience, none of this matters. You just want them to be ok.

Also, what this poster is describing is very cookie cutter. Many colleges are interested in kids that have walked a different path and not just checked all the boxes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also know at least one child who was bullied so badly that year they left the school.

And I know two kids that were bullied so badly from a private middle school in Rockville and another one that was bullied so badly from a top private in DC that those kids left for DC publics. Middle school kids are awful and bullying is everywhere. Not a defense of how Deal did or did not handle a specific incident but just noting that anecdotes are not really helpful for establishing patterns.

Sorry, kids will be kids argument and whataboutism do not excuse the inability of the Deal administration to keep kids safe. It’s the minimum.

The PP was pretty clear that they weren't defending how Deal handled the incident--just noted that bullying is problematic at many schools (public and private) and that parents pull kids from all sorts of (public and private) schools as a result.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also know at least one child who was bullied so badly that year they left the school.

And I know two kids that were bullied so badly from a private middle school in Rockville and another one that was bullied so badly from a top private in DC that those kids left for DC publics. Middle school kids are awful and bullying is everywhere. Not a defense of how Deal did or did not handle a specific incident but just noting that anecdotes are not really helpful for establishing patterns.

Sorry, kids will be kids argument and whataboutism do not excuse the inability of the Deal administration to keep kids safe. It’s the minimum.

Anonymous wrote:I also know at least one child who was bullied so badly that year they left the school.

And I know two kids that were bullied so badly from a private middle school in Rockville and another one that was bullied so badly from a top private in DC that those kids left for DC publics. Middle school kids are awful and bullying is everywhere. Not a defense of how Deal did or did not handle a specific incident but just noting that anecdotes are not really helpful for establishing patterns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current ninth grade was no picnic either.

yes, there were at least 3 episodes that I know of at Deal during 6th grade (with the current 9th grade) where kids were injured at school to the point of being taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Actually 2 involved injured kids, one event was an injured teacher.

Oh right, the kid getting pushed down the stairs.

The asst principal of that grade didn’t return to Deal this year with no word where he was going.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current ninth grade was no picnic either.

yes, there were at least 3 episodes that I know of at Deal during 6th grade (with the current 9th grade) where kids were injured at school to the point of being taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Actually 2 involved injured kids, one event was an injured teacher.

Oh right, the kid getting pushed down the stairs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Observation of one here but the “advanced” behaviors I am aware of come from close-in white WOTP neighborhoods.

And that makes it better, to you? Or worse?

OP wrote about serious issues that her DC is experiencing. She didn't specify the race or the house addresses of the problems.

Actually, I appreciated that comment. Not a matter of better or worse. We’re all trying to provide context that OP and others can consider.