Anonymous wrote:Walls turned down my 9th grader who just hit a qualifying PSAT for national merit so your mileage may vary

And mine who is thriving at a top private (Sidwell/NCS). It all worked out as this was her top choice but last years' Walls admissions made ZERO sense. Plenty of B students who phoned in middle school got accepted while some of the many impressive and motivated kids I know did not (the straight A kids
who did all the academic extracurriculars... Nope--not admitted).

Anonymous wrote:Walls turned down my 9th grader who just hit a qualifying PSAT for national merit so your mileage may vary

Turned down as in - did not even get on the waitlist after being interviewed?
Or your child did not "win" the lottery to be interviewed?

Walls turned down my 9th grader who just hit a qualifying PSAT for national merit so your mileage may vary

Anonymous wrote:My 10th grader is having a great year. Finally making connections and this makes a huge difference. Walls is the right place for him.

However - I agree with the comments on the administration. Over the last year, they lost their Principal and an AP.

The replacements do not come close.

Can you provide examples of how they do not compare? I've seen a number of comments about how admin is subpar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Terrible. No french department. Uninspired teachers. Lots of busy work. Administration is unresponsive. There is nothing impressive about this school.

What grade is your student in?

What do you mean, no French department? The French teachers all quit and haven't been replaced? What happens during French classes?

One quit and one retired in August- not much time to hire in these times. The second French teacher will start in January after Winter break. They prioritized the existing teacher to French 1 and AP French. The students in French 2/3 have been given some assignments but it took awhile to get going. My DC does Duolingo and we will supplement with an immersion camp this summer. Honestly, I'm rather glad it was French without a teacher rather than math or science etc.

Interesting comment about school spirit- I thought Homecoming was very well attended and it was nice to see kids from all over the city attend.

FWIW, if you are interested in the college classes, ALL DCPS kids are eligible to take classes at several DC colleges their junior and senior years for free (I can't remember the name of the program)...we get information about it every year but have never taken advantage of it. It is easier for Walls kids because of the proximity to GW but I know a couple from Wilson who have taken classes at American and who took a class at Georgetown.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many kids at walls take classes at GW?

About 15 do the early college program in junior and senior year. Several dozen probably do an exposure class during junior or senior years.

15 is ~ 10% of the class.

That’s just for the GWECP. More kids ( maybe 30?) take exposure classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many kids at walls take classes at GW?

About 15 do the early college program in junior and senior year. Several dozen probably do an exposure class during junior or senior years.

15 is ~ 10% of the class.

Anonymous wrote:How many kids at walls take classes at GW?

About 15 do the early college program in junior and senior year. Several dozen probably do an exposure class during junior or senior years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people say the teachers aren’t that good at Walls- is that across all departments and grade levels? Is it based on what your kids tell you?

It's based on the work they get--a lot of busy work--my kids' total lack of enthusiasm for most classes (this has not always been the case--the have liked many teachers/classes in elementary and middle school, and my impression from P-T conferences. To be clear, some teachers are fine and there are a few who are very good...but most are not.

Thank you for your response. I am sorry your kid isn’t excited or at least likes many classes.

How many kids at walls take classes at GW?

Anonymous wrote:When people say the teachers aren’t that good at Walls- is that across all departments and grade levels? Is it based on what your kids tell you?

It's based on the work they get--a lot of busy work--my kids' total lack of enthusiasm for most classes (this has not always been the case--the have liked many teachers/classes in elementary and middle school, and my impression from P-T conferences. To be clear, some teachers are fine and there are a few who are very good...but most are not.

When people say the teachers aren’t that good at Walls- is that across all departments and grade levels? Is it based on what your kids tell you?

+1
The worst part of Wilson is the 4x4 schedule but there are rumors that that will change for next year (fingers crossed). I have a kid at both...both schools are fine. Walls has much fewer behavior problems (it is much worse at Wilson this year than in prior years). I think the teachers are better at Wilson.

If you live in bounds for Wilson, don’t bother with Walls. It’s not what it was. Tune out the craziness at Wilson and it’s fine. Some classes are great. Some are not. But, that’s life!