Yes, but OP could consider school-within-a-school programs that are not huge. See above. I don't get why OP is prepared to move anywhere for schools. Sounds disruptive to family life.

Anonymous wrote:City of Falls Church high school is the only near-DC high school that is not huge.

Bumping this...

If you want to stay in the area OP without moving far out, consider the IB Diploma school-within-a-school program at Washington Liberty in Arlington. It's a huge school, with almost 700 per grade, but a civilized one and the IB Diploma program only enrolls around 100 "full" IB students in 11th and 12 grades. I'm told that these kids take most of their classes together from 9th grade. My sibling's kids love W-L for real rigor, lots of support (teachers must offer office hours at least twice a week), close ties with classmates, good guidance counselors and great ECs, electives and language instruction (6 or 7 languages taught for IBD). The school is a 10-min walk from Metro (Ballston or VASQ).

Try western Massachusetts. Amherst public high school, Northampton public high school, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, no interview at Walls. And we can no longer afford private. Our IB option is not a good fit in any way for our kid.

If you could move anywhere to get a school similar to Walls in both size (<200 per grade and quality, where would you go and to which school?

(WFH, so moving is truly an option... and could be good for us overall!)

If you work from home, can you actually move to a small-mid sized town where you have many friends or family?

This is what I would do. Maybe for us it would be Boston, or possibly Durham.

+1. For us it would be somewhere on the Main Line outside of Philly.

OP here. Thank you. Yes, we have been digging in to think where we might consider going and are still coming up blank. Unfortunately, our families are all in undesirable areas in the Deep South and there's not even anyplace we'd consider "good" within easy frequent visiting/driving distance of them. And we want to feel that we are going toward something good us vs feeling like we're running from something, if that makes sense. I'm sure there's a place out there that's better for us than DC. There's got to be.

Maybe community high school in Ann arbor but it may be too late to get in. Many of the school districts on long island (great neck, Jericho, Manhasset, port Jefferson) or Westchester (bronxville) are quite small but the vibe is not going to be like walls.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, no interview at Walls. And we can no longer afford private. Our IB option is not a good fit in any way for our kid.

If you could move anywhere to get a school similar to Walls in both size (<200 per grade and quality, where would you go and to which school?

(WFH, so moving is truly an option... and could be good for us overall!)

If you work from home, can you actually move to a small-mid sized town where you have many friends or family?

This is what I would do. Maybe for us it would be Boston, or possibly Durham.

+1. For us it would be somewhere on the Main Line outside of Philly.

Anonymous wrote:Capital City charter might be a good option if you want to stay in DC

nevermind I see that you're looking for non-lottery options

Capital City charter might be a good option if you want to stay in DC

Anonymous wrote:McKinley Tech would have been a good option if others find themselves in this situation.

OP here. I think that’s true for many, but my kid wasn’t interested in McKinley.

We also aren’t near there at all. It would be an hour commute each way — minimum, on a good day, w/o traffic disruptions — for my kid via bus and Metro. That isn’t very desirable!

McKinley Tech would have been a good option if others find themselves in this situation.

Anonymous wrote:This is why people send their kids to Basis.

Yeah I have to say reading this post made me breathe a huge sigh of relief to be at BASIS and at least have a backup path.

Anonymous wrote:This is why people send their kids to Basis.

The charter school via lottery?

Anonymous wrote:Did you apply to other application schools like McKinley and also not get interviews? Knowing who else you struck out in already would be helpful. You could move in bound for McArthur. Would the IB program at Eastern be a possibility.

You say you want a small school but why? What needs does your kid have that you think a small school provides? This info will also help inform suggestions.

I know this idea gets knocked on here a lot, but from the parents I know who have at Easterns EPIC program the only complaint they do have is that the kids travel through most of their honors/IB classes as a cohort so it is a small group. So it may end up working for you?
As a middle school parent in that feeder parent I know several families who applied to application schools, but if they don't get in, their plan is to do the EPIC program. (We are not 8th grade yet)
I do know they have an open house at the end of the month and another in early April for kids to shadow classes.

This is why people send their kids to Basis.