Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of a MacArthur freshman here. My son loves the school. The staff and the administrators are amazing. My son was recommended to do AP pre-calculus because they reviewed his transcript and he already had algebra two in eighth grade and he has been getting straight A’s in his current algebra two class now I was a little annoyed that they did not view his transcript, but I was happy to see that once they acknowledged that they immediately switched his classes. Yes there have been fights. Yes, some children may be a little rowdy but it’s a public school. I see the same thing Deal and JR. The homecoming dance just happened. It was very successful at this school. I feel like my son would get the real high school experience. I am very pleased with the school and I recommend it to anybody.

Where did he go to middle school that he did algebra II in 8th grade?

Either BASIS or Deal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of a MacArthur freshman here. My son loves the school. The staff and the administrators are amazing. My son was recommended to do AP pre-calculus because they reviewed his transcript and he already had algebra two in eighth grade and he has been getting straight A’s in his current algebra two class now I was a little annoyed that they did not view his transcript, but I was happy to see that once they acknowledged that they immediately switched his classes. Yes there have been fights. Yes, some children may be a little rowdy but it’s a public school. I see the same thing Deal and JR. The homecoming dance just happened. It was very successful at this school. I feel like my son would get the real high school experience. I am very pleased with the school and I recommend it to anybody.

Where did he go to middle school that he did algebra II in 8th grade?

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a freshman here, whose other child graduated from J-R in the spring, so i do have bit of expertise here, and will address a couple of the issue raise above. J-R was more chaotic with more fights. It did not affect most kids--plenty take their AP classes and do well and can ignore the chaos and are better and more resilient for it. J-R was overenrolled. Macarthur is not. J-R also lets kids place themselves into AP classes. I was skeptical but it really is the way to do things in an urban public school.

The Macarthur admin is responsive and for the most part, the teachers are helpful and engaging. I have found it comparable to J-R in that regard so far.

I have found the worst part about Macarthur is the people in the neighborhood--they treat the kids like criminals. At a crowded bus stop, neighbors have yelled at kids to stop acting like animals and to stand on the sidewalk. Teenagers waiting for a bus will horse around no matter where they are. The drop off is a nightmare, but the neighbors are going to have to work with the school to figure this out--the school is only going to get bigger and more established with older kids who will be driving and having more independence and a foothold there. Right now, the racism/NIMBYism is a really bad look.

Anonymous wrote:Parents of a MacArthur freshman here. My son loves the school. The staff and the administrators are amazing. My son was recommended to do AP pre-calculus because they reviewed his transcript and he already had algebra two in eighth grade and he has been getting straight A’s in his current algebra two class now I was a little annoyed that they did not view his transcript, but I was happy to see that once they acknowledged that they immediately switched his classes. Yes there have been fights. Yes, some children may be a little rowdy but it’s a public school. I see the same thing Deal and JR. The homecoming dance just happened. It was very successful at this school. I feel like my son would get the real high school experience. I am very pleased with the school and I recommend it to anybody.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a freshman here, whose other child graduated from J-R in the spring, so i do have bit of expertise here, and will address a couple of the issue raise above. J-R was more chaotic with more fights. It did not affect most kids--plenty take their AP classes and do well and can ignore the chaos and are better and more resilient for it. J-R was overenrolled. Macarthur is not. J-R also lets kids place themselves into AP classes. I was skeptical but it really is the way to do things in an urban public school.

The Macarthur admin is responsive and for the most part, the teachers are helpful and engaging. I have found it comparable to J-R in that regard so far.

I have found the worst part about Macarthur is the people in the neighborhood--they treat the kids like criminals. At a crowded bus stop, neighbors have yelled at kids to stop acting like animals and to stand on the sidewalk. Teenagers waiting for a bus will horse around no matter where they are. The drop off is a nightmare, but the neighbors are going to have to work with the school to figure this out--the school is only going to get bigger and more established with older kids who will be driving and having more independence and a foothold there. Right now, the racism/NIMBYism is a really bad look.

Does MacArthur had the same self-placed AP policies? How does it make sense for kids to place themselves into an AP without the prerequisites, esp language and math?

There are pre-requisites for language and math classes. Self placement just means that kids don’t ALSO have to be recommended by teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a freshman here, whose other child graduated from J-R in the spring, so i do have bit of expertise here, and will address a couple of the issue raise above. J-R was more chaotic with more fights. It did not affect most kids--plenty take their AP classes and do well and can ignore the chaos and are better and more resilient for it. J-R was overenrolled. Macarthur is not. J-R also lets kids place themselves into AP classes. I was skeptical but it really is the way to do things in an urban public school.

The Macarthur admin is responsive and for the most part, the teachers are helpful and engaging. I have found it comparable to J-R in that regard so far.

I have found the worst part about Macarthur is the people in the neighborhood--they treat the kids like criminals. At a crowded bus stop, neighbors have yelled at kids to stop acting like animals and to stand on the sidewalk. Teenagers waiting for a bus will horse around no matter where they are. The drop off is a nightmare, but the neighbors are going to have to work with the school to figure this out--the school is only going to get bigger and more established with older kids who will be driving and having more independence and a foothold there. Right now, the racism/NIMBYism is a really bad look.

Does MacArthur had the same self-placed AP policies? How does it make sense for kids to place themselves into an AP without the prerequisites, esp language and math?

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a freshman here, whose other child graduated from J-R in the spring, so i do have bit of expertise here, and will address a couple of the issue raise above. J-R was more chaotic with more fights. It did not affect most kids--plenty take their AP classes and do well and can ignore the chaos and are better and more resilient for it. J-R was overenrolled. Macarthur is not. J-R also lets kids place themselves into AP classes. I was skeptical but it really is the way to do things in an urban public school.

The Macarthur admin is responsive and for the most part, the teachers are helpful and engaging. I have found it comparable to J-R in that regard so far.

I have found the worst part about Macarthur is the people in the neighborhood--they treat the kids like criminals. At a crowded bus stop, neighbors have yelled at kids to stop acting like animals and to stand on the sidewalk. Teenagers waiting for a bus will horse around no matter where they are. The drop off is a nightmare, but the neighbors are going to have to work with the school to figure this out--the school is only going to get bigger and more established with older kids who will be driving and having more independence and a foothold there. Right now, the racism/NIMBYism is a really bad look.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:parent to a Junior here. The school is great. It is a public school, which means you are going to have a variety of abilities present. My son plays sports, does student government, clubs and the like. He's never felt unsafe. Took 3 APs Sophomore year, 5s on two of them. The teachers are great, responsive, and care about students. I have no doubt that things happen and that no place is perfect, but we have been happy with our choice.

But do they mix the abilities in the AP classes resulting in the class being taught to the lowest ability and the rest being left to fend for themselves? This is what we are experiencing in MS and our ability to accept it is quickly wearing thin.

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a freshman here, whose other child graduated from J-R in the spring, so i do have bit of expertise here, and will address a couple of the issue raise above. J-R was more chaotic with more fights. It did not affect most kids--plenty take their AP classes and do well and can ignore the chaos and are better and more resilient for it. J-R was overenrolled. Macarthur is not. J-R also lets kids place themselves into AP classes. I was skeptical but it really is the way to do things in an urban public school.

The Macarthur admin is responsive and for the most part, the teachers are helpful and engaging. I have found it comparable to J-R in that regard so far.

I have found the worst part about Macarthur is the people in the neighborhood--they treat the kids like criminals. At a crowded bus stop, neighbors have yelled at kids to stop acting like animals and to stand on the sidewalk. Teenagers waiting for a bus will horse around no matter where they are. The drop off is a nightmare, but the neighbors are going to have to work with the school to figure this out--the school is only going to get bigger and more established with older kids who will be driving and having more independence and a foothold there. Right now, the racism/NIMBYism is a really bad look.

Anonymous wrote:parent to a Junior here. The school is great. It is a public school, which means you are going to have a variety of abilities present. My son plays sports, does student government, clubs and the like. He's never felt unsafe. Took 3 APs Sophomore year, 5s on two of them. The teachers are great, responsive, and care about students. I have no doubt that things happen and that no place is perfect, but we have been happy with our choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No kids at the school but FYI, below posted by a parent with kid there on nextdoor.

Important Notice to Parents Considering Enrollment at MacArthur High School. This school is also about to be re-name next school to John Thompson Jr. High. So don’t get fooled. It’s still the same school with the same administration.

Do not enroll your child at MacArthur High School.
This school has had multiple safety incidents, including robberies and assaults on students near and around the campus. Many students who attend this school have been targeted while traveling to and from school, particularly at nearby bus stops and metro stations where groups of students gather unsupervised. There is little to no consistent protection or police presence for students in these areas.

Beyond the serious safety concerns, there are major issues with how the school is managed and operated:
• The school appears to be over-enrolled, prioritizing numbers and funding rather than the safety and well-being of its students.
• Many students do not receive lockers or school ID cards, leading to disorganization and inequitable treatment.
• Students are being placed into AP and advanced classes without proper assessment or transcript review, which creates confusion and academic strain.
• The registration and enrollment process has been handled carelessly, with numerous documentation errors and missing information.
• The administration has repeatedly failed to address or correct safety incidents, and in some cases, has appeared to cover up serious events rather than take accountability.

As a parent, my own child has endured multiple physical assaults by upperclassmen at this school, with no real action taken by administrators to ensure his protection. This environment has proven to be unsafe, unstructured, and lacking transparency.

👉 This is not a safe school to send your children to. Please choose another school option for your child’s safety and well-being.

Until DCPS takes meaningful steps to improve safety, accountability, and oversight, MacArthur High School should not be considered a safe or responsible choice for any student.

This person sounds unhinged. Lots of claims, zero evidence

Sorry but no parent is going to ID themselves and post above if it was not true what happened to her child.

It’s probably true that her kid is struggling, but the list of complaints is hysterical and without evidence. Sort of speaks to where some of the kid’s issues may come from…