Anonymous wrote:White DCPS parent here. I asked a Black parent of my kid's friend (who grew up in DC) this. She advised against my kid applying/going and in fact said she wouldn't think of sending her kid there. Her reasons were more class than race: Bannaker, she says, is seen "for the have-nots" and well-off kids in general won't be welcomed.
But I agree with PP. Let's put it to the test and have all the kids who want an academically challenging school apply. Then we'll see for sure if indeed white families are still allergic to that neighborhood or if Banneker won't admit the percent of qualified non-AA who do apply....

New poster here. I don't know who your friend is but she is waaaay off base, especially if she claims she grew up in DC. The school in the past pulled many middle class and upper middle class students especially back in the day before many of the high income/highly educated blacks started moving out of the city in the late 80s & 90s.

I will say that, that was then, this is now. I don't know what the make up of the school is today. It has always been highly regarded and appears to be chugging along just fine. However as I previously stated, a vast number of blacks on the higher end of the socio economic scale moved out decades ago so perhaps the pool of "best of the best" has diminished or spread to optioins that weren't previously available.

Still the assertion of Banneker being a school for the "have-nots" is absurd.

Anonymous wrote:or maybe there just aren't that many white high school aged kids in the city right now. I suspect many families moved before middle school. There are now a ton of white families in the city with younger kids so perhaps this may all change but it does mean that parents have to get over the 'my kid maybe the only...' thing.

I live right by Mckinley Tech and this is exactly why. There simply aren't white teenagers living in the neighborhood. There are tons of white kids under the age of five but very very few white teenagers. this might change as the current under fives get older - or maybe they will move out of the city.

25% boys is due mainly to the fact that there aren't any of the primary athletics male sports at Banneker. Academics and athletics can go hand in hand but that would make Banneker another comprehensive high-school with an application process.

Gee whiz, diversity does not make a damn bit of difference. You have Banneker that is predominantly AA sitting right across the street from one of the most popular and recognized HBCU [Howard University] in the nation. The last time I look a degree from Howard is not too shabby.

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood it's in? This is why I chose SWW because it was more diverse.

Yeah, Columbia Heights is completely bereft of white people. Oh, wait, it's not 1987 anymore.

the Wilson kids who are good academically also take themselves seriously and roam the neighborhood free from complaint

Anonymous wrote:And to add, not sure why Wilson is considered a better alternative. Academically, it has always paled in comparison to Banneker by leaps and bounds. Wilson was known for fights and its an easy to get "lost" in. Outside of the academies, its a pretty average school. If you were to compare the scholarships/acceptances to universities between the two, Banneker would be more impressive.

This.

No-one ever complains about behavior issues with Banneker students - in the neighborhood, in the retail shops, on public transit, etc. They take themselves seriously.

Maybe I'm just old, but in an age where adults treat themselves as overgrown children, I find this refreshing.

Anonymous wrote:White DCPS parent here. I asked a Black parent of my kid's friend (who grew up in DC) this. She advised against my kid applying/going and in fact said she wouldn't think of sending her kid there. Her reasons were more class than race: Bannaker, she says, is seen "for the have-nots" and well-off kids in general won't be welcomed.
But I agree with PP. Let's put it to the test and have all the kids who want an academically challenging school apply. Then we'll see for sure if indeed white families are still allergic to that neighborhood or if Banneker won't admit the percent of qualified non-AA who do apply....

This is the craziest thing I have ever heard. My HHI is over $500K and our son will be attending Banneker in the Fall. I love the school. I know other well to do parents who send their kids there as well. A bigger issue that I hear about is the lack of boys. Banneker is only 25% boys.

Banneker is consistently good academically. Wilson is mixed, with lower lows and higher highs tan Banneker.

Banneker is small, Wilson is large. Banneker is all Black. Wilson is mixed Black, White, Asian and Hispanic.

20:32 ii is because whites are sending out the rhetoric that diversity is the real world. Which is a bunch bs.

And to add, not sure why Wilson is considered a better alternative. Academically, it has always paled in comparison to Banneker by leaps and bounds. Wilson was known for fights and its an easy to get "lost" in. Outside of the academies, its a pretty average school. If you were to compare the scholarships/acceptances to universities between the two, Banneker would be more impressive.

Anonymous wrote:White DCPS parent here. I asked a Black parent of my kid's friend (who grew up in DC) this. She advised against my kid applying/going and in fact said she wouldn't think of sending her kid there. Her reasons were more class than race: Bannaker, she says, is seen "for the have-nots" and well-off kids in general won't be welcomed.
But I agree with PP. Let's put it to the test and have all the kids who want an academically challenging school apply. Then we'll see for sure if indeed white families are still allergic to that neighborhood or if Banneker won't admit the percent of qualified non-AA who do apply....

She gave you poor advice. I attended SWW but my counterparts at Banneker were mostly middle class (with educated parents) in the late 90s. There were also some students from well-to-do families (parents millionaires), though I doubt you would be able to tell the difference. I know a family in the latter category whose eldest graduated a few years ago and my guess is their youngest will attend.

I chose SWW over Banneker (my parents' preferred school) because I wanted more "freedom". Banneker didn't seem as fun.

I am really excited about all the good public high school options in DC. I wish there were better middle school options. Also middle school is harder because of transportation.

or maybe there just aren't that many white high school aged kids in the city right now. I suspect many families moved before middle school. There are now a ton of white families in the city with younger kids so perhaps this may all change but it does mean that parents have to get over the 'my kid maybe the only...' thing.

that's interesting...only 2 at cap city. why do they leave? Isn't it much more balanced in the lower grades?

So are all the white students cramming into Walls, Wilson, Ellington or privates? where do they all go?

Anonymous wrote:White kids have attended Bannaker and will again. But I think that now that there are other choices like Latin, Cap. City etc. it's not as popular. And white folks seem scared of the location for reasons I can't comprehend. The academic piece isn't for everyone, white or black and some kids want academics AND sports. But I think more folks (Latinos, Asians, Whites and Blacks) should seriously consider Bannaker.

There are 2 white kids in the Cap City high school, so I don't think that's who draws away the white kids from Banneker.