Anonymous
11/22/2025 13:33
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Logan Circle was a really cool neighborhood 15-20 years ago. It has since then evolved (gentrified) into a very nice and also highly affluent area near downtown that is full of mostly childless professionals. It has only recently become a place with popular neighborhood elementary schools. Capitol Hill is a less urban but historically more family friendly neighborhood. It has a lot of young families (and a lot of diverse public schools, especially if you also count the middle schools). Fewer pedestrians. This is all really basic knowledge if you have lived in DC for some time.
This is a perfect summary of those neighborhoods. Also, Capitol Hill leans cheaper and just has more space, if you want a 3+ bedroom place.
Anonymous
11/22/2025 13:10
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
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What grade in Francis was this? I'm in the younger yrs currently and I think it's been a great experience thus far. Based on this it seems the only worthwhile MS in DC are Hardy, Deal, Basis on this forum. Good grief.
This is a rich comment also:
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
They do. Now how the teachers execute said curriculum is another story altogether.
I think PP was also pointing out how every school offers different classes. Hardy and Deal offer more advanced math classes than Francis.
I have not been to both schools and full disclosure, I'm at a Francis feeder and plan to send my kid to Francis for middle, unless maybe they somehow get into Latin. However, I did a comparison of how kids like mine - white, not special ed, not EL - do in terms of math and reading at both Francis and Hardy. The achievement scores are remarkably similar and in fact I think Francis kids did better in ELA. (Deal's are higher in both subjects).
Does that make Francis and Hardy equivalent if you have a white non SPED kid - privileged population I know? Maybe not, but for me, it's close enough that I'm not driving to G-town or sending my kid to Basis if it's not a fit.
And yes, high school is a bigger problem at Francis, no question. Cardozo is awful and probably never going to be an option. More Francis kids end up McArthur than go there!
Ok! I highly recommend that you visit a variety of middle schools before you make this decision. You'll get a lot of information that can't be reduced to a average CAPE score on math and reading.
I would personally go with Stuart Hobson over Francis, because it serves advanced students a bit better -- they have things like National History Day (a year-long research project) and one higher level of math acceleration.
The math acceleration thing matters, because for some parents not having Geometry is a deal breaker, bc your kids will forever be behind by a year in their math trajectory compared to their peers, all the way through high school, and would only be able to get to AB Calc by 12th. So Francis will be missing that entire population of families. This is a "IYKYK" type of factor that matters a lot to a certain type of high achieving family.
For some reason, Francis is a little resistant to meeting the needs of advanced students compared to in other DCPS middle schools. Parents are agitating for change and I wish them luck!
Anonymous
11/22/2025 12:53
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Logan Circle was a really cool neighborhood 15-20 years ago. It has since then evolved (gentrified) into a very nice and also highly affluent area near downtown that is full of mostly childless professionals. It has only recently become a place with popular neighborhood elementary schools. Capitol Hill is a less urban but historically more family friendly neighborhood. It has a lot of young families (and a lot of diverse public schools, especially if you also count the middle schools). Fewer pedestrians. This is all really basic knowledge if you have lived in DC for some time.
Anonymous
11/22/2025 11:03
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
-------------------------
What grade in Francis was this? I'm in the younger yrs currently and I think it's been a great experience thus far. Based on this it seems the only worthwhile MS in DC are Hardy, Deal, Basis on this forum. Good grief.
This is a rich comment also:
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
They do. Now how the teachers execute said curriculum is another story altogether.
I think PP was also pointing out how every school offers different classes. Hardy and Deal offer more advanced math classes than Francis.
I have not been to both schools and full disclosure, I'm at a Francis feeder and plan to send my kid to Francis for middle, unless maybe they somehow get into Latin. However, I did a comparison of how kids like mine - white, not special ed, not EL - do in terms of math and reading at both Francis and Hardy. The achievement scores are remarkably similar and in fact I think Francis kids did better in ELA. (Deal's are higher in both subjects).
Does that make Francis and Hardy equivalent if you have a white non SPED kid - privileged population I know? Maybe not, but for me, it's close enough that I'm not driving to G-town or sending my kid to Basis if it's not a fit.
And yes, high school is a bigger problem at Francis, no question. Cardozo is awful and probably never going to be an option. More Francis kids end up McArthur than go there!
Anonymous
11/21/2025 11:50
Subject: Re:Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:PP again and if you think different middle schools teach the same things in the same classes you are fooling yourself. Kids at Hardy in Algebra 1 do not learn the same thing as kids in most other middle schools in Algebra 1.
And yet, other middle schools have similar proficiency rates (meets, exceeds on CAPE) in Algebra I.
Deal 92%
MacFarland 86%
Hardy 84%
Latin 82%
John Francis 75%
Stuart-Hobson 70%
Wells 68%
Eliot-Hine 66%
Anonymous
11/20/2025 21:41
Subject: Re:Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
PP again and if you think different middle schools teach the same things in the same classes you are fooling yourself. Kids at Hardy in Algebra 1 do not learn the same thing as kids in most other middle schools in Algebra 1.
Anonymous
11/20/2025 21:40
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
-------------------------
What grade in Francis was this? I'm in the younger yrs currently and I think it's been a great experience thus far. Based on this it seems the only worthwhile MS in DC are Hardy, Deal, Basis on this forum. Good grief.
This is a rich comment also:
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
They do. Now how the teachers execute said curriculum is another story altogether.
I think PP was also pointing out how every school offers different classes. Hardy and Deal offer more advanced math classes than Francis.
Anonymous
11/19/2025 09:31
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm the "too white" poster, and for the record I never said Maury was 20003. I don't know the CH zips codes at all. Another poster responded to my saying that I ended up in 20009 by comparing it to 20003.
All I'm saying, again, is that the first place we looked after deciding to move into the city was CH, including specifically the neighborhood around Lincoln Park, and all I saw was white couples in their 30s and 40s pushing expensive strollers while accompanied by designer dogs. I was like, nope! But maybe that's what OP wants. We wanted more.
Makes sense - did you end up in a neighborhood that is Too Black? Or Too Latino?
It seems likely they chose a neighborhood they like, right?
We ended up right in the middle of it all: 14th/Logan/U Street. We literally can walk to absolutely everything you need in 5 minutes or less (well, everything but a doctor’s office), and we’re within 15 minutes walk of Dupont, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights and Shaw. Then of course there’s the metro, again five minutes walk, where the yellow and green lines take you directly to just about anywhere else worth going to—Nats, Wizards, Caps, Navy Yard, National Airport. It’s exciting and, yes, very diverse in terms of race, age, income, occupations, Spanish speaking, etc etc.
Like others have said, it ain’t New York—not even close—but it’s the closest thing we’ve got regardless. We’re very happy with our choice.
Glad you found diverse people meandering in your periphery to fill our your cosplay experience bro.
Diversity actually does change the neighborhood feel and some people's closest friends are their neighbors. Cosplay experience or life?
I picked the richness of diversity in my relationships over a comfortable culturally uniform neighborhood experience, but you do you.
Your surface-level approach to the human experience (someone's race) is laughable and totally unserious. But yeah, keep patting yourself on the back champ. You get a gold star because you dislike large groups of white people. Great work!
You’re one of those bros who like to think the best, most important kind of diversity in DC is having republicans around. lol
There is certainly something to be said for having different politics or ideas, but I know your type and you’re not adding much of anything to your community. People from different countries and of different races can have vastly different experiences and beliefs even if we all still agree that women are human beings and brown people aren’t inherently violent.
Anonymous
11/19/2025 09:22
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
-------------------------
What grade in Francis was this? I'm in the younger yrs currently and I think it's been a great experience thus far. Based on this it seems the only worthwhile MS in DC are Hardy, Deal, Basis on this forum. Good grief.
This is a rich comment also:
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
They do. Now how the teachers execute said curriculum is another story altogether.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
-------------------------
What grade in Francis was this? I'm in the younger yrs currently and I think it's been a great experience thus far. Based on this it seems the only worthwhile MS in DC are Hardy, Deal, Basis on this forum. Good grief.
This is a rich comment also:
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
They do. Now how the teachers execute said curriculum is another story altogether.
Anonymous
11/19/2025 08:56
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
I'm the poster who first said that CH is too "white," and I agree with you. And yes, I'm white. I guess I don't really consider saying a neighborhood is "too white" on a forum such as this is saying it "in public." And when I said it other posters knew exactly what I was talking about. The only disagreement was whether I was being racist in point out the obvious.
Note that I didn't say the neighborhood was just "white." I also said it was largely white women in their 30s pushing expensive strollers with designer dogs at their side. And it IS, at least from my perspective. I don't consider it "racist" to not want to live in a neighborhood that's too much of anything. We didn't want that when we moved into the city. We wanted more diversity in terms of age, race, wealth, dogs -- everything.
You say that and then you only engage with white people. You wanna live around a certain amount of safe non-white people who act exactly like you.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 21:31
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
[quote=Anonymous]Francis is on the rise and when I looked it wasn't so clear why[b] Hardy vs Francis would be a significant difference.[/b] Deal has enormous size so it has more classes, more extracurriculars, etc. but also you have to be in a huge school that can be intimidating for kids. But the curriculum is pretty much the same at all DCPS MS, for better or worse.
A growing number of Ross families are going to Francis and that's going to keep growing, I think. They then deal with HS when it comes, including having the ability to apply to Walls, Banneker, etc. Or if people are going to move, they can always wait until HS to move.
The class sizes can be big, though, as someone noted. It's been a problem for some kids in certain grades. If people decide not to go because of the class sizes that will reduce the class sizes, haha[/quote]
Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
A growing number of Ross families are going to Francis and that's going to keep growing, I think. They then deal with HS when it comes, including having the ability to apply to Walls, Banneker, etc. Or if people are going to move, they can always wait until HS to move.
The class sizes can be big, though, as someone noted. It's been a problem for some kids in certain grades. If people decide not to go because of the class sizes that will reduce the class sizes, haha[/quote]
Have you been to both schools? They feel very different to me. I looked into 3 classes at each open house -- the most notable difference was that the Hardy kids were engaged (asking questions, writing, standing, talking) and the Francis students were all looking at devices, in every class.
I also think Hardy accelerates up in math by one additional level compared to Francis. And Hardy had science labs, and I didn't see them at Francis (though this could be different in the new building.)
"All DCPS schools use the same curriculum" is a unfortunately a fiction that parents are the worse DCPS schools tell themselves.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 20:26
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Francis is on the rise and when I looked it wasn't so clear why Hardy vs Francis would be a significant difference. Deal has enormous size so it has more classes, more extracurriculars, etc. but also you have to be in a huge school that can be intimidating for kids. But the curriculum is pretty much the same at all DCPS MS, for better or worse.
A growing number of Ross families are going to Francis and that's going to keep growing, I think. They then deal with HS when it comes, including having the ability to apply to Walls, Banneker, etc. Or if people are going to move, they can always wait until HS to move.
The class sizes can be big, though, as someone noted. It's been a problem for some kids in certain grades. If people decide not to go because of the class sizes that will reduce the class sizes, haha
A growing number of Ross families are going to Francis and that's going to keep growing, I think. They then deal with HS when it comes, including having the ability to apply to Walls, Banneker, etc. Or if people are going to move, they can always wait until HS to move.
The class sizes can be big, though, as someone noted. It's been a problem for some kids in certain grades. If people decide not to go because of the class sizes that will reduce the class sizes, haha
Anonymous
11/15/2025 14:26
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Ross.
No question.
Yes for elementary school for sure.
Iffy for middle school, and then absolutely not for high school (there is not a single Ross kid who ends up at Cardozo High School).
Ross is great!
I think Francis is better than iffy. Not Deal or Hardy yet, but probably third best public MS in the city. I also think it'll only get stronger over the next few years.
Agree 1000 times re: Cardozo.
Anonymous
11/14/2025 14:11
Subject: Top public elementary with neighborhood feel?
My kids are at Hearst and have been there since PK. I don't adore DCPS writ large, but the community and people at Hearst are the main selling point. It's a small school and small geographic boundary, so most of my kids' friends are within a few blocks of us and we've made some really good parent friends. My oldest walks to school and to friends' houses solo, which she loves (as do we).