Anonymous
04/01/2025 15:18
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Okay good point! A previous poster guessed correctly: Thomson to Ross.
And yes, if you are looking for a true hidden gem that you can get into even with a terrible lottery number, Thomson is awesome. (Boosting even as I eye the door.) We really would have stayed til middle school if it hadn't been for this lottery lightning strike and may still stay or go back if we decide this "trade-up" isn't worth it.
To be fair, Ross seem like a different kind of gem...but not a particularly hidden one.
For the poster who asked about middle school: We think Francis is pretty good now and will only get better. I've heard great things about it from Thomson parents of all backgrounds though I'll be curious if the Ross community embraces it too. I haven't looked at that data.
Don't ask me about our high school plan...wish I could somehow preserve this crazy number to get into Latin in fifth! But it doesn't work that way...
Ross definitely seems like a great school. I think the only really negative thing I've read about it on this board is that it's a small school that just gets smaller as more students peel off to privates, which can lead to weird social dynamics. Also very few students move on to John Francis. You can see more data on that here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/student-enrollment-pathways
Depending on where you are in the Thomson boundary and where you work, I think the commute to Ross could really be a slog. Don't discount the potential impact of that on both you and your child's quality of life. Maybe do a few test runs and see how it goes?
People say you can always just switch back to Thomson if it doesn't work out, which is true, but practically speaking that would probably be pretty hard on your kid. I wouldn't treat the decision too lightly.
Thanks for the forward data from Francis. Def more buy-in from Thomson than Ross from what I can tell.
Since you have a younger child you may be hearing more buy-in. But what actually happens is people match with BASIS and Latin and sometimes ITDS if they like that, and few people actually end up at Francis even if they would have been willing to go.
Look at the link above. In every year, somewhere between 17 to 26 5th graders from Thomson enroll at John-Francis for 6th. For Ross, it's fewer than 10 5th graders. Some of that has to do with the size of the 5th grade classes at Thomson and Ross, but objectively more students go from Thomson to John-Francis than from Ross to John-Francis. It's not just playground chatter.
Anonymous
04/01/2025 14:57
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Okay good point! A previous poster guessed correctly: Thomson to Ross.
And yes, if you are looking for a true hidden gem that you can get into even with a terrible lottery number, Thomson is awesome. (Boosting even as I eye the door.) We really would have stayed til middle school if it hadn't been for this lottery lightning strike and may still stay or go back if we decide this "trade-up" isn't worth it.
To be fair, Ross seem like a different kind of gem...but not a particularly hidden one.
For the poster who asked about middle school: We think Francis is pretty good now and will only get better. I've heard great things about it from Thomson parents of all backgrounds though I'll be curious if the Ross community embraces it too. I haven't looked at that data.
Don't ask me about our high school plan...wish I could somehow preserve this crazy number to get into Latin in fifth! But it doesn't work that way...
Ross definitely seems like a great school. I think the only really negative thing I've read about it on this board is that it's a small school that just gets smaller as more students peel off to privates, which can lead to weird social dynamics. Also very few students move on to John Francis. You can see more data on that here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/student-enrollment-pathways
Depending on where you are in the Thomson boundary and where you work, I think the commute to Ross could really be a slog. Don't discount the potential impact of that on both you and your child's quality of life. Maybe do a few test runs and see how it goes?
People say you can always just switch back to Thomson if it doesn't work out, which is true, but practically speaking that would probably be pretty hard on your kid. I wouldn't treat the decision too lightly.
Thanks for the forward data from Francis. Def more buy-in from Thomson than Ross from what I can tell.
Since you have a younger child you may be hearing more buy-in. But what actually happens is people match with BASIS and Latin and sometimes ITDS if they like that, and few people actually end up at Francis even if they would have been willing to go.
Anonymous
04/01/2025 14:56
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Okay good point! A previous poster guessed correctly: Thomson to Ross.
And yes, if you are looking for a true hidden gem that you can get into even with a terrible lottery number, Thomson is awesome. (Boosting even as I eye the door.) We really would have stayed til middle school if it hadn't been for this lottery lightning strike and may still stay or go back if we decide this "trade-up" isn't worth it.
To be fair, Ross seem like a different kind of gem...but not a particularly hidden one.
For the poster who asked about middle school: We think Francis is pretty good now and will only get better. I've heard great things about it from Thomson parents of all backgrounds though I'll be curious if the Ross community embraces it too. I haven't looked at that data.
Don't ask me about our high school plan...wish I could somehow preserve this crazy number to get into Latin in fifth! But it doesn't work that way...
Ross definitely seems like a great school. I think the only really negative thing I've read about it on this board is that it's a small school that just gets smaller as more students peel off to privates, which can lead to weird social dynamics. Also very few students move on to John Francis. You can see more data on that here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/student-enrollment-pathways
Depending on where you are in the Thomson boundary and where you work, I think the commute to Ross could really be a slog. Don't discount the potential impact of that on both you and your child's quality of life. Maybe do a few test runs and see how it goes?
People say you can always just switch back to Thomson if it doesn't work out, which is true, but practically speaking that would probably be pretty hard on your kid. I wouldn't treat the decision too lightly.
Thanks for the forward data from Francis. Def more buy-in from Thomson than Ross from what I can tell.
Anonymous
04/01/2025 14:36
Subject: Dumb lottery question
I think Thomson is a good enough school that either your DH steps up, or you don't switch. And don't let him make empty promises.
Anonymous
04/01/2025 14:28
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:I think Thompson is a good solid school and I wouldn't switch for Ross. BUT if your husband is going to whine about it for the next 5 years that's worth factoring in.
Husband whining only a minor factor tho yes. It's a thing.
And yes, Thomson is more than solid, it's excellent. (In my opinion). I'm trying to figure out if it's a choice between excellent and so incredibly extraordinary that it's worth an annoying commute (in which case maybe we go) or excellent and also excellent but less diverse and more annoying to get to (in which case we stay put.)
Anonymous
04/01/2025 13:10
Subject: Dumb lottery question
I think Thompson is a good solid school and I wouldn't switch for Ross. BUT if your husband is going to whine about it for the next 5 years that's worth factoring in.
Anonymous
04/01/2025 12:53
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Okay good point! A previous poster guessed correctly: Thomson to Ross.
And yes, if you are looking for a true hidden gem that you can get into even with a terrible lottery number, Thomson is awesome. (Boosting even as I eye the door.) We really would have stayed til middle school if it hadn't been for this lottery lightning strike and may still stay or go back if we decide this "trade-up" isn't worth it.
To be fair, Ross seem like a different kind of gem...but not a particularly hidden one.
For the poster who asked about middle school: We think Francis is pretty good now and will only get better. I've heard great things about it from Thomson parents of all backgrounds though I'll be curious if the Ross community embraces it too. I haven't looked at that data.
Don't ask me about our high school plan...wish I could somehow preserve this crazy number to get into Latin in fifth! But it doesn't work that way...
Ross definitely seems like a great school. I think the only really negative thing I've read about it on this board is that it's a small school that just gets smaller as more students peel off to privates, which can lead to weird social dynamics. Also very few students move on to John Francis. You can see more data on that here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/student-enrollment-pathways
Depending on where you are in the Thomson boundary and where you work, I think the commute to Ross could really be a slog. Don't discount the potential impact of that on both you and your child's quality of life. Maybe do a few test runs and see how it goes?
People say you can always just switch back to Thomson if it doesn't work out, which is true, but practically speaking that would probably be pretty hard on your kid. I wouldn't treat the decision too lightly.
Anonymous
03/31/2025 15:29
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Okay good point! A previous poster guessed correctly: Thomson to Ross.
And yes, if you are looking for a true hidden gem that you can get into even with a terrible lottery number, Thomson is awesome. (Boosting even as I eye the door.) We really would have stayed til middle school if it hadn't been for this lottery lightning strike and may still stay or go back if we decide this "trade-up" isn't worth it.
To be fair, Ross seem like a different kind of gem...but not a particularly hidden one.
For the poster who asked about middle school: We think Francis is pretty good now and will only get better. I've heard great things about it from Thomson parents of all backgrounds though I'll be curious if the Ross community embraces it too. I haven't looked at that data.
Don't ask me about our high school plan...wish I could somehow preserve this crazy number to get into Latin in fifth! But it doesn't work that way...
Anonymous
03/31/2025 15:23
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:We had crazy lottery luck for K and got into a highly sought-after, mostly white, super high achieving elementary school I didn't think we had any shot at.
We are currently happy at our super diverse, hidden gem in-bound, which we absolutely love, but which has struggled with enrollment. It gets through its whole wait list every year, for every grade, except maybe PreK-3. Our in bound has low test scores overall, though I think it outperforms its demographics. We had planned to stay through 5th and lotteried just for the heck of it (mostly to appease my husband who hates our school's admittedly crap facilities, which are def the worst thing about our school.) Both schools have same feeder middle/high.
I am currently doing research on Highly Sought After to see if it's worth the longer commute/lack of diversity. My friends at Hidden Gem say that if I am even remotely considering Highly Sought After I should go ahead and enroll there. Their Argument: If we change our minds, or try it and decide it's not for us, Hidden Gem has to take us back, cause we're K and in boundary. Plus, unless something crazy happens there will be more than enough room in K for us at Hidden Gem, at any point in the school year.
We will almost certainly never lottery back into Highly Sought After - this is our one shot to try a school like it without moving. It is certainly better resourced than Hidden Gem.
So hive mind...are my friends right? Does our in bound have to take us back no matter what?
Your friends are right, because there is a lot of potential upside to moving to a better school, and no potential downside bc you can just go back to your IB whenever you want.
If you stay, the potential downside is that you don't like the school, but then you are stuck.
Anonymous
03/31/2025 15:02
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You put it higher on your list for a reason. Just move.
I'm sure your kid loves their school but they'll also love their other school.
Also, how white could the new school be? There are no lily white schools at all in the district, that I know of.
Same poster. Also, if it's that white it's DCPS and feeds to Jackson Reed. That is huge. That is a path all the way to high school. You should take the spot for that reason alone.
OP here. This may give away both schools but Highly Sought After does not feed JR or McArthur. The schools that do are too far for us.
I am good with the middle from what I know of it - pretty good reputation for a non Deal/Hardy. I am def NOT okay with the high school. Yes, if feeder pattern changed, mental math would be different.
On behavior at Hidden Gem..it frankly doesn't seem like a problem per other parents, even in the upper grades. Academics also seem strong - lots of kids from Hidden Gem enroll at Basis and do well there, for what that's worth, but I am guessing the academics at Highly Sought After are at least as strong or stronger.
Are you taking educated guesses? Payne to SWS is mine!
OP here. Ha! I love DCUM sometimes (meant sincerely). That does fit the pattern, but nope! Brent and Amidon-Bowen is also wrong.
I kinda enjoy the guessing game...but should I just give it away, you guys? The reason I haven't said is that I don't want people to hate on my Hidden Gem Title I. It's great! We would only switch for Highly Sought After and maybe not even for that!
People can definitely give you better feedback on the sought-after school if you reveal it! And didn't you say hidden gem always goes through the WL - maybe you should be boosting them!
But my kid is at a Title one in upper elementary and yes, the wheels are falling off a bit. Although my kid is very happy, they have not enjoyed the annual exodus of friends post-2nd grade.
Anonymous
03/31/2025 14:55
Subject: Dumb lottery question
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is husband willing to do pickup every day? (Not dropoff bc drop off is easier) if so then switch.
He is not! Again, are you a fly on my wall?
Tell hubs to put his money where his mouth is. I personally would not switch without the prospect of a better feeder pattern. Here’s a question OP - what IS your middle school plan? If it involves playing the lottery again, I definitely wouldn’t switch now bc you’ll just be switching again later (hopefully)