Anonymous wrote:Do you know about the short waitlists dashboard? https://www.myschooldc.org/short-waitlists

Based on this I'd say Eliot-Hine, Sojourner Truth, and maybe MacFarland are options worth exploring.

I think avoiding a nightmare commute is another factor you should consider, not just for day-to-day mental health but also for more opportunities to see classmates outside of school.

I've heard good things about friends' kids' experiences with Sojourner Truth.

Hi OP- we are relatively new to the school, but we have been happy at Cap City and would describe it as warm (I can’t speak to the SPED program, however). One of the things that has been nice is the strong teacher to student ratio and they have kids in “crews” - small groups that meet each day, and the group they travel to classes with is small too - I think that smallness is helpful for some kids. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

OP, where do you live and what is your in-boundary (IB) school?

You might also try to contact the families and youth in transition program, explain the situation, and tell them that you could use some help with enrollment.

For the upcoming year, look at your IB because its the only guaranteed option. Get on the schools with short waitlists that would make sense over your IB right away. You might also need to request an IEP meeting shortly after enrollment because of the time out of school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have professional experience with both schools you mentioned and ITDS is miles closer to what you are looking for.

Yet still probably not close enough. Being crammed in with 24 other kids and plenty of behavior is hard for anyone let alone someone who hasn't done in-person school recently.

Academically it's pretty ok though.

They did well with my special needs kid.

Timing is definitely tough for this. Agree on Eliot Hine and Sojourner Truth. You may need to consider an option for just this year, given how late it is, and then transfer next year to a more preferred option. Lee goes through 6th and might be an option, not sure if they take in 6th but can’t hurt to get on the list.

I am a fan of Cap City for a lot of reasons, but I cosign that this is not the year to join the middle school. A lot of administrative turnover last year and people will be finding their way around. Perhaps check in when it's time for high school; I think that program is solid for the many kids who are serious about their education. But MS has always been tougher there than ES or HS, and I don't think this year will be an exception.
Good luck with your kiddo!

Definitely not MacFarland. We’re at a feeder and know kids there. The monolingual and bilingual tracks are very different and the staff have much bigger fish to fry than OP’s kid.

Friendship also has a fully online school option which nay not work for you and would not be my choice because the social stuff in the middle school years has value despite being challenging but it exists.

Do you know about the short waitlists dashboard? https://www.myschooldc.org/short-waitlists

Based on this I'd say Eliot-Hine, Sojourner Truth, and maybe MacFarland are options worth exploring.

I think avoiding a nightmare commute is another factor you should consider, not just for day-to-day mental health but also for more opportunities to see classmates outside of school.