We have sent two kids through 5th grade at Brent - one pre upper school and one post. Our child never reported any repeat assignments in upper school and had a wonderful experience with all the extracurriculars and special privileges for 5th graders. US allowed my child to build friendships with the class below and teachers also created opportunities to stretch and grow - particularly on math and writing. My child who predated US had a much harder experience - with the charter dynamic - it was hard to have so many people leave and so many new faces come in - which requires more time for teachers to rebuild norms and level kids coming from multiple school academically. US really mitigates this and enables much greater community stability and ability to academically differentiate and stretch. Whoever OP is - talk to people who have been through it. There are a range of experiences and different kids have different needs - but my US student and all their close friends loved it and thrived!

Not paying close attention. Plan accordingly if you're in the lower grades at Brent.

Anonymous wrote:Yes Brent also sends kids to Latin. Some of those departures and also private school admits might at least be more predictable by late spring (admitted in the initial lottery and/or siblings) than the summer Basis waitlist movement and families who move away are.

This. If the administration is paying attention they can learn a lot. And they get a report at lottery time on who matched elsewhere.

Yes Brent also sends kids to Latin. Some of those departures and also private school admits might at least be more predictable by late spring (admitted in the initial lottery and/or siblings) than the summer Basis waitlist movement and families who move away are.

Anonymous wrote:Is Brent not also a decent feeder into Latin?

Not sure what that means. There is no feeder right to Latin. Brent sends a few kids to each Latin every year. Some are siblings at Latin. The first few years of Latin Cooper, it was pretty easy to get in, so there's sort of an echo of that pulling in siblings now. But for nonsiblings it isn't easy to get in anymore. 10-15% chance.

Is Brent not also a decent feeder into Latin?

Anonymous wrote:Its not that confusing. Brent is a pretty big feeder to Basis, but a lot of students get into Basis not in the initial lottery but over the summer. Ludlow and some other area schools swing year by year between 2 and 3 5th grade classes. But thats easier than some years 2 classes and some years one. If you think you have 30+ 5th grade students coming back in the spring but then it drops over the summer to 22 its not so easy to plan for.

And fortuitously, the US model guarantees that it will never be 30 something.

Its not that confusing. Brent is a pretty big feeder to Basis, but a lot of students get into Basis not in the initial lottery but over the summer. Ludlow and some other area schools swing year by year between 2 and 3 5th grade classes. But thats easier than some years 2 classes and some years one. If you think you have 30+ 5th grade students coming back in the spring but then it drops over the summer to 22 its not so easy to plan for.

Agreed, and we were there for 10 years, the first four under Peter Young, who was no better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the principal presumably doesnt like the uncertainty of how many kids are returning for 5th. the basis waitlist for example moves a lot in august. suddenly after planning for two 5th grade classes, there are only 20-25 returning.

It’s not that the principal “doesn’t like” it - it’s that teaching positions need to be funded and teachers need some degree of job security year to year. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation.

They have the right number of kids for one class if they don't take new ones. There are plenty of classes in DC with 24-25 kids, which is what Brent has had recently. This is principal preference through and through.

Agreed in SY23-24 and SY 24-25, there were around 24 kids that remained at Brent from 4th to 5th grade (w/o enrolling additional students). In both years, even if they number dipped below 24 kids ish, it still would have a required only one teacher. The Principal clearly wants to make this model work for her own personal gain/accomplishment rather than thinking of the students and community. The roll out less than one month before school in August 2023 was awful; one zoom call, no parent buy-in. If she would have announced the Upper School model earlier in the year, even more 4th grade students/parents would have left. When considering Brent for your child, not only focus on academics and social-emotional stability, but also the leadership and support YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE from the principal regardless if you have been there 7 years or 1 year.

Anonymous wrote:the principal presumably doesnt like the uncertainty of how many kids are returning for 5th. the basis waitlist for example moves a lot in august. suddenly after planning for two 5th grade classes, there are only 20-25 returning.

No idea what this means. WLs that move in August aren't moving a lot because the schools are admitting/pulling a lot of kids. They move a lot because more people turn down or move off of WLs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the principal presumably doesnt like the uncertainty of how many kids are returning for 5th. the basis waitlist for example moves a lot in august. suddenly after planning for two 5th grade classes, there are only 20-25 returning.

It’s not that the principal “doesn’t like” it - it’s that teaching positions need to be funded and teachers need some degree of job security year to year. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation.

They have the right number of kids for one class if they don't take new ones. There are plenty of classes in DC with 24-25 kids, which is what Brent has had recently. This is principal preference through and through.