Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for Burroughs.

There is a lot talk about Burroughs but I'm curious to see action - like what will the first few weeks of school look like especially like after the enrollment audit. I toured the school and I'm just concerned about diversity and that Tools of the Mind crap. Hopefully, the parents who are "ALL IN" will organize before school starts. Currently, there is NO diversity in the preschool through Kindergarten classes.

I am not even sure what you are advocating.

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for Burroughs.

There is a lot talk about Burroughs but I'm curious to see action - like what will the first few weeks of school look like especially like after the enrollment audit. I toured the school and I'm just concerned about diversity and that Tools of the Mind crap. Hopefully, the parents who are "ALL IN" will organize before school starts. Currently, there is NO diversity in the preschool through Kindergarten classes.

yes, that's right. I forgot about getting dropped form waitlists from schools ranked lower than the one you got in. So, waitlists are shorter. In looking at the lottery results a few "no preference" folks got into PS3 and PK at Barnard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh, Barnard? The OP wanted up and coming schools that she had a possibility of getting a slot in the lottery. The train left a few years ago on that school.

Since the OP wants projections, I would look at neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying, like Riggs Park, Michigan Park, and Woodbridge. As others have mentioned, Burroughs is up and coming and I would suspect that LaSalle would be next or possibly Brookland. Brookland is very close to the new middle school, so that is big plus.

You have to be smart and current when it comes to upping your chances in the lottery. We attend Barnard and love it. And yes, most spots are taken up by IB at this point. However, I believe the unified lottery had an impact on schools like Barnard this past year. Suddenly, families were limited to 12 spots (DCPS and charter--with a few charters not playing) and when it came down to it, Barnard did not make a lot of peoples' list of 12. I just want to look for the results from the 1st round of the lottery but I think they have been taken down so I can't confirm for sure, but I seem to recall that the waitlist was MUCH shorter than in years past.

Plus, remember, it's a numbers game. Barnard offers 4 classes of PS3...that is 60 spots. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, you'd have a much better chance getting into Barnard than a school that offers just one PS3 class (like Ross). Anyway, don't disregard your chances without really looking at the data and factoring in the sort of variables I describe.

The waitlist was shorter for every school because the charters were in the common lottery and you were only waitlisted at schools you ranked as more desirable as the one you got into. However, waitlists are also moving a lot less because of it.

Anonymous wrote:Huh, Barnard? The OP wanted up and coming schools that she had a possibility of getting a slot in the lottery. The train left a few years ago on that school.

Since the OP wants projections, I would look at neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying, like Riggs Park, Michigan Park, and Woodbridge. As others have mentioned, Burroughs is up and coming and I would suspect that LaSalle would be next or possibly Brookland. Brookland is very close to the new middle school, so that is big plus.

You have to be smart and current when it comes to upping your chances in the lottery. We attend Barnard and love it. And yes, most spots are taken up by IB at this point. However, I believe the unified lottery had an impact on schools like Barnard this past year. Suddenly, families were limited to 12 spots (DCPS and charter--with a few charters not playing) and when it came down to it, Barnard did not make a lot of peoples' list of 12. I just want to look for the results from the 1st round of the lottery but I think they have been taken down so I can't confirm for sure, but I seem to recall that the waitlist was MUCH shorter than in years past.

Plus, remember, it's a numbers game. Barnard offers 4 classes of PS3...that is 60 spots. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, you'd have a much better chance getting into Barnard than a school that offers just one PS3 class (like Ross). Anyway, don't disregard your chances without really looking at the data and factoring in the sort of variables I describe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh, Barnard? The OP wanted up and coming schools that she had a possibility of getting a slot in the lottery. The train left a few years ago on that school.

Since the OP wants projections, I would look at neighborhoods that are rapidly gentrifying, like Riggs Park, Michigan Park, and Woodbridge. As others have mentioned, Burroughs is up and coming and I would suspect that LaSalle would be next or possibly Brookland. Brookland is very close to the new middle school, so that is big plus.

Change at schools lags behind gentrification by many years, if not decades. You don't want to look at places that are gentrifying just now, but at places that are several years past the beginning of the gentrification process.

+1

Mount Vernon Square/Walker Jones

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I don't want to disclose my IB school because I don't want to inadvertently disparage it. It's a fine school but I just want other options. Looking for PK4 for next year with the prospect of staying on until 5th. I'm really not that interested in being there for only PK. I'd be willing to travel to almost any part of DC if there was real promise in the school.

OP, if you want a school that is good all the way through 5th grade, you are going to have to move IB. Any school that is either already good all the way through or will be good all the way through in a few years is pretty hard to get in out of bounds.

All of the schools are up and coming.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I don't want to disclose my IB school because I don't want to inadvertently disparage it. It's a fine school but I just want other options. Looking for PK4 for next year with the prospect of staying on until 5th. I'm really not that interested in being there for only PK. I'd be willing to travel to almost any part of DC if there was real promise in the school.

You say that now... But a real commitment to a "borderline" school needs some sort of attraction for you - a school that needs work in order to become attractive 3 years from now is really not worth a 45 min commute each way. I promise. You will want to take geography into account.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Powell Title 1? If so and the DME proposal goes through all IB kids would get a spot.

Yes, but OP is looking for schools where people can get in OOB.

Maybe OP could since the 40 waitlisted will be in PK4 next year.

OP, unless you are extremely lucky, I think you are going to have to move in boundary for a good school. It's just really hard to get in OOB anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm getting ready for next years lottery. I know this is really early! In considering some safety schools, which ones do you believe have a real chance of turning the corner? It's like buying real estate before the market gets hot. I think my strategy will be listing mostly schools that are considered safeties but with real potential to rise. I'm going to give up entirely on the sought after schools.

What schools meet this criteria and why.

OP, did you mention where you live, or for what grade?

Consider Bancroft - it's getting better every year, dual language program, and you can get spots via OOB, although it is getting tougher for PK3 and PK4.

Bancroft doesn't take OOB kids for PK3 who have no sibling there already. Some IB families have been shut out for the past several years.

Anonymous wrote:Is Powell Title 1? If so and the DME proposal goes through all IB kids would get a spot.

Yes, but OP is looking for schools where people can get in OOB.

OP here - I don't want to disclose my IB school because I don't want to inadvertently disparage it. It's a fine school but I just want other options. Looking for PK4 for next year with the prospect of staying on until 5th. I'm really not that interested in being there for only PK. I'd be willing to travel to almost any part of DC if there was real promise in the school.

Anonymous wrote:Check out West, 1338 Farragut St NW

while the pre-k spots are becoming more desirable and there is typically a waitlist, there is a lot of movement and those who really want to go there generally end up there.

I am a current West parent and would be happy to talk to you further about it...

I'll second that - very happy there.