This is a 2010 thread. Someone dug it up instead of starting a new string.

However, since you are interested, they are both very good schools. Latin is lottery based so you just have to be lucky enough to have your number drawn. My daughter actually was called off the wait list for 5th. I turned it down because she had a wonderful group of friends at her elementary school and I did not want to disrupt those relationships. That said, two kids in her class did peel off for Latin. The rest of her class moved onto Deal.

I could not be more happy with the instruction, administration and environment at Deal. I was wary of the hype but it has truly lived up to it. Deal is a fantastic school.

The parents I know who left for Latin are happy as well. Neither is easy to get into. Again, with Latin, you have to get lucky in the lottery. With Deal, you have to live inbounds or get yourself into a feeder quickly.

For what it's worth, my daughter also received a 6th grade spot at Basis which I turned down. However, the families I know who go there seem to be happy as well.

All said, I think the District is doing well right now with middle schools since I would say that Deal, Latin, Basis, Hardy are great options and I didn't even mention, the new Brookland Middle (which has lots of buzz for its opening next fall) as well as, McKinley Tech and Howard Middle which are very strong as well depending on what you are looking for.

I agree. Very informative. Thank you, 7:36!

Anonymous wrote:Halloween's over already -- put this thread back in its coffin!

Huh??? NP here who finds this thread very interesting and informative.

Halloween's over already -- put this thread back in its coffin!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is more "up" on Latin and Deal than previous ones, but we've rejected both for 7th grade (IB for Deal, lotteried into Latin) for lack of differentiation in most classes for a math and science-gifted kid.

Latin tracks only for 8th grade algebra and Latin. Deal offers "ability grouping" a little more for math, but doesn't offer G&T/honors classes across the board. We're switching to a MoCo MS that tracks heavily (even offering 6th grade algebra), putting our kid on a path to BC (upper level) AP calculus and physics by 12th grade.

We've found that the emphasis on educating poor urban youth who are "behind" hasn't worked terribly well for us at Latin. If the school ran on a selective admissions basis we'd probably stay, but there are too many low-income kids who need, and get, remediation at Latin at the expense of high performers for our tastes. It would be a different story if the poor kids were coming out of ES G&T programs, like at the best NYC public middle schools and those in the burbs.

If your kid is future INTEL or Siemens competition material, math and science are on the basic side at both Deal and Latin. These are certainly very fine schools by DC standards, but not great ones by MoCo or Fairfax standards. If my very bright and disciplined kid would be challenged and pushed at Deal/Wilson or Latin MS/Latin HS, or I could afford a private, I'd stay in the city.

We had The same problem at Latin (attended) AND Deal. Then along came BASIS. Wihout the whole social pecking order of a large HS where jocks rule the roost, our 7h grader is in precal and getting A/s.

NP - this points out a STEM weakness in both schools but in fairness, that isn't what either Latin or Deal holds itself out to be. Latin and Deal are both excellent achools and nothing should detract from that, but it's good to know options exist for STEM - for some that's been moving and TJ etc...

Reflections on Washington Latin Public Charter School

A recap on what we love about Washington Latin:
• School leadership -- ambitious, competent, professional, accessible, and warm
• Small school size (roughly 80 per grade), creating a very warm, family-like atmosphere
• Small class sizes (18-20 students per class), allowing opportunities for individualized attention
• Close relations between students & teachers
• Highly dedicated and energetic teachers, many of whom give considerable time to students outside of class
• A good number of very talented male teachers
• A clear mission that organizes everyone's efforts
• Rigorous, organized curriculum where every student is challenged
• Its emphasis on critical thinking, dialogue (using Socratic seminars), oral expression, written expression, debate, and public speaking
• The Latin teachers are wonderful: Who would have thought that our son would love Latin and discover how relevant it is?
• Tremendous diversity in student population. Our son has good friends who live in all wards of the city.
• Hard-working kids are considered “cool.”
• As our son has become more aware of associations between clothing and status, we appreciate the school’s simple uniform
• Clear academic & behavioral expectations (and consistent follow through)
• Easy parent/teacher collaboration -- with online tools and teacher responsiveness (to calls/emails)
• Easy tracking of student progress -- again, with online tools and teacher responsiveness
• A pervasive, clear spirit of fun and positive humor
• Educational and very fun community-wide events (the annual Roman banquet, Fibonacci Day, Pi Day, etc..)
• The new facility housing is fully modernized with LEED certification. We like that the middle and upper schools are in separate wings.
• The college admissions director is extremely engaged and successful.

Downsides?
• The school is further than we like (a 15-20 minute drive), but the commute is well worth it. Students come from much further parts of the city – by car; carpool; the school’s charter busses (Tenleytown, Glover Park, Capitol Hill; Logan Circle); and public transportation.
• The administration is still raising funds to build the gym and all-school community space. Last I heard, the start date for building the gym is March 2015.
• Many of the teachers are relatively young and inexperienced, but clearly the administration has a knack for picking natural talent, and they seem to do a great job supporting their teachers.
• The arts program is less developed than we'd like, but there are some very strong teachers. We supplement with private lessons and classes.
• We wish that the school offered Spanish, but it’s not in their charter to do so.

We considered Deal very seriously (our neighborhood school). As a solid student who has considerable social ease and many extracurricular interests, our son would have done just fine there, but we doubt that he would have thrived there. We anticipated that our son would feel challenged and learn a lot at WL. What we didn't anticipate, though, is how much fun he has had these last few years and how proud he feels. Finally, since it's a small school, we expect he will continue to have many leadership opportunities --- in the classroom, on competitive athletic teams, and in other extracurricular areas.

And now we are fortunate that our other son will begin 5th grade at WL this fall -- thanks to sibling preference. It will be a good fit for him, too -- for different reasons.

I also was at the parent teacher conferences at Latin today and came away newly grateful that my children will spend eight years at this amazing institution. It is the education every student deserves. People should study and replicate whatever secret sauce is going on there. It must have to do with seriousness of purpose, clarity of vision and true talent and intelligence at the top hiring that way throughout the school. All done with warmth and a sense if humour

I just returned from two-hour parent/teacher conferences at Washington Latin. I am so impressed with this school -- academic rigor coupled with a warm, inclusive atmosphere. I am so grateful. It's well worth the 20-minute bus ride. I wouldn't trade it for a suburban school because I believe in small schools, and I love that my children's friends come from all walks of urban life.

Anonymous wrote:Smaller schools are better for students on so many levels. There's been ample data to support this for more than a generation at the elementary level. More recently, researchers are turning to middle and high schools to see if the same holds true. It's my understanding that so far, it does.

So that's a point in Latin's favor. Also, there's the language instruction which is amazing. And, the fact that Latin goes all the way through HS.

Deal has a newer facility. And the IB component is really nice, although the real jewel of the IB program is the IB diploma which is just the last couple years of high school.

Hard to say how to interpret "bullying." I'd be curious to know how this is significantly different from any other middle school. After all DCPS schools could have much more serious problems, but theirs don't get the spotlight of the charter board.

In the end, you're talking about what are arguably the two best public middle schools in DC. If you get into both, then you've got the luxury of a difficult choice. I agree with the PP that it really depends on your child.

You don't receive an IB diploma until after you graduate from high school. At that point it's more of a bauble than a jewel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why any JKLM parent would put their child on a bus all the way across town to attend Latin. Why not just give up the ghost of "urban" utopia and move a mile down the road to VA or MD and have your child attend a high functioning school.
Should your child have to schlep all over town to get to this school just so you can have a "walkable" living experience? What a joke! Instead of being a grown up and dealing with a commute yourself, you have your CHILD do the commute all the way over to Latin every day. It is parental malpractice. Just nuts.

here we go again. look, I know your 1 hour+ daily commute (each way) on I66 or similar road is a nightmare and I feel for you. but you need to deal with your choices, and their consequences, on your own, like a big boy/girl. bashing people who chose to live in DC make you feel better, but does not solve your problems. so, just leave us alone (we are doing fine, thanks) and start looking at yourself in the mirror

First poster, I don't get why you need DC people to validate your move to the burbs. We all have to live somewhere, burbs would be much worse if all of us in DC up and moved. Say thank you, to each his own. Maybe good job working to improve your community. We are not asking you.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why any JKLM parent would put their child on a bus all the way across town to attend Latin. Why not just give up the ghost of "urban" utopia and move a mile down the road to VA or MD and have your child attend a high functioning school.
Should your child have to schlep all over town to get to this school just so you can have a "walkable" living experience? What a joke! Instead of being a grown up and dealing with a commute yourself, you have your CHILD do the commute all the way over to Latin every day. It is parental malpractice. Just nuts.

here we go again. look, I know your 1 hour+ daily commute (each way) on I66 or similar road is a nightmare and I feel for you. but you need to deal with your choices, and their consequences, on your own, like a big boy/girl. bashing people who chose to live in DC make you feel better, but does not solve your problems. so, just leave us alone (we are doing fine, thanks) and start looking at yourself in the mirror

No, everything is about Basis.