Anonymous
12/08/2025 00:09
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
I mean EH did worse in literally everything they measured. Absolute score differential was the worst, but also growth. EH also had over 1/3rd of students who were chronically truant. Like there is nothing positive about the Report Card at all.
In an ideal world, I want a middle school where every student thrives. In DC, I just want one where my student has enough academic peers for the school to provide appropriate coursework and educational opportunities.
But that metric would favor SH even more…. In absolute performance, SH is miles ahead. Literally +20% in every achievement category. Lots of people on this thread claimed the schools were about the same, that appears to be manifestly untrue.
I would choose S-H over EH every time. I just think the use of schoolwide averages overstates the differences between the two.
Based on offerings, anecdotes, and more granular CAPE data, I think it's likely that the distribution of student test scores, attendance, etc. is such that the bottom quartile of E-H performs significantly worse than the bottom quartile of SH, but that the top quartile looks about the same for both schools.
To illustrate. Both schools have a fairly bad meets/exceeds rate in CAPE Math, though E-H is worse.
E-H: 21% (91 out of 424)
SH: 32% (139 out of 437)
But looking only at meets/exceeds for advanced (HS) math, it's clearer that both schools have similarly-sized cohorts of students succeeding in higher-level coursework.
E-H: 61% (28 out of 46)
SH: 70% (39 out of 56)
As a DCPS parent facing scarce MS options, the size and success of this student group matters more to me than the schoolwide averages do.
But you picked the metric where they are closest and there’s… still a difference. SH has more kids & those kids are doing better.
ELA isn’t even close.
Like I guess just advanced EH kids are doing OK, but that’s not a super high bar. And, even then, the growth metrics are concerning…. Because kids around them are getting better more slowly than average; whereas SH’s are getting better faster than average. So the gap should actually be widening over time (if this is not an anomaly)…
Anonymous
12/07/2025 23:56
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
I mean EH did worse in literally everything they measured. Absolute score differential was the worst, but also growth. EH also had over 1/3rd of students who were chronically truant. Like there is nothing positive about the Report Card at all.
In an ideal world, I want a middle school where every student thrives. In DC, I just want one where my student has enough academic peers for the school to provide appropriate coursework and educational opportunities.
But that metric would favor SH even more…. In absolute performance, SH is miles ahead. Literally +20% in every achievement category. Lots of people on this thread claimed the schools were about the same, that appears to be manifestly untrue.
I would choose S-H over EH every time. I just think the use of schoolwide averages overstates the differences between the two.
Based on offerings, anecdotes, and more granular CAPE data, I think it's likely that the distribution of student test scores, attendance, etc. is such that the bottom quartile of E-H performs significantly worse than the bottom quartile of SH, but that the top quartile looks about the same for both schools.
To illustrate. Both schools have a fairly bad meets/exceeds rate in CAPE Math, though E-H is worse.
E-H: 21% (91 out of 424)
SH: 32% (139 out of 437)
But looking only at meets/exceeds for advanced (HS) math, it's clearer that both schools have similarly-sized cohorts of students succeeding in higher-level coursework.
E-H: 61% (28 out of 46)
SH: 70% (39 out of 56)
As a DCPS parent facing scarce MS options, the size and success of this student group matters more to me than the schoolwide averages do.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 22:57
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
I mean EH did worse in literally everything they measured. Absolute score differential was the worst, but also growth. EH also had over 1/3rd of students who were chronically truant. Like there is nothing positive about the Report Card at all.
In an ideal world, I want a middle school where every student thrives. In DC, I just want one where my student has enough academic peers for the school to provide appropriate coursework and educational opportunities.
But that metric would favor SH even more…. In absolute performance, SH is miles ahead. Literally +20% in every achievement category. Lots of people on this thread claimed the schools were about the same, that appears to be manifestly untrue.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 22:05
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No experience with EH. However, if your daughter is interested at all in theater and/or debate, the SH drama players and debate club are both terrific!
Our child is starting 8th grade at EH this year and we have been happy with the experience. Don't think you can go wrong either way. EH facilities/outdoor space is a bit bigger, but otherwise they offer similar courses, clubs, sports, etc.
SH and EH do not offer equivalent theater or debate experiences. EH is starting to get those things off the ground, but particular with respect to drama (also also marching band) there is truly no comparison.
This. I am usually a go to the closer one/your IB for these two schools, but if your kid is specific into theater or marching band, do whatever you can to get into SH.
Are there moves at Eliot Hine to develop an equivalently awesome theatre program? I am so impressed with the SH program but am unfortunately not in boundary.
They do have a theater program like most DCPS middle schools. I saw a show they did and it was fun and fine, but unless they decided to specifically focus on drama, luck into a great teacher and other specials teachers interested in supporting it, it’s not going to be the same as SH’s.
Also, literally anyone could get their kid into SH recently by lotterying for JOW or Watkins in 5th (or earlier). Only LT isn’t functionally open enrollment in upper ES, though that may eventually change post JOW reno.
It's actually been pretty tough to lottery into SH feeders in 5th over the last two years.
2024 lottery:
JO Wilson - 5 lottery seats, 3 on waitlist on results day, 1 waitlist offer
Ludlow-Taylor - 6 lottery seats, 18 on waitlist on results day, 4 waitlist offers
Watkins - 0 lottery seats, 18 on waitlist on results day, 2 waitlist offers
2025 lottery:
JO Wilson - 5 lottery seats, 7 on waitlist on results day, 3 waitlist offers
Ludlow-Taylor - 6 lottery seats, 22 on waitlist on results day, 0 waitlist offers
Watkins - 0 lottery seats, 21 on waitlist on results day, 4 waitlist offers
I stand corrected. You have to move earlier. They've clearly given up on being only SH feeders.
Watkins 24-25:
1st: 45 seats; 44 matches = didn't even fill initially
2nd: 32 seats; 20 matches = didn't come close to filling
3rd: 35 seats; 35 matches + 4 more WL offers (of 27 on WL)
4th: 27 seats; 27 offers + 3 more WL offers (of 4 on WL)
Basically, only 3rd & 5th weren't open enrollment last year.
This year, 1st didn't fill, every other grade had 20+ spots and the longest other non-5th WL is single digits.
JOW this year didn't fill in PK4, K, 1st or 3rd. Single digit WLs across the board. Last year it filled except K, but it grabbed every person off its WL except for 1 PK3er and 2 5th graders.
Basically, open enrollment until 5th.
I have to think that some of these open seats in elementary school have to do with a larger percentage of older kids on the Hill. I look at my fairly large block and there are only a couple elementary kids and they are in the upper grades. There are lots of middle school aged kids and a couple high school kids. I just wonder if the demand for elementary has changed over the past 5ish years.
It is this. My kids are in MS and HS now, and most of my kids' preschool classmates are still on the Hill -- I'm guessing it's because the higher mortgage rates have kept more families in their houses than would have in the past.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 21:48
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
I mean EH did worse in literally everything they measured. Absolute score differential was the worst, but also growth. EH also had over 1/3rd of students who were chronically truant. Like there is nothing positive about the Report Card at all.
In an ideal world, I want a middle school where every student thrives. In DC, I just want one where my student has enough academic peers for the school to provide appropriate coursework and educational opportunities.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 19:50
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
I mean EH did worse in literally everything they measured. Absolute score differential was the worst, but also growth. EH also had over 1/3rd of students who were chronically truant. Like there is nothing positive about the Report Card at all.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 14:00
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
There's nothing to believe or not believe. The metrics are the metrics. The real questions are: do you understand what the metrics are measuring? And: is the metric something you care about for your own family?
The bulk of the DC Report Card score is based on the schoolwide growth-to-proficiency measure, which I personally don't think is very useful for individual families.
Anonymous
12/07/2025 12:49
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
If the new DC Report Card is to be believed, definitely SH. SH did very well; EH did horribly. SH was 20% up in every achievement metric and way ahead on growth. 60% difference in overall score.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 11:12
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
they are pretty similar. i would visit both. let your child weigh in on the decision.
Anonymous
11/18/2025 09:12
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Im a different poster with this same question. We are at SWS and inbounds for SH (inbound to JOW) we could do EH or SH, SH is much closer, but my DD knows more kids at EH. We are having a hard time deciding where to send her.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 15:30
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
OP did your DC get into EH? And how is it going?
Anonymous
08/28/2025 12:38
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
BASIS DC
Anonymous
08/28/2025 12:30
Subject: Stuart or Hines?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We just finished up at Stuart-Hobson. The 8th grade team there is top notch. 70% of students who took Algebra scored a 4 or 5 on the Algebra 1 DC CAPE. 63% of all 8th graders scored a 4 or 5 on the ELA test. The theater program is incredible. Eliot-Hine is really growing and doing great things as well, I just have personal knowledge of SHMS.
Where did your kid end up for HS?
Not PP, but the SH alums I know ended up at Walls, Ellington, and McKinley Tech.
Banneker