Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Myth: "Deal is very white and "private" in flavor"

Fact: Last year, just 37% of Deal students were white, and 29% qualified for free or reduced-price lunches.

Myth: It is still very common for murch, lafayette, and janney kids to leave DCPS during or at the end of ES."

Fact: More than 90% of Janney 5th graders matriculated to Deal this year.

I'm the author of the second "myth," and I have no idea if your data point is accurate. I hope it is, since we are a murch family that will move on to deal. But it doesn't make my statement a myth, since it doesn't account for the families who pull their kids out of dcps in earlier grades--3rd is apparently a big private school admission year. So 90% of 5th graders doesn't fully address the attrition question.

Well I will give you an anecdote to counter the myth. As another PP noted, last year well over 90% of 5th graders at Lafayette chose Deal. The attrition in 3rd that folks speak of has completely dwindled at Lafayette. This year we ADDED a 5th grade class and I can speak from personal experience that my daughter has ALL of her close friends from Kindergarten and she is now in 5th - there was little to no attrition in 3rd and those that left, left for other reasons, mostly job relocation or returning to other countries, etc. So in my view it is inaccurate to make a broad statement about attrition in lower grades, in my experience it is no longer the case. At Lafayette we are getting to a critical mass of families choosing Deal and in my opinion this is what DCPS needs and this is what other families need to make the decision to stay in DCPS for middle school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20:31: Very Funny. If you live in-boundary for Deal. For the rest of us who have paid our dues in DCPS since Pre-K and are just borderline in terms of being able to get financial aid or pay full board private, it's actually quite DISGUSTING. It is the REST OF US who "pay for private". Gloat in private, as well, please. Or are you one who games the system and only claims and address in the Deal Boundary (a rampant phenononon that should be stopped).

NP here, and I'm pretty sure PP was talking about the people in-boundary for Deal, many of whom do send their kids to private. It is still very common for murch, lafayette, and janney kids to leave DCPS during or at the end of ES for private because of a lack of faith in DCPS at the higher grade levels.

Folks keep repeating this myth - it is untrue.

99% of Lafayette students matriculate to Deal.

Deal isn't trying to go IB, it is an IB program this year.

Anonymous wrote:Myth: "Deal is very white and "private" in flavor"

Fact: Last year, just 37% of Deal students were white, and 29% qualified for free or reduced-price lunches.

Myth: It is still very common for murch, lafayette, and janney kids to leave DCPS during or at the end of ES."

Fact: More than 90% of Janney 5th graders matriculated to Deal this year.

I'm the author of the second "myth," and I have no idea if your data point is accurate. I hope it is, since we are a murch family that will move on to deal. But it doesn't make my statement a myth, since it doesn't account for the families who pull their kids out of dcps in earlier grades--3rd is apparently a big private school admission year. So 90% of 5th graders doesn't fully address the attrition question.

Myth: "Deal is very white and "private" in flavor"

Fact: Last year, just 37% of Deal students were white, and 29% qualified for free or reduced-price lunches.

Myth: It is still very common for murch, lafayette, and janney kids to leave DCPS during or at the end of ES."

Fact: More than 90% of Janney 5th graders matriculated to Deal this year.

11/15 - 14:17: I have 2 sons. One entered Cap City in the 6th grade and other entered in the 2nd grade. The 6th grader LOVED it. My son entered the 6th grade in the upper school There is a 6th grade in the lower and upper school. The lower school goes from PK to 8th and the Upper school goes from 6th grade to 11th. They are adding 12th grade next year. The upper school is small so there are only about 25 students per grade. My son is very close to his classmates and they all really look out for each other.

I think it's easier to get a spot in the upper school than lower school. The upper school is newer and the lower school middle grades are usually filled with kids moving up through the lower school.

Anonymous wrote:20:31: Very Funny. If you live in-boundary for Deal. For the rest of us who have paid our dues in DCPS since Pre-K and are just borderline in terms of being able to get financial aid or pay full board private, it's actually quite DISGUSTING. It is the REST OF US who "pay for private". Gloat in private, as well, please. Or are you one who games the system and only claims and address in the Deal Boundary (a rampant phenononon that should be stopped).

NP here, and I'm pretty sure PP was talking about the people in-boundary for Deal, many of whom do send their kids to private. It is still very common for murch, lafayette, and janney kids to leave DCPS during or at the end of ES for private because of a lack of faith in DCPS at the higher grade levels.

Anonymous wrote:Yup, I went to Deal's open house today. Why do people pay for private schools again?

Me too. Tell me again why I it so great to buy a house in a "up and coming or trendy" neighborhood instead of stodgy old AU park? What's that? I can't you over the sound of the awesome Viking ROAR!!!

It is a bloody nice choice to have.

Anonymous wrote:Deal is huge; Hardy is small. Deal is way uptown, Hardy is convenient to downtown. Deal is very white and "private" in flavor; Hardy is very diverse and more urbane; Deal is trying to go IB; Hardy has outstanding arts curriculum. At Deal eeryone knows everyone in one third of their grade. At Hardy everyone knows everyone. Deal does not require uniforms, Hardy does. They are both excellent schools. There are excellent, dedicated teachers in both. Visit each of them. Is there any other MS parents like to write home about besides Cap City? BTW, can one even get into Capital City these days at any grade?

I like how you roll.

Deal is huge; Hardy is small. Deal is way uptown, Hardy is convenient to downtown. Deal is very white and "private" in flavor; Hardy is very diverse and more urbane; Deal is trying to go IB; Hardy has outstanding arts curriculum. At Deal eeryone knows everyone in one third of their grade. At Hardy everyone knows everyone. Deal does not require uniforms, Hardy does. They are both excellent schools. There are excellent, dedicated teachers in both. Visit each of them. Is there any other MS parents like to write home about besides Cap City? BTW, can one even get into Capital City these days at any grade?

Anonymous wrote:strong and getting stronger? Hardy? who are you? based on what are you saying this?

FACT - Hardy is the 3rd highest performing MS in DCPS - 70% proficient, 25 points above average.
FACT - Hardy's enrollment is surging.
FACT - Hardy's modernization was successful.
FACT - Hardy graduates compete favorably with students from other middle schools in high school.
FACT - Hardy, with 40% free and reduced lunch, successfuly educates at-risk students.
FACT - Hardy is poised to benefit from amazing neighborhood resources.
FACT - Hardy is a salvation for students across DC lacking good MS options.
FACT - Replace DCPS middle schools with Hardy-like schools and everyone is better off (except Deal).
SUBJECTIVE - Anecdotal evidence tells me parents are happy at Hardy.
If it matters, I am a parent freaked out at the MS options available to us, and Hardy looks pretty darn good from where we sit.

strong and getting stronger? Hardy? who are you? based on what are you saying this?

20:31: Very Funny. If you live in-boundary for Deal. For the rest of us who have paid our dues in DCPS since Pre-K and are just borderline in terms of being able to get financial aid or pay full board private, it's actually quite DISGUSTING. It is the REST OF US who "pay for private". Gloat in private, as well, please. Or are you one who games the system and only claims and address in the Deal Boundary (a rampant phenononon that should be stopped).

Anonymous wrote:16:09, funny, I hear a lot of complaining (and rightly so) that schedules are a mess, discipline is a mess and it took 2 or 3 assistant principals to replace Pope. (Let's ponder for a moment about that budget hit...)

Nice try though.

Hoo-hash. You've got an axe to grind. Hardy is strong and getting stronger.