Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why some schools, like Latin or Basis, start in 5th grade when most (all?) DC elementary schools go through 5th grade. Anyone know why?

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Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

You obviously don’t know much because the families with kids getting 5”s at poorly performing schools are all supplementing like hell.

Or their kids are just super smart and PARCC isn't that hard.

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Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

Not for us. I want my kids to be with other on- or exceeding- grade level kids. I want class work to be grade level or more, I want them to be challenged by bright kids, and they enjoy being around bright friends.

Maybe it doesn't matter in the earliest grades, but it matters soon enough.

I think for middle school, a place like Stuart Hobson is a good example -- far less than half the kids are scoring 4s and 5s. But, there is enough of a cohort of high achievers that they can actually have a Geometry class for 8th graders, and some kids are getting 5 (and then getting good high school options). I have a kid who got 5s in upper elementary and we would be open to SH.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

Not for us. I want my kids to be with other on- or exceeding- grade level kids. I want class work to be grade level or more, I want them to be challenged by bright kids, and they enjoy being around bright friends.

Maybe it doesn't matter in the earliest grades, but it matters soon enough.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

You obviously don’t know much because the families with kids getting 5”s at poorly performing schools are all supplementing like hell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

I think in practice the opposite is true -- for people who ar confident that their kid will get 4s and 5s no matter what the "average" student is doing, more schools become acceptable.

I think the upper limit is more valuable than the average. If *no one* is getting 5s, that is alarming.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

Good is relative isn’t it. My definition of good, not great, is that majority are at least on grade level or higher, so at least 51% getting 4’s and 5’s on PARCC math and ELA. This is not even high standards but very basic.

Guess if your child is performing below grade level, your definition of good may be different

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My theory: more families who like Latin and Basis are staying in places Shaw and Petworth for DCPS elementary, and then trying for Latin/Basis.

That’s a huge mistake as competition for seats increases at both schools every year and your chances significantly decreases each passing year. Odds are not in your favor.

Statistically better to move to the burbs for much better elementary and guaranteed pyramid thru high school because you will be shut out in middle. It’s a numbers game and that is the reality.

Very few people are shut out for a good middle school in DC. Try again with people who know less.

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Anonymous wrote:Looking at these numbers - forget about an elementary school, BASIS needs to open a second middle school only campus that feeds into their main campus for high school.

We definitely need more acceptable middle school seats.

My biggest takeaway from this year is that it’s impossible to get into DCI and big increase in waitlist numbers at Basis and Latin.

It’s only going to get more competitive in subsequent years, not less

If most people move to the burbs because of the crime, it won’t.

+1. I have a feeling this might be the peak, and it will start becoming less competitive as people start living to the burbs early on, because of work from home, better life for younger families, etc. DC is on the downswing.

This is not my read at all. I think last year's crime numbers will be the peak of this crime wave, and as things settle back down, we'll see the lottery only getting more competitive, especially for MS and HS. I expect the next two elections to be heavily focused on crime issues, and the result to be a much more tough in crime approach.

Btw, I say that as someone who is planning to move out of DC soon, but not for crime. It's because it's too hard to secure your kids adequate (I mean just adequate) education at the MS or HS. Level. We'll lottery for Latin but I have zero expectation of getting a spot, and BASIS just is not for us. We have a bit of a buffer because we are zoned for SH for middle, but I just have no desire to put my kids through HS application process when our backup is moving because we can't afford private-- I don't want my kid to feel like we have to move because they didn't get into any of the application HSs.

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Anonymous wrote:Looks like what few seats open to non-feeder kids at DCI get filled with siblings. There is no chance if you are not from a feeder or have no sibling at the school.

There's going to be pressure to expland as the bigger classes in the feeders age up and maybe more slots overall then.

And have they made any progress whatsoever towards this expansion that people love to fantasize about? Links, please.

They were approved for the expansion. All the feeders have expanded, they will expand too. Just wait.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like what few seats open to non-feeder kids at DCI get filled with siblings. There is no chance if you are not from a feeder or have no sibling at the school.

There's going to be pressure to expland as the bigger classes in the feeders age up and maybe more slots overall then.

And have they made any progress whatsoever towards this expansion that people love to fantasize about? Links, please.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like what few seats open to non-feeder kids at DCI get filled with siblings. There is no chance if you are not from a feeder or have no sibling at the school.

There's going to be pressure to expland as the bigger classes in the feeders age up and maybe more slots overall then.

And have they made any progress whatsoever towards this expansion that people love to fantasize about? Links, please.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like what few seats open to non-feeder kids at DCI get filled with siblings. There is no chance if you are not from a feeder or have no sibling at the school.

There's going to be pressure to expland as the bigger classes in the feeders age up and maybe more slots overall then.

Anonymous wrote:Looks like what few seats open to non-feeder kids at DCI get filled with siblings. There is no chance if you are not from a feeder or have no sibling at the school.