Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:51     Subject: Re:What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:guys, your kids are not going to get into an Ivy. The competition is just to fierce. But this means that the quality of students at big state us and even second tier big state us will go up exponentially, which will make those school degrees more valuable (though they are just fine now - and I say this as someone who gradated from a big state southern U of middling distinction in 2007 and who has a thriving career along with my husband who has a degree he got in 2003 from the same school - and he just has a BA. We live in a Brookland and together make just over 200,000 in careers we love. He is in science, btw).

The obsession with great school names is just bizarre. About 1/2 the people we meet in DC went to great schools and about 1/2 went to middling schools (Texas A&M, University of Kentucky). All are doing absolutely fine.


People do not spout ivy numbers because they want their own kids to go an ivy school -- the point is that Ivy schools are highly selective - many high schools in the country have never sent a single graduate to an Ivy school ever. So when people say Wilson is academically unacceptable for their children, the counter-point being made here is simply that you cannot say the school is academically unacceptable for your child when some of the most selective colleges and universities in the country are admitting students from this school. If Wilson is good enough for Harvard ...
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:41     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wilson had 3, the Cathedral schools one apiece.


These numbers look less impressive when you compare the 2016 class size. NCS graduates 60-70 kids and Wilson 400+.


Not when you consider that all 70 NCS grads were hand picked based on ability; whereas Wilson students are required by law to be there whether they want to be or not; many of the 400 at Wilson will not graduate or even apply to college. Be real about your comparison. You are not comparing ALL of Wilson to NCS.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:26     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:I still want my kid to go to a strong school even though I know DC will not get into an Ivy. Why would I want to send my kid to a school where most kids are below grade level? There are three MS which have majority of kids at or above grade level: Deal, Latin and Basis.


Yes, true for hs, but I just was a socially safe place for ms. would take latin and have my fingers crossed for the middle school options ahead at cmi and its (and lee - we are Montessori now so that is an option too)
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:16     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
I still want my kid to go to a strong school even though I know DC will not get into an Ivy. Why would I want to send my kid to a school where most kids are below grade level? There are three MS which have majority of kids at or above grade level: Deal, Latin and Basis.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:11     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
The fight between NW and VA people is ridiculous. I live in upper NW and love it and have friends who love living in VA. To each their own. I fail to see why you need to tear down someone else's choice to build up your own.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 10:06     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
"These numbers look less impressive when you compare the 2016 class size. NCS graduates 60-70 kids and Wilson 400+."

Yes, but how many of those Wilson grads were prepared to apply to a top college, had the support to apply, and a family who could afford to send them?
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 09:37     Subject: Re:What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
guys, your kids are not going to get into an Ivy. The competition is just to fierce. But this means that the quality of students at big state us and even second tier big state us will go up exponentially, which will make those school degrees more valuable (though they are just fine now - and I say this as someone who gradated from a big state southern U of middling distinction in 2007 and who has a thriving career along with my husband who has a degree he got in 2003 from the same school - and he just has a BA. We live in a Brookland and together make just over 200,000 in careers we love. He is in science, btw).

The obsession with great school names is just bizarre. About 1/2 the people we meet in DC went to great schools and about 1/2 went to middling schools (Texas A&M, University of Kentucky). All are doing absolutely fine.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 09:34     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:Wilson had 3, the Cathedral schools one apiece.


These numbers look less impressive when you compare the 2016 class size. NCS graduates 60-70 kids and Wilson 400+.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 09:09     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:Is that true? How many was it?


There were 20 Ivy acceptances at Wilson last year. And that is just Ivy. The Wall where they post acceptances was very impressive. Also very diverse as one would expect from a large urban public high school. There is a thread from last year.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 07:10     Subject: Re:What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Small private college here (barely millennial), I am more successful and earn more than any of my Ivy friends. In fact, of all the people in my leadership group, I don't think there is one Ivy grad. Maybe it depends on field but in my area where you went to school is not a major factor.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 06:43     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:I find it pathetic that the self-described HYP overachiever did not know that there is a long history of admissions to highly selective colleges out of Wilson. Clearly lacking in research skills despite all that prestige. Students applying out of Wilson get a bump up in their acceptances because they are graduating from a high poverty urban school, despite the fact that those applying to top colleges are rarely the FARMs kids.

I may be alone here, but I want my children to go to schools where they will thrive academically, build a strong sense of self and develop lifelong friendships and I don't care if it is an Ivy or SLAC or whatever. Good luck with that plan to control your children's lives, it should lead to some joyful teenage years as your children discover your values.



I don't think anyone said that. And as for the whole college thing- all I want is to send my children to a school which at least has a track record of having top tier college acceptances. At least give your kids the CHANCE to go to the top colleges. I am not inbounds for Wilson and have no desire to move there. If I have to move or go private, we'd move to a truly good school district, not Wilson.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 06:35     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We moved to be IB for Deal (and Wilson). If we didn't find a house we liked (or if we didn't think Deal/Wilson would be OK for our kid), we'd have moved to MD or VA (and we looked at houses in both these places).

One of my goals as a parent is to give my children the best education I can afford. Now, what each parent can afford and what they consider best is going to differ, but my point is that if you think best education would be achieved by moving and you can afford to do so, why not? I don't get the aversion people on this board have to moving to the suburbs.


If I'm going to move to the suburbs, I would move to Virginia before I'd move to upper NW.


How old are you? This canard is getting boresome.


The in-state tuition for UVA is reason enough. Why so aggressive? I'd rather live in VA than the dull upper NW. Sorry.


snort. tearing it up in Fairfax!


I feel the exact way about NW DC. If I was moving for schools, that would be the focus. I did live in NW DC once and it was just awful, bland suburbia. I'd rather move somewhere where my kids could get to attend a really great high school and get reduced in-state tuition. And this is only if middle/high schools don't improve enough to my standards. Maryland is just the most dismal place I've ever been. Glad you like where you live.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 06:16     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We are at a DCI feeder. Scores were on par with Hardy but they weren't great. Only a 1/3 proficient or above. Hoping DCI works out but I am having trouble committing to a school where 2/3 of the student are not considered proficient. Would feel more comfortable at Hardy, which appears to be on the upswing, than DCI, which is still so new.



DCI results vary by feeder.

YY and LAMB students all do very well. Why did they have to include DC Bi? They are a drag on performance.


How do you know this. It isn't as if DCI separate the feeder schools in groups to take the test. Or, do they?


And DCI certainly doesn't account for 2/3 of the school. We've seen educated parents here on DCUM say their kids got a 2 or 3 on PARCC.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 01:37     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Dunbar at 125 million is gorgeous. Doesn't mean upper middle class families will consider a high school where less than 20% are at grade level in reading will ever consider it an option.

Anonymous
Post 01/12/2016 00:37     Subject: What do families that do not get into an acceptable middle school do?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And part of the problem with middle schools is that the high schools in DC (except perhaps Wilson) are a non-starter. So if you don't get into, e.g., Latin or BASIS and you live on the Hill, you're probably not going to try Stuart Hobson because where do you go from there? Pray for SWW? You're sure as hell not going to send your kid to Eastern.

It's a shame. We toured Eastern and it is a stunning facility. Just gorgeous. it was a 71 million dollar renovation, LEED certified.


Have you talked to a kid who goes to Eastern? Or a parent who sends their kid there? Ever sat in on a class at Eastern?