BASIS DC

"Basis is a hard school, with no space in the building. I am a tenth grader and from my experience I know that basis has a high turnover, with most teachers leaving after 1-2 years. The Spanish department is a mess, with people my age having 6+ different Spanish teachers over the last 4 years. The other problem is the space, because we have close to 600 kids in this office building and we don’t have enough rooms to have one room per teacher and so during passing period we have all 560 kids and teachers out in the narrow halls. Then some people go the their lockers and make the hallways smaller, making corners and whole stretches of hallway packed full of kids and teachers trying to get to their rooms, making passing period chaotic. The other problem is the homework, because things like the math problem set can take hours to do, and that’s just one class, so when you add in all the extra stuff the workload takes 2-4 hours per day. The things I do appreciate about basis is that many of the staff like the deans and the lunch lady and the (one!!!!!) custodian are nice, the front office staff are helpful, and most of the rules are fair. I also enjoy outside lunch (for highschoolers only). I think if you are planning to send your child to basis you should send them in fifth grade and not as sixth graders to allow them to make their own decision on whether basis is right for them. Another reason to do this is because 5th grade is pretty chill, but it allows you to get used to math homework and the overall basis “style” of doing things."

"I have been a student at this school of 3 years now and the school is very an I mean very stressful.. They give your up to 6 hours of homework plus a bunch of test each week some of the teachers are very kind and will help you with anything you need but others do not provide after school help or just don't teach well in general I suggest not coming too this school unless you are someone who is mentally and physically up for a challenging and stressful academic. If you are not up for a very challenging academic I do not suggest coming here. After each grading period they hold an award ceremony for students who have been successful an earned a high average to me the award ceremonies are humiliating because those who do not get an award the staff basically says "Your Stupied" maybe this gives students motivation to get better grades in my opinion it doesn't help it just hurts. At the end of the year there is a test basis made called the comp which counts as 50% of your entire grade. Not passing them means your have summer school which basically is retaking it if you fail again you have to repeat the grade to me the only thing that should count is failing a class not the comp as it's only a a stupid test the school made. That's my opinion on the school and just how hard it is."

"I was a student previously at this school and from my personal experience this is NOT a school you would want to send your child to. In the time I was there the classes were far to difficult for a person transferring in from a different school which makes it near impossible for anyone to join into this school at the beginning of middle or high school. Some of the teachers in this school are incredible but most teachers are unable to provide tutoring or measures for someone who is transferring into the school to get adjusted to the core curriculum. The principles themselves are also terrible, before I left this school I was physically dragged into school on a Monday morning in front of my parents after an altercation between me and another student occurred the previous week, this was a non physical argument between both of us. The principles also are prone to threatening people, as they did with me by saying they would get me arrested. The only way I could fix this situation was by leaving this school and moving to a different school, which was a lot more supportive and encouraging of my future. In conclusion, do not come to this school, I went for a year and a half and in my experience, its simply not worth it. The education standards, teaching requirements, and responsibility of the principles in this school are all sub par compared to other schools, I was in 8th grade when I left and during my time I could clearly see how people in their final years of high school had no plans for colleges or universities. If you are looking for a school that cares about your education and the friendships you make then look for schools such as School Without Walls or BISW. (By moving to my new school I was able to have a larger access to colleges and universities around the world, now I am moving to the UK for King's College.) If the principles from 2012 are still there I hope they know who this is and how much I have succeeded from not being at their school which they have evidently neglected, without Basis I was able to achieve so much more in life."

"This is our first year and we are very happy with our decision thus far! As an educator, it is truly a breath of fresh air to see teachers that are not only very knowledgeable but passionate about what they do. That has been our experience with all of our daughter's teachers. ( Especially, Science ! Go Mr. A) Students are cultivated to be hard working independent learners. The operative words being "hard working." If your family is not fully invested in your child's education this is not the school for you. Educating a child is not one persons responsibility but rather requires a collective work. Success in Basis requires teachers, parents, students and the administration to work together and keep the lines of communication open and consistent."