Madison Jr. vs Kennedy Jr. vs Washington Jr. in Naperville (Chicago: house, neighborhood)

[chicagodesi]

Hello all,

We currently live in Naperville and have 2 kids, 9 and 5. Currently our middle school is Madison Jr. and we are looking to move to a bigger home next year. My question is parent's experience with Madison vs. Kennedy vs Washington Jr, as this is an important part of their schooling that affects their high school and ultimately college. We're ok with Naperville North or Central, but we're trying to determine whether we should move to Kennedy or Washington school area. I'd love some feedback from parents who have had kids gone to either of the three and their experiences and how they prepared them for high school. Much appreciated!

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by chicagodesi

Hello all,

We currently live in Naperville and have 2 kids, 9 and 5. Currently our middle school is Madison Jr. and we are looking to move to a bigger home next year. My question is parent's experience with Madison vs. Kennedy vs Washington Jr, as this is an important part of their schooling that affects their high school and ultimately college. We're ok with Naperville North or Central, but we're trying to determine whether we should move to Kennedy or Washington school area. I'd love some feedback from parents who have had kids gone to either of the three and their experiences and how they prepared them for high school. Much appreciated!

Wouldn't talking to your actual neighbors in Naperville be more fruitful than information gleaned from C-D? You already live in the community and have a child in the school system.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by chicagodesi

Hello all,

We currently live in Naperville and have 2 kids, 9 and 5. Currently our middle school is Madison Jr. and we are looking to move to a bigger home next year. My question is parent's experience with Madison vs. Kennedy vs Washington Jr, as this is an important part of their schooling that affects their high school and ultimately college. We're ok with Naperville North or Central, but we're trying to determine whether we should move to Kennedy or Washington school area. I'd love some feedback from parents who have had kids gone to either of the three and their experiences and how they prepared them for high school. Much appreciated!

Is there really that much of a difference in terms of middle school in D203 in terms of its ability to prepare a kid for high school?

[chicagodesi]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Wouldn't talking to your actual neighbors in Naperville be more fruitful than information gleaned from C-D? You already live in the community and have a child in the school system.

I would have talked to neighbors but unfortunately during these times it's a little harder to do, so thus reaching out hoping to get online insights. Thank you for the advice.

[Kmanshouse]

This is splitting hairs.

I will say that the athletics at Kennedy are easily the most prolific of the three. My kids ran and wrestled against these schools in middle school, and the Kennedy teams had 5-10x as many kids on the teams. It was almost stupid. Half the XC meets were Kennedy kids. They had 20 kids on the bench for wrestling. Not sure what that was about - maybe their sports are more promoted.

While your question is legit, you are taking 3 schools all probably in the 92-95 range when looking at 1-100.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by chicagodesi

I would have talked to neighbors but unfortunately during these times it's a little harder to do, so thus reaching out hoping to get online insights. Thank you for the advice.

If you use facebook at all, I'd suggest checking out Naperville Dad Network or Naperville Mom Network for some local input. I've heard the mom network can get a bit catty even for the most innocuous questions. The dad network usually seems to generate decent responses as a whole. It may ultimately lead to general cheerleading from parents for their own kid's school, but maybe you'll get a surprise and someone will detail why their kid didn't have the experience they expected from the school.

That said, everyone's situation is different and certain kids will likely have a good or bad experience sometimes based on who their classmates are or specific teachers at the school. I feed into Elmwood Elementary. It seems like most people in my neighborhood love it, but if you compare various ratings of D203 elementary schools it's middle of the pack or toward the bottom on a lot of things in the district, yet still great compared to the Chicago suburbs as a whole.

I personally attended a high school in a very middle class or lower middle class suburb, had some great teachers, but it was clear that it lacked some of the offerings of a school in a wealthier area. High school didn't become more tolerable until my last couple years when I was able to take mostly AP classes.

[chicagodesi]

Originally Posted by fusillirob1983

If you use facebook at all, I'd suggest checking out Naperville Dad Network or Naperville Mom Network for some local input. I've heard the mom network can get a bit catty even for the most innocuous questions. The dad network usually seems to generate decent responses as a whole. It may ultimately lead to general cheerleading from parents for their own kid's school, but maybe you'll get a surprise and someone will detail why their kid didn't have the experience they expected from the school.

That said, everyone's situation is different and certain kids will likely have a good or bad experience sometimes based on who their classmates are or specific teachers at the school. I feed into Elmwood Elementary. It seems like most people in my neighborhood love it, but if you compare various ratings of D203 elementary schools it's middle of the pack or toward the bottom on a lot of things in the district, yet still great compared to the Chicago suburbs as a whole.

I personally attended a high school in a very middle class or lower middle class suburb, had some great teachers, but it was clear that it lacked some of the offerings of a school in a wealthier area. High school didn't become more tolerable until my last couple years when I was able to take mostly AP classes.

Thank you for the advice! I know it may seem like splitting hairs but we're looking to move to a long term house and want to make a good decision.