Single dad moving to DC with 3 year old - recommendations for where to move and preK 3?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to move to DC around August to work at one of the hospitals near Columbia Heights. I have a daughter who'll be 3 by then and I understand I've missed the lottery deadline for public preK3. I anticipate living in DC for probably 3 years. Looking to rent in the meantime. Any recommendations on where I should rent to get my daughter into a good public preschool and elementary? I'm supposed to submit a post lottery list but have absolutely no idea which schools to select, especially since I don't yet have an address in DC, but I guess to freedom to choose might be helpful. I suppose I'm looking for something with not too bad a commute to the Columbia Heights area (20-30 minutes max). I was looking at Grover Park because I heard Stoddert Elementary School was good and is in-bound, and it's about 30 minutes drive to work, but it starts at PreK4. But I'm very flexible - just want my girl to be happy. Any help appreciated - I'm super new to this. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I've also read on Reddit to rent in Ward 3, in bound for Janney.

[Anonymous]

Use the report button and ask to have this moved to DC schools. You’ll get a lot more help there.

There’s a site that shows how many waitlist offers each school made last year which can give you a sense of viable options. Someone in the DC board can probably link it for you, I just know it exists.

You should also be prepared to share what type of housing and your budget as that will also make a difference. You’ll need residency documents to enroll and you’ll only have a certain amount of time to enroll before they move on to the next person on the list.

[Anonymous]

If you’re only going to be here three years and you have a three year old, you honestly don’t need to worry about school quality. DC does PK3 and PK4 well pretty much across the board, and even kindergarten is going to be pretty solid anywhere you go.

One you need to be worried about is 1) where you can get in 2) commute to work and school and 3) cost. As a single parent, affording a decent two bedroom on some areas will be tough.

What’s your income?

You’ll def want to take a look at the short waitlists list. I know the Appletree schools are pretty well regarded and a lot of them clear their waitlists. They have one in Columbia Heights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re only going to be here three years and you have a three year old, you honestly don’t need to worry about school quality. DC does PK3 and PK4 well pretty much across the board, and even kindergarten is going to be pretty solid anywhere you go.

One you need to be worried about is 1) where you can get in 2) commute to work and school and 3) cost. As a single parent, affording a decent two bedroom on some areas will be tough.

What’s your income?

You’ll def want to take a look at the short waitlists list. I know the Appletree schools are pretty well regarded and a lot of them clear their waitlists. They have one in Columbia Heights.

PP to put a finer point on it - don’t pay a gazillion dollars to live inbound to something like Janney when you won’t be here long enough to get to the grades where you see the difference AND Janney doesn’t have PK3!

[Anonymous]

Eaton elementary would be another option. Look at apartments in McLean Gardens. Lots of families, good community, and a pool in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you’re only going to be here three years and you have a three year old, you honestly don’t need to worry about school quality. DC does PK3 and PK4 well pretty much across the board, and even kindergarten is going to be pretty solid anywhere you go.

One you need to be worried about is 1) where you can get in 2) commute to work and school and 3) cost. As a single parent, affording a decent two bedroom on some areas will be tough.

What’s your income?

You’ll def want to take a look at the short waitlists list. I know the Appletree schools are pretty well regarded and a lot of them clear their waitlists. They have one in Columbia Heights.

My income will be around $230,000. I'd be looking probably for a 2 bed 2 bath ideally. And yes I've also heard of the Appletree school in Columbia Heights!

[Anonymous]

You should also consider whether schools you’re looking at have before and/or aftercare, if that’s something you’ll need. And if it’s free or at a cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eaton elementary would be another option. Look at apartments in McLean Gardens. Lots of families, good community, and a pool in the summer.

No! It doesn’t have PK3! Terrible suggestion.

[Anonymous]

My info on PK3 is a bit dated, but usually the "better" elementary schools west of the park don't offer PK3. Do you mean you are trying to find a good place for PK4?

For a commute to Columbia Heights, I recommend just west of the park in the Eaton or Murch districts. Much more convenient than Stoddard.

Some buildings are Kennedy Warren or Quebec House or McLean Gardens (you can shoot down Porter to Adams Mill then through Mt P to Columbia Heights). You can also check Zillow or Hotpads for rentals that are condos.

If you want bilingual, rent for the Oyster School District. There are several building on that block. Just get out at Woodley Park Metro and walk down the street - I think it's Calvert? There is a Gables building right next to Oyster.

I am not sure how easy it is to get into PK4 at these schools.

[Anonymous]

Grover Park…

[Anonymous]

Appletree Columbia Heights might be a last resort (I hated the facility when I visited - sub-basement, ick) but there are community daycare/preschools that runs their own lotteries in that general area that could be an option.
Lots of options folks are floating above don’t actually offer PK3 so do your own research.

Stevens ELC might be a good option if you decide to rent in west end/foggy bottom and commute to CH to work. They blow through their waitlist over the summer since it’s mostly a backup for families and doesn’t offer IB preference. Such a lovely little school.

[Anonymous]

I think we need to give you the lay of the land a bit.

Your income seems fine for the vast majority of 2br/2ba apartments, which will probably run you between $3,000-$3,500 a month.

Schools west of Rock Creek Park are known as the good schools in the city. But none of these schools offer PK3, only PK4.

Also, be aware that all of the PK slots city wide are done by lottery. Each school has X slots to offer, and slots are not guaranteed for all students living in the school boundary until K (though inbounds students are prioritized unless the school is a charter or citywide school).

What some PPs are saying is that because you’re only going to be here through grades K or 1 with your daughter, you should prioritize where you’ll get in for PK3 and PK4 over general school quality, because there is more uniform quality across the city in the early grades. If people want a good school experience for many years (upper elementary, MS, HS) they often look to schools west of Rock Creek Park, but for PK, K, 1, many people are happy with schools east of the park (for example around Columbia Heights and to the north and south), and these schools may be easier to get into for preK.

I think someone referred to a website where you can look at historical lottery data to see which schools within commute distance to Columbia Heights you’d have the best chance getting into. If you can determine that pool of schools, you can then inquire about those specific schools here or on Reddit to get feedback.

If schools are sorted by ward on the lottery site, the wards closest/most easily accessible to your work — assuming you’re working at Washington Hospital Center — are going to be 1 (Columbia Heights), 4, and 5 (though the outer reaches of 4 and 5 may be too far); followed by 3 (west of the park, with Eaton and Murch schools likely being closest); possibly parts of 2 and 6 close to downtown; 7 and 8 will be too far and are known for poorer quality schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grover Park…

OP, just fyi it’s Glover Park

[Anonymous]

One used to be able to get into Langley as an out of bounds students (meaning you don’t live in the neighborhood) without much problem. Not sure if that is still the case. But we went there for pk and had a great experience. It’s south of the hospitals, a few blocks off of north Capitol.

But you should check out that whole north Capitol Corridor. When we were looking it had a large number of schools with capacity that were perfectly good for pk.