Help navigating the Capitol Hill school situation

[Anonymous]

Hello,

My family has been on Capitol Hill much longer than we expected and we enjoy living here greatly. My daughter just turned 1, so while we are a ways out for sure, we are beginning to think about schools and such as when we moved her, schools were not on our radar.

I'm looking for any resources or help in navigating the Capitol Hill schools. We are somewhat at where to start navigating what are options are in terms of in bounds, out of bounds, charter, private, etc.

We are zoned for Watkins and Stuart Hobson, which seem to have mixed reviews when browsing these forums so I'm trying to determine what alternative options are, when we need to make decisions, etc. The DC school websites are less than clear, and I figured this was a good place to start investigating. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

You're zoned for Peabody for preschool and Kindergarten, and it'll be perfectly fine. So you have a few years before you really need to think too hard about it.

[Anonymous]

Where on the Hill do you live? If you’re within proximity preference for Ludlow Taylor, you’re set.

You lottery for PK3, so you have some time to start thinking about your lottery list.

Have you joined MOTH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where on the Hill do you live? If you’re within proximity preference for Ludlow Taylor, you’re set.

You lottery for PK3, so you have some time to start thinking about your lottery list.

Have you joined MOTH?

I have joined MOTH.

We live just two blocks away from Watkins, so as far as I can tell, that means proximity preference does not apply to us (which to be fair I just read about like twenty minutes ago, so I might be misunderstanding this).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're zoned for Peabody for preschool and Kindergarten, and it'll be perfectly fine. So you have a few years before you really need to think too hard about it.

Thanks!

So (theoretically) Peabody is likely a good choice for those, and then after that it's worth exploring more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're zoned for Peabody for preschool and Kindergarten, and it'll be perfectly fine. So you have a few years before you really need to think too hard about it.

Thanks!

So (theoretically) Peabody is likely a good choice for those, and then after that it's worth exploring more?

Yes. I wouldn't bother to think much about it right now-- you're just filling your head with information that will soon be out of date. Plan on Peabody and then re-evaluate when the time comes. Schools can improve or get worse over the course of 5 years and there's no point in trying to think about it now.

When you're actually entering the lottery you can look into other schools in your area, but since kids living in each DCPS school's boundary get preference, you won't realistically get into the good DCPS schools near you for PK3. You will not get into, for example, Brent, for preschool, though you might for older grades. Any school you could get into from outside the boundary will be no better than Peabody. Some schools (charters and a few DCPS schools) do not have a boundary. So you could look at School-Within-School. You don't live near any charters that are better than Peabody, in my opinion. So plan on going to Peabody, and then when you have a more clear idea of the type of school you're looking for, you can check out other options.

Your child will have a nice time at Peabody with many little neighborhood friends.

[Anonymous]

I would lottery for School Within School when the time comes for pk3.

[Anonymous]

Peabody is a wonderful school. A campus dedicated to early education with many teachers that are also part of the community. All three of my kids attended Peabody and thrived while also making close friendships with other families. Without a sibling preference you still have a great chance of getting in for pk3 unlike a lot of the other hill schools even if you are inbounds. You can then start lotteries for k and 1st if you decide not to go to Watkins.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest visiting School Within School, Peabody, and Capitol Hill Montessori when it comes time to enter the lottery. Rank them however you want (or don't rank them if you don't like them), and add a few other schools that are easier to get into (some you might want to check out are Appletree Lincoln Park, JO Wilson, Miner, and Two Rivers 4th Street--none are guaranteed though) if you like them and are willing to do the commute. You can list up to 12 schools total. Also look at the Community-Based Options, which are private preschools that don't cost any money and don't participate in the lottery.

That ought to get you through PK3 and 4. At that point, you'll have a right to Peabody if you didn't already get in. You can think about if you like Watkins at that point or if you want to lottery for other places. But what places you'll like depends on so many factors you can't know yet, so I really wouldn't bother worrying about it at this point.

[Anonymous]

When is the next boundary review?

[Anonymous]

I would move. Move to NW or to a close-in suburb. I’m a Cap Hill resident with older children in school. I love the Hill, but feel like the stress of school is not worth it. We dug our heels in already, but there is still time for you.

[Anonymous]

Some families IB for Peabody/Watkins but located closer to Watkins consider Payne for PK since its much more convenient. Its getting harder and harder to get into Payne OB especially in PK3/4 but you may get proximity preference there.

[Anonymous]

Awww still have fond memories of my years at Peabody from the early 80s. Was a sweet school then too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some families IB for Peabody/Watkins but located closer to Watkins consider Payne for PK since its much more convenient. Its getting harder and harder to get into Payne OB especially in PK3/4 but you may get proximity preference there.

Thank you for that info - we are closer to Payne for sure, it would be walkable whereas Peabody is a bit too far to be an everyday walkable trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest visiting School Within School, Peabody, and Capitol Hill Montessori when it comes time to enter the lottery. Rank them however you want (or don't rank them if you don't like them), and add a few other schools that are easier to get into (some you might want to check out are Appletree Lincoln Park, JO Wilson, Miner, and Two Rivers 4th Street--none are guaranteed though) if you like them and are willing to do the commute. You can list up to 12 schools total. Also look at the Community-Based Options, which are private preschools that don't cost any money and don't participate in the lottery.

That ought to get you through PK3 and 4. At that point, you'll have a right to Peabody if you didn't already get in. You can think about if you like Watkins at that point or if you want to lottery for other places. But what places you'll like depends on so many factors you can't know yet, so I really wouldn't bother worrying about it at this point.

Thank you for the info - definitely helpful! It's good to know that the lotteries are the winter before the school year, I was getting somewhat worried we were already behind!