Can't decide whether to stay in Einstein/downcounty zoning or move

[Anonymous]

We live in Silver Spring and we are zoned for Sligo Middle and Einstein H.S. We have had a positive experience with the elementary school (kids are still little) but we worry about the reputation of Middle and H.S. We really like our neighborhood and the location. It is not our dream house but it is nice. The question is whether we should move to Bethesda or Kensington to avoid Sligo/Einstein. It would require us to take out about an additional $200,000-$250,000 mortgage I think (the housing cost difference would be greater but we would have some equity to put down). I would be okay with that- we could handle it- though we wouldn't be able to put as much in savings. However, it bothers me that we might not be able to have as large a house as we have now. In other words, we might have to have a smaller house, a longer commute (further from metro), and a bigger mortgage mainly for the "better" schools. And we would be willing to make those sacrifices if we are convinced that we need to because Einstein isn't as good as BCC or WJ, etc., or that Einstein isn't safe. But I can't figure out whether/how much these Bethesda schools are superior to Einstein and how much of the talk about Einstein is baseless.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you wait and see, perhaps save more $$ in the meantime - and if you don't like the MS/HS situation, put them in private school with the money you've saved. It may turn out that your MS/HS is just fine for your child, and it's silly to make a move and financial commitment like that based solely on rep. Further, if its a longer commute, you'll have less time to spend with your child to help him/her with academics and the business of growing up - which is something that a "great" ms/hs can only do so much of- parents really are the most important piece to a child's growing up. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I appreciate hearing your perspective. That is certainly something we've considered (including that it is a long way off). The only problem is that there aren't really any good private schools in our area so I don't see that as a possible back-up plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, I appreciate hearing your perspective. That is certainly something we've considered (including that it is a long way off). The only problem is that there aren't really any good private schools in our area so I don't see that as a possible back-up plan.

I still wouldn't rule out private schools as an option. Maybe you will be able to arrange your commutes to do drop off / pick up at a private school not in your area (or the school offers bus service?). Or, since you are near Metro, and you're talking middle school and high school, maybe your kids can take metro to school.

[Anonymous]

Even if there aren't good private schools (which I doubt - given that you're willing to make a longer commute by moving, you could just as easily make a longer commute by dropping off at whatever private school makes sense), if you decide that your MS/HS doesn't cut it, you can move then. Don't borrow trouble where there is none yet.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I guess I just don't see private schools as an option. The commute difference would be that now we can walk to metro and we would need to drive. Also, while I get the point about not borrowing trouble (which is a large part of why I am uncertain about this potential move) I also want my kids to be settled in their cluster so that they can build long-term friendships.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Sligo/Einstein school district as well, and have no plans to move. I won't lie; I have concerns about Sligo & Einstein, but I am reasonably confident given the Downcounty Consortium that we can find good situations for our kids in one of the local high schools. Although your home school is Einstein, you will have choices other than Einstein when the time comes.

You can also consider magnets - our older child is in the Takoma Park MS math/science magnet and is thriving.

Last, while I understand what you are saying about not considering privates as an option because of being able to walk to Metro, etc., if you do move to get into BCC or whatever other school district is acceptable to you, you will no longer be walking to Metro (based on what you've said). So that means that if Sligo/Einstein is not acceptable, either (a) you can't walk to Metro anymore; or (b) you commute to a private school. I don't see that there is a huge difference there.

I disagree that there are no private school options where we live. There are plenty of them. Now, if you don't want to go private (in any circumstance), that's another story. But, there are private options.

[Anonymous]

PP here - I would add that I do know several college students from our neighborhood who graduated from Einstein and who have done very well. Our old babysitter went on to an Ivy and is grad-school-bound this fall.

It has its issues, but does the job for students from families who are involved and attentive.

[Anonymous]

We're Downcounty and our elementary school doesn't have a great reputation, and it just kind of goes downhill from there. We're probably going to try for an immersion program, and if DC doesn't get it, we're going to move. Privates aren't an option for us financially in the long run, and if we have more kids - then we'd probably end up having to pull DC #1 out of private regardless. I guess it's easier to just make the transition now before DC has really become friends with the other kids in elementary. If DC attended elementary with a bunch of classmates he liked, I might be more reluctant to pull him until at least giving the middle school a try. I will say that we feel kind of torn because we have great neighbors and our house, while modest, is nice and reasonably affordable.

[Anonymous]

If I were you, I'd consider moving. I want my child to be around other kids committed to education, without a lot of negative influences and classroom distractions.

One of my coworkers lives in the Einstein district and was able to petition to get his kids into North Bethesda MS and WJ for HS, so perhaps you could do that too. I know it wasn't easy, but perhaps that's another possibility for you.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone think that the reputation of Sligo/Einstein is baseless?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think that the reputation of Sligo/Einstein is baseless?

Not completely baseless, but I definitely think the fear is overblown, and based in great part on race.

The "negative influences" referred to above - what does that mean?

What does "doesn't have a great reputation" mean? Specifically, what precisely does that mean?

Study after study shows that the biggest driver of academic success is home life. Our home life is the same whether we live in East Silver Spring or Kenwood or Georgetown or McLean. Sure, the education at school will differ - but overall, that difference isn't important enough to me to upset the entire family balance.

I love living in Silver Spring. I like our house; I like being right by the park; I like the funny little stores downtown (Pennyworth thrift shop anyone? Kefa Cafe?); I like how close we are to Metro; I like that nothing I need is more than a five-minute drive or bike ride from our home. (That last one is amazing.) I love walking to the library; to shops and restaurants.

If money were no object I might consider moving out of our school district (Woodlin/Sligo/Einstein) to a "better" one. In all honesty, though, given the above, I don't know if I would really do it - I would have to have the cash in hand to know what I would actually do. I feel sure that I would be conflicted. Regardless, in real life, money is an object, and the day-to-day stuff that makes my life better (see above) DOES matter. It matters a LOT. My sister, who lives in far-western Bethesda, has a far worse commute to her downtown office than I do to mine from Silver Spring. Her school district is "better," but from my point of view, at what cost? It takes her fifteen minutes to drive into downtown Bethesda. What a PITA.

To me, all of these other amenities matter more than being in the "better" school district where, not incidentally, my kids would be surrounded by other white children and very few children of other races and socioeconomic classes. From that vantage point I'm not entirely convinced that those schools are "better" in all senses of that term. Academically, yes, probably. But in other, experiential ways? Probably not.

Our neighbors' kids have graduated from Einstein, Blair, Springbrook, and Northwood, and have had productive and satisfying high school lives. I've seen them in action in our community at school plays, car washes, church fundraisers. I see them doing service work, cutting lawns, delivering meals on wheels, playing high school sports, babysitting. They are out and about and doing great. I see them graduating from high school, and going on to great colleges (American U., Georgetown, Boston College, Michigan, Princeton, Wash. U., University of Chicago in recent years). I see it happening all around me.

Seeing all this, and seeing how my own kids are thriving, I have no reason to believe that they will not enjoy similar success. Even in Silver Spring. (Maybe especially in Silver Spring.)

Those are my .02.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the post, PP. It's a great reminder that we can all get caught up in amorphous fears. And you're right -- I know lots of kids in my neighborhood who've done really well and gone on to good colleges, etc.

I love Silver Spring too, and every time I think about leaving it, I realize how much I would miss.

(Contrast this with a neighbor who moved to Somerset ES area from SS when his girls were 7 and 9. I've recently found out that one fell into a bad crowd, did poorly in school and is now at Montgomery College. The other one went to Towson. So all that money and effort and no Ivy League school!)

[Anonymous]

16:18 - Great post!

BTW - I have neighbors whose kids attend Sligo MS. I haven't heard anything negative about it so far.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the replies. I guess that the thing is is that where we would move the commute wouldn't be much different-- mine would be equal and DH would have to park at Metro but we would be nearby and he often parks there even though he could walk. And the thing is that we could afford it. But if we don't move, then we could save the additional 20k a year for the next 30 years. That is a lot of money. So what I am really trying to figure out is how good is Einstein (and the other downcounty schools, though we can't count on the consortium still being around in 8-9 years), and whether it is really "not safe" as some people say. I am actually not convinced that the Bethesda schools offer a better education, it is just a different environment (for good and bad). We bought before kids and were not focused on the schools. We are happy with the elementary school and we like the diversity. If we were to buy today (say, we were moving from a different city to the area), we would probably buy in Kensington or Bethesda though.