GlenAllen vs Westover vs Flower Valley ES
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Anonymous
| DH and I live in Hyattsville now and are zoned for Hyattsville ES. We want to move this year due to the schools before my daughter turns 5 next year. We love homes in the Poplar Run community (SS 20906), but are unsure about GlenAllen because it doesn’t seem much better than Hyattsville ES as both schools are rated a 4. So my thinking is why move out of Hyattsville for the schools in Poplar Run when the schools don’t seem much better or am I misjudging this? I have read good things about Flower Valley and Westover ES, so should we focus on homes zoned for these schools instead? We can’t afford to buy a home zoned for a W school. What is our best option for a pretty good school that would be much better than the PG school we are zoned for now? We have been focusing on 20904, 20906, and 20853 due to budget, commutes, and proximity to family. We like Oakland Terrace ES but most homes that are listed there are small. |
Anonymous
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Glenallan is a diverse community with a lot of bright students. I don't know anything about Hyattsville ES, but we have loved Glenallan. Two of my kids went through there and went to magnets for middle school, and one is still there. It also feeds into the DCC, which means a ton of options.
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Anonymous
How does the magnet program work for middle school? Is it lottery based, in other words not guaranteed? What are the magnet options for middle? |
Anonymous
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What's your budget? If you're looking close to or over $1m you can get into a big house zoned for OTES. There are lots of them sprinkled throughout the zone, including in a few developments. (Jutland Rd., Red Orchid Way, Drumm Ct, Starner Ct). There was one on Drumm Ave (10723) with a coming soon sign out front last week.
The only people I know zoned for Glenallen go private. |
Anonymous
Our max budget is 1.1 but ideally we would like to come under that due to rising interest rates and another kiddo on the way. Yes, I did see the one on Drumm coming out, just not sure about the lot as Redfin says 9/10 extreme flood factor but definitely will check it out. It seems rare that one of the larger homes come on the market zoned for OTES. We bid on one last year on Casper and lost |
Anonymous
There was also one on Jutland that was coming soon a couple weeks ago but went under contract before it went live. It may be worth contacting some of the realtors who do a lot of business in the area to ask about upcoming listings. |
Anonymous
It's been different the past two years because of virtual instruction/testing but students in a certain top percentile were entered into the lottery pool. It's not guaranteed, but there's a decent chance. There is also the Middle School Magnet Consortium, which includes Loiederman, Parkland, and Argyle and their whole school magnet programs, which you can apply for by lottery. One of my kids got into Loiederman and then was offered a spot at Eastern, and chose Eastern. Most of my neighbors send their kids to Glenallan, so I guess PP and I don't share any friends. |
Anonymous
There really isn’t a “decent chance” with the middle school lottery. Congrats on your child’s good luck, but I know IRL dozens of kids in the pool who did not win the lottery so to speak. Many more kids in the pool than spots available. |
Anonymous
OP here, yeah that is my concern. That maybe we like Glenallen but don’t get into a good magnet middle and have to go with Lee middle or pay for private. |
Anonymous
NP, with kids at OTES: one thing to note there is that the school is two way immersion, English/Spanish. The program will continue in some capacity through middle school at Newport Mill, so magnet may be less of a concern. Friends with older kids have all had positive experiences at Newport, and then onto the various DCC high schools. There aren't many larger houses here, it's true, but they do come up every once in a while. We love it here. |
Anonymous
| While Poplar Run is a fantastic neighborhood, many parents have concerns over the zoned school. You could get lucky and get into a magnet but the chances are slim and many many bright kids don’t get in. That being said, I think about half the families send their kids to private and the other half to the local school, just based off of the people I know. So if you do stay in the local schools, your kid will have neighborhood friends that are also bright. My kids no longer go to Glenallan, but a few years back, it was thriving. Not as much with the new principal but the community is so wonderful and welcoming. Everyone I know loves the community. |
Anonymous
| OP here, so it sounds like it is better to wait for the right home zoned for OTES, Flower Valley, or Westover in 20904? Although if we buy a home zoned for Westover, I know there are concerns about White Oak Middle, but HS offers the option for Blake. |
Anonymous
If you're looking at Flower Valley, you might also consider Barnsley and Rock Creek Valley. They all feed to Wood middle and Rockville high. These schools will have more of a community feeling because kids will stay in the same schools with their friends all through the years, as contrasted to the schools in the NEC and DCC, where many kids end up heading in different directions because of the choice process. |
Anonymous
10723 Drumm just hit the market, OP - looks gorgeous. We have friends on the block of Drumm, it’s nice and quiet, walkable to Kenmont Pool and the Wheaton Mall. Just sayin’ 
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Anonymous
I saw, house looks great. Just concerned about the yard and 9/10 flood factor. |