Good elementary schools that feed into Richard Montgomery, BCC or the 4 W's?

[Anonymous]

We are looking for neighborhoods that feed into one of the good high schools in MD - RM, BCC or the 4 W's.

Could you please recommend neighborhoods and elementary schools?

My husband will be working for the government. We'd prefer a house that is around $500k. We are open to single homes or townhouses or condos. We prefer a home that isn't too old. Not sure if that is possible on our budget.

[Anonymous]

For the Rockville area:

I live in Stonebridge. The upper part of Rockville. Townhouses are going for $350-$400,000. They may be too old for you though, at about 20 years old. But some are on the lake and many have been renovated. It feeds into Wootton.

I also love Woodley Gardens, which has a mix of older brick townhouses and SFHs. Again, they may be too old for you, but they are lovely and in your price range. They go to Richard Montgomery, and the elementary school is College Gardens.

You could also look in the Kentlands/Lakelands, which is Gaithersburg. The high school is Quince Orchard and it's nice. The housing there still about 20 years old, but the neighborhood is newer urban planning.

All things considered though, if you want newer construction in the $500,000 range and want great schools, take a serious look at Howard County. It's about as far a commute to DC as stuff from the Wootton district in MoCo. The school quality there is a bit more uniform than it is in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

For Richard Montgomery, check out Lynn Manor, College Square and New Mark Commons. All three communities feed to Beall/Julius West/RM and are all within a mile of downtown Rockville. (They are mostly TH's ranging from 375-525K)

[Anonymous]

Can you please identify the four W's? I've only got Whitman and Wooton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you please identify the four W's? I've only got Whitman and Wooton.

Probably Walter Johnson and Winston Churchill. Just a guess that she doesn't mean Wheaton or Watkins Mill.

[Anonymous]

I live in potomac woods. The elementary school is Ritchie Park and it feeds into RM. The houses are old though and go from anywhere 550-650. Ours is old, but was completely redone when we bought it last year. There are about 6 houses on the market in the neighborhood right now, might be worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you please identify the four W's? I've only got Whitman and Wooton.

Probably Walter Johnson and Winston Churchill. Just a guess that she doesn't mean Wheaton or Watkins Mill.

Yes, I meant WJ and Winston Churchill. As much as I hate to go based just on a ranking, that is all we have to go on since we are from out of state.

"The four top high schools and their rankings are:

Richard Montgomery—38
Bethesda-Chevy Chase—55
Thomas S. Wootton—58
Winston Churchill—94

Rounding out the top 110 schools are Walt Whitman—104 and Walter Johnson—109."

[Anonymous]

Rock Creek Forest Elementary draws from Chevy Chase and a small part of Silver Spring. The school feeds into Westland/BCC. You can find houses in the neighborhood for just over $500K. We are very happy with the school and the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

We have two children that attend Ashburton Elementary (Walter Johnson cluster) and have been thrilled. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

OP- Just curious why RM was on your list? Was it just because of the Newsweek ranking and the Challenge index? We live in the RM cluster now, and are considering moving for a number of reasons, but one of them would be to get into a different cluster before middle school. I don't know much about RM, but have to say that I was disturbed by an article I read in the Gazette this past fall regarding a fight that broke out at RM that involved students that were living at a group home for juvenille offenders in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

I think that BCC and Whitman are probably going to be out of reach unless you can stretch to closer to $600k, or unless you're prepared to live in a 2br condo - particularly if you're picky about how old the house is. I live in the non-posh part of the BCC district and there are a few houses in the 500-600k range on the market. Under 500k, forget about it... the further out you go, the more options you will have, which is why Potomac and Rockville are possibilities. But even there you will be looking at smaller, older homes if you are determined to stay at or under $500k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- Just curious why RM was on your list? Was it just because of the Newsweek ranking and the Challenge index? We live in the RM cluster now, and are considering moving for a number of reasons, but one of them would be to get into a different cluster before middle school. I don't know much about RM, but have to say that I was disturbed by an article I read in the Gazette this past fall regarding a fight that broke out at RM that involved students that were living at a group home for juvenille offenders in Rockville.

I'd send my kid to Montgomery. It's come a long way in the past 10 years or so. It's a good example of adding a magnet program to a school where the magnet program actually helps improve the rest of the school. Most magnets aren't like that. Is it the best in the County? No. But it has a lot to offer good students who want to learn.