Which Bethesda / Chevy Chase ES am I describing?

[Anonymous]

- focus on social emotional learning, intrinsic learning, supports shyer kids
- warm, tight knit community
- reasonable commute to DC
- ideally Pyle / Whitman cluster but open to others if you’ve been happy with your kids’ middle and high school experience

We are moving from DC. Our oldest goes to a private K-8 that’s been wonderful but we’ve concluded the price is too much, especially because we have 3 kids. His current school is small and supportive. Looking for something that would support a natural transition.

[Anonymous]

Garrett Park ES

[Anonymous]

Almost all the Pyle/Whitman clusters schools except for Wood Acres. Wood Acres is a great school, don't get me wrong but it's probably larger than you want.
Burning Tree, Bannockburn, Bradley Hills, Carderock

[Anonymous]

Don’t kid yourself. You are describing a private school environment. Sadly, public schools do not have the luxury of focusing on these things. They focus on teaching to the test, special ed / needs kids, and equity. OP, check out the Woods Academy in Bethesda. It’s reasonably priced and very diverse; kind of a hybrid Catholic / Montessori approach though they have students of all faiths.

[Anonymous]

Kensington Parkwood Elementary School
North Bethesda Middle School
Walter Johnson High School

(High school zoning may change, but I expect the lovely, close-knit neighborhoods to stay the same.)

[Anonymous]

I have experience with all the ESs in the Pyle/Whitman cluster, and all would be fine but you're really describing Bannockburn most because its small size facilitates many of these things a bit more. HOWEVER, the issue is, Pyle/Whitman sort of blow things up because they're just so very big. So, if your child is less shy by the time to leave, things will be fine, but if not, they can get lost. It's not the shyness that's a problem per se (shyness is fine of course) but the need to ensure they don't fall under the radar. Pyle/Whitman admin have a lot to deal with and if someone isn't causing a problem, but rather just not thriving, they may get overlooked. So you will need to advocate for them. But, back to the original question, Bannockburn is a great ES for someone that fits this profile, in my opinion - or at least has been within the last few years (my family is fully out of it now).

[Anonymous]

Why Bethesda/CC?

[Anonymous]

Noting that there’s a new principal next year, Somerset is great due to its size and community feel. It’s BCC, but I personally think BCC is a better school with better offerings (eg IB program)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why Bethesda/CC?

don't like poors?

[Anonymous]

CCES, but it’s BCC. And I’m not in love with RHES.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t come this far just to come this far

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase ES for less stressful environment.

In my experience of Bethesda area schools, it is the best for that. They're not overcrowded like so many schools are, and they have a wealthy parent-funded foundation, so one room in the school is dedicated to relaxation and alternative learning, with walking desks, and yoga balls and bean bags, and a fountain (my daughter had standardized testing there, to reduce stress). The counselor is great and also has lots of fun stuff.

Bethesda Elementary has the best reputation for catering to special needs - they accept students from the area that other MCPS schools cannot welcome and they also get the kids undergoing treatment at NIH. They make it very easy to get an IEP or 504 if your child needs one - unlike in other MCPS schools, parents there rarely have to fight to for their child to receive accommodations. The Principal and Assistant Principal are wonderful people. However they are overcrowded due to the unending high-end condo and apartment construction in downtown Bethesda that attracts more families than developers and the school board (who is in the pocket of developers) ever thought possible.

Middle schools are the weakest link in any school system, due to raging hormones If your child has serious special needs, I have to say that it's best they then switch to North Bethesda MS then Walter Johnson HS, which is the neighboring cluster to the north that houses many excellent special programs (cluster switching is allowed if your child is approved for a special program). The teachers are great, the academics are very strong, but it's overcrowded. If you want to live in that cluster, please know that WJ is first in line to have its boundaries recalibrated because of the construction of the new high school, Woodward, to the north of it on Old Georgetown Rd. The boundary study will affect ALL Bethesda clusters and will be done in 2024, for a Woodward opening for 2025. BCC and WW boundaries might not change much, but they are included in the study.

Westland MS, the middle school in the BCC cluster after Bethesda ES, is small, not yet overcrowded, and tries not to create an atmosphere of academic striving - which has its drawbacks for kids who actually WANT that sort of thing. Special needs aren't well catered to, though.

BCC high school is nearly as good, academically, as WJ, Walt Whitman, and Winston Churchill. It's conveniently located in downtown Bethesda. It sells its IB program hard, but the dirty secret of IB is that it's not as well recognized by US/Canadian/UK college admissions officers as AP courses/exams. If you want a university in Singapore or Switzerland, then sure, IB is the way to go. As a result of offering IB, it has fewer AP courses than other "W" high schools in the area. So buyer beware.
If you're looking for a high school that's not a pressure cooker like WW or WJ, then BCC is also a good balance of academics and not sky-high stress.

There is no high school in MCPS that is quite as academically ambitious as Walt Whitman, OP. That comes with certain emotional sacrifices.

Did I make your head spin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why Bethesda/CC?

don't like poors?

np.. I'm thinking commute.

I don't live in either cluster, but if less commute time into DC was important to me, I'd choose BCC cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you want to live in that cluster, please know that WJ is first in line to have its boundaries recalibrated because of the construction of the new high school, Woodward, to the north of it on Old Georgetown Rd. The boundary study will affect ALL Bethesda clusters and will be done in 2024, for a Woodward opening for 2025. BCC and WW boundaries might not change much, but they are included in the study.

The dates have been delayed a year. The new boundaries will be decided in 2025, to start taking effect when Woodward opens in 2026.

[Anonymous]

Rock Creek Forest ES
Silver Creek MS
BCC