Moving to Petworth
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I’m a single white mom of a 4 year old moving to Petworth. We won’t have a car so I need all the info you guys have on best schools/safest/walk ability etc..
Thank you!!!! |
Anonymous
| Truesdell is under construction and in a swing space for two years so they are bussing kids. I would just live inbound for Barnard and call it a day. Petworth sketchiness is block by block so be sure to look at crime data. |
Anonymous
| I don’t have experience with the schools since my kids attend a charter. However, Safety changes block by block, but I feel pretty safe walking around the neighborhood at 8am or 3pm. I just don’t feel safe after dark. |
Anonymous
We are looking at moving between 13th and kansas by upshur |
Anonymous
We live in Petworth. I believe that’s IB for Powell. Nice bilingual school with decent neighborhood buy-in. Very walkable, though probably porch pirates and more caution needed after dark. Can’t speak to crime on that immediate block because as PP said, it really is block to block. |
Anonymous
I've lived in Petworth for 10 years with my two kids. That's a great location for walkability and proximity to the Metro. You are also close to bus lines on Georgia, 14th, and 16th. My kids go to a charter, but I hear Powell is great school. It's dual language (Spanish). My understanding is it's very hard/impossible to lottery into if you live out of bound, which as PP said, shows it has decent in-bound buy-in, so you'll have a nice neighborhood school feel. As others have mentioned, we're in the city, so I don't walk alone when it's dark. Being closer to the Metro and businesses means there is slightly more activity, but there are lots of families with young kids, so just use common sense. Welcome to the neighborhood! |
Anonymous
| Powell has been great for us. |
Anonymous
We got a mid-summer offer at Powell for K with an absolute bottom of the barrel lottery number. If I recall, pre-K is pretty much impossible for English dominant, but it opens up in K and above. It's also usually not the highest ranked on waitlists, so they may clear a waitlist even if the offer numbers only show that they made offers to half the initial waitlist, because it gets dropped off waitlists automatically when people get into higher ranked schools. |
Anonymous
/\ Not saying it's a bad school though! We're in the neighborhood and know a few happy families there. |
Anonymous
That's a nice block (if you mean Upshur between 13th and Kansas.) Powell is perfectly fine in elementary but the middle (McFarland) and high (Roosevelt) are more problematic. The Hardy principal moved to McFarland as did a few terrific teachers, so time will tell. There are a lot of families with young kids pretty much on every block. Your tolerance of sketchiness will determine how you feel about safety. The blocks between Shepherd and Upshur on Kansas are pretty sketchy, but the folks don't bother you. The alleys behind are always problematic and should be avoided. Yes Market on Taylor is a gem if you don't have a car (or even if you do). Upshur park is nice as is the pool in summer, Timber pizza is terrific and there are plenty of transportation options (on 14th or Georgia). |
Anonymous
| Upshur between 13 and Kansas is self storage, ace hardware and the football field. Are you talking about another street perhaps? |
Anonymous
Near Upshur. |
Anonymous
| Petworth is expensive for a neighborhood with not great schools and lots of crime. |
Anonymous
|
Petworth is good for little kids. There are viable elementary options (Barnard, Powell) and reasonable, but imperfect charter options like Center City and Creative Minds. But after elementary the options are weaker (renting may make more sense than buying…). Easy commute downtown too.
Do you bike, by any chance? That can really open up that neighborhood. Things like drs visits at Childrens National or Washington Hospital Center become easier, as do groceries. If you bike or are considering it, areas along the 7th street/ Warder bike lane might be worth a look. Consider hanging out at Upshur park or the park at 8th(?) and Taylor and chatting up families there for advice. The Saturday farmer’s market (GA and Upshur) is a good rplace to get a feel for the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
|
Welcome! You’ll have the Safeway nearby, Yes grocery (nice but very expensive), Petworth library, Upshur Park, Petworth Rec Center, restaurants along Upshur and 14th, with a few on GA. Petworth metro and busses on Ga and 14th. Great walkable neighborhood. I walk pretty much walk everywhere during the day. At night things can start to get sketchy after 8pm or so.
Probably you’re inbounds for Powell but we can’t comment directly on your school or block safety unless you give us your exact block (the block you cite is all commercial, no residential, as far as I know.) There is something sketchy going on at the houses on Kansas between Shepherd and Taylor fyi. But I still walk that block almost daily. |