Moving to DC - what would be your ideal location based on DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Lived in DC in my late 20s and loved it, now moving back with my husband and 2 year old and looking to buy a house in the city.

If you were only to consider the in-boundary public school trajectory from elementary to middle to high school and no other factors...where would you buy?

[Anonymous]

We moved here for elementary school and you really can't go wrong with Ward 3 schools. All are great options - just buy in bounds (if its in your budget) for the elementary you want

[Anonymous]

IB for any Jackson-Reed feeder elementary.

[Anonymous]

If there were no other factors, that means that you can afford Janey which means that you can live anywhere and go private

[Anonymous]

I'd move IB for Hearst or Oyster-Adams, but that's because I like (a bit of) city with my city living. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd move IB for Hearst or Oyster-Adams, but that's because I like (a bit of) city with my city living. YMMV.

+1. That's what we did. We moved here about a decade ago though, so our budget went a little further!

That said, if I had a huge budget, I'd consider living wherever and having private as a back-up/upper grades option.

[Anonymous]

Palisades, Wesley Heights, Glover Park.

[Anonymous]

Georgetown too with Hardy MacArthur.

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase, DC is a lovely area . Both Lafayette and Murch are strong schools in the neighborhood.

Even if you end up sending kids to private schools at some point, good investment.

[Anonymous]

I would consider pretty much any J-R or MacArthur feeder and it would depend a lot on the type of neighborhood I preferred (more density versus less, as well as proximity to public transit and amenities).

The main thing I would avoid is buying IB for an elementary school you like where the MS/HS feed is unacceptable. It sounds like you aren't planning to do this, but we used to live on the Hill and the amount of angst you encounter from people who knowingly bought expensive homes with a great IB elementary and middling-to-bad MS and then totally unacceptable high school was considerable. Don't do that unless you are totally comfortable with going to private with no reservations at all.

[Anonymous]

I would not choose Oyster Adams - I would be concerned that they would move out of the JR feeder pattern. If you look at the map - it looks like a Gerrymandered voting district and logic would say it should not go to JR.

[Anonymous]

I'd live IB for Ross. Great little school, great fun city neighborhood, feeds into SWW at Francis Stevens for middle school, which is solid, then you figure out high school when you get there.

[Anonymous]

I’d pick Mt Pleasant, assuming Bancroft keeps its feeder pattern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d pick Mt Pleasant, assuming Bancroft keeps its feeder pattern

Looks like it will, at least for the next 10 years (unless Bowser goes against the DME’s recommendations).

[Anonymous]

I live in AU Park, my kids have gone to Janney, then Deal and then application high schools. One in college, one still in DCPS.

When we moved here 19 years ago we thought we were buying a house for elementary school and that we would move by 4th/5th grade (because back then elementary school ended in 6th). Somewhere along the way Deal became very desirable. When my kids were in elementary school I was watching and kept expecting Hardy to become desirable, but it took longer than expected.

Although Wilson/ Jackson Reed was mostly acceptable along the way I sent my kids to application high schools because they were a better fit.

Here is what I have learned.

1) a solid elementary school will still be solid when your 2 year old is ready.

2) middle school is the worst and the hardest to transition into an acceptable one.

3) there are more high school options than you realize in DC. None of them are perfect, many of them are acceptable.

4) the most important decision in real estate is an acceptable middle school, after that it is about where you want to live and your means of commute.

Do you want charm and being able to walk to good restaurants and close to metro. Cleveland Park.

Do you want a neighborhood where your kids can bike to their friend’s houses and it is metro accessible, but the restaurant choices are mediocre, AU Park.

Do you want a neighborhood that is bike friendly but no metro or restaurants but you can walk your dog in rock creek park, Chevy chase.

Bike friendly, no metro but Millie’s, Spring Valley.