CHML of Two Rivers?
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Anonymous
| Would you pick Two Rivers Fourth or CHML for ECE and elementary? We aren’t gung ho on Montessori yet worry about TR’s attrition and don’t want to be focused on the lottery again until middle or high school. Wish TR didn’t have so many negative posts here or the decision would be easy! |
Anonymous
| What is your IB. I wouldn’t be ok with either for anything in upper elementary. |
Anonymous
| CHML because the playground is nicer. |
Anonymous
| I would sooner do JO Wilson and since they're going through a reno it's a good year to get in. Stuart Hobson is a better middle school option than the ones you listed. |
Anonymous
This. 100%. To be fair, we have (thankfully) been away from TR for many years, but it doesn't appear that things have improved at either campus. |
Anonymous
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Upper elementary and middle school are not Montessori at CHML. I would pick another school for those grades.
However, CHML is Montessori for ECE and lower elementary grades, and is a good option for those grades. |
Anonymous
| OP here - thanks so much for the insight. We’re JO and the swing space is an issue. we actually like that CHML wouldn’t be Montessori focused after a few years. Think we will do that. Thanks again! |
Anonymous
| CHML IS Montessori for upper elementary (and POORLY implemented at that). Run far away from CHML...ECE is fine enough, but the rest of the school is a disaster in every way imaginable. |
Anonymous
| CHML is probably good/fine for ECE. But I would think ahead about future years lotterying out for Ludlow or switching back to JOW post-renovation. |
Anonymous
+1. I’d lottery for Ludlow in your situation. |
Anonymous
Agree. Maybe even Watkins or Payne, if you don't mind the commute, since it sounds like you're in boundary for Stuart Hobson no matter what. Not a ton of personal experience with these schools but I've heard some not-so-great things about CHML in later elementary....though to be fair, it all sounds very teacher dependent to be fair. If you get a great teacher at CHML - and there are quite a few - your kid is with them for two or three years, which is awesome. |
Anonymous
There's so much teacher turnover at CHML, there's really no way to be sure. Admin runs out some really great teachers. The not-so-great (read: terrible) teachers tend to be her favorites, so they hang around for a long time. |
Anonymous
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So if your choice was Two Rivers Young, Two Rivers 4th, or CHML for PK4 and maybe up to 3rd grade, how would you all rank them? Right now I have TRY tops, followed by CHML and then TR 4th, but I'm wondering if I should reorder my list, as I'm very low on the waitlist at all three (#14 or lower) and feel like offers are imminent.
CHML is a beautiful campus, and their scorecard looks favorable to the other two (except math, but I'm not necessarily trying to get that granular with a PK4 student and no idea where we'll be in life come 3rd grade or so), but I hear so many awful things about the principal and the lack of discipline and inexperienced teachers, etc. Meanwhile, both Two Rivers have seen HUGE applicant declines, and we (my SO mainly) doesn't like the 4th St campus, whereas we both like Young and live closest to us so the bad neighborhood doesn't really scare us...if I hadn't read so much on here I think it'd be a no brainer to reorder with CHML first, as I love the location and building. |
Anonymous
If you are the op, I would do none of these and I would send my kid to their inbound school of JO Wilson, since the swing space issue is not going to last much longer and if you live near Young you aren't far from the swing space. |
Anonymous
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OP are you looking for this coming fall? Did you already lottery? I'm confused.
If you are looking at the 2026-2027 year, JOW will be out if their swing space and into their new school. If you are IB for JOW, this is your obvious and best backup option. The new school will be nice. They are using the same team as Lewis up in Petworth. We have friends at Lewis and they love that space. The location of Young is bad. The actual space is nice but that neighborhood is not. It's also a crap commute from the JOW boundary. There are three schools there (Young, Phelps HS, and the swing space) plus a massive construction site. It's hard to get to any way but car and traffic is awful during drop off and pick up. Also, there was recently a shooting at Phelps during aftercare that sent all three schools into lockdown (no one hurt, just property damage, but the video was harrowing). I would not send my kid to school in that complex if I could help it. It might be better in a few years, but I'd be most anxious in ECE and it won't be better by then. My ranking would be: 1) CHML for ECE with plan to lottery for L-T starting in 1st or 2nd. 2) JOW for PK with option to stay if new school starts really building momentum, or lottery for L-T starting in K. 3) TR4 with plan to ditch for either JOW if it gets rough or lottery for L-T if you get lucky. I would not lottery for Young and I would not send my kids to Young or CHML for upper elementary or MS (especially not with SH as my inbound). |