If you could move anywhere in DC for elementary…

[Anonymous]

At the risk of stirring the pot, where would you move neighborhood wise and with elementary school factor in

Scenario A: Spanish immersion or

Scenario B: No immersion. Prioritize minimal commute, great academics, and limited reliance on edtech/screens (to the extent it’s even possible…)

We are not wealthy. We like our current Neighborhood a lot, charming. But we need to leave our rental and find a new one.

No idea if able to stay in DC long term (jobs, etc.) so don’t want to panic about MS and HS too much, though that train of thought comes in from time to time.

[Anonymous]

Curious how you know the academic are great and there is low tech reliance at school 2?

[Anonymous]

Scenario B. Move to Cleveland Park and go to Eaton

[Anonymous]

I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

[Anonymous]

for B: dupont/ross

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious how you know the academic are great and there is low tech reliance at school 2?

Not a specific school. Talking scenarios where we prioritize or don’t prioritize immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the risk of stirring the pot, where would you move neighborhood wise and with elementary school factor in

Scenario A: Spanish immersion or

Scenario B: No immersion. Prioritize minimal commute, great academics, and limited reliance on edtech/screens (to the extent it’s even possible…)

We are not wealthy. We like our current Neighborhood a lot, charming. But we need to leave our rental and find a new one.

No idea if able to stay in DC long term (jobs, etc.) so don’t want to panic about MS and HS too much, though that train of thought comes in from time to time.

B: Ross

[Anonymous]

Just replying to say that I appreciate this question, as a parent of children in preschool considering moving for a great ES!

[Anonymous]

This is a very broad question but i would advise visiting as many open houses as would be feasible to get an idea of what the school environment may be (they all differ) and if it would be a good fit.

If you’re looking for a good inbound bilingual like a bruce monroe, oyster, bancroft, Chisolm, those are tough before K. Immersion Charters are a different discussion but they are all solid to great in various ways.

The best neighborhood schools in terms of consistent test scores will be in Ward 3, along with Ross, Shepherd, Maury, Brent, Hyde, and Ludlow is solid. There are also schools with reportedly great leadership like a Barnard, Whittier and others.

Peabody is probably the best ECE only program in the city but feeds to a school people aren’t often crazy about. And a host of solid options across the city.

There are alot of good overall elementary school options, including charters. Very few are known to be specifically low tech or highly academic.

[Anonymous]

B. Find an apartment with a pool, trails, and playground nearby.
I love ours- pool, parking, bus stop on 2 sides, rooftop, trails, community gardens, gym, front desk (kids can easily stay home alone), grounds for laying around, library, and other kids in the building.
My kids went to two different elementary schools and I worked in 3rd. All were great.
Stay away from anything on Cathedral Avenue.

[Anonymous]

This one is tough. If you really only thinking about elementary school, I think you can move anywhere in ward three and be fine. But if you’re going to move, you should move with the assumption that you’re only going to do it once before your kid graduates high school. And if you’re thinking about middle school and high school options, the suburbs are better. so maybe make an optimal decision now but know that you will have to revisit this around 3rd grade unless you will be willing to move your kid closer to middle school, at a time that will be harder for them socially.

[Anonymous]

Option B is Ross. However the middle school feed is a little bit of a step down and the high school feed is not an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:B. Find an apartment with a pool, trails, and playground nearby.
I love ours- pool, parking, bus stop on 2 sides, rooftop, trails, community gardens, gym, front desk (kids can easily stay home alone), grounds for laying around, library, and other kids in the building.
My kids went to two different elementary schools and I worked in 3rd. All were great.
Stay away from anything on Cathedral Avenue.

Mind sharing which apartment this is? We are moving to DC and looking for something like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.