Good schools EoTP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not unusual for Capitol Hill families who stay after elementary to go with affordable parochial middle schools in DC and Arlington. That's been true for decades.

We're not Catholic but we're fine with a good parochial middle school in Arlington enrolling many non Catholics that runs us 11K/year. We carpool with 2 other Hill families. Everybody in the car pool is hoping that our children will test into Walls or Banneker eventually.

Why not just move to Arlington in the good school pyramid, save 11k a year for college, have a bigger space, and your kid doesn’t have to deal with commuting, and can easily take the school bus. Not to mention dealing with after school activities and what leave at rush hour which is even worst.

Then what are you going to do if kid doesn’t get into high school? Continue paying for private and dealing with the commute. You just easily paid for 4 years of college in addition to putting unnecessary stress on you and your kid. Plus parochial schools are not even that good.
L

. We’ve both been on the Hill for more than 25 years. We pay less than $1,000/month on a mortgage to live in a 5 bedroom house we renovated from a brick shell, putting in huge sweat equity in as we went. We live a short walk from Metro stations serving 4 lines. Our closest friends are here. We love our church of 15 years. Schools aren’t the be and end all for us. Our children don’t want to move any more than their parents do. Our commute to school is en route to my office in VA and takes just 15-20 mins. We’re prepared to sacrifice to stay home, where we belong. For those who aren’t dug in on the Hill socially and spiritually, moving makes much better sense.

“socially and spiritually” giant eyeroll.

You sound very jealous of parents in a position to make their lives on the Hill and stay there. Lots of that sentiment to go around on this thread. Fact is, plenty of the newcomers to the Hill these days have the dough for private middle school and high school. That's what people who buy 1.5 to 2 million $ houses do.[/quote]

Ok great! OP - if you have the dough, come by my broke down house on the Hill for 1.5 mil and send your kids to private MS. I wholeheartedly agree on that plan.

Everyone says this in the alternate universe of DCUM, and few actually do the bolded. There aren't enough spots in for 6th or especially 9th graders in really solid private schools. I mean, sure, if Bishop Ireton and its commute is a viable choice for your Hill family, or similar, then I guess PP's assertion is accurate.

How I know: multiple kids in independent schools since 2009. When you're in it that long, you absolutely know, eventually, where kids reside. It's not the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Give us break. We've been on the Hill since the 1990s. We know Hill kids who used to be at our DCPS ES who ended up at all sorts of "really solid" privates, GDS, Maret, Sidwell, NCS, St. Alban's, St. Anselm's, St. John's etc. Fact is, the population of the Hill is double what is what just 25 years ago. Plenty of families, and money, to go around these days. We're not as affluent collectively as Upper NW families, true, but we're no longer far behind. I can't count the number of Hill families we've rubbed shoulders with over the years who went with DC public elementary and middle schools while saving up for private high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not unusual for Capitol Hill families who stay after elementary to go with affordable parochial middle schools in DC and Arlington. That's been true for decades.

We're not Catholic but we're fine with a good parochial middle school in Arlington enrolling many non Catholics that runs us 11K/year. We carpool with 2 other Hill families. Everybody in the car pool is hoping that our children will test into Walls or Banneker eventually.

Why not just move to Arlington in the good school pyramid, save 11k a year for college, have a bigger space, and your kid doesn’t have to deal with commuting, and can easily take the school bus. Not to mention dealing with after school activities and what leave at rush hour which is even worst.

Then what are you going to do if kid doesn’t get into high school? Continue paying for private and dealing with the commute. You just easily paid for 4 years of college in addition to putting unnecessary stress on you and your kid. Plus parochial schools are not even that good.
L

. We’ve both been on the Hill for more than 25 years. We pay less than $1,000/month on a mortgage to live in a 5 bedroom house we renovated from a brick shell, putting in huge sweat equity in as we went. We live a short walk from Metro stations serving 4 lines. Our closest friends are here. We love our church of 15 years. Schools aren’t the be and end all for us. Our children don’t want to move any more than their parents do. Our commute to school is en route to my office in VA and takes just 15-20 mins. We’re prepared to sacrifice to stay home, where we belong. For those who aren’t dug in on the Hill socially and spiritually, moving makes much better sense.

“socially and spiritually” giant eyeroll.

You sound very jealous of parents in a position to make their lives on the Hill and stay there. Lots of that sentiment to go around on this thread. Fact is, plenty of the newcomers to the Hill these days have the dough for private middle school and high school. That's what people who buy 1.5 to 2 million $ houses do.[/quote]

Ok great! OP - if you have the dough, come by my broke down house on the Hill for 1.5 mil and send your kids to private MS. I wholeheartedly agree on that plan.

Everyone says this in the alternate universe of DCUM, and few actually do the bolded. There aren't enough spots in for 6th or especially 9th graders in really solid private schools. I mean, sure, if Bishop Ireton and its commute is a viable choice for your Hill family, or similar, then I guess PP's assertion is accurate.

How I know: multiple kids in independent schools since 2009. When you're in it that long, you absolutely know, eventually, where kids reside. It's not the Hill.

Agreed..this whole "myth" that people that spend $2M on a home have another $40K+ per year for private school is hilarious. It's not that simple or easy. Sure some do but most don't.

We are EoTP and half our neighborhood kids have attended private schools at some point. Most with little or no FA. We just budgeted for it when we purchased our home. Funny thing is we had to ask what "Grandparents Day" was and why it was a thing That's your $2M house and private school answer in a lot of cases

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give us break. We've been on the Hill since the 1990s. We know Hill kids who used to be at our DCPS ES who ended up at all sorts of "really solid" privates, GDS, Maret, Sidwell, NCS, St. Alban's, St. Anselm's, St. John's etc. Fact is, the population of the Hill is double what is what just 25 years ago. Plenty of families, and money, to go around these days. We're not as affluent collectively as Upper NW families, true, but we're no longer far behind. I can't count the number of Hill families we've rubbed shoulders with over the years who went with DC public elementary and middle schools while saving up for private high schools.

The commute from the Hill to GDS is excrutiating. Why would you live on the Hill (paying 1mil+ for a house) and save for private that will significantly disrupt your day, instead of just moving to NW?

FWIW the only Hill families I know decamping for privates are the ones who already didn't really fit in (like law partner families). Nice people, clearly were not going to stay on the Hill. As for "trying out the IB MS" ha ha, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

[Anonymous]

"We just budgeted for it when we purchased our home."

Private school tuition is around $40k. So that's 3,300/month. Almost certainly enough to just ... buy a house in a place where you know you can send your kid to public school. And if you have two kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

Do you have a kid at DCI now? And there's a guaranteed supply of SAHP who can drive up there at 3pm every day? Do they wait for you downtown on 16th st?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

Do you have a kid at DCI now? And there's a guaranteed supply of SAHP who can drive up there at 3pm every day? Do they wait for you downtown on 16th st?

They do sports and activities at DCI until one of the carpool parents can get them, or they take the bus or metro. There's no need to be there at 3. It's not that complicated. I might not do this for a 6th grader, but for a high school student it's fine. How are you going to send them to college if you don't even trust them to cross the street. One set of parents does mornings, the other does the afternoons. NBD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

Do you have a kid at DCI now? And there's a guaranteed supply of SAHP who can drive up there at 3pm every day? Do they wait for you downtown on 16th st?

They do sports and activities at DCI until one of the carpool parents can get them, or they take the bus or metro. There's no need to be there at 3. It's not that complicated. I might not do this for a 6th grader, but for a high school student it's fine. How are you going to send them to college if you don't even trust them to cross the street. One set of parents does mornings, the other does the afternoons. NBD.

So you do not personally have a kid doing this at DCI, is that correct?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

Do you have a kid at DCI now? And there's a guaranteed supply of SAHP who can drive up there at 3pm every day? Do they wait for you downtown on 16th st?

They do sports and activities at DCI until one of the carpool parents can get them, or they take the bus or metro. There's no need to be there at 3. It's not that complicated. I might not do this for a 6th grader, but for a high school student it's fine. How are you going to send them to college if you don't even trust them to cross the street. One set of parents does mornings, the other does the afternoons. NBD.

So you do not personally have a kid doing this at DCI, is that correct?

I did until graduation a few months ago, and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

It's easy to find a carpool, lots of people do it. Or I drop them off at the 16th Street bus.

Do you have a kid at DCI now? And there's a guaranteed supply of SAHP who can drive up there at 3pm every day? Do they wait for you downtown on 16th st?

They do sports and activities at DCI until one of the carpool parents can get them, or they take the bus or metro. There's no need to be there at 3. It's not that complicated. I might not do this for a 6th grader, but for a high school student it's fine. How are you going to send them to college if you don't even trust them to cross the street. One set of parents does mornings, the other does the afternoons. NBD.

So you do not personally have a kid doing this at DCI, is that correct?

I did until graduation a few months ago, and it was fine.

How did you get them up there in 6th grade? Do you have 2 working parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

What does this even mean? Do you think that Aspen street to Georgia Ave has become some kind of crime hotspot?

The crazy thing about Ward 3 parents on these boards is they complain incessantly that their schools are overcrowded, until they encounter a parent not banging down the door to get into W3 schools. Then it's 15 pages of haranguing them as naive, or stupid, or lying, all because they're making a different choice than you. Get over it, for crying out loud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

What does this even mean? Do you think that Aspen street to Georgia Ave has become some kind of crime hotspot?

The crazy thing about Ward 3 parents on these boards is they complain incessantly that their schools are overcrowded, until they encounter a parent not banging down the door to get into W3 schools. Then it's 15 pages of haranguing them as naive, or stupid, or lying, all because they're making a different choice than you. Get over it, for crying out loud.

This is about providing advice to newbie parents. As the parent of an average (meaning, somewhat spacey) 10 year old boy - no, I cannot foresee having him walk next year from our house to Union Station to Takoma Park across Georgia Ave to DCI. DC crime rates have gone up everywhere, and driving has gotten even worse. If you're a current Hill parent ok with this an en route to DCI, more power to you. The point of this thread is not just-so anecdotes, but to provide advice to someone making plans now, about what considerations will be salient in 10 years. And I'm hear to tell you "Oh, be rich and go private, or win the charter lottery, and have your 11 year old metro and walk across town to DCI, or send your kid to the MS where 60% of the kids fail the PARCC ..." are not a great set of options!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time hill kids are in late ES or MS their families are venturing into ward 3 and the burbs a lot. There is less of a need for ward 3 families to to the reverse. Ward 6 has built up an infrastructure for young families but has less for older kids. Schools, sports, the arts, etc.

We are bound for DCI and no need to go anywhere. Lots of clubs, extracurriculars, and sports. Just pick up after the above or kid can take public transportation home. Easy, just like the bigger schools in the burbs with similar offerings.

How is your kid going to get from DCI to the Hill? Will your 6th grader walk throught Brightwood, cross Georgia, then take the Redline to Union Station? I might have sort of planned on this a few years ago, but not right now.

Guys the fact is - beyond ES is a HUGE toss-up on the Hill. Other than "be really rich," there's no guaranteed solution. So you have to really like the neighborhood. Or face moving right when RE prices are cratering, whee!

I’m the PP and we are not on the Hill. We are by H St. Groups of middle school kids take metro to school all the time.

2 minute car ride to NOMA metro and straight red line. Bus at metro to school. Lots of kids do this.