“Fleeing” to the burbs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people who flee from DC to MCPS for the reasons you mentioned relocated in Bethesda/Potomac area so their kids can go to one of the W schools.

Outside of that, you don't want to look at MCPS, if that's your MO. You would be better off in NoVa, with Fairfax County or Loudoun County.

Some people are starting to flee MCPS for Frederick County Public Schools for the reasons you're stating, but that might be farther out than you'd like to go.

NoVa parents will tell you the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

"Clusters" in MCPS rather than "pyramids". And all the Bethesda area single ones - BCC, Whitman, Churchill, WJ - are solid. Communities vary. On the eastern side is the DCC, where a choice between different HSs makes everything different.

[Anonymous]

I "fled" DC because: I wanted to vote; I was sick of potholes; and I wanted to know where my kids would go to school through 12.

Moved to CCMD, BCC pyramid. VERY happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

IME the dual feds in Bethesda all bought 10+ years ago, so there are plenty of them but they don’t have young kids anymore.

The dual feds with young families are more likely to buy in Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

WE moved to Kensington so our kids could go to dual immersion at Oakland Terrace. My kids will probably go to Einstein for the IB program but we may do private for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't know about DC, but I'll give you my 2cents from someone who moved from the Bay Area to MCPS.

1. MCPS offers a lot of different programs at the HS level; each HS has some kind of program. That's one of the things MCPS does decently at
2. You don't have to be in a magnet program per se to be challenged. Most MCPS HS have a ton of AP classes, and some of them have IB classes that any student in that cluster can take. They can even join the IB diploma program in 11th grade if they want to. BCC, RM and a few other clusters have this option. RM has the county wide IB magnet, as well. There is no gatekeeping requirement to take AP/IB classes in MCPS. They really encourage everyone to take AP courses, which sometimes is not a good thing.
3. grade inflation in MCPS is an issue, but I think that's true for many other school districts.
4. schools with high poverty have too many issues, but schools with a lot of wealth also have their share of issues related to too much wealth
5. there are school clusters that are not extremes -- too much poverty, too much wealth, and where the racial diversity is also decent. Schools like Northwest HS, RM, QO, BCC to some degree.
6. having just gone through the college admissions process, I think being in a too high performing HS can work against you as you are competing with a lot of other high achievers from your school for the same T30 spots.
7. There are school clusters in MCPS that also have a lot of parents who work at nonprofits and such. They tend to live around the Silver Spring/Kensington area, which is also a really diverse area.
8. larger schools have the inertia and economies of scale to offer a lot of different programs and clubs. The Bay Area school district we moved from is wealthy, but tiny, so they didn't have a lot of different programs or clubs.

Having stated all that, obviously, kids in the DCPS can have excellent outcomes, too. What you get out of it is what you make of it. The only reason I'd move is for the space. We also moved out of the Bay Area because we needed more space, and we aren't uber wealthy, nor did we want a $1.5 ram shackle house.

GL

This is such a helpful response and good perspective. Thank you!

+2 for all of these points.

While there are many choices and options, I think the best suburban bet for strong academic choices long term is in Rockville feeding to Richard Montgomery High School. RM hosts the county wide magnet IB program (100), with set aside seats for qualified home school students (~25). If you don’t get into the magnet classes for 9th and 10th grade, you can still join the diploma program in 11th. There are also a lot of equivalent AP classes and a ridiculous amount of clubs.

Rockville itself has a variety of housing types, a redline metro station, a center new-urban design downtown, and a variety of shopping, parks, swim center with easy access to 270. If you actually are serious about moving, I’d suggest taking time on a weekend and just drive around the areas near some potential high schools. MoCo is huge and very different from place to place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

IMHO you will find your people in Takoma Park, or possibly even better, the East Silver Spring Elementary catchment because it feeds into TPMS (with its middle school magnet set-aside) and Blair, but without the TKPK property taxes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

No. Most dual-fed families can't afford to buy in Bethesda. At least not if they're regular GS-something feds.

[Anonymous]

There is no need to flee to the burbs. Certainly stay in DC while you are happy with your place and the schools. We did two years of PK in DC and then moved to close-in Montgomery County because we needed more space. We are walkable to downtown Bethesda and have been happy. But if we didn't need more space, we would have been fine to stay in DC longer and at our ES at least until 3rd grade.

Leave when you need to, and stay until then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

BCC pyramid for Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

IMHO you will find your people in Takoma Park, or possibly even better, the East Silver Spring Elementary catchment because it feeds into TPMS (with its middle school magnet set-aside) and Blair, but without the TKPK property taxes!

This is VERY good advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

No. Most dual-fed families can't afford to buy in Bethesda. At least not if they're regular GS-something feds.

You need to be a double 15 family with or both at the pay cap. After the property tax increase, that probably won’t be enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OP! I have little kids but when we outgrow our teensy house, I don’t know where to begin figuring it out. I appreciate the don’t flee responses! I’d truly rather not. I just see so much saying that dc standards are horribly low and burbs are so much more rigorous, and I truly have zero clue how to assess those claims. The negativity about every option on here gets in my head! I just want my kids to have an outlet to be happy and passionate about learning and not incredibly bored. And the idea of denying them cool opportunity like robot space club or whatever because I prefer to live in a city makes me feel like a jerk.

Then again, right now, parents at our title I school are interesting, mission-focused people who work in non profits and in government, and I like the idea of being in a community with those sorts of values. Then this forum makes me think that the kinds of amazing opportunities my kids would love is all in the burbs and not in dc—but maybe it’s just a grass is always greener situation. Any thoughts on how people are working through this kind of decision?

There are plenty of feds etc in Bethesda. It will be less socioeconomically and racially diverse for sure. But there will be plenty of ppl in "mission-driven" type jobs.

We are a dual fed family.

Thank you! Are there certain pyramids in Bethesda where this is more true?

IME the dual feds in Bethesda all bought 10+ years ago, so there are plenty of them but they don’t have young kids anymore.

The dual feds with young families are more likely to buy in Silver Spring.

I agree with this. Down county Silver Spring and Kensington seem to be where it’s at for millennials with young kids who aren’t making Biglaw money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WE moved to Kensington so our kids could go to dual immersion at Oakland Terrace. My kids will probably go to Einstein for the IB program but we may do private for middle school.

Are you me? OP, Oakland Terrace zone sounds very much like what you’d like. It straddles the Kensington/Silver Spring border and people can commute via MARC or the Forest Glen metro.