Why do friends keep saying MoCo and FFX schools are better than DCPS?
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Anonymous
| ^^ K-12 |
Anonymous
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DC schools can be fine, but a bad lottery can make it harder on your family than it has to be, for example, your kids may have to go to different schools.
About a quarter to a third of kids don't match with any of their choices and end up on waitlists. That's stressful. Up to you if the tradeoffs are worth it. If you don't care then more power to you. |
Anonymous
| MCPS and FCPS on average are much better than DCPS, so the typical experience is better. But there are some excellent DCPS and if you go to one of those, the experience isn't going to be much different from the 'burbs. |
Anonymous
Yes, if you compare the best schools in DC (that must either be purchased into with a $1M+ home, or lotteried into) with the average of the burbs, it's the same. eyeroll. |
Anonymous
| Do FFX or MOCO have any high schools where less than 10% of students are at grade level in math or ELA? |
Anonymous
That's the only way DCPS comes out as equivalent after elementary school. The JR pyramid has schools that are as good as the FCPS and MCPS schools that are not quite the best. You just have to ignore every other pyramid. Likewise, if you compare DCPS magnets to traditional FCPS and MCPS schools, the magnets look pretty good- just don't bring the magnets in FCPS or MCPS into the discussion |
Anonymous
Kennedy High School has 9.7% proficient in math per Maryland report card. https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/ReportCards/ReportCardSchool/1/H/1/15/0815/0 |
Anonymous
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As others have said, MCPS and FCPS have a much larger swathe of "acceptable" schools at a lower price point, assuming we limit our discussion to neighborhood schools.
Any mid-tier MCPS or FCPS MS or HS is as good as the best DCPS equivalent. The highest performing MS and HS in each county far outperform the best DCPS equivalent. So, if you are DCUM middle class (buying a home under $1m), you have more options in the suburbs. If you are DCUM upper middle class (homes over $1m), you can buy into an exemplary MS and HS in the suburbs. |
Anonymous
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There are 9 non-selective, non-charter high schools in DC.
Percentage meeting or exceeding expectations in ELA and Math: Anacostia HS: 6.5, 3.0 Ballou HS: 10.8, 1.4 Coolidge HS: 20.1, 2.9 Cardozo EC: 6.5, 1.4 Dunbar HS: 20.8, 1.5 Eastern HS: 21.9, 1.2 Woodson: 11, 1.3 Roosevelt: 14.3, 2.0 Jackson Reed: 57.6, 25.2 Guess which one has in in the neighborhood with homes starting at $1M. If 8 of 9 high schools don't even get double digits for basic grade-level proficiency in math, the schools aren't great. |
Anonymous
This is shocking and incredibly sad. |
Anonymous
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Untrue about special needs. MCPS is a wonderful system, but you have to know how to work it. Pay for the neuropsych yourself and request the IEP meeting at school with the list of services and accommodations listed on the report. MCPS has a wide range of accommodations they can provide and if you show yourself to be a rational actor, the IEP team will be too. I know, my kid with ADHD/ASD had an IEP from K to 11th grade in MCPS, and my other kid just became eligible for a medical 504 in 8th grade. The reality, people, is that at the primary level, any public or private will do. But at the secondary level, FCPS and MCPS pull out ahead. No, those forums NEVER, EVER have anyone wanting to flee to DCPS! I've been on DCUM 10+ years and have never seen that 
As someone mentioned, please also consider the valuable benefit of being in-state for college. College tuition is insane and colleges are getting incredibly selective. You want that in-state option even if your kid is top of their class and targets the Ivies. |
Anonymous
It has amazing sped services just that half the county signs up as requiring it makes it problematic. |
Anonymous
| Dcps has a lot of variation across schools. Hyde and Hendley are totally different in their populations and test scores. At least at the elementary level, I think the dcps schools in richer neighborhoods are comparable to good suburban schools. The difference is that there's more turnover and chaos from dcps central office. At middle and especially high school, the difference in what is offered (sports, arts, courses, college counseling) becomes more pronounced. There are also just fewer DCPS high schools with lower-need student bodies akin to many suburban schools. Probably only SWW and then basis and latin for charters. JR and MacArthur have a group of rich kids, but also a lot of at-risk kids. Some MCPS schools are like that, but even at those (think Montgomery Blair or Richard Montgomery) there are special programs for the more talented/focused kids. |
Anonymous
If you build it they will come. One of the dumbest things a jurisdiction can do is pour resources into having "excellence" in special education. All that does is bring in exactly the families you DON'T want, families whose kids drain the school budget and empty taxpayers' pockets. DC, PG, Frederick, and Fairfax all border Montgomery County. Let THEM provide special education. Don't make yours so good that their special education families come into YOUR jurisdiction. And for the notion that EVERYONE is seeking special education accommodations. Most of them are just seeking extra time on exams. WHAT DOES IT MATTER IF THEY GET EXTRA TIME? Do you really want to tell someone important that their kid can't have a 504 that qualifies them for extra time on the SAT? Don't be silly. |
Anonymous
…wtf… |