Which bethesda elementary schools have the best teachers, principal, and resources?

[Anonymous]

OP, you sound like a typical hypocritical liberal, “progressive,” but have to be in a “Bethesda school.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not Bethesda, but Chevy Chase ES is the best MoCo elem school I’ve experienced (of three).

Yes but... rosemary hills

DP but we love Rosemary Hills.

[Anonymous]

You are not progressive if you are looking to move to Bethesda for the schools. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is often criticized for being crowded (and it is despite changes over the years) but the principal is dedicated and hard working. She fights for resources for the school from MCPS. Because the school has a focus on special needs, I think all students benefit from diversity in abilities in the student population. Because of the high amount of construction in Bethesda, there’s a variety of housing and family incomes. I’ve had 14 years at the school as a parent with multiple children and have only had one teacher who was very unprepared for the classroom (and that teacher has left). I am regularly impressed with the teaching staff.

+ 1. Great principal and mostly great teachers. The overcrowding is no joke though. 44 kids in my kid’s 5th grade math class. The teacher is a marvel and can handle it and my kid adores math so she’s fine, but others may not be.

I have heard good things about Westbrook and somerset in the same cluster. And Bradley Hills and Burning Tree further out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is often criticized for being crowded (and it is despite changes over the years) but the principal is dedicated and hard working. She fights for resources for the school from MCPS. Because the school has a focus on special needs, I think all students benefit from diversity in abilities in the student population. Because of the high amount of construction in Bethesda, there’s a variety of housing and family incomes. I’ve had 14 years at the school as a parent with multiple children and have only had one teacher who was very unprepared for the classroom (and that teacher has left). I am regularly impressed with the teaching staff.

+ 1. Great principal and mostly great teachers. The overcrowding is no joke though. 44 kids in my kid’s 5th grade math class. The teacher is a marvel and can handle it and my kid adores math so she’s fine, but others may not be.

I have heard good things about Westbrook and somerset in the same cluster. And Bradley Hills and Burning Tree further out.

I hope you’re joking about the 44 kids in 1 math class at BES. That’s awful.

Westbrook is in Bethesda. Somerset is in Chevy Chase. I’ve heard good things about Bradley Hills too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

Looking for school names & why you have enjoyed the schools, not the side comments. Thanks!!

OP, few people are being helpful to you because your question of the “best” is posed in an obnoxious way. MCPS has snapshot summaries of each elementary school so you compare according to the criteria you define as “best.”

[Anonymous]

What didn’t you like about the school you toured, OP?

Wood Acres has been fantastic for our children. But without knowing your expectations/complaints, I can’t say if you’ll have the same experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is often criticized for being crowded (and it is despite changes over the years) but the principal is dedicated and hard working. She fights for resources for the school from MCPS. Because the school has a focus on special needs, I think all students benefit from diversity in abilities in the student population. Because of the high amount of construction in Bethesda, there’s a variety of housing and family incomes. I’ve had 14 years at the school as a parent with multiple children and have only had one teacher who was very unprepared for the classroom (and that teacher has left). I am regularly impressed with the teaching staff.

+ 1. Great principal and mostly great teachers. The overcrowding is no joke though. 44 kids in my kid’s 5th grade math class. The teacher is a marvel and can handle it and my kid adores math so she’s fine, but others may not be.

I have heard good things about Westbrook and somerset in the same cluster. And Bradley Hills and Burning Tree further out.

Compacted math? Guessing the other classes are smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not progressive if you are looking to move to Bethesda for the schools. Sorry.

This is the answer here.

It’s fine for you to make whatever decision you want to make, but if you give up on your neighborhood school before even trying it because the teachers and facilities don’t look impressive enough for your child, then you’re elitist, traditional, conservative, whatever. But not progressive.

I’ve been there, believe me. When I sent my first precious child to public kindergarten, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were so special and somehow this school wasn’t special enough. But I matured, and the feeling passed. It’s like when you wanted the $1000 stroller because you only wanted the best for your baby. With the benefit of perspective, I can say that being impressive is not the most important thing to a 5-year-old, at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is often criticized for being crowded (and it is despite changes over the years) but the principal is dedicated and hard working. She fights for resources for the school from MCPS. Because the school has a focus on special needs, I think all students benefit from diversity in abilities in the student population. Because of the high amount of construction in Bethesda, there’s a variety of housing and family incomes. I’ve had 14 years at the school as a parent with multiple children and have only had one teacher who was very unprepared for the classroom (and that teacher has left). I am regularly impressed with the teaching staff.

+ 1. Great principal and mostly great teachers. The overcrowding is no joke though. 44 kids in my kid’s 5th grade math class. The teacher is a marvel and can handle it and my kid adores math so she’s fine, but others may not be.

I have heard good things about Westbrook and somerset in the same cluster. And Bradley Hills and Burning Tree further out.

Compacted math? Guessing the other classes are smaller.

The reward you get for being placed into compacted math is being crowded into a classroom like a sardine? My kid's ES class has 27 kids and already there's no room to move. I hope math is in the BES gymnasium, if they're squeezing 44 kids into a classroom.

[Anonymous]

Bannockburn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bannockburn

. These are the top as they have the lowest farms and best scores/population

Bradley Hills Elementary Public K-5 Montgomery County Public Schools 466 16.7 1.7%

Bannockburn Elementary Public K-5 Montgomery County Public Schools 424 17.0 4.2%

Wyngate Elementary Public K-5 Montgomery County Public Schools 679 17.5 4.7%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone,
I just toward our local public school in MoCo – which is not in Bethesda – and was underwhelmed with the principal, kindergarten teachers who presented, and the facilities.

We are a progressive, community oriented family and want to stay in the public school system. I plan to be active in the PTA and to volunteer in the class if needed. However, I cannot justify sending my kids to this school. I’m now exploring a move to Bethesda for the sake of schools (while still preferring a neighborhood where most kids go public!).

Please tell me the real scoop on which schools have the best teachers and other resources you seem important to a high-quality publicelementary school experience! Thank you!

Wood Acres.
Awesome neighborhood.
The school even has a planetarium!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there isn't anything magical about Bethesda. What is different is the kids in Bethesda come from wealthier families than where I assume you are.

What didn't you like about the kindergarten teachers? All the schools follow the same curricula.

This simply isn't true. The faculty in Bethesda a lot better than in many other locations. A lot.

For example, I attended a Rosemary Hills Elementary School English as a Section Language parent meeting in August/September 2024, and a non-English parent through an interpreter asked the coordinator when can he get an update on how his child's English is doing considering that this will be their second year in the school and they are now in 1st grade. The coordinator told him that results are given to them in May and they inform the parents in June. Put differently, the coordinator told him to wait 2 years total.
Out of curiosity I asked a teacher the same question here in Bethesda (without giving any background of my experience at Rosemary), and her response was to wait 2 months after school starts so that the kiddo can learn some kids' names, throw a party for the kids from his class and then see how he interacts verbally with them, and this'll show the parent how their kiddo is doing with their English. Sure, but response were true, but one is simply at a different caliber of thinking.

I've also interacted with teachers from different schools in MCPS and the caliber of the teachers and principals is astounding. Astounding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is often criticized for being crowded (and it is despite changes over the years) but the principal is dedicated and hard working. She fights for resources for the school from MCPS. Because the school has a focus on special needs, I think all students benefit from diversity in abilities in the student population. Because of the high amount of construction in Bethesda, there’s a variety of housing and family incomes. I’ve had 14 years at the school as a parent with multiple children and have only had one teacher who was very unprepared for the classroom (and that teacher has left). I am regularly impressed with the teaching staff.

+ 1. Great principal and mostly great teachers. The overcrowding is no joke though. 44 kids in my kid’s 5th grade math class. The teacher is a marvel and can handle it and my kid adores math so she’s fine, but others may not be.

I have heard good things about Westbrook and somerset in the same cluster. And Bradley Hills and Burning Tree further out.

Compacted math? Guessing the other classes are smaller.

Yes, compacted math. I sure hope the other classes are smaller! It’s been fine for my math-oriented kid but won’t be for all. I have a younger kid too and hoping the classes are smaller by the time he goes through.