Rosemary Hills, public vs. private in Montgomery County

[Anonymous]

On an earlier poster's suggestion about local Catholic schools (Blessed Sacrament, Lady of Lourdes, etc) as alternatives to RH, I think it depends on how important the Catholic education part is to you. If the religious education part is not that important, I don't think the parochials have much to offer academically, or in terms of facilities or extra resources for the arts, science, languages, etc. I do think a lot of people who end up paying for their kids to go to non-RH schools do so in large part because they find the idea of sending their little ones to such a huge school (8 kindergarten classes, according to the website) rather scary.

The bus ride is particularly intimidating, I think. Am I crazy or is anyone else uncomfortable putting their little ones on a bus with 45 other kids aged 8 and under with ONE adult who is also supposed to be safely driving the bus???

[Anonymous]

I think this is an interesting conversation. My husband and I specifically moved to Chevy Chase so that our DS can attend public school all the way through. We both went to public school-he went to Blair actually (I grew up in Va.) and we both had really positive experiences.

I did go to a private Catholic school for the first six years before I was switched to public so I have experienced both. In my experience I was challenged much more academically in public school and had a range of other options such as advanced classes, special programs, etc. My husband also took advantage of those programs in public school.

We are both now successful professionals. I am a lawyer and he is a professor. I think it ultimately comes down to your preferences regarding the pros and cons of each choice and your individual child's personality. For us public school is the right choice right now and Rosemary Hills has a very good reputation. The fact that there are many classes does not bother me. We like the diversity, learning to make your way in a group and believe the situation is a better reflection of the real world and can teach our DS how to manuever in society.

However, private school also has good points and both my nephews in the area attend a Montessori school-and they ride a the bus with a ton of other little ones (they are 4 and 6). They love the bus actually.

[Anonymous]

I would love to be able to afford a house in the Rosemary Hills district! Of course, everyone has their own preferences and budget. Just wish I were in the position of being able to send my children to Rosemary Hills, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love to be able to afford a house in the Rosemary Hills district! Of course, everyone has their own preferences and budget. Just wish I were in the position of being able to send my children to Rosemary Hills, etc.

You could always rent...

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the renting suggestion. We already own a house, though, bought 5 years ago without school districts in mind....Now I wish that had been the priority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Bethesda in a great school district and fielding questions from my MIL that seem to indicate she thinks private would be better. My personal belief is that my daughter is extroverted and bright and I have every reason to believe she will thrive in either setting. I plan to start her in the public school and be ready to explore other options if I see a need to. It's very difficult to compare two unknowns and I'm not in a position to spend this kind of money if she'd thrive in the free school. Moreover, I like the diversity that we'll find in the public schools and the "neigborhood" ties it provides.

Re--why so many ppl opt out of excellent schools for expensive privates. In many cases I think it's simply because they can do it without feeling it in their budget. There are alot of our neighbors who simply have more money than they know what to do with. At a price they can easily afford, they buy some assurance that their child will get more individualized attention + some status.

How much diversity is there, really, in a "great school district" in Bethesda? Especially one in which many of your neighbors have "more money than they know what to do with"? I'd love to know what the elementary school is, if there really is significant diversity. That's my frustration: That so many of the best public schools in MoCo have so very little racial and economic diversity.

[Anonymous]

To PP, Rosemary Hills is pretty diverse. If you go to the County's website they provide info on all the public schools. Eventhough it is district for a wealthy area there are also apartment buildings and other forms of living in the vicinity that lead to a range of economic levels, languages and ethnicities attending the school.

It is also much more diverse generally then private schooling. However, I agree with you that the "better" public schools in MoCo are less diverse then the other school districts.

[Anonymous]

Rosemary Hills takes from a wide geographic area and consequently has a pretty good diversity. In fact that is probably why it shows lower test scores that schools that have a much smaller district and much less heterogeneous population-- it's probably safer to view test scores in 2d grade as more of an indicator of diversity of socioeconomic background than an indicator of the school's ability to teach.

BCC likewise has pretty good diversity.

The bus things does scare a lot of prospective parents (including us at this time last year) but the nice thing is that it is only small kids (i.e., no bullying issues with much larger kids) and the kids seem to do fine.

[Anonymous]

Zoned for Rosemary Hills. Neighbors rave. BCC is high school. Neighbors (and the experts) rave. It's Westland that scared us onto a private school track (for now).

[Anonymous]

Re: good elementary schools in Bethesda with reasonable diversity...Wyngate Elementary.

[Anonymous]

Some of Rosemary Hills feeds into North Chevy Chase Middle and then BCC> BTW, what have you heard about Westland that makes you scared?

What consortium is Wyngate in? (what schools does it feed into, that is).

[Anonymous]

PP here, I just realized that Rosemary Hills is only k-2nd, and then the kids go to N. Chevy Chase Elementary, which is 3-5.

[Anonymous]

OP here - it's funny to see my post from 1 year ago resurrected after such a long time. Our decision about RH is basically settled now, in part b/c we're having a second child and in part because I hear nothing but raves from the neighbors and folks around the community pool, including from folks who would seem to have the means to go elsewhere. We'll reevaluate if needed, and the size of the school seems a bit overwhelming, but the parents seem very enthusiastic and I felt really reassured after taking a tour and going to the info session. (BTW, I was asking a year in advance of my b/c of the fear that if we did want to go the private route, it would be better to start at preK rather than K.) I'm looking forward to our oldest having friends in the neighborhood. And frankly, a few dives into the private school threads here convinced me that we really, really don't want to go that route. My husband will always have a little yearning for the world of Sidwell, etc., but I've seen enough about the outcomes for BCC students in particular to feel good about where we live. (And for the PP who wished she bought with school districts in mind, I'll add that's exactly what we did, but of course the quality and size of the house we could buy suffered as a result, which has its own headaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here, I just realized that Rosemary Hills is only k-2nd, and then the kids go to N. Chevy Chase Elementary, which is 3-5.

Poster, please double check -- I actually think that North Chevy Chase is 3-6 grade, not 3-5. NCC and Chevy Chase Elementary are the only 2 schools in the BCC cluster which retain kids for that 6th grade year instead of sending them to middle school (Westland). Many parents like not having to send their kids on w/ older 7 & 8th graders.

[Anonymous]

You are correct. Interesting re: 3-6. I actually just meant to correct my misinformation re: middle school. It still feeds into Westland (though I'm curious as to what the problems/perceived problems are at Westland).