Silver Spring schools- are they bad?

[Anonymous]

Westland and BCC are the schools into which RCF feeds into.

[Anonymous]

Right. Just curious if RCF is not your home school and your DC is there in the immersion program. Do they revert to their home schools for middle and high school?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I believe so. And I wouldn't buy into the consortium line that kids have a choice when it comes to high school -- everyone I know has been assigned to their local high school.

FWIW, I was born and raised in Silver Spring -- attended Catholic schools in Kensington -- and lived in my first home with my DH and children in Silver Spring until my oldest turned 4 and we realized that we couldn't swing private school for two kids (particularly at the High School level -- where tuition is presently $15k+). While many elementary schools in Silver Spring are probably okay, the problems arise when it comes to middle and high school. Check out the MCPS website and look at demographics. While diversity is great, some schools are so diverse that they have upwards of 90% or more minorities -- some schools in the 20906 area are nearly 100% hispanic -- which is fine in the elementary level but then watch out when you get to MS and HS (read the Gazette and the local crime reports and you'll know what I mean -- the gang problems and random violence, muggings, etc are real and not imagined). Many neighborhoods in SS are -- according to our realtor, the person who appraised our home, etc. -- "in decline." As neighborhoods start to go downhill, it probably isn't safe to assume that they will quickly bounce back down the road. We witnessed this first hand in our old neighborhood (where homes sell for the low to mid $400s up to the $700s). Most parents started yanking their kids out of the local public schools when we first moved in (before we had kids) so the demographics quickly changed at the local elementary school. By the time we were ready to move, the school had become a Title 1 school (meaning the vast majority of the students were extremely low income). I couldn't figure out where all the low income kids were coming from (how could you be low income if you lived in a $400k house?) -- until I started going to open houses in my neighborhood where it was clear that multiple families were renting out the houses (there were 4 families living in a 4 bdrm house that was converted to 6 bedrooms with a make-shift kitchen in the laundry room). By the time we listed our house, many neighbors opted to do the same. Classic example of a neighborhood in transition.

I personally know folks at Oakland Terrace and Woodlin who love the schools -- but they moved before having to send their kids to Sligo or Einstein.

[Anonymous]

We are at Oakland Terrace and worried about Sligo/Einstein. We can't afford to move yet (and our commutes are great) so we are waiting till we can afford a better district. Also, there are rumors that some of Oakland Terrace will be sent to the new planned McKenney Hills elementary and eventually to BCC. Anyone know anything about this?

[Anonymous]

We are in the same situation as PP. I have also heard that McKenney Hills will reopen as an elementary school in the next few years. I had not heard about that school feeding into BCC. I would love to hear more info on that. We live in the Oakland Terrace district now, but would be in the zone that would go to McKenney Hills.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP re: Oakland Terrace (we also will go to McKenney Hills as prosposed). I don't know how to get info re: the BCC possibility, but I know that it's being discussed (from neighbors who are MCPS teachers).

[Anonymous]

"While diversity is great, some schools are so diverse that they have upwards of 90% or more minorities -- some schools in the 20906 area are nearly 100% hispanic -- which is fine in the elementary level but then watch out when you get to MS and HS (read the Gazette and the local crime reports and you'll know what I mean -- the gang problems and random violence, muggings, etc are real and not imagined). Many neighborhoods in SS are -- according to our realtor, the person who appraised our home, etc. -- "in decline."


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Please don't let me be the only person who is sickened by these comments. As a person of color married to a person of color..raising children of color -- the idea that my kids are ok (we are actually african american and not hispanic) until they get to high school is appalling. Last I looked ethnicity and genetics did not determine criminal behaviour. No one wants to live in a high crime area...and i'm sure there a lot of latino/hispanic people living in high crime areas WHO ARE NOT CRIMINALs...but maybe they can't afford to move...but just because some criminals look a certain way doesn't mean everyone from that same ethnic/racial bkgrnd is a criminal... If that is the case...should i be worried that in high school the white kids inmy kids' school will turn into serial killers or should i stay away from all investment advisors who look like bernard madoff -- or not buy products from companies headed by guys who look like the white men who've put the u.s. auto industry in the toilet?
Sound just as ludicrous as the original poster's statements?
Let's all try to expand our minds beyond what may be our own narrow existence.
At 42 -- it saddens me that my 4 year old still has to deal with this kind of ignorance -- the thought that she's ok til she hits a certain age -- then look out!
My family wants the same thing yours does STARTING WITH RESPECT!

[Anonymous]

I agree that this was an offensive post. It is true that certain schools have reported gang problems. I don't know how this varies from the predominately rich, white schools to the predominately minority schools. I also hear about drug and other problems in the wealthier communities and I have no idea how this varies from school to school. I doubt that the offensive poster has any idea either.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier with no replies - does anyone have thoughts about the Oak View and New Hampshire Estates elementary schools in Silver Spring? We're new to the area and these are the schools our children will attend if we don't go the private route. The FARMS are really high and a lot of locals say we're on the wrong side of the street (Highland View is pretty close and it's apparently a much better school performance-wise), but there are plenty of folks who say Oak View and New Hampshire Estates are great. Looking for candid input as to the quality of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to burst the PC bubble, but it's true -- some high schools in MoCo are dangerous -- just a few really -- and it's thanks to ongoing gang violence. Part of the 20906 zip in Silver Spring is so dangerous that the local police department received federal funding for hot spot zone initiatives. Folks are routinely jumped, assaulted, mugged, etc. even in broad daylight by older teens (and sometimes younger teens) from the local high schools. A kid was attacked with a machete right in front of one of the high schools. Gang related. Folks are routinely robbed after leaving the Glenmont metro. The attackers are typically high school age or older youth. I've been to conferences and forums related to gang prevention and at-risk youth for my job, and certain parts of MoCo are always mentioned (Silver Spring, Wheaton). Maybe the previous post wasn't clear enough -- I certainly didn't mean that all minorities are in gangs -- but when you have high schools with very little diversity b/c everyone hails from one certain ethnic group -- coupled with very high poverty rates and high crime rates -- you run into problems. I'm sure everyone would agree that we could name the bottom three performing high schools in the county very easily -- and they happen to be in the same general vicinity with the same socioeconomic demographics, etc. I apologize to the previous posters who were offended, but having lived in the 20906 zip code and been subjected to criminal activity I stand by my statement that while some low performing elementary schools in SS are okay, you have to be careful with the middle and high schools.

One last post: my friends who still live in my old neighborhood (b/c they signed a 3 year rental agreement and are stuck) are African American and they pulled their kids out of the local public schools b/c of their concerns with the middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to burst the PC bubble, but it's true -- some high schools in MoCo are dangerous -- just a few really -- and it's thanks to ongoing gang violence. Part of the 20906 zip in Silver Spring is so dangerous that the local police department received federal funding for hot spot zone initiatives. Folks are routinely jumped, assaulted, mugged, etc. even in broad daylight by older teens (and sometimes younger teens) from the local high schools. A kid was attacked with a machete right in front of one of the high schools. Gang related. Folks are routinely robbed after leaving the Glenmont metro. The attackers are typically high school age or older youth. I've been to conferences and forums related to gang prevention and at-risk youth for my job, and certain parts of MoCo are always mentioned (Silver Spring, Wheaton). Maybe the previous post wasn't clear enough -- I certainly didn't mean that all minorities are in gangs -- but when you have high schools with very little diversity b/c everyone hails from one certain ethnic group -- coupled with very high poverty rates and high crime rates -- you run into problems. I'm sure everyone would agree that we could name the bottom three performing high schools in the county very easily -- and they happen to be in the same general vicinity with the same socioeconomic demographics, etc. I apologize to the previous posters who were offended, but having lived in the 20906 zip code and been subjected to criminal activity I stand by my statement that while some low performing elementary schools in SS are okay, you have to be careful with the middle and high schools.

One last post: my friends who still live in my old neighborhood (b/c they signed a 3 year rental agreement and are stuck) are African American and they pulled their kids out of the local public schools b/c of their concerns with the middle and high school.

Did you actually re-read your previous post? It's not that you said all minorities were in gangs, it's that you said that having minorities was okay in elementary but not middle/high school.

[Anonymous]

What are the three worst schools?

[Anonymous]

So 2 of the lowest performing high schools in the Silver Spring/Wheaton area have 80+% and 60+% of students have rec'd or are currently receiving FARMS and both have 8+% suspension rates. And regardless of all this, the more pressing issue is the gang violence and general violence on school property and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Have you ever seen a gang of middle school kids drag another kid off the bus and beat the heck out of him? I called the police and they said a handful of folks had already called -- yet the police weren't there right away. Some restaurants and stores across the street from one middle school that feeds into one of these high schools don't allow students without adults (I'm talking about a Quiznos in particular) because of the fighting that had gone on in and outside the store. Ever driven down Hewitt Avenue? Ever heard gun shots in the area or see a gang of kids from one ethnic group rush a few kids from another ethnic group? This is what I witnessed in 20906. It's very sad. This obviously doesn't happen as much in more affluent parts of the county regardless of the ethnic makeup -- it has to do with socioeconomics, broken homes, and rampant violence. The point of my initial email was to warn the OP about schools with demographics on the bubble -- particularly if realtors or appraisers have labeled a neighborhood in decline -- b/c things will only get worse, not better. Let's face it, families aren't making a mad dash to buy into the 20906 area now, are they? Of course not.

[Anonymous]

geez...i don't want to get mugged...or send my kids to a school with an extensive gang problem -- I JUST HAVE SENSE ENOUGH NOT TO ASSUME THAT EVERYONE WHO LOOKS ALIKE OR BELONGS TO A CERTAIN ETHNIC GROUP IS GOING TO BE THE ONE TO MUG ME..I want my kids to be safe from gangs and thugs -- I ALSO WANT THEM TO BE SAFE FROM RACISM -- THAT'S NOT PC...IT'S JUST HUMANE..by the way are making sure ur kids don't go to high school with a bunch of white girls who make a pregnancy pact like the ones in massachussetts?
What's the difference...I really don't see what you don't get...

[Anonymous]

I never assumed that all people of color are out to mug me -- re-read my latest post about how I was trying to explain to the OP about the tipping point in neighborhoods.