Private school and living in Capitol Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see the occasional non-charter school uniforms on older kids but there are fewer middle school and ever fewer high school age kids living on Cap Hill. The cohort skews much younger. There are significant numbers of elementary kids and the vast majority attend neighborhood/charter public schools.

Capitol Hill mom here, and I beg to differ. I have a middle school kid and a high school kid and they have friends who mainly go to charters. Yes, there are more elementary school kids, but if you want tweens and teens to make friends, send them to Basis, Latin, SWW, etc., and have them join scouts or sports teams. If you join one of the local membership pools, they'll have fun all summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the occasional non-charter school uniforms on older kids but there are fewer middle school and ever fewer high school age kids living on Cap Hill. The cohort skews much younger. There are significant numbers of elementary kids and the vast majority attend neighborhood/charter public schools.

Capitol Hill mom here, and I beg to differ. I have a middle school kid and a high school kid and they have friends who mainly go to charters. Yes, there are more elementary school kids, but if you want tweens and teens to make friends, send them to Basis, Latin, SWW, etc., and have them join scouts or sports teams. If you join one of the local membership pools, they'll have fun all summer.

What are the local membership pools near Capitol Hill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pp's experience has been the same as mine. We are in IB for one of the great Hill schools, but we have neighbors who send their kids to language charters, chml, inbound school, other charters, aiden, wis, maret, Capitol day, St. Peter's, and GDS. The charter kids all carpool, and most of the private ones either carpool, go with mom/dad to work, or have the au pair drive. I love the Hill and do not find NW DC appealing at all.

My children attend one of the private schools in NW that interest the OP. Seven years in, I have yet to meet one child who lives on the Hill. The farthest student address is that I can think of is Logan Circle. I love the vibe of Chevy Chase DC and I do not find Capitol Hill appealing in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the occasional non-charter school uniforms on older kids but there are fewer middle school and ever fewer high school age kids living on Cap Hill. The cohort skews much younger. There are significant numbers of elementary kids and the vast majority attend neighborhood/charter public schools.

Capitol Hill mom here, and I beg to differ. I have a middle school kid and a high school kid and they have friends who mainly go to charters. Yes, there are more elementary school kids, but if you want tweens and teens to make friends, send them to Basis, Latin, SWW, etc., and have them join scouts or sports teams. If you join one of the local membership pools, they'll have fun all summer.

What are the local membership pools near Capitol Hill?

Cheverly is very popular. Some join Skyline.

[Anonymous]

I think middle/high school dilemma would be the thing that would make us leave the Hill (which we love). It feels like a small town, we know and like our neighbors, kids play with neighborhood kids and many attend our elementary school, though it is nice that some do not and are friends through sports and music. And we like that our kids grow up walking past the Supreme Court and Congress and smithosonian museums. I'm sure by middle school our kids won't care about any of that but they also wont forget their experiences. Neither of us work in politics, fwiw.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Pp's experience has been the same as mine. We are in IB for one of the great Hill schools, but we have neighbors who send their kids to language charters, chml, inbound school, other charters, aiden, wis, maret, Capitol day, St. Peter's, and GDS. The charter kids all carpool, and most of the private ones either carpool, go with mom/dad to work, or have the au pair drive. I love the Hill and do not find NW DC appealing at all.

My children attend one of the private schools in NW that interest the OP. Seven years in, I have yet to meet one child who lives on the Hill. The farthest student address is that I can think of is Logan Circle. I love the vibe of Chevy Chase DC and I do not find Capitol Hill appealing in any way.

What is the vibe? Seriously.

White, wealthy, educated

(different PP) I'd add to that pretty cosmopolitan and not obsessed with politics (in my circles).

I also find many areas in NW much more appealing than Capitol Hill. OP may not be aware of it, but it is a pain to drive down there, essentially it's like living in a different city.

Since this comment doesn't contain a slur against the mentally ill or people of color I'll respond.

It is like living in another city with the Smithsonian and most of what makes DC special within walking distance. I came from NYC and hated NW DC because it felt like living in Maryland or Virginia- very suburban.

I'm trying to figure out why it's a pain to drive around Capitol Hill, as opposed to say Wisconsin Avenue. Of course, most choose not to drive because of the inherent walkability of a mature urban neighborhood. Maybe the issue is an unrealistic expectation of plentiful street parking?

Living in Woodley Park now, (and super happy here), this is what I have observed: our friends in families where both spouses work in politics, they enjoy the Hill very much and make significant efforts to stay there. Essentially everyone else, especially when you have kids, moves up NW. And we rarely see our CH friends anymore -- it is a pain to cross the city. We have plenty of things to do here, they have plenty of things to do there.

I think you're wildly overstating the case when you assert that essentially everyone with the exception of families where both spouses work in politics moves to NW. We have not experienced anything of this sort in the decade that we've lived on the Hill. Back in the day, kids travelled across town to Hardy or went private. Latin and Basis are gamechangers and a number of families are applying to the Quaker school in Collrge Park. It might be heresy but if you're going to make the tradeoff and move to a suburban environment there are much better options than Deal and Wilson.

Well, we have observed different things

And, please note that OP was inquiring about private school.

Clearly we have, and not to be pedantic but this is why my posting reference the Friends(?) school. The point is that we on the Hill have options and font have to make significant efforts to live here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see the occasional non-charter school uniforms on older kids but there are fewer middle school and ever fewer high school age kids living on Cap Hill. The cohort skews much younger. There are significant numbers of elementary kids and the vast majority attend neighborhood/charter public schools.

Capitol Hill mom here, and I beg to differ. I have a middle school kid and a high school kid and they have friends who mainly go to charters. Yes, there are more elementary school kids, but if you want tweens and teens to make friends, send them to Basis, Latin, SWW, etc., and have them join scouts or sports teams. If you join one of the local membership pools, they'll have fun all summer.

What are the local membership pools near Capitol Hill?

Cheverly is very popular. Some join Skyline.

3+ year wait at Cheverly.

[Anonymous]

The top private schools attract families from all over DC, MD and VA. Almost every family commutes from outside the school's neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

Capitol Hill to Sidwell is 20-25 minutes each way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

Capitol Hill to Sidwell is 20-25 minutes each way.

Maybe at 6:30 am. Not during rush hour

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

Capitol Hill to Sidwell is 20-25 minutes each way.

Taking which way?
It takes 20 minutes to Georgetown from the Hill...and from G'town to Sidwell's upper campus, in the morning, at least 15 minutes...
And if you're talking Bethesda, well...
Please, do share your commute route.

[Anonymous]

In my circle of acquaintances on the Hill with older children In private/parochial, I know 3 at visitation, 2 at St. Stephans St Agnes, 1 at Sidwell, 1 at maret, 2 at NCS, 1 at Gonzaga, 1 at STA, 2 at St. John's, 1 at Holton. It's only 4 years of a yucky commute and many do it on their own with public transportation. We Hill folks love our walkable neighborhood but aren't afraid to drive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

Capitol Hill to Sidwell is 20-25 minutes each way.

Taking which way?
It takes 20 minutes to Georgetown from the Hill...and from G'town to Sidwell's upper campus, in the morning, at least 15 minutes...
And if you're talking Bethesda, well...
Please, do share your commute route.

Why would you go through Georgetown to get from the Hill to Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do think whether you want the kids to be in the car 45 minutes each way. Even if it is a magic car pool that works perfectly for the parents do you want years of this commute for your kids. The Hill parents with children at our NW private end up moving closer to school if they can, or moving to MD or VA for house+school and dropping out of the private school scene. Time and again.

Capitol Hill to Sidwell is 20-25 minutes each way.

Taking which way?
It takes 20 minutes to Georgetown from the Hill...and from G'town to Sidwell's upper campus, in the morning, at least 15 minutes...
And if you're talking Bethesda, well...
Please, do share your commute route.

Why would you go through Georgetown to get from the Hill to Sidwell?

Which part of the Hill are you coming from?