DCPS Spanish bilingual up-and-coming schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check out Bruce-Monroe. More and more neighborhood kids have been attending.

its a good school but IB kids have a hard time getting in for Preschool. Its weighted to allow more seats for spanish dominant kids even if they are OOB. Of course, by K you are garuanteed a seat. Our kid is there is so far so good. We will see how K goes.

PP here- in Park View any renovated house is going for over 700k and many are over 900k. You could buy a renovated condo though for your price IB for Bruce Monroe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Greatschools ratings are apparently strongly tied to test score outcomes. You aren't going to have problems with your kids' test scores. So decide based on other factors.

Cleveland has great test scores, it's closer to downtown and has a lower percentage of native speakers. Tyler on the Hill has very few native speakers but Hill families and location.

Bancroft and Oyster are gentrified. Marie Reed not as much and it has some strong supporters.

Powell has been hot for a while but is filling up inbounds. Bruce-Monroe not so much but it has its supporters.

Houston's program is new and it doesn't have much in the way of native speakers.

In terms of real estate, it's a tough market in these areas, at least in my mind. Columbia Heights/Petworth/Park View are gentrified housing markets and you'll have a tough time finding a house under $600,000. Don't even think about the Hill. Someone better informed would have to tell you about Deanwood.

Bruce-Monroe is filling-up/has filled-up for in-bound families. Definitely for PK if not for K. It is really highly-regarded among the Park View/Petworth families, just as much as Powell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd consider a condo IB for Oyster.

I'm not sure about the condo route. The only thing on the market under $725K is a 1BR, 1BA 600 sq. ft. condo. You could make it work if you really try, but that square footage is tight for two people.

Link: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/2410-20th-St-NW-20009/unit-207/home/10001372

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Greatschools ratings are apparently strongly tied to test score outcomes. You aren't going to have problems with your kids' test scores. So decide based on other factors.

Cleveland has great test scores, it's closer to downtown and has a lower percentage of native speakers. Tyler on the Hill has very few native speakers but Hill families and location.

Bancroft and Oyster are gentrified. Marie Reed not as much and it has some strong supporters.

Powell has been hot for a while but is filling up inbounds. Bruce-Monroe not so much but it has its supporters.

Houston's program is new and it doesn't have much in the way of native speakers.

In terms of real estate, it's a tough market in these areas, at least in my mind. Columbia Heights/Petworth/Park View are gentrified housing markets and you'll have a tough time finding a house under $600,000. Don't even think about the Hill. Someone better informed would have to tell you about Deanwood.

Bruce-Monroe is filling-up/has filled-up for in-bound families. Definitely for PK if not for K. It is really highly-regarded among the Park View/Petworth families, just as much as Powell.

I know at least 4 families IB who have never gotten off the waitlist for english dominant. It wont move more than 5 or 6 places. 29 seats are reserved for spanish and 19 for english, and yes, OOB kids can get preference over IB if they speak spanish. If OP for sure wants it for K then go ahead and buy IB but there is a likelihood she wouldn't get in for PK.

[Anonymous]

OP here - looking for K, thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend Powell. We've been there since PK3 and our oldest is in 2nd.

Good teachers and great parent community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd consider a condo IB for Oyster.

I'm not sure about the condo route. The only thing on the market under $725K is a 1BR, 1BA 600 sq. ft. condo. You could make it work if you really try, but that square footage is tight for two people.

Link: https://www.redfin.com/DC/Washington/2410-20th-St-NW-20009/unit-207/home/10001372

It's not quite that dire, though condos do go fast. See https://www.redfin.com/school/159610/DC/Washington-DC/Oyster-Adams-Bilingual-School/filter/max-price=750k,min-beds=2 showing 9 places below $750k, including two that are coming soon.

And here are three zoned for Bancroft: https://www.redfin.com/school/135902/DC/Washington-DC/Bancroft-Elementary-School/filter/max-price=750k,min-beds=2

So that's a dozen places OP could choose from. If you want a big house for the same price, you will have to compromise on PARCC scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Greatschools ratings are apparently strongly tied to test score outcomes. You aren't going to have problems with your kids' test scores. So decide based on other factors.

Cleveland has great test scores, it's closer to downtown and has a lower percentage of native speakers. Tyler on the Hill has very few native speakers but Hill families and location.

Bancroft and Oyster are gentrified. Marie Reed not as much and it has some strong supporters.

Powell has been hot for a while but is filling up inbounds. Bruce-Monroe not so much but it has its supporters.

Houston's program is new and it doesn't have much in the way of native speakers.

In terms of real estate, it's a tough market in these areas, at least in my mind. Columbia Heights/Petworth/Park View are gentrified housing markets and you'll have a tough time finding a house under $600,000. Don't even think about the Hill. Someone better informed would have to tell you about Deanwood.

Bancroft is not gentrified. According to DCPS website it is still Title 1. The real draw is that it feeds to Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Greatschools ratings are apparently strongly tied to test score outcomes. You aren't going to have problems with your kids' test scores. So decide based on other factors.

Cleveland has great test scores, it's closer to downtown and has a lower percentage of native speakers. Tyler on the Hill has very few native speakers but Hill families and location.

Bancroft and Oyster are gentrified. Marie Reed not as much and it has some strong supporters.

Powell has been hot for a while but is filling up inbounds. Bruce-Monroe not so much but it has its supporters.

Houston's program is new and it doesn't have much in the way of native speakers.

In terms of real estate, it's a tough market in these areas, at least in my mind. Columbia Heights/Petworth/Park View are gentrified housing markets and you'll have a tough time finding a house under $600,000. Don't even think about the Hill. Someone better informed would have to tell you about Deanwood.

Bancroft is not gentrified. According to DCPS website it is still Title 1. The real draw is that it feeds to Deal.

The PP said it has a gentrified HOUSING MARKET. Not that it is a gentrified school. It's 40% OOB, many of those are the Spanish-dominant families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Greatschools ratings are apparently strongly tied to test score outcomes. You aren't going to have problems with your kids' test scores. So decide based on other factors.

Cleveland has great test scores, it's closer to downtown and has a lower percentage of native speakers. Tyler on the Hill has very few native speakers but Hill families and location.

Bancroft and Oyster are gentrified. Marie Reed not as much and it has some strong supporters.

Powell has been hot for a while but is filling up inbounds. Bruce-Monroe not so much but it has its supporters.

Houston's program is new and it doesn't have much in the way of native speakers.

In terms of real estate, it's a tough market in these areas, at least in my mind. Columbia Heights/Petworth/Park View are gentrified housing markets and you'll have a tough time finding a house under $600,000. Don't even think about the Hill. Someone better informed would have to tell you about Deanwood.

Oyster is in Woodley Park. When was Woodley Park ever not gentrified?

[Anonymous]

Oyster wasn't gentrified when it had Spanish speakers (who didn't work for the World Bank) in its catchment area. Been a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oyster wasn't gentrified when it had Spanish speakers (who didn't work for the World Bank) in its catchment area. Been a while.

I think we're talking about two different things. Sure, Oyster had a lot more poor and uneducated Hispanics well over a decade ago. Now, the vast majority of the Hispanic families I encounter there are well educated and connected to the World Bank/IMF/State Department/Embassies.

However, I'm asking about the neighborhood. When was Woodley Park ever not gentrified/affluent?

[Anonymous]

Woodley Park the neighborhood likely never has declined. I think the Oyster-Adams areas on the other side of Rock Creek have been up and down.

[Anonymous]

OP, back to your question. If a bilingual program is your priority, then rent for a year IB at the one you think might be the best fit for long-term living.

Repeat after me: Do. Not. Buy. A. House. For. The. Schools.

A mortgage is a long-term commitment. But thanks to "school choice," education is a game of chance played every year. Even if you love the elementary school, middle school is a totally different challenge.

Renting for a school can be a good way to test drive before making a huge financial commitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, back to your question. If a bilingual program is your priority, then rent for a year IB at the one you think might be the best fit for long-term living.

Repeat after me: Do. Not. Buy. A. House. For. The. Schools.

A mortgage is a long-term commitment. But thanks to "school choice," education is a game of chance played every year. Even if you love the elementary school, middle school is a totally different challenge.

Renting for a school can be a good way to test drive before making a huge financial commitment.

While I agree, I'd say Powell in bounds is also probably a good real estate decision. I'd definitely buy there if this was my concern (bilingual school access). You'll get something, better than what's available in the other cachements mentioned. And it's a nice community.