DCC residents - what are your plans for high school?

[Anonymous]

+2

[Anonymous]

If your kids won't be in high school until 2022 or later, it's really hard to make plans in the DCC, because there could be changes coming with the reopening of Woodward and additions coming for Kennedy and Northwood. All downcounty HS boundaries could be affected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kids won't be in high school until 2022 or later, it's really hard to make plans in the DCC, because there could be changes coming with the reopening of Woodward and additions coming for Kennedy and Northwood. All downcounty HS boundaries could be affected.

The only DCC school that is likely to be affected by Woodward is Einstein. It will mainly affect other schools near its location like Walter Johnson and B-CC mostly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids won't be in high school until 2022 or later, it's really hard to make plans in the DCC, because there could be changes coming with the reopening of Woodward and additions coming for Kennedy and Northwood. All downcounty HS boundaries could be affected.

The only DCC school that is likely to be affected by Woodward is Einstein. It will mainly affect other schools near its location like Walter Johnson and B-CC mostly.

Woodward's purpose is to address overcrowding at WJ and Einstein which will take up the bulk of its seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids won't be in high school until 2022 or later, it's really hard to make plans in the DCC, because there could be changes coming with the reopening of Woodward and additions coming for Kennedy and Northwood. All downcounty HS boundaries could be affected.

The only DCC school that is likely to be affected by Woodward is Einstein. It will mainly affect other schools near its location like Walter Johnson and B-CC mostly.

But the additions to Northwood and Kennedy could easily affect the Blair and Wheaton base areas too. So the point, as it relates to this thread, is that DCC residents wanting to make plans for high school should be aware that no one knows yet what the boundaries will be like starting in 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCC parent here.

Love my neighborhood - 1 mile walk to metro
People are down to earth
It's not a race to riches on the East side
Many schools had slightly smaller class sizes than I've heard of the "desirables" - with same curriculum

High schools are actually some of the strengths of the DCC. Really strong options for teens with different interests:

In addition to the vaunted Blair Magnet, there's Wheaton for anything STEM-related with a fantastic principal and dedicated staff; Einstein for the arts, Blair CAP for the writers/journalists, Northwood for the all-around humanities kid who wants to make a sports team. The only school that I would avoid is Kennedy - but even then, there are families who are happy with it.

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

+1

Plus:

My kids walk, bike, and take buses and Metro everywhere without any involvement from me.
I know so many people in our neighborhood that I run into people I know and enjoy talking to everywhere I go - strong sense of community.
My kids are comfortable with all kinds of people, from all kinds of backgrounds.
My kids have good-size cohorts of peers headed in the same direction they are, academically.
Politically active community, strong sense of social justice and giving back.
Quick shot downtown, straight down 16th Street.
Great school experiences at Einstein and Blair.

What's not to like?

[Anonymous]

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

I always find this perception perplexing. The W's or at least Wootton and WJ really are not actually pressure cookers. There are a bunch of very smart kids and I think what happens is that these kids are surprised that in high school its no longer super easy for them the way it was in MS or ES. Its safe to be super nerdy here but its also fine to be more well rounded.

Wootton families are very down to earth. Families are range from doctors, military families, tech people, government employees, lawyers for DOJ, NIH researchers, state department, EPA etc. These aren't the high profile people. There is a large international community. People joke that its like the UN because so many countries are represented. The IMF and World Bank recommend the area to folks they are stationing here. There is a good sized Russian, Ukraine, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, African, and Indian community here. My kids also have friends from Central American, South America, Thailand, and other countries. The Jewish community is very active and fun too. Its a different type of diversity as most of Wootton is in the middle SES and doesn't have the extreme wealth of Potomac/Bethesda or the high poverty of other areas.

Sports are popular and very inclusive out here. You don't need to be headed to the pros to get on the teams. Music is popular and Wootton has lots of talented kids. Theater and art are also good and inclusive. The teachers and the community are very into the school. Everyone is still heartbroken that the former principal passed away. The new administration is good and many of the good staff have stayed.

If you decide to move to one of the Ws, I'd recommend Wootton. We have friends at WJ who also describe it as a friendly community. I just don't have much knowledge of Churchill or Whitman but these may also not be the monsters people who don't go there make them out to be.

[Anonymous]

But actually, this thread is about DCC parents, not where we should move to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But actually, this thread is about DCC parents, not where we should move to.

The DCC is the place to be!

[Anonymous]

But actually, this thread is about DCC parents, not where we should move to.

Sigh, the OP also said that she was attracted to the W schools. There is nothing maligning DCC schools in the Wootton post, just information about Wootton. Its not an attempt to get everyone from the DCC to move to Rockville. Its just helpful to point out that the perception of the stress level may not be accurate.

[Anonymous]

We're in the DCC and visited all of the high school open houses this past fall. We were impressed with most of them except maybe for Kennedy. We were pleasantly surprised about Northwood -- which I had never heard about but seems to have a strong academic curriculum, active sports and marching band, and an impressive principal. Wheaton is great for kids who love engineering as they don't have to be in the magnet to access the engineering course, and they offer lots of AP courses overall. Blair has so much to offer, but is so large. Einstein had some strong offerings as well. For a smaller community school feel I would opt for Northwood or Wheaton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But actually, this thread is about DCC parents, not where we should move to.

Sigh, the OP also said that she was attracted to the W schools. There is nothing maligning DCC schools in the Wootton post, just information about Wootton. Its not an attempt to get everyone from the DCC to move to Rockville. Its just helpful to point out that the perception of the stress level may not be accurate.

I found the post about life at the W's thoughtful and similar in spirit to many of the other posts in this thread.

[Anonymous]

In a similar boat and just bought outside of the DCC -- in the eastern corner of B-CC district.

I am a bit worried that we won't like the school culture as much as we've liked Silver Spring (Takoma Middle,) but I have three kids to put through high school in the next many years. And as much as I love SS, the schools are going to get increasingly crowded over the course of the next decade, and BCC's recent addition definitely appeals to me as the school is predicted to be less overcrowded 5-10 years from now than Blair, Einstein, or Northwood, which were DC's top DCC choices.

B-CC isn't quite as diverse as Silver Spring but it seems ok. And the houses in my neighborhood (rock creek forest / rosemary hills) are actually less pricey than comps in certain parts of SS, esp Woodside, other parts of close-in SS, and Takoma.

That said I hope I made a good choice! I think we could have also really been happy in Woodmoor (walking distance to Blair) or south four corners.

Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

I always find this perception perplexing. The W's or at least Wootton and WJ really are not actually pressure cookers. There are a bunch of very smart kids and I think what happens is that these kids are surprised that in high school its no longer super easy for them the way it was in MS or ES. Its safe to be super nerdy here but its also fine to be more well rounded.

Wootton families are very down to earth. Families are range from doctors, military families, tech people, government employees, lawyers for DOJ, NIH researchers, state department, EPA etc. These aren't the high profile people. There is a large international community. People joke that its like the UN because so many countries are represented. The IMF and World Bank recommend the area to folks they are stationing here. There is a good sized Russian, Ukraine, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, African, and Indian community here. My kids also have friends from Central American, South America, Thailand, and other countries. The Jewish community is very active and fun too. Its a different type of diversity as most of Wootton is in the middle SES and doesn't have the extreme wealth of Potomac/Bethesda or the high poverty of other areas.

Sports are popular and very inclusive out here. You don't need to be headed to the pros to get on the teams. Music is popular and Wootton has lots of talented kids. Theater and art are also good and inclusive. The teachers and the community are very into the school. Everyone is still heartbroken that the former principal passed away. The new administration is good and many of the good staff have stayed.

If you decide to move to one of the Ws, I'd recommend Wootton. We have friends at WJ who also describe it as a friendly community. I just don't have much knowledge of Churchill or Whitman but these may also not be the monsters people who don't go there make them out to be.

Ummm no. Most of wootton is not middle SES. It’s mostly upper middle. There are some middle-class areas with condos, apartments and townhomes in Washingtonian and Rockshire, where town houses are only in the $500k to $600k range. Single-family homes in the cluster catchment are generally $700k and up—not middle SES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

I always find this perception perplexing. The W's or at least Wootton and WJ really are not actually pressure cookers. There are a bunch of very smart kids and I think what happens is that these kids are surprised that in high school its no longer super easy for them the way it was in MS or ES. Its safe to be super nerdy here but its also fine to be more well rounded.

Wootton families are very down to earth. Families are range from doctors, military families, tech people, government employees, lawyers for DOJ, NIH researchers, state department, EPA etc. These aren't the high profile people. There is a large international community. People joke that its like the UN because so many countries are represented. The IMF and World Bank recommend the area to folks they are stationing here. There is a good sized Russian, Ukraine, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, African, and Indian community here. My kids also have friends from Central American, South America, Thailand, and other countries. The Jewish community is very active and fun too. Its a different type of diversity as most of Wootton is in the middle SES and doesn't have the extreme wealth of Potomac/Bethesda or the high poverty of other areas.

Sports are popular and very inclusive out here. You don't need to be headed to the pros to get on the teams. Music is popular and Wootton has lots of talented kids. Theater and art are also good and inclusive. The teachers and the community are very into the school. Everyone is still heartbroken that the former principal passed away. The new administration is good and many of the good staff have stayed.

If you decide to move to one of the Ws, I'd recommend Wootton. We have friends at WJ who also describe it as a friendly community. I just don't have much knowledge of Churchill or Whitman but these may also not be the monsters people who don't go there make them out to be.

Ummm no. Most of wootton is not middle SES. It’s mostly upper middle. There are some middle-class areas with condos, apartments and townhomes in Washingtonian and Rockshire, where town houses are only in the $500k to $600k range. Single-family homes in the cluster catchment are generally $700k and up—not middle SES

I never think of people living in a 700k house as the upper middle class but just middle class. It's a silly distinction.