When is the right time to move if you are moving for schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand there are boundary redistricting in Montgomery County and we plan to move next year before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2021. Someone told me to wait due to the redistricting. When exactly will all this be done? Sorry I’m not from this country and I’m unfamiliar with all the public school jargons. I do know I’m in a bad school cluster and need to move. Thanks!!

Why don't you move back to your country where they have no bad school clusters? Win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand there are boundary redistricting in Montgomery County and we plan to move next year before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2021. Someone told me to wait due to the redistricting. When exactly will all this be done? Sorry I’m not from this country and I’m unfamiliar with all the public school jargons. I do know I’m in a bad school cluster and need to move. Thanks!!

With this attitude, I'd move before your daughter starts school for sure. Please.

[Anonymous]

OP an alternative may be to just rent or to move somewhere other than Montgomery County. If you work in southern DC or VA, I'd suggest Fairfax. The rezoning there is not as extreme as what is being discussed in MOCO. If you work in MD, Frederick and more specifically Urbana is a good option. Howard is another option which just had some rezoning but again not at the level that is being discussed in MOCO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP an alternative may be to just rent or to move somewhere other than Montgomery County. If you work in southern DC or VA, I'd suggest Fairfax. The rezoning there is not as extreme as what is being discussed in MOCO. If you work in MD, Frederick and more specifically Urbana is a good option. Howard is another option which just had some rezoning but again not at the level that is being discussed in MOCO.

What "extreme" rezoning is being discussed in Montgomery County? Please be specific as to who and what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP an alternative may be to just rent or to move somewhere other than Montgomery County. If you work in southern DC or VA, I'd suggest Fairfax. The rezoning there is not as extreme as what is being discussed in MOCO. If you work in MD, Frederick and more specifically Urbana is a good option. Howard is another option which just had some rezoning but again not at the level that is being discussed in MOCO.

What "extreme" rezoning is being discussed in Montgomery County? Please be specific as to who and what.

No one is talking to you, Idiot Idealogue. Normal people are discussing normal concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand there are boundary redistricting in Montgomery County and we plan to move next year before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2021. Someone told me to wait due to the redistricting. When exactly will all this be done? Sorry I’m not from this country and I’m unfamiliar with all the public school jargons. I do know I’m in a bad school cluster and need to move. Thanks!!

With this attitude, I'd move before your daughter starts school for sure. Please.

Yes, obviously. OP here. I’m looking to move within MoCo.

[Anonymous]

What you want to avoid at all costs is a drop in your real estate investment if you buy into a neighborhood zoned to a reputable school district, and it turns out they are redistricted to a lesser one. This is because for most families, a house is the biggest investment they make. You can ignore this advice if you are one of the lucky few for which this does not apply.

You can stay where you are or you can rent in a nicer neighborhood. You can also buy and take a risk. MCPS will never bus kids too far because of the congested traffic in this area. It's just not physically possible, they don't have enough buses, which are expensive. So if you're smack bang in the middle of a cluster of great schools, even if you're redistricted, your kid will end up in a good school anyway. Shoot for the middle. Only downside: this is where the houses are most expensive, of course Think Bethesda/Chevy Chase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What you want to avoid at all costs is a drop in your real estate investment if you buy into a neighborhood zoned to a reputable school district, and it turns out they are redistricted to a lesser one. This is because for most families, a house is the biggest investment they make. You can ignore this advice if you are one of the lucky few for which this does not apply.

You can stay where you are or you can rent in a nicer neighborhood. You can also buy and take a risk. MCPS will never bus kids too far because of the congested traffic in this area. It's just not physically possible, they don't have enough buses, which are expensive. So if you're smack bang in the middle of a cluster of great schools, even if you're redistricted, your kid will end up in a good school anyway. Shoot for the middle. Only downside: this is where the houses are most expensive, of course Think Bethesda/Chevy Chase.

Adding that one reason to buy instead of rent is that in the desirable, good school clusters, real estate just keeps getting more expensive every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand there are boundary redistricting in Montgomery County and we plan to move next year before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2021. Someone told me to wait due to the redistricting. When exactly will all this be done? Sorry I’m not from this country and I’m unfamiliar with all the public school jargons. I do know I’m in a bad school cluster and need to move. Thanks!!

With this attitude, I'd move before your daughter starts school for sure. Please.

Yes, obviously. OP here. I’m looking to move within MoCo.

You didn't say what your budget is. If you provide a price range, people can recommend particular neighborhoods/schools.

[Anonymous]

If you are low income, you can rent an apartment in one of the fancy new buildings in Bethesda at a deep discount price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand there are boundary redistricting in Montgomery County and we plan to move next year before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2021. Someone told me to wait due to the redistricting. When exactly will all this be done? Sorry I’m not from this country and I’m unfamiliar with all the public school jargons. I do know I’m in a bad school cluster and need to move. Thanks!!

If you are dead set on moving, you should do it before your child starts school. Moving after Kindergarten isn't the end of the world, but all things being equal, best to start school and make some friends that will be together for a few years.

Of course, you don't HAVE to move. You might be in a "bad" cluster by test scores, but a "good" cluster by actual student experience. It's worth talking to your neighbors about their own experiences, and the outcomes for their kids. If you read DCUM, you will see a lot of complaints from folks who thought they were getting a "good" school by test scores, but the actual experience (bad administration, overcrowding, poor facilities) of some schools makes it a worse place to be a kid and/or a parent.

The reality is very different than the real estate industry might have you believe.

[Anonymous]

Churchill cluster is safest bet. Not too much they can do there to bus kids...they would need to bus extremely far to end up in a "bad" school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Churchill cluster is safest bet. Not too much they can do there to bus kids...they would need to bus extremely far to end up in a "bad" school.

Yeah, but then you're living in Potomac. Is that worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Churchill cluster is safest bet. Not too much they can do there to bus kids...they would need to bus extremely far to end up in a "bad" school.

Yeah, but then you're living in Potomac. Is that worth it?

I think people should mostly live where they want to live - commute, neighborhood, amenities, urbanization, etc. No public school is right/perfect for every kid. You still might have a kid who needs smaller classes or a more individualized pace or whatever. And almost everyone I've talked to likes their MCPS school - whatever realtors/DCUM may think of it. Live where you want to live, go to your local school. If you don't think it's serving your child well, look at a possible change. It's kind of impossible to know from the outside whether the school is a good fit for your kid. Especially because they are all MCPS so they don't officially differentiate themselves in any particular way. They all have mostly the same policies, procedures, curriculum, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Churchill cluster is safest bet. Not too much they can do there to bus kids...they would need to bus extremely far to end up in a "bad" school.

Yeah, but then you're living in Potomac. Is that worth it?

I think people should mostly live where they want to live - commute, neighborhood, amenities, urbanization, etc. No public school is right/perfect for every kid. You still might have a kid who needs smaller classes or a more individualized pace or whatever. And almost everyone I've talked to likes their MCPS school - whatever realtors/DCUM may think of it. Live where you want to live, go to your local school. If you don't think it's serving your child well, look at a possible change. It's kind of impossible to know from the outside whether the school is a good fit for your kid. Especially because they are all MCPS so they don't officially differentiate themselves in any particular way. They all have mostly the same policies, procedures, curriculum, etc.

You left out cost.