Somerset Elementary School v. Bethesda Elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi. I'll be moving to Montgomery County for the schools, and need to be near a Metro. Right now I'm looking at Somerset Elementary School and Bethesda Elementary School. They both look terrific. I'm also open to other elementary schools near a Metro in MoCo.
If you have any experience with either school, I'd be grateful for any insights.
Also, how do I find out how large the classes are in the schools? I have a preference for small classes. (Who doesn't? But I fear my quiet, shy daughter might get lost in a large class.) I've looked at the schools' Web sites and can't tell how many kids are in a class.
Thank you all again!

You missed our school -- Chevy Chase Elementary. Check out those test score baby (just kidding). And you can get a house within walking distance to Bethesda Metro. You can also do as I do and take the ride on bus to the Friendship Heights Metro or the Silver Spring Metro.

Don't get too taken in by class size alone. If you have a class of 25 students with 1 disruptive student it can be easier to give attention to everyone in the class than a class of 20 students with 3 disruptive students. Also look at the school's attendance/suspension/mobility rates and the number of experienced teachers. Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

East Bethesda and parts of the Town of Chevy Chase are also 10 - 15 minutes from the metro. These 'hoods feed into Chevy Chase Elementary and Rosemary Hills, both of which people seem to be happy with. My kids are still too young, but we plan to send them to Rosemary Hills.

[Anonymous]

I believe East Bethesda kids go to Rosemary Hills for K-2, then either Bethesda ES or NCC ES for, respectively, 4-5 or 4-6; they don't go to CCES. Town of CC does go to CCES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe East Bethesda kids go to Rosemary Hills for K-2, then either Bethesda ES or NCC ES for, respectively, 4-5 or 4-6; they don't go to CCES. Town of CC does go to CCES.

This is incorrect. CCES is a 3-6 school and Rosemary Hills is the K-2 school that feeds it. I think RHPS/CCES is a wonderful option but if OP is fixated on small classes, then she should know that RHPS tends to have classes on the larger end of the spectrum.

[Anonymous]

I'll be careful to check the zones before I buy. A friend moved into the house in which she grew up, close to her old elementary school, but discovered the house was now zoned for a different school. She has to drive her two kids every day to and from school. Go figure.
Re: aftercare. (I work fulltime, alas). I assume both Somerset and Bethesda Elementary have aftercare?
I'll also look at Chevy Chase Elementary, but it seems to start at third grade? My daughter is four years old, so I'm looking at kindergarden. I'd like to redshirt her and start her in kindergarden at age 6.
Thanks again for all this guidance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want your child somewhere that has a rich PTA, it's Somerset all the way. You should see their tax filings.

Where do you locate this information?

It's publicly available information. It's found at www.guidestar.org.

[Anonymous]

I believe East Bethesda kids go to Rosemary Hills for K-2, then either Bethesda ES or NCC ES for, respectively, 4-5 or 4-6; they don't go to CCES. Town of CC does go to CCES.


This is incorrect. CCES is a 3-6 school and Rosemary Hills is the K-2 school that feeds it. I think RHPS/CCES is a wonderful option but if OP is fixated on small classes, then she should know that RHPS tends to have classes on the larger end of the spectrum.

The first poster here is correct - specifically, for East Bethesda, children go to Rosemary Hills PS for K-2 and then Bethesda ES for 3-5 or 3-6. SOME Rosemary Hills kids later go to Chevy Chase ES, some go to Bethesda ES and some go to North Chevy Chase ES. Not all RHPS kids go to CCES. Class sizes at all of these schools are 24+ kids per class. Meanwhile, there are some other kids in Bethesda neighborhoods west of Wisconsin Avenue that go to Bethesda all the way through, I think. My daughter is at Rosemary Hills and we really like it, but if money was not a factor we would have been in the Somerset district instead.

FYI, here is the site for finding out what address goes to what school - I never see this in any of these threads:
http://gis.mcpsmd.org/gis/Publiclocator.asp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you look up the academic statistics for both schools, they do not compare.

Yes, Somerset is even wealthier than Bethesda, which unsurprisingly results in slightly higher test scores, and there may certainly be differences between the school, but the idea that they are not comparable is just silly.

I agree the poster's comparison is ridiculous. You can't go wrong with either school. Either way you're in a school district with relatively affluent, well educated parents who send their kids to school ready to learn and support the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I believe East Bethesda kids go to Rosemary Hills for K-2, then either Bethesda ES or NCC ES for, respectively, 4-5 or 4-6; they don't go to CCES. Town of CC does go to CCES.


This is incorrect. CCES is a 3-6 school and Rosemary Hills is the K-2 school that feeds it. I think RHPS/CCES is a wonderful option but if OP is fixated on small classes, then she should know that RHPS tends to have classes on the larger end of the spectrum.

The first poster here is correct - specifically, for East Bethesda, children go to Rosemary Hills PS for K-2 and then Bethesda ES for 3-5 or 3-6. SOME Rosemary Hills kids later go to Chevy Chase ES, some go to Bethesda ES and some go to North Chevy Chase ES. Not all RHPS kids go to CCES. Class sizes at all of these schools are 24+ kids per class. Meanwhile, there are some other kids in Bethesda neighborhoods west of Wisconsin Avenue that go to Bethesda all the way through, I think. My daughter is at Rosemary Hills and we really like it, but if money was not a factor we would have been in the Somerset district instead.

FYI, here is the site for finding out what address goes to what school - I never see this in any of these threads:
http://gis.mcpsmd.org/gis/Publiclocator.asp

I think it's fair to say neither of those first two posters were entirely correct. I think all CCES kids go to Rosemary Hills, and some Rosemary Hills kids (including some East Bethesda kids) go to CCES.

[Anonymous]

all CCES kids go to Rosemary Hills

yes, but more like "all CCES kids come from Rosemary Hills"

some Rosemary Hills kids go to CCES

yes

(including some East Bethesda kids)
no - all kids in East Bethesda, as defined by homes east of Wisconsin, south of Jones Bridge, west of Columbia Country Club and north of East-West, go to RHPS, then Bethesda ES.

[Anonymous]

So glad there are so many strong schools to choose from. Do they all have aftercare programs?

[Anonymous]

Somerset, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Chevy Chase and Rosemary Hills all have before- and after-school programs run by Wonders Childcare - more information at http://www.wonderschildcare.org/about/sites.php. I am the PP with a child at RHPS - we do not use the aftercare but have participated in some of their other programs and have been extremely pleased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I believe East Bethesda kids go to Rosemary Hills for K-2, then either Bethesda ES or NCC ES for, respectively, 4-5 or 4-6; they don't go to CCES. Town of CC does go to CCES.


This is incorrect. CCES is a 3-6 school and Rosemary Hills is the K-2 school that feeds it. I think RHPS/CCES is a wonderful option but if OP is fixated on small classes, then she should know that RHPS tends to have classes on the larger end of the spectrum.

The first poster here is correct - specifically, for East Bethesda, children go to Rosemary Hills PS for K-2 and then Bethesda ES for 3-5 or 3-6. SOME Rosemary Hills kids later go to Chevy Chase ES, some go to Bethesda ES and some go to North Chevy Chase ES. Not all RHPS kids go to CCES. Class sizes at all of these schools are 24+ kids per class. Meanwhile, there are some other kids in Bethesda neighborhoods west of Wisconsin Avenue that go to Bethesda all the way through, I think. My daughter is at Rosemary Hills and we really like it, but if money was not a factor we would have been in the Somerset district instead.

FYI, here is the site for finding out what address goes to what school - I never see this in any of these threads:
http://gis.mcpsmd.org/gis/Publiclocator.asp

I think it's fair to say neither of those first two posters were entirely correct. I think all CCES kids go to Rosemary Hills, and some Rosemary Hills kids (including some East Bethesda kids) go to CCES.

Here's the run-down from a longtime resident of the CC/Bethesda area -- but be sure to check the MCPS school locator before you move.

RHPS -- K-2
Bethesda K-5 school w/ large intakes in K and 3rd grade.
CCES - 3-6
NCCES - 3-6
Somerset - K-5

If you live between Bradley, Wisconsin, EW Highway (except right on EW Highway), CC Circle and east on Western to Beach Drive, your kids will go to RHPS/CCES. Ditto for the part of Chevy Chase Village East of Cedar Parkway, but west of Cedar Parkway and you will go to Somerset.

If you live west of Wisconsin, south of Bradley and east of little Falls (more or less), you will go to Somerset; this includes much (but not all) of Friendship Heights.

If you live in East Bethesda, your kids go to RHPS K-2 and then Bethesda Elem. for 3-5. Parents could formerly request a transfer to Bethesda for the lower grades to do K-5 but this right has been rescinded by the Superintendent.

If you live north of EW highway opposite the country club or between the railroad tracks and the Beltway (but not East Bethesda), your kids go to RHPS/NCC. This varies somewhat between EW Highway along Beach Drive -- if you are south of the bike trail and east of Beach Drive, your kids will actually go to Rock Creek Elementary k-5. (I think some of NCC school district is even on the N side of the beltway?)

If you live in the area between Beach Drive and 16th street, you must carefully check the MCPS boundary locator. Kids on the west side of this area north and south of EW Highway go to Rock Creek. Further east, kids go to RHPS/NCC or RHPS/Bethesda, and some kids in the Summit Hills apartments are districted for RHPS/CCES.

Needless to say, the above is rough and anyone considering this area should check the official MCPS school locator (link already given).

Actually, as it stands now, any child who finishes 2nd grade at RHPS is supposed to be able to request (and be automatically granted) a transfer to any of the paired schools (Bethesda, NCCES or CCES) in 3rd grade, regardless of which of the upper elementaries they are phsycially districted for. This right stems from a very old agreement when the school pairings were made, and I have heard that it may be in jeopardy in the current boundary review process. Anyone who lives in these neighborhoods should lobby to continue this right because the paired schoolings and split friendships and variations in programs may make one of the schools more appropriate than others. The transfer right was part of the price to be paid by the school system when the neighborhoods agreed to participate in the paired schoolings. In addition, the number of kids who use this right is small because most kids end up going to the 3-5or6 school they are districted for (closer and neighborhood friends there, plus all are good), so it really doesn't impact demographic planning much.

And, all of this is up for review. All these schools are currently or expected to be overcrowded and are undergoing capital improvement studies. Bethesda Elementary in particular is very crowded and boundary changes for this school are likely. One concept clearly being considered is to redistrict the very western portion of Bethesda Elementary to another Bethesda elementary that feeds to Pyle and Whitman (Bradley Hills, I think?) in order to relieve the crowding. This may also affect the RHPS/Bethesa feeder pattern, although I don't live in this district, so I don't know more. Parents who live in East Bethesda are the only ones who participate in the RHPS/Bethesda pairing who have to send their kids in 3rd grade to a school which has an existing population from K which is probably more difficult. What is NOT being considered in the boundary change is unpairing the basic set up above; the paired schoolings will continue w/ perhaps some tweaks to the boundaries/transfer process.

All of these schools are very good, but there are variations in programs which may make one a better choice for a particular child than another.

[Anonymous]

One reason that BE's scores may be lower than other schools is that they have a significant number of children with special needs. All children take the standardized tests and get included in the stats. It may make their test scores lower but being an inclusive school for children with special needs has it's own merits IMO.

[Anonymous]

(I think some of NCC school district is even on the N side of the beltway?)

Correct: the Kensington neighborhoods of Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View are both north of the Beltway and feed into RHPS and NCCES. Neither are great Metro-wise, though.