14th and W public school options

[Anonymous]

14th and W st moms...where do you kids go to pre-k and elementary? Moving from NYC and I'm a little baffled by the whole process. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14th and W st moms...where do you kids go to pre-k and elementary? Moving from NYC and I'm a little baffled by the whole process. Thanks!

Are you locked into a lease or sales agreement yet? The choices west of Rock Creek Park are much easier. If you have a realtor they should have clued you in to the poor quality of many DCPS schools. Have a hard time believing someone from NY would be this naive. Most people with young kids move out of that neighborhood unless they can do charter (most who cannot afford private do not live in that neighborhood with kids, few parks, high crime, etc). Calling troll.

http://dcatlas.dcgis.dc.gov/schools/default.aspx

[Anonymous]

Don't be nasty, PP. OP posted this question on urban baby this morning and was directed here. Get a life.

[Anonymous]

We lived there and moved for that very reason...

[Anonymous]

You can look on DCPS's website to see what school you are zoned for. We live 2 blocks from you and are zoned for Garrison. There is an effort to turn around Garrison, so if your kids are young and you have a couple years to see how that pans out, that might be an option. Or you send your kids there now and try to be one of the people who turns the school around. There are also lots of good charter schools a bit further north in Columbia Heights, but you have to luck out with the lottery. Same with applying for an out-of-boundary slot.

Other than the schools, it's a great neighborhood! I used to live in NYC too, and I found it is about as close as I am going to get to an NYC feel.

[Anonymous]

OP, you have four days left to enter the DC Public Schools lottery process. Check it out on dcps.dc.gov. I was having trouble getting in earlier, not sure what is going on, maybe it is overloaded because of the impending deadline?

Besides the DCPS lottery, you also have a chance to get your child into a DC Public Charter School. There are many to choose from and some good options there. There are still a lot of open houses (not sure if you are here yet). Some schools have a lot of movement on waitlists if you get wait listed as well. To check test scores and other pertinent information, you can go to www.greatschools.org. It gives a rating for academics and lists things like demographics, specials (art, music, whatever), languages taught...

We live up the hill in Columbia Heights and are confident that we will find a school out of boundary or a charter school that will be a good fit. We might have to go out of our way to drop our daughter off but we are okay with that. Some people don't want that added commute, so it is something to consider.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Hello OP and future neighor. Welcome to the neighborhood.

It is true, this neighborhood is not the hotbed of educational options. But its a great place to live, and as a former NYer myself, I think you and your family will like it.

Garrison is likely your in boundary elementary school. Check via the link the PP provided. It does not have a strong reputation although some local families are opting in and trying to band together to invest in it and improve it. Many families in your area attend Ross Elementary School out of boundary (there is a lottery process you need to go through. The deadline for 2011-2012 is tomorrow). It is a very small school and spots are limited. Other options are other nearby out of boundary elementaries like Bancroft and HD Cooke or a Public Charter School like EL Haynes or Capital City Public Charter (you need to apply to each one and enter the lottery one by one. Those deadlines extend past tomorrow). Finally, private is something many choose if they can afford it.

Good luck. It is a confusing process (but NY must be tricky too?) but you will figure it out as you go.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. My MIL is moving and giving us the house that my husband grew up in, so no...we can't move somewhere else for better options. Thanks though. My oldest is a young two so we won't be applying for pre K until next year (thank goodness I won't be up till midnight trying to get apps in ontime!!). Thank you for your suggestions. We LOVE the neighborhood and feel strongly about working to improve our public rather than fleeing to private, so the fact that this is starting to happen already at Garrison is exciting. I will check it out. And nice to know there are so many happy NYers in this part of town. I've lived in NYC my whole life so leaving is really daunting!

[Anonymous]

Cleveland Elementary is also fairly close by, and I've heard good things about that. Definitely put it on your list to check out. Lastly, Tubman Elementary (at 12th and Monroe) has improving test scores and really rates looking at. I keep saying someone needs to lead a neighborhood movement to reinvest in that school. The principal there has done wonderful things with a largely low income 100% minority population. The outside of the school is ugly, but the inside has been beautifully renovated.

[Anonymous]

This is off topic, but your block has a great sandwich shop, which (strangely enough) is housed in a somewhat sketchy gas station.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/7/1554909/restaurant/DC/U-Street-Shaw/Fast-Gourmet-Washington

Having a good take out option should help ease the NYC to DC transition

[Anonymous]

OP, welcome to the neighborhood! BTW, just wanted to make sure that you knew that some DCPS and Charter schools offer PS-3, in case your 2 yo will be 3 in time for this coming school year. You need to enter the lottery even if you're in boundary.

We live a couple blocks from your new home and I hope you enjoy it here as much as we do. Good luck with the move - how exciting!

[Anonymous]

Marie Reed is another nearby school. They have a dual language program if you're interested in that (so does Cleveland). FYI many DCPs & charters offer Preschool for 3 year olds. But yes, you have only a few days to apply in the lottery. See the dcps website ps/pk lottery app online. Also see the "school profiles" there.

Welcome to the neighborhood! Great playground on Westminster (south of T btwn 10th & 9th) if you haven't checked it out yet.

[Anonymous]

OP, coming from NY you are probably not familiar with charter schools. These are public schools that your child can attend (free) regardless of your neighborhood or zoned school.

Many parents in your situation choose from among the following popular charters. The trick of course is to enter each individual lottery and get lucky.

Capital City (Expeditionary Learning)
EL Haynes (Year-round school, excellent reputation)
LAMB (Spanish immersion Montessori)
Stokes (French and Spanish immersion)
Two Rivers (Expeditionary Learning)
Washington Yu Ying (Mandarin immersion)

Google any of their names to learn about those schools.

Good luck with the move and welcome to DC.

[Anonymous]

DC certainly has changed. 14th and W was a notorious area for drugs/violence not too long ago. Probably designer lofts now.

[Anonymous]

Given your location consider applying for Appletree Public Charter school. There is one on 14th and Giraurd. About a mile up. It only does 3 and 4 but it is a great option. My son has just thrived there and it has numbers that can't be beat as far as teacher child ratio. 2 certified teachers and teaching fellow for a class of 18. Here is the link:
http://www.appletreeinstitute.org/enroll

If your child will be three by September it is a great option. Also if you get a really high lottery number you could still get in we were 75 and were called about a week after school started.