Elementary School Recommendations for Family moving to DC from Australia

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

BC there aren't 5 BR houses in Cap Hill for $1.25M.

And because she wants decent schools through high school.

Dumb question but...so does everyone with kids basically leave CH by high school? That seems so dumb. I just mean you'd think with all the money and power centered there they'd have gotten a good HS by now.

There used to be a strip that was zoned for Wilson. I am not kidding.

Yep-- when we bought our house it was zoned for Wilson. Totally insane (what an coincidence that it happened to be the whitest, richest, most powerful part of Capitol Hill). Anyway, our high schooler happily attends charter school -- Washington Latin. Lots of his friends that he attended the local elementary school with are also there and also at private schools and BASIS. If I were OP I'd buy in Capitol Hill but definitely go for a house zoned in good elementary school. Charters, privates, and Jefferson and S-H are all likely choices for middle school for OP's family in a few years time. I suppose its a gamble yes, there are only a couple families that have moved out to the suburbs after going through elementary school. But to my eye it's a guarantee that living WOTP while doing much of your work on the east side of the city would be an immediate pain in the rear. Point is, most of my kid's friends that he went through elementary school with have stayed on the Hill and I think the odds of good school options in middle and high school would be even stronger a few years from now.

Aussie pals recently moved from the Hill back to Sydney for better schools after 6 or 7 years in the hood. Don't buy it OP.

I hope you mean neighborhood, because if you think CH is “the hood,” I can only assume you never leave your lily white block in Palisades.

No, live on the Hill. Have for 25 years. Love it but school situation stinks after elementary. Australia (where I once lived) has strong government schools almost everywhere. Hint: Down Under, you don't have to sell Christmas trees for days in the cold to pay for basics, or listen to your bleeding heart neighbors claim that Jefferson Academy (with a PARCC proficiency pass rate in the teens) will be fantastic in a year or two.

This is rude but true. Jefferson is not going to be even approaching a strong school by the time OP needs it to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

Most like Melbourne!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Hearst is the closest geographically Deal/Wilson feeder to downtown, so there’s that. Great small school with large international population. Wide range of housing options. You could live in Cleveland Park and take metro or get on Rock Creek Parkway for quick drive downtown. Really can’t go wrong with any of the Ward 3 Deal feeder schools.

Not just ward 3 Deal feeders, Lafayette and Shepherd are great as well as are their surrounding neighborhoods.

Hearst neighborhood allows for easy access to metro and rock creek park. It is the Deal feeder closest to downtown.

I don’t think you’ll find a 5BR anywhere in a Deal neighborhood for 1.25M, but maybe a 4BR with a basement. Then you could also drive down Wisconsin easily to get to Georgetown office.

I think Hearst is a great option-- it's the smallest of the Deal/Wilson feeders, great community, and walkable to grocery stores, libraries, parks, restaurants, etc. There are several houses coming on the market, not sure if any are big enough though.

OP here- Thank you. I appreciate your advice. Walkable is really important to us... I didn't mention that b/c it wasn't school related. And, we are looking for neighborhoods with lots of little kids. That would make my kids really happy- they like making any neighbor their new best friends.

Most of Murch and Hearst check all your boxes. Parts of Janney neighborhoods would work too. Most Murch neighborhoods and some Janney are walkable to Deal Wilson, which is huge when that time comes.

I don't think the Murch/Hearst zones have an advantage in walkability over the Janney zone. Each of these zones has areas a little further away from commercial centers. Janney zone includes Tenleytown and Friendship Heights, which are probably the most useful in terms of amenities, and as you mention, are where the middle/high school are. Part of the Murch zone is also close to Friendship Heights. I've never found the Van Ness Metro node (center to the Hearst zone) too attractive, but it might be improving with the new construction that has happened.

Overall, I think inventory in all of these areas will be so scarce that OP should just pick house and its specific location vs a specific school zone. All these schools are great.

Van Ness area is improving. It has one of the best bakeries (Bread Furst), an awesome wine store (Calvert Woodley), a fancy Italian restaurant (Sfoligna), a cute market/bar (Soapstone), a good Indian place (Laliguras), and decent all-you-can-eat sushi (Sushi Parra). Still not awesome but getting better.

All of the upper NW neighborhoods have areas that are walkable and some that are further out. I happen to live in Van Ness and I think the advantage is that it is central- I can walk to Cleveland Park, Tenley, or Cathedral Commons in 20 minutes or less. I am in between Van Ness and Tenley metros but also close to bus lines so I have several options when commuting downtown. My kids can walk to elementary, middle and high school (within a mile of each). A smaller elementary was a priority so Hearst was perfect for us. But as many have said, any of the schools up there are great.

[Anonymous]

OP: Thank you everyone. Can't wait to dig in. I've made a spreadsheet with comments so I can remember! Seems like housing stock is pretty scarce in recommended neighborhoods from earlier comments so what we may do is tour the elementary schools recommended whilst we AirBnB, then potentially rent in the elementary school zone we love we wait for a house to pop up. What I'm hearing from this thread though is that there are lots of good options.

RE: Cap. Hill- YES! I LOVE this neighborhood, and frankly if I didn't have four kids (one of whom will be 5 and the other 7 when we move) I probably would settle here and even suck up the commute. From what I've seen, sounds like Takoma Park, MD would be wonderful, too. But, we will loved areas often We are a family that gets out and about and we rarely are home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Thank you everyone. Can't wait to dig in. I've made a spreadsheet with comments so I can remember! Seems like housing stock is pretty scarce in recommended neighborhoods from earlier comments so what we may do is tour the elementary schools recommended whilst we AirBnB, then potentially rent in the elementary school zone we love we wait for a house to pop up. What I'm hearing from this thread though is that there are lots of good options.

RE: Cap. Hill- YES! I LOVE this neighborhood, and frankly if I didn't have four kids (one of whom will be 5 and the other 7 when we move) I probably would settle here and even suck up the commute. From what I've seen, sounds like Takoma Park, MD would be wonderful, too. But, we will loved areas often We are a family that gets out and about and we rarely are home.

I think that's the best plan. Renting is a good idea anyway, so that you get to know the neighborhood before you buy. But in upper NW, there are many good schools to choose from. We are zoned for Murch and live near the Van Ness metro, and find it very walkable and convenient for everyday living--grocery stores, pharmacy, dry cleaning, parks and playgrounds, Metro, etc. Plus we are close to Politics and Prose (best bookstore in the city), a great wine store, and a fantastic bakery, so we feel like we're in good shape! But there are nice walkable areas in pretty much all the upper NW school zones, so you should be able to find something that works for you.

[Anonymous]

Not much help here, but I married an Aussie and hope you love it here! Melbourne is a tough act to follow - please don't try to compare too much ha ha. At least you won't have sticker shock from the insane housing prices here. Good luck sorting this all out...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

BC there aren't 5 BR houses in Cap Hill for $1.25M.

And because she wants decent schools through high school.

Dumb question but...so does everyone with kids basically leave CH by high school? That seems so dumb. I just mean you'd think with all the money and power centered there they'd have gotten a good HS by now.

There used to be a strip that was zoned for Wilson. I am not kidding.

Yep-- when we bought our house it was zoned for Wilson. Totally insane (what an coincidence that it happened to be the whitest, richest, most powerful part of Capitol Hill). Anyway, our high schooler happily attends charter school -- Washington Latin. Lots of his friends that he attended the local elementary school with are also there and also at private schools and BASIS. If I were OP I'd buy in Capitol Hill but definitely go for a house zoned in good elementary school. Charters, privates, and Jefferson and S-H are all likely choices for middle school for OP's family in a few years time. I suppose its a gamble yes, there are only a couple families that have moved out to the suburbs after going through elementary school. But to my eye it's a guarantee that living WOTP while doing much of your work on the east side of the city would be an immediate pain in the rear. Point is, most of my kid's friends that he went through elementary school with have stayed on the Hill and I think the odds of good school options in middle and high school would be even stronger a few years from now.

Aussie pals recently moved from the Hill back to Sydney for better schools after 6 or 7 years in the hood. Don't buy it OP.

I hope you mean neighborhood, because if you think CH is “the hood,” I can only assume you never leave your lily white block in Palisades.

Np here, laughing!! We moved from cap hill to palisades and believe me, the houses are definitely more expensive on the Hill, especially for the size OP is looking for! I am not a realtor but there is much greater price inflation there compared to upper nw.

We just needed a little more quiet, and had hankerings for a garage.. if we could have waved a magic wand and added some alley parking, we never would have left.

Note to the OP: cap hill is the best neighborhood for a commute to va south of mclean and many parts of MD. Very easy in and out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you in advance for reading my long and complicated post!

We are a family of 6 (6 yo, 4 yo, twin babies) looking to move to DC next June from Australia. We are dual citizens.

Because my daughter will be 7yo when we arrive, we are looking to move to a neighborhood where we can attend in boundary elementary through high schools.

I will be working throughout DC, in wards 4,5,6, 7 and 8 via car. My main office will be between Georgetown and Downtown. My partner hasn't decided on a job, but he's flexible. It would be great to live near(ish) to work, but since I'll be travelling during the day anyway, that's not the main priority.

We are a bit stressed about this move- mainly because we don't want to uproot our children and then have them attend a school only to have us switch them out to a new school soon after. This is why we want to enrol in the in-boundary schools.

Could you please advise on your favorite elementary, middle and/or high schools and share why? We are looking for schools with a strong sense of community that are friendly and safe. We have been looking at neighborhoods in NW. Our housing budget is $1.25 million.

Thank you!

Have you considered living in Bethesda, MD, right on the DC/MD border by the river. Much better schools through middle and high school as well as zippy enough commutes all over DC, VC, MD. Esp in west bethesda I often go on GW parkway (in VA), Clara Barton, MacArthur, River Road, Massachusettrs or slug it out on Wisconsin or COnnecticut if I have to. Whitman HS cluster or Bethesda Chevy Chase cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you in advance for reading my long and complicated post!

We are a family of 6 (6 yo, 4 yo, twin babies) looking to move to DC next June from Australia. We are dual citizens.

Because my daughter will be 7yo when we arrive, we are looking to move to a neighborhood where we can attend in boundary elementary through high schools.

I will be working throughout DC, in wards 4,5,6, 7 and 8 via car. My main office will be between Georgetown and Downtown. My partner hasn't decided on a job, but he's flexible. It would be great to live near(ish) to work, but since I'll be travelling during the day anyway, that's not the main priority.

We are a bit stressed about this move- mainly because we don't want to uproot our children and then have them attend a school only to have us switch them out to a new school soon after. This is why we want to enrol in the in-boundary schools.

Could you please advise on your favorite elementary, middle and/or high schools and share why? We are looking for schools with a strong sense of community that are friendly and safe. We have been looking at neighborhoods in NW. Our housing budget is $1.25 million.

Thank you!

Have you considered living in Bethesda, MD, right on the DC/MD border by the river. Much better schools through middle and high school as well as zippy enough commutes all over DC, VC, MD. Esp in west bethesda I often go on GW parkway (in VA), Clara Barton, MacArthur, River Road, Massachusettrs or slug it out on Wisconsin or COnnecticut if I have to. Whitman HS cluster or Bethesda Chevy Chase cluster.

The high schools will be better, but the elementary schools (where OP's kids will be right now) will not. One big factor for our decision was class sizes - Westbrook has K classes with 29 students and one teacher, while Janney's K classes are around 22 students with two teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

BC there aren't 5 BR houses in Cap Hill for $1.25M.

And because she wants decent schools through high school.

Dumb question but...so does everyone with kids basically leave CH by high school? That seems so dumb. I just mean you'd think with all the money and power centered there they'd have gotten a good HS by now.

There used to be a strip that was zoned for Wilson. I am not kidding.

Yep-- when we bought our house it was zoned for Wilson. Totally insane (what an coincidence that it happened to be the whitest, richest, most powerful part of Capitol Hill). Anyway, our high schooler happily attends charter school -- Washington Latin. Lots of his friends that he attended the local elementary school with are also there and also at private schools and BASIS. If I were OP I'd buy in Capitol Hill but definitely go for a house zoned in good elementary school. Charters, privates, and Jefferson and S-H are all likely choices for middle school for OP's family in a few years time. I suppose its a gamble yes, there are only a couple families that have moved out to the suburbs after going through elementary school. But to my eye it's a guarantee that living WOTP while doing much of your work on the east side of the city would be an immediate pain in the rear. Point is, most of my kid's friends that he went through elementary school with have stayed on the Hill and I think the odds of good school options in middle and high school would be even stronger a few years from now.

Aussie pals recently moved from the Hill back to Sydney for better schools after 6 or 7 years in the hood. Don't buy it OP.

I hope you mean neighborhood, because if you think CH is “the hood,” I can only assume you never leave your lily white block in Palisades.

Np here, laughing!! We moved from cap hill to palisades and believe me, the houses are definitely more expensive on the Hill, especially for the size OP is looking for! I am not a realtor but there is much greater price inflation there compared to upper nw.

We just needed a little more quiet, and had hankerings for a garage.. if we could have waved a magic wand and added some alley parking, we never would have left.

Note to the OP: cap hill is the best neighborhood for a commute to va south of mclean and many parts of MD. Very easy in and out.

I work in Mckean and can without a doubt day CH is NOT the best neighborhood for that commute. Palisades itself is even less than half the commute. I used to live in CH and now in upper NW and my commute is in half.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

BC there aren't 5 BR houses in Cap Hill for $1.25M.

And because she wants decent schools through high school.

Dumb question but...so does everyone with kids basically leave CH by high school? That seems so dumb. I just mean you'd think with all the money and power centered there they'd have gotten a good HS by now.

There used to be a strip that was zoned for Wilson. I am not kidding.

Yep-- when we bought our house it was zoned for Wilson. Totally insane (what an coincidence that it happened to be the whitest, richest, most powerful part of Capitol Hill). Anyway, our high schooler happily attends charter school -- Washington Latin. Lots of his friends that he attended the local elementary school with are also there and also at private schools and BASIS. If I were OP I'd buy in Capitol Hill but definitely go for a house zoned in good elementary school. Charters, privates, and Jefferson and S-H are all likely choices for middle school for OP's family in a few years time. I suppose its a gamble yes, there are only a couple families that have moved out to the suburbs after going through elementary school. But to my eye it's a guarantee that living WOTP while doing much of your work on the east side of the city would be an immediate pain in the rear. Point is, most of my kid's friends that he went through elementary school with have stayed on the Hill and I think the odds of good school options in middle and high school would be even stronger a few years from now.

Aussie pals recently moved from the Hill back to Sydney for better schools after 6 or 7 years in the hood. Don't buy it OP.

I hope you mean neighborhood, because if you think CH is “the hood,” I can only assume you never leave your lily white block in Palisades.

Np here, laughing!! We moved from cap hill to palisades and believe me, the houses are definitely more expensive on the Hill, especially for the size OP is looking for! I am not a realtor but there is much greater price inflation there compared to upper nw.

We just needed a little more quiet, and had hankerings for a garage.. if we could have waved a magic wand and added some alley parking, we never would have left.

Note to the OP: cap hill is the best neighborhood for a commute to va south of mclean and many parts of MD. Very easy in and out.

I work in Mckean and can without a doubt day CH is NOT the best neighborhood for that commute. Palisades itself is even less than half the commute. I used to live in CH and now in upper NW and my commute is in half.

PP here, I meant its a great location for commute to Alexandria, Crystal City, Pentagon, even Rosslyn / areas "south" of McLean, but totally phrased poorly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also funny: how come nobody is recommending Capitol Hill?

BC there aren't 5 BR houses in Cap Hill for $1.25M.

And because she wants decent schools through high school.

Dumb question but...so does everyone with kids basically leave CH by high school? That seems so dumb. I just mean you'd think with all the money and power centered there they'd have gotten a good HS by now.

There used to be a strip that was zoned for Wilson. I am not kidding.

Yep-- when we bought our house it was zoned for Wilson. Totally insane (what an coincidence that it happened to be the whitest, richest, most powerful part of Capitol Hill). Anyway, our high schooler happily attends charter school -- Washington Latin. Lots of his friends that he attended the local elementary school with are also there and also at private schools and BASIS. If I were OP I'd buy in Capitol Hill but definitely go for a house zoned in good elementary school. Charters, privates, and Jefferson and S-H are all likely choices for middle school for OP's family in a few years time. I suppose its a gamble yes, there are only a couple families that have moved out to the suburbs after going through elementary school. But to my eye it's a guarantee that living WOTP while doing much of your work on the east side of the city would be an immediate pain in the rear. Point is, most of my kid's friends that he went through elementary school with have stayed on the Hill and I think the odds of good school options in middle and high school would be even stronger a few years from now.

Aussie pals recently moved from the Hill back to Sydney for better schools after 6 or 7 years in the hood. Don't buy it OP.

I hope you mean neighborhood, because if you think CH is “the hood,” I can only assume you never leave your lily white block in Palisades.

Np here, laughing!! We moved from cap hill to palisades and believe me, the houses are definitely more expensive on the Hill, especially for the size OP is looking for! I am not a realtor but there is much greater price inflation there compared to upper nw.

We just needed a little more quiet, and had hankerings for a garage.. if we could have waved a magic wand and added some alley parking, we never would have left.

Note to the OP: cap hill is the best neighborhood for a commute to va south of mclean and many parts of MD. Very easy in and out.

I work in Mckean and can without a doubt day CH is NOT the best neighborhood for that commute. Palisades itself is even less than half the commute. I used to live in CH and now in upper NW and my commute is in half.

PP here, I meant its a great location for commute to Alexandria, Crystal City, Pentagon, even Rosslyn / areas "south" of McLean, but totally phrased poorly!

Got it. I was going to tell you “girl what route are you taking to McLean if you think Cap Hill is faster this. From where you live?!” LOL agreed to other cities. However, OP clearly needs middle school and CH is a nonstarter.

[Anonymous]

Why has no one mentioned Chevy Chase DC? You can have good schools through high school - Lafayette, Deal, Wilson. Parts of the neighborhood are very walkable to a small commercial strip that's very functional--community center, library, toy store, grocery store, a few restaurants, pharmacy, artsy movie theatre, etc. super cute corner store/market right by the elementary school. closer to rock creek park than janney, so good for your commute to wards 4-8. Tons of little kids. You also get a lot more for your money than Cleveland Park or Woodley Park bc/ it's further from downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why has no one mentioned Chevy Chase DC? You can have good schools through high school - Lafayette, Deal, Wilson. Parts of the neighborhood are very walkable to a small commercial strip that's very functional--community center, library, toy store, grocery store, a few restaurants, pharmacy, artsy movie theatre, etc. super cute corner store/market right by the elementary school. closer to rock creek park than janney, so good for your commute to wards 4-8. Tons of little kids. You also get a lot more for your money than Cleveland Park or Woodley Park bc/ it's further from downtown.

Everyone has mentioned all Deal feeders. Personally, I’d rather Shepherd Park than CC. More diverse, more access to retail (SS And Takoma), just as close to rock creek if not closer, and similar access to library, pharmacy etc you mention. Most importantly, a smaller elementary (IB curriculum) and more house for your buck. Not a knock on CC at all, as I love both neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you in advance for reading my long and complicated post!

We are a family of 6 (6 yo, 4 yo, twin babies) looking to move to DC next June from Australia. We are dual citizens.

Because my daughter will be 7yo when we arrive, we are looking to move to a neighborhood where we can attend in boundary elementary through high schools.

I will be working throughout DC, in wards 4,5,6, 7 and 8 via car. My main office will be between Georgetown and Downtown. My partner hasn't decided on a job, but he's flexible. It would be great to live near(ish) to work, but since I'll be travelling during the day anyway, that's not the main priority.

We are a bit stressed about this move- mainly because we don't want to uproot our children and then have them attend a school only to have us switch them out to a new school soon after. This is why we want to enrol in the in-boundary schools.

Could you please advise on your favorite elementary, middle and/or high schools and share why? We are looking for schools with a strong sense of community that are friendly and safe. We have been looking at neighborhoods in NW. Our housing budget is $1.25 million.

Thank you!

Have you considered living in Bethesda, MD, right on the DC/MD border by the river. Much better schools through middle and high school as well as zippy enough commutes all over DC, VC, MD. Esp in west bethesda I often go on GW parkway (in VA), Clara Barton, MacArthur, River Road, Massachusettrs or slug it out on Wisconsin or COnnecticut if I have to. Whitman HS cluster or Bethesda Chevy Chase cluster.

The high schools will be better, but the elementary schools (where OP's kids will be right now) will not. One big factor for our decision was class sizes - Westbrook has K classes with 29 students and one teacher, while Janney's K classes are around 22 students with two teachers.

My 2nd graded has 23 in there class and my younger kid in K has 21 (woodacres). I live up the street from Janney and would chose woodacres over it every time. And it isn’t 2 teachers. It is a teacher and an aid. Nice don’t get me wrong but I can only imagine that the PTA funding that will either be outlawed soon or the OOB slots vastly increased as the disparity of the high value PTAs are brought to light over the EOTP schools