If you are in Kensington, Wheaton, or Silver Spring, with a child in elementary school...

[Anonymous]

...which school does your child go to? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it?

We're looking to move but aren't sure where to go. Currently in Kensington Parkwood district. Have heard good things about Rock View Elementary, Rock Creek Garden Elementary, and Oakland Terrace. Would be curious to hear from parents who love their child's school ... or who don't love it

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

We are satisfied with Oakland Terrace but we are very excited about the new school opening to relieve the overcrowding.

[Anonymous]

Why would you leave KP? Everyone raves about it...

[Anonymous]

Yes, can't understand why you would move to lesser school districts. Elementary schools may be equal, more or less, but the middle and high schools in the places you're talking about are much less desirable than North Bethesda and WJ.

[Anonymous]

Child in kindergarten at Oakland Terrace. Love it so far and my son is happy and thriving. The principal is extremely energetic and there seems to be a strong community/PTA. My son is above grade in reading so the teacher breaks them up into groups and focuses on skills to push the kids along. She has also adjusted the groups as needed. Math is very basic and I am still trying to figure out if the county wide Curriculum 2.0 is the reason. We have supplemented his math with work at home.

As an FYI, Oakland feeds into Newport Mills and then Einstein.

[Anonymous]

Some of OTES actually feeds to Sligo (though this will change with the opening of the new school).

[Anonymous]

Yes, OP, why in the WORLD would you leave KP area?

I can understand if you looking for more house for less $$$...maybe...

[Anonymous]

Yes - now OT splits between Sligo and Newport. When the new school opens next year, all of OT will feed into Newport and all of the new school (McKenney) will feed into Sligo.

[Anonymous]

Very happy with forest knolls too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP, why in the WORLD would you leave KP area?

I can understand if you looking for more house for less $$$...maybe...

So typical of the DCUM snoburban. Get over yourself.

OP, my child went to Rock View, but it's been several years since she graduated. We were happy overall with the teachers, small class size and the fairly new building (an addition just opened this year as well). Very diverse both racially and economically, which is a good thing in my book. A large number of parents were involved with the PTA. My main concern was the emphasis on preparing for the MSAs. I'm hoping that's changed. You can get an amazingly bigger house in the Rock View part of Kensington than the KP part for the same money.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Oakland Terrace and have loved everything but the overcrowding, which will happily be resolved next fall. At that point it will be much more of a small neighborhood school for the Homewood/Plyers Mill area. It is true that people have traditionally not liked Newport Mill middle school as much as North Bethesda middle school, which K-P feeds into. Though I am a believer that Newport Mill and Einstein will both be very different places in 10 years or so, especially if all these phenomenal kids I see at OTES stick around. I also really like the neighborhood itself. It's walkable to downtown K-town, lots of parks, etc.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone so much for the replies. We live in a small apartment and there's not much else that we can afford here in Kensington, hence our decision to try to move to a different area. We also would prefer a school that is more ethnically diverse than KP, and where the community has more diversity in terms of economic situation. At the same time, KP seems like a lovely school, especially the arts integration focus. I'm not sure how worried we need to be about middle/high schools, because we are renting and could move again when it's time for middle school if need be.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks everyone so much for the replies. We live in a small apartment and there's not much else that we can afford here in Kensington, hence our decision to try to move to a different area. We also would prefer a school that is more ethnically diverse than KP, and where the community has more diversity in terms of economic situation. At the same time, KP seems like a lovely school, especially the arts integration focus. I'm not sure how worried we need to be about middle/high schools, because we are renting and could move again when it's time for middle school if need be.

Thanks again for the thoughts.

Oakland Terrace fits the bill on those criteria (can you tell we like it there??), and it basically abuts the neighborhoods that go to KP so you may not even have to move far. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Dr. Charles Drew Elementary has an arts integration program. Don't know anything about the school though, sorry!