PK4 in the Hill
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abarem123
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OP here - thanks this is all super helpful. If I'm understanding the replies correctly, it sounds like we will very likely get a PK4 spot *somewhere* within a mile or so of where we would live (on the Hill). It doesn't have to be a PK spot at the IB elementary school - I am just most concerned about odds to get a spot at a school period. I'm hopeful from reading the comments that we'd land a spot somewhere (Miner, Appletree, JO Wilson, Peabody, etc.).
I agree with posters stating that we should move IB for where we'd like to be long-term. Are there any big differences between the elementary schools on the Hill? e.g., why would I want L-T vs. Maury vs. Brent vs. other options? Would the odds for getting my younger child a PK3 spot at L-T (inbound) be better than Maury (inbound)? |
Anonymous
PP here - a lot of the Hill schools are great. Even those that don't get a lot of love here punch way above their weight and are fantastic public schools where kids can thrive. Rankings wise you'll typically see people go Maury, Brent (though there's one year left on the bus), LT for a top three, and people will rearrange based on several different personal factors. I'd ask first and foremost if location is important to you. Capitol Hill looks small on a map versus Hoboken but it's an extra 15+ minutes on a driving commute downtown some days if you live in the far part of the Maury zone versus the most NE part of Brent. Do you need to be walkable to a Metro/Hill offices? LT and Brent have that, not all of the Maury does (you'd want to be close to Eastern Market if you do intend to Metro regularly). Need quick exit out 295 or desire something a little further out from the Capitol itself? Maury is likely better for your family. All three have great parks and pocket parks/playgrounds walkable. One note, depending on where you're looking at in Maury's zone, there's about to be a multi-year construction project on the RFK site for a new NFL stadium, and I expect that will be quite disruptive at times. Brent is going to be highly sought after when the building reopens in 2026. If you didn't want to do the bus, you could do AppleTree, Peabody, etc. for a year. But for your rental dollar, you'll probably get more space and more updated housing stock in the other two. Sibling preference should pull your PK3 kid in at any of the three (though Maury is getting pretty tight). How long are you planning to stay in DC? The 5th grade and feeder school conversation comes into play fast. I'm a parent for a high achiever at one of those aforementioned top three and honestly think he'd be doing great at any of them - but logistics matter for us and our work / commutes so we planned accordingly. |
Anonymous
PP again - Yes you'll be able to get a spot somewhere for PK4 within a mile, and if you're willing to wait out the lottery, you may get more than one offer by October. (Movement tends to stop on Oct. 5, which is called Count Day - basically the school will get funding for every child in a seat that day. So they have motivation to have as many slots filled as possible that day, but not really after.) DC does ECE very well, so some schools that don't rank highly for upper elementary have great PK programs - Miner comes to mind. Just make sure to rank your schools in order of ACTUAL preference. You don't get assigned a waitlist number for anything AFTER a school you get into. So you want to put the lower hanging fruit at the bottom. (Example: If you put AppleTree Oklahoma first because you know it's easier to get into, and then you actually do get in on lottery day, you wouldn't even get put on the waitlist at all for LT and others if they're below it.) |
Anonymous
| The PP’s above point about different parts of the neighborhood being different for public transportation and overall vibe is important. Parts of the Maury and LT zones are far from metro. When you get far out in the Maury zone, it is very sleepy and you are pretty far from any commercial corridors. |
abarem123
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Thank you - yes, I understand that about the waitlist preference. It actually behooves us even more than others to list the most competitive/highest preferences up top, as we actually would prefer to not get matched on the lottery day but instead over the summer/closer to the summer when we would have proof of residency. So, an ideal situation for us is no match at all but near the top of the waitlists at a few good/close schools. That is reassuring to hear about ECE. Is curriculum the same at all programs? |
Anonymous
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All of the elementary schools are good. I’d pick based on proximity to what you need. Do you need/want to be closer to Union Station, for example? Would you prefer being closer to eastern market? Price can also vary wildly block by block.
Btw if you are a biker or bike curious, a bike is perhaps the best way to get around the Hill with two kids. There’s a great biking culture and bike accessibility is getting better every year. |
Anonymous
Couple things to respond do in this thread - so in no particular order. Lots of research to back the test score and socioeconomic statements above - and if you are at a school with little to know at risk population, it is very true that teaching can be substandard, but test scores will still be OK due to external variables. If you want to get into the data of quality teaching that is helping all kids improve, look at resources like https://www.dcboldschools.org/. But since you will only be here a few years in early elementary, this may not be much of an issue/concern anyway. Second, while Peabody is a 'neighborhood' school, due to a decades old gerrymandered boundary that cuts across the whole Capitol Hill, you could be in bounds and be 1.5 miles away from somebody else who lives in bounds. The other school boundaries are much smaller/regular shaped, so the proximity to classmates is much more noticeable. Agree to look at which schools are in swing space, and while LT and Maury are both good options, I think Payne's boundary/school community has some significant advantages too. It is a small boundary, near metro/bus access, near bike lanes and a grocery store and walkable to other restaurants/retail, but not too close to any that it impacts parking etc. |
Anonymous
As someone who is IB to Peabody/Watkins but has proximity preference to Payne, this is overall a very good take. |
Anonymous
| Unrelated to your question really but as a former Hoboken resident, welcome! The street parking is much easier here though can still be a little bit tricky near schools, churches, and commercial areas. The food is a definite downgrade from Hoboken and NYC but still expensive. But Capitol Hill is great and a good bet if you are trying to find a similar feel. It is calmer and sleepier, especially on certain blocks, but still similar. And as another poster said, the family bike culture is amazing. |
Anonymous
| One thought if you want to have in-bounds as an option is to look for a short-term rental for when you first arrive. Get a 6-month lease starting over the summer locked in before March 1. Then, either you like it and want to stay, or you can move somewhere else. But I believe your kid can attend that elementary school until 5th grade. |
Anonymous
OP one question to consider is if aftercare is essential for you. For some of these schools, if you get in during the summer, aftercare will already be full at some schools. Others are able to scale up as necessary. If that's a deal breaker, it's worth researching which of your desired schools fall into which of those buckets. |
abarem123
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Thank you! Amazing to find another former Hoboken. Do you live in the Hill too? |
abarem123
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Thank you, very good point. We would need aftercare. How does one go about researching which schools have better aftercare options for a summer move-in/enrollment vs. others? |
abarem123
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| Thank you. Living close to classmates is important to us and one of the things we like most about where we live now. We will likely rank Peabody in our PK4 lottery because we ultimately just need a spot for a year, but may prioritize moving to L-T, Maury, Brent, or Payne IB areas as opposed to Watkins/Peabody for that reason. Curious - why is Payne not a "top three" like L-T, Maury and Brent? Is it just historically more socioeconomically diverse and/or test score driven? I'll definitely check out the DC Bold Schools website! |
Anonymous
You can ask about specific programs. I can tell you as someone with experience with the aftercare program at JOW and at L-T, that they work hard to accommodate all students. Sometimes there are waitlists, but they usually figure it out and I've never known anyone at either school get locked out of aftercare and have to go somewhere else. In my experience, DCPS schools are structured under the assumption that most kids will need aftercare. There may be specific schools where SAHPs or nannies are prevalent enough that the schools have smaller aftercare programs, but that just doesn't seem to be the case on the Hill for the most part. But I can't speak to other schools since my kids haven't attended those. |