Capitol Hill families - If you moved to NW or burbs for school, do you have any regrets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I wish it hadn't been necessary, but DD didn't get into Banneker or Walls (despite good enough grades to be eligible) or any good lottery schools, so here we are. It hasn't been easy socially but after the first year it was okay. I very much miss the Hill feel and row house density and I loathe having a yard.

Eesh, this is my fear. We've made middle school work and I'm now facing down 8th grade with a kid whose transcript is perfect. But what if that isn't enough? Like PP, we have an only and have contemplated renting in a dense part of W3 or Silver Spring.

Well, to be fair, DD's grades were good enough but not great, and I love her but she doesn't interview well or have impressive extracurrics.

I think you can hope for a good lottery number, check out Truth for high school, or look into privates. Our Lady of the Bad Lottery Numbers probably has a seat for you if you don't mind Catholic mass!

LOL! This is the content I come to DCUM for. So stealing line that if we wind up in a similar position when our elementary age kid is ready for high school.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I don't think it's true that there's no meaningful difference between upper NW and the MD/VA burbs. We moved to the Murch zone in DC ("Wakefield" technically, but no one knows that neighborhood) and it feels way less suburban than the places where our MD and VA friends live. We can walk to multiple restaurants in 5 min, groceries and other retail in 15min, there is a mix of housing density, short walk to metro, and surrounded by other similar neighborhoods. In the VA/MD suburbs if you choose the right location you might be able to walk to some stores/density but at best it's a small island of walkability surrounded by suburbia and freeways. Upper NW doesn't feel like that. Obviously there are exceptions - e.g. Forest Hills DC probably feels more suburban in places than close-in Bethesda. But there's only a handful of houses in Bethesda that are actually walkable to anything, and even then it feels kind of like you're walking along the side of a freeway.

I'm PP you are replying to and you imagined the bolded; I didn't type it. You are focusing on the wrong issue here. No one is arguing that inner burbs aren't different than true MD and VA burbs. The point is that this is all about what you give up in exchange for better schools. It's cool you like your Chipotle better than the one in MoCo.

Ok well you said the "NW burbs" were "really just that: burbs" which yes, does suggest that you think there is no meaningful difference.

Anyway, I lived in Capitol Hill for many years and my favorite Chipotle is the Eastern market one

[Anonymous]

I think it depends what you liked about CH and what you don't like (or don't think you like) about burbs. I absolutely hate driving. Cleveland Park is doable. The MD and VA burbs are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends what you liked about CH and what you don't like (or don't think you like) about burbs. I absolutely hate driving. Cleveland Park is doable. The MD and VA burbs are not.

I am the Arlington PP. I drive less than my friends in Cleveland Park. I can walk to almost all errands - grocery, trader Joe's, cvs, book store, apple store, as well as lots of independent coffee shops.

[Anonymous]

We moved from Hill East to the Cleveland Park area before kids were school-age. I love where we ended up. Very friendly, walkable, convenient. I think we could have stayed on the Hill and also had a good experience, but on balance, I think we made the right call. (That said, had we waited, there's no way we could have afforded our current place.)

[Anonymous]

I doubt you will hear from many people with regrets. People have confirmation bias and everyone wants to think the neighborhood/lifestyle they chose is the best one. We moved to upper NW for schools and safety and I think it was the right choice, even though I miss the neighborhood, but if I had stayed in Capitol Hill I would probably convince myself that was fine too.

[Anonymous]

Something to consider is whether you want to rely on TAG or have in-state tuition for public colleges in VA or MD.

[Anonymous]

Divorce forced our hand on selling our Cap Hill house, with one parent whose job went 100% remote moving to our top school choice in NoVa and the other waiting to see how that worked before committing to housing long-term in DC.

No regrets on having the kids transfer to NoVa schools and our oldest (starting 7th grade at the time) was not behind his new peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

Renting an apartment IB for Deal/Wilson was a viable strategy 5 years ago. But you should proceed with caution today. The city has placed hundreds (thousands?) of homeless in the buildings along CT and WI. It’s not at all a family friendly environment it once was. Also, there is a tremendous push from the ANCs and CM Frumin to add more affordable housing in Ward 3, which is obviously noble. But, the schools are already overcrowded and there is no relief in sight. MacArthur HS is a rounding error and won’t make a dent in the overcrowding. Do your homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

you'd only need to rent for the first year of ES, MS or HS...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yea there’s a world of difference between BCC and JR. Be serious. And yea Upper Caucasia is every bit as suburban as the real burbs with schools that are fine, maybe, but c’mon. They’re not BCC, not the W schools, not Arlington or a Fairfax schools. Hell, they might not even be as good as the Alexandria schools.

Have you even been to Upper NW? It is much more dense and urban than the "real burbs." It's fine if you decide the amenities aren't worth it to you and you'd rather head straight for McLean, but it's really a very different feel.

Arlington denser than ward 3. So is Alexandria. I don't think CH people would like McLean, but plenty of parts of Arlington are dense and walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

you'd only need to rent for the first year of ES, MS or HS...

No, you need to be living IB in the terminal grade to get the feeder, I believe.

Also this is a horrible idea. At some point you just need to give up a realize that you should just put down roots where the schools are decent. Legions of families have done that, forever.

I suppose if OP is truly stuck and cannot move, it’s one possibility if she can scrape up $2000 to rent a studio.

But still, not a great backup plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

Renting an apartment IB for Deal/Wilson was a viable strategy 5 years ago. But you should proceed with caution today. The city has placed hundreds (thousands?) of homeless in the buildings along CT and WI. It’s not at all a family friendly environment it once was. Also, there is a tremendous push from the ANCs and CM Frumin to add more affordable housing in Ward 3, which is obviously noble. But, the schools are already overcrowded and there is no relief in sight. MacArthur HS is a rounding error and won’t make a dent in the overcrowding. Do your homework.

I don’t know if the numbers are that high but yeah, DC turning middle class housing into homeless shelters was … quite the move. When I was considering the move to NW and renting, I learned that there are some buildings and management companies with better reps. Also renting in a condo building or renting a house (there are some small ones) is lower risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

Renting an apartment IB for Deal/Wilson was a viable strategy 5 years ago. But you should proceed with caution today. The city has placed hundreds (thousands?) of homeless in the buildings along CT and WI. It’s not at all a family friendly environment it once was. Also, there is a tremendous push from the ANCs and CM Frumin to add more affordable housing in Ward 3, which is obviously noble. But, the schools are already overcrowded and there is no relief in sight. MacArthur HS is a rounding error and won’t make a dent in the overcrowding. Do your homework.

I don’t know if the numbers are that high but yeah, DC turning middle class housing into homeless shelters was … quite the move. When I was considering the move to NW and renting, I learned that there are some buildings and management companies with better reps. Also renting in a condo building or renting a house (there are some small ones) is lower risk.

Oh stop with your Ward 3 Whining. There is homeless housing and low-income housing in every ward and you're not so special that you get a pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you considering moving to NW, or outside of DC? I am asking because before we got great 5th grade lottery luck we were having the same conversations in our house. We came to the conclusion that the NW burbs were really just that; burbs. Deal and JR are the best public schools in DC, but they do not compare favorably to the best public schools in MD or VA. If we were prepared to leave CH for schools, we weren't going to nibble around the edges for JR and were going to just pull the ripcord and decamp for true burbs and objectively better schools.

I think this is how we feel, too EXCEPT since we only have one kid, we've actually considered just moving into an apartment zoned for Deal/JR that is in the densest, most urban parts of the catchment. So basically Van Ness or Wisconsin Avenue near the Cathedral. Something pretty walkable and very close to public transportation. If we did this, we wouldn't even sell our house, just rent it out until DC finishes HS.

What we could afford to buy in NW would be far from the metro and very suburban, and if we're going to do that, we might as well leave DC and get a little more value/space for our money and really good schools.

Renting an apartment IB for Deal/Wilson was a viable strategy 5 years ago. But you should proceed with caution today. The city has placed hundreds (thousands?) of homeless in the buildings along CT and WI. It’s not at all a family friendly environment it once was. Also, there is a tremendous push from the ANCs and CM Frumin to add more affordable housing in Ward 3, which is obviously noble. But, the schools are already overcrowded and there is no relief in sight. MacArthur HS is a rounding error and won’t make a dent in the overcrowding. Do your homework.

I don’t know if the numbers are that high but yeah, DC turning middle class housing into homeless shelters was … quite the move. When I was considering the move to NW and renting, I learned that there are some buildings and management companies with better reps. Also renting in a condo building or renting a house (there are some small ones) is lower risk.

Oh stop with your Ward 3 Whining. There is homeless housing and low-income housing in every ward and you're not so special that you get a pass.

Maybe do some research before spouting off. The voucher program is a real problem. I’m sure you’d love to live in a building with an aggressive addicted and/or mentally ill tenant who cannot be evicted?