elementary schools with the best community

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I need to stay in DC long enough to take advantage of the free pre-K for my youngest, who is now 2. I also have a five year old who will be going into Kindergarten. Currently in Takoma. Need to not break my budget here.

Why not stay at Takoma? They are early action for pre-k3 so you are guaranteed a spot.

+1 Seems like moving would create the problem, not fix it.

Seems like OP is not happy at Takoma since she has a rising K and I assumed has already gone thru ECE there. Hence question kf moving where.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Sorry I wasn't clear with what I posted. We are in bounds for Whittier. Went there briefly before we got into another program for prek3 and 4, and my husband wasn't too impressed with Whittier, but that was now 2 years ago. I know that Whittier does have great community around here. Long term I plan to be in Maryland, but for the next few years, I'm trying to determine if it would make sense for my children's education to be on the other side of Rock Creek Park. Would going to Stoddert (where there are more affordable apartment buildings) be an investment for my child/better education over Whittier (even if I recognize I would forgo getting prek3 paid for for my littlest since they don't have that)? I'm not sure how to think about what is best for my kids in the next few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I need to stay in DC long enough to take advantage of the free pre-K for my youngest, who is now 2. I also have a five year old who will be going into Kindergarten. Currently in Takoma. Need to not break my budget here.

Rent a place inbounds for Ross and send the pk3 kid to Marie Reed until they can go to Ross for pk4.

Getting into pk3 at Marie Reed when out of bounds is not easy, possibly impossible. But there might be some cbo options near Ross

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry I wasn't clear with what I posted. We are in bounds for Whittier. Went there briefly before we got into another program for prek3 and 4, and my husband wasn't too impressed with Whittier, but that was now 2 years ago. I know that Whittier does have great community around here. Long term I plan to be in Maryland, but for the next few years, I'm trying to determine if it would make sense for my children's education to be on the other side of Rock Creek Park. Would going to Stoddert (where there are more affordable apartment buildings) be an investment for my child/better education over Whittier (even if I recognize I would forgo getting prek3 paid for for my littlest since they don't have that)? I'm not sure how to think about what is best for my kids in the next few years.

Sorry if I missed it, but can you skip the interim step and go to your long-term MD goal? It gets harder to move kids as they get older and more socially intertwined. If I knew where we wanted to be long-term… I would do that as early as possible because the change is easier on them when they’re small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I need to stay in DC long enough to take advantage of the free pre-K for my youngest, who is now 2. I also have a five year old who will be going into Kindergarten. Currently in Takoma. Need to not break my budget here.

OP If you think you're going to leave, don't be too focused on the free prek. I'm in VA and compared costs with a friend with similar age kids and we were paying almost the same for child care costs. Infant/toddler costs are higher in DC, then add in camps over the summer it somehow was not that different because I pay less for care generally. It was kind of crazy to see. I guess you're about to hit the sweet spot where it probably is in fact cheaper since it is your second and you've gotten this far but, just don't break your back over it is my personal opinion. Don't move twice for a couple years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry I wasn't clear with what I posted. We are in bounds for Whittier. Went there briefly before we got into another program for prek3 and 4, and my husband wasn't too impressed with Whittier, but that was now 2 years ago. I know that Whittier does have great community around here. Long term I plan to be in Maryland, but for the next few years, I'm trying to determine if it would make sense for my children's education to be on the other side of Rock Creek Park. Would going to Stoddert (where there are more affordable apartment buildings) be an investment for my child/better education over Whittier (even if I recognize I would forgo getting prek3 paid for for my littlest since they don't have that)? I'm not sure how to think about what is best for my kids in the next few years.

Sorry if I missed it, but can you skip the interim step and go to your long-term MD goal? It gets harder to move kids as they get older and more socially intertwined. If I knew where we wanted to be long-term… I would do that as early as possible because the change is easier on them when they’re small.

+1 move where you want to be and let your oldest start elementary where he'll be long term. It will be better for you and your kids in the long term.

[Anonymous]

As someone who just moved with kids for the first time, it was incredibly expensive. So like an other poster said moving twice might not save you money in the long run.

[Anonymous]

If you are at Takoma, I have a few questions:

Do you not like it? Or is this more about guaranteeing a spot for the 2 year old next year?

Are you worried since it is OOB that your 2 year old will not get in? Sibling preference will help, but no guarantees since IB and other preferences are ahead of you.

Takoma as an elementary school is more than adequate if you are moving to MD anyway (when you have a kindergartener and a 3rd grader?)

Sorry if I missed the answers somewhere.

Also, as others have mentioned - and if you look at waitlist data - Sela would likely guarantee you a spot for your oldest and youngest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Powell

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just moved with kids for the first time, it was incredibly expensive. So like an other poster said moving twice might not save you money in the long run.

Agreed. I do think Stoddert -- Hardy --- MacArthur is an excellent path. Any chance that if you move there, you would consider staying?

[Anonymous]

If you are moving to MD anyway, stick with Whittier for a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stoddert is very tight knit, and if you don't want to pay for a townhouse there are lots of apartment buildings and condos.

The problem with "tight-knit" is that it's also very cliquey. A real epidemic of spoiled rich kids, and if your kid doesn't fit in, it's brutal. That said, that stuff goes year-by-year. As the parent of multiple children who have/do attend, our experience has ranged from lovely to vicious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stoddert is very tight knit, and if you don't want to pay for a townhouse there are lots of apartment buildings and condos.

The problem with "tight-knit" is that it's also very cliquey. A real epidemic of spoiled rich kids, and if your kid doesn't fit in, it's brutal. That said, that stuff goes year-by-year. As the parent of multiple children who have/do attend, our experience has ranged from lovely to vicious.

I am interested to know/confirm from this poster - Stoddert has been cliquey and at time vicious? Ugh. Can you say more? Was that even in the earliest grades?

[Anonymous]

OP, best community and really tight knit community aren’t the same thing. if you’re looking for the most tight knit, like chainmail tight, like flared nostrils, clenched jaws, and no after-care spots for outsiders for the first two years tight, definitely Key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, best community and really tight knit community aren’t the same thing. if you’re looking for the most tight knit, like chainmail tight, like flared nostrils, clenched jaws, and no after-care spots for outsiders for the first two years tight, definitely Key.

And literally across the park you've got Stoddert - which is on any short list for best community (as long as you aren't a russian nationalist, many homes fly ukranian flags).

Good pathway. And many families stay PK4-5. They are getting a renovation, so we'll see if that is slightly disruptive. Nearly all in boundary kids walk or scooter or bike to school. People play together in parks and on the streets. Decent economic mix, half apartments and half rowhomes and lots of international students.