Real estate/school district selection advice I've heard as a new parent - how true is it?

[Anonymous]

*way to school, not work.

[Anonymous]

OP, you probably want to ask these questions in the relevant forum(s) for school districts.

[Anonymous]

In MoCo, I've known poor kids who went to W schools and poor kids who went to schools that are a rung down from that. Their preparation for college and beyond, and their life trajectories, were different.

My advice is to buy into the best school that you can. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can still buy a small but decent SFH with that budget in MoCo: Blair, Northwood, Einstein, Richard Montgomery, Magruder, Northwest clusters.

I agree. We’re in DTSS zoned for Blair and know many families in Northwood and Einstein clusters as well, because they’re all close. OP’s budget can buy in this area, depending on the house. I would not get too worked up about one or another schools in this area, because yes the current admin matters, but I do think the schools in the area are broadly decent.

Yes to all of this, and also adding: all of these high school and middle school boundaries may be redrawn in a few years anyway.

[Anonymous]

It’s fine to target “good” schools, but you are wise to point out that that equates to good for your family may differ than what is good for another family - and why Great Schools ratings are not a stand alone metric.

Look at neighborhoods where your family will fit in. Don’t buy the nicest house in the neighborhood or the smallest / worst house in a great neighborhood. Look at renovations in the neighborhood. We looked at one house that was perfect for us, but half the street had been renovated into new houses twice the size. We didn’t plan on that type of renovation, so we chose a different house. Look at the cars in the driveways and the toys on the lawns. Look at the bumper stickers. Strollers, swingers, minivans, etc. Will tell you if these are “your people”. Luxury cars, private school stickers, or things that hint at a mainly empty nest neighbors probably won’t be a good fit. When you have elementary age kids, having friends and neighbors close by is a huge help.

Look at Great Schools, but also look at the demographics of the school. Look at test scores but also look at scores for kids who look like yours. Look at photos in the local paper of school groups, the school play, sports teams, etc. There may be other POC families at the school, but if your family is upper middle class and the other kids who look like yours are poor or not engaged in activities outside of school, you may not interact with those families much. My children’s school is 30% LatinX, but there is a huge overlap between those kids and kids who live in apartments on the edge of the boundary with parents who speak little to no English. If a LatinX family moved into a $800k house typical of our neighborhood, they would have more interaction with the mostly white families in our neighborhood than the LatinX families that show up on our school’s demographics.

Lastly schools do change. Boundaries do change. That’s not a reason to just shrug and not try to find a good fit. Look at the renovations and direction off change in the neighborhood. Look at how boundaries are evaluated and changed where you are considering living. Learn the process, but in general live as physically close to the desired school as possible. The people who get shifted are usually those neighborhoods at the boundaries.

[Anonymous]

My white good looking niece with college educated parents went to a super sketchy HS in a very dangerous area that was 99 percent black and Spanish and something like 70 percent of school never graduates.

She got into IVY league the school was super exited and her IVY league college said she was first one since they started doing records to get into their college.

A W school you got competitors for IVY league.

Can be a leg up

[Anonymous]

My white good looking niece with college educated parents went to a super sketchy HS in a very dangerous area that was 99 percent black and Spanish and something like 70 percent of school never graduates.

She got into IVY league the school was super exited and her IVY league college said she was first one since they started doing records to get into their college.

A W school you got competitors for IVY league.

Can be a leg up

You don't have to go to an Ivy to be successful in life! In fact, you may be better off not going to one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s fine to target “good” schools, but you are wise to point out that that equates to good for your family may differ than what is good for another family - and why Great Schools ratings are not a stand alone metric.

Look at neighborhoods where your family will fit in. Don’t buy the nicest house in the neighborhood or the smallest / worst house in a great neighborhood. Look at renovations in the neighborhood. We looked at one house that was perfect for us, but half the street had been renovated into new houses twice the size. We didn’t plan on that type of renovation, so we chose a different house. Look at the cars in the driveways and the toys on the lawns. Look at the bumper stickers. Strollers, swingers, minivans, etc. Will tell you if these are “your people”. Luxury cars, private school stickers, or things that hint at a mainly empty nest neighbors probably won’t be a good fit. When you have elementary age kids, having friends and neighbors close by is a huge help.

Look at Great Schools, but also look at the demographics of the school. Look at test scores but also look at scores for kids who look like yours. Look at photos in the local paper of school groups, the school play, sports teams, etc. There may be other POC families at the school, but if your family is upper middle class and the other kids who look like yours are poor or not engaged in activities outside of school, you may not interact with those families much. My children’s school is 30% LatinX, but there is a huge overlap between those kids and kids who live in apartments on the edge of the boundary with parents who speak little to no English. If a LatinX family moved into a $800k house typical of our neighborhood, they would have more interaction with the mostly white families in our neighborhood than the LatinX families that show up on our school’s demographics.

Lastly schools do change. Boundaries do change. That’s not a reason to just shrug and not try to find a good fit. Look at the renovations and direction off change in the neighborhood. Look at how boundaries are evaluated and changed where you are considering living. Learn the process, but in general live as physically close to the desired school as possible. The people who get shifted are usually those neighborhoods at the boundaries.

You do know none of the Latino kids and their families use "LatinX"?

[Anonymous]

As someone that bought for a certain elementary school, more for walking distance than quality, they are all pretty good here, be careful of that plan. Our school closed at the end of DS' 1st grade year and all of the kids were sent to the next closest school. It had been open since 1927 so not once did it cross my mind that could happen. Now in 5th grade, DS can't walk anymore and we don't have buses. So I would recommend being okay with not only the school you are zoned for, but the surrounding ones in that district, just in case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Take a look at the private schools within a 30 minute drive as well or whatever you deem reasonable as a commute to school. Once your kids are ready for school you might be surprised that you want to consider private

I struggle to understand the value proposition of private school in our area. We already pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes that fund some of the best public schools in the country - and despite that people are willing to pay an additional $20-30k in tuition every year for 12 years? Is the quality of education at the private school in our area really that much better? Does it translate to that much more money earned when the kid enters the workforce, or that much more social-emotional well-adjusted-ness? Even if money were no object, I find the marginal value of private school very low.

Yes. I taught in both Fairfax County and a local private. Fairfax County kids are a full year behind in writing. The lowest private school kid was as good a writer as the Fairfax County transfer who was at the head of the class. It was shocking. We left everything and moved out of the area when our oldest was ready for elementary. We were open to anywhere in the United States with good schools, bearable climate, and an appropriate job market. If we could have afforded private, I would have stayed. To be clear, it wasn’t about who was in the class. My concerns were 💯 curriculum-based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Take a look at the private schools within a 30 minute drive as well or whatever you deem reasonable as a commute to school. Once your kids are ready for school you might be surprised that you want to consider private

I struggle to understand the value proposition of private school in our area. We already pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes that fund some of the best public schools in the country - and despite that people are willing to pay an additional $20-30k in tuition every year for 12 years? Is the quality of education at the private school in our area really that much better? Does it translate to that much more money earned when the kid enters the workforce, or that much more social-emotional well-adjusted-ness? Even if money were no object, I find the marginal value of private school very low.

You didn’t watch the kavanaugh trial did you? Missed that whole part when 5 yes 5 different people in the room knew certain particulars about Georgetown Prep because they all attended.

Reading this post and I am so astounded by Op I don’t even know how to feel. She completely writes off the possibility that her kid could be the next AA inventor or prodigy. Talk about racing to the bottom and setting her kid up for failure and to be around parents who get high so the kids have access to drugs (there’s a recent post about that), parents who dgaf and aren’t around (aka fatherless) so no parent home after school pregnancy breeding grounds. These dangerous schools where kids are getting jumped and stabbed and shot are perfectly ok for her middling kid. Um what?

Montgomery is more affordable than FCPS and there are some great schools in Howard as well both are racially diverse. That said, I think it needs to be said that most white people in this area are extremely welcoming of minorities in general and aren’t some 1940s boogeyman you need to protect your kid from so OP why don’t you meet some and get to know some instead of limiting yourself and your kid to school districts based on race. Anyway you don’t want to live around them so might i suggest you concentrate on finding minority neighborhoods in close proximity to an affordable private school with good elementary and middle schools and get your baby started with a 529 asap like with your next paycheck. In the east I see Glenarden Woods elementary school, Dora Kennedy French and Robert Goddard with more good elementary and middle schools in Laurel Maryland. Silver spring and Kensington more affordable than most places in Virginia & very commuter friendly excellent elementary schools.

Idk what friends Op has and why they’re telling her education doesn’t matter but bad schools and bad neighborhoods go hand in hand if you ask me and houses are lower cost in those areas because duh they aren’t great investments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My white good looking niece with college educated parents went to a super sketchy HS in a very dangerous area that was 99 percent black and Spanish and something like 70 percent of school never graduates.

She got into IVY league the school was super exited and her IVY league college said she was first one since they started doing records to get into their college.

A W school you got competitors for IVY league.

Can be a leg up

My school was like this and yes folks got into Ivy and decent colleges but a smart kid in the advanced program was accidentally shot and killed while the sketchy kids were having a gang fight in front of the school right after the bell. Wasn’t worth it. He was such a nice kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Take a look at the private schools within a 30 minute drive as well or whatever you deem reasonable as a commute to school. Once your kids are ready for school you might be surprised that you want to consider private

I struggle to understand the value proposition of private school in our area. We already pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes that fund some of the best public schools in the country - and despite that people are willing to pay an additional $20-30k in tuition every year for 12 years? Is the quality of education at the private school in our area really that much better? Does it translate to that much more money earned when the kid enters the workforce, or that much more social-emotional well-adjusted-ness? Even if money were no object, I find the marginal value of private school very low.

You didn’t watch the kavanaugh trial did you? Missed that whole part when 5 yes 5 different people in the room knew certain particulars about Georgetown Prep because they all attended.

Reading this post and I am so astounded by Op I don’t even know how to feel. She completely writes off the possibility that her kid could be the next AA inventor or prodigy. Talk about racing to the bottom and setting her kid up for failure and to be around parents who get high so the kids have access to drugs (there’s a recent post about that), parents who dgaf and aren’t around (aka fatherless) so no parent home after school pregnancy breeding grounds. These dangerous schools where kids are getting jumped and stabbed and shot are perfectly ok for her middling kid. Um what?

Montgomery is more affordable than FCPS and there are some great schools in Howard as well both are racially diverse. That said, I think it needs to be said that most white people in this area are extremely welcoming of minorities in general and aren’t some 1940s boogeyman you need to protect your kid from so OP why don’t you meet some and get to know some instead of limiting yourself and your kid to school districts based on race. Anyway you don’t want to live around them so might i suggest you concentrate on finding minority neighborhoods in close proximity to an affordable private school with good elementary and middle schools and get your baby started with a 529 asap like with your next paycheck. In the east I see Glenarden Woods elementary school, Dora Kennedy French and Robert Goddard with more good elementary and middle schools in Laurel Maryland. Silver spring and Kensington more affordable than most places in Virginia & very commuter friendly excellent elementary schools.

Idk what friends Op has and why they’re telling her education doesn’t matter but bad schools and bad neighborhoods go hand in hand if you ask me and houses are lower cost in those areas because duh they aren’t great investments

Very much agree with everything you said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Take a look at the private schools within a 30 minute drive as well or whatever you deem reasonable as a commute to school. Once your kids are ready for school you might be surprised that you want to consider private

I struggle to understand the value proposition of private school in our area. We already pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes that fund some of the best public schools in the country - and despite that people are willing to pay an additional $20-30k in tuition every year for 12 years? Is the quality of education at the private school in our area really that much better? Does it translate to that much more money earned when the kid enters the workforce, or that much more social-emotional well-adjusted-ness? Even if money were no object, I find the marginal value of private school very low.

Yes. I taught in both Fairfax County and a local private. Fairfax County kids are a full year behind in writing. The lowest private school kid was as good a writer as the Fairfax County transfer who was at the head of the class. It was shocking. We left everything and moved out of the area when our oldest was ready for elementary. We were open to anywhere in the United States with good schools, bearable climate, and an appropriate job market. If we could have afforded private, I would have stayed. To be clear, it wasn’t about who was in the class. My concerns were 💯 curriculum-based.

Absolutely leave the DMV because what you posted is absurd.

Private curriculums vary widely. You are a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Take a look at the private schools within a 30 minute drive as well or whatever you deem reasonable as a commute to school. Once your kids are ready for school you might be surprised that you want to consider private

I struggle to understand the value proposition of private school in our area. We already pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes that fund some of the best public schools in the country - and despite that people are willing to pay an additional $20-30k in tuition every year for 12 years? Is the quality of education at the private school in our area really that much better? Does it translate to that much more money earned when the kid enters the workforce, or that much more social-emotional well-adjusted-ness? Even if money were no object, I find the marginal value of private school very low.

You didn’t watch the kavanaugh trial did you? Missed that whole part when 5 yes 5 different people in the room knew certain particulars about Georgetown Prep because they all attended.

Reading this post and I am so astounded by Op I don’t even know how to feel. She completely writes off the possibility that her kid could be the next AA inventor or prodigy. Talk about racing to the bottom and setting her kid up for failure and to be around parents who get high so the kids have access to drugs (there’s a recent post about that), parents who dgaf and aren’t around (aka fatherless) so no parent home after school pregnancy breeding grounds. These dangerous schools where kids are getting jumped and stabbed and shot are perfectly ok for her middling kid. Um what?

Montgomery is more affordable than FCPS and there are some great schools in Howard as well both are racially diverse. That said, I think it needs to be said that most white people in this area are extremely welcoming of minorities in general and aren’t some 1940s boogeyman you need to protect your kid from so OP why don’t you meet some and get to know some instead of limiting yourself and your kid to school districts based on race. Anyway you don’t want to live around them so might i suggest you concentrate on finding minority neighborhoods in close proximity to an affordable private school with good elementary and middle schools and get your baby started with a 529 asap like with your next paycheck. In the east I see Glenarden Woods elementary school, Dora Kennedy French and Robert Goddard with more good elementary and middle schools in Laurel Maryland. Silver spring and Kensington more affordable than most places in Virginia & very commuter friendly excellent elementary schools.

Idk what friends Op has and why they’re telling her education doesn’t matter but bad schools and bad neighborhoods go hand in hand if you ask me and houses are lower cost in those areas because duh they aren’t great investments

Very much agree with everything you said.

I love when white people tell POC that they need to disregard their lived experiences because they don't regard themselves or their neighbors as racist. There's a big difference between "my town hosts KKK rallies" and "the community has a critical mass of POC so your child won't be the token". And this message board has had more than enough panicked white people avoiding majority-Indian or Latino communities to prove that point.