Brooklanders…where do you send DCs to school and how is your commute?

[Anonymous]

If you're close to the metro in Brookland, Two Rivers is a very easy commute on the Red line. Driving there from Brookland is not bad either - 15-25 minutes depending on traffic and such.

[Anonymous]

To OP, I think you are thinking of all the right things. On some level, if you don't have to buy now, why not wait to see how the charter lottery treats you and then see how you feel about paying for a neighborhood school vs private down the line? Though if catholic school is in the running, I think that would be more feasible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this thread sounds like it's dominated by people who can afford houses in upper nw or who don't mind renting a crappy apartment in a good school district. Wake up--the difference between a "cheap house" in upper nw and a "regular" house in Brookland is like $400,000. Also factor in the most people who opt for private (especially those who cannot afford to live in upper nw) are eligible for financial aid. Average package at Sidwell is $22K. So chill out and leave the poster to his/her choices.

My cheap house in upper-ish NW was $750k. Are houses in Brookland really $350k? Not all houses in NW cost $1+ million. Almost everyone I know who lives in Columbia Heights/Petworth/Shaw paid more for their house then I paid for mine. It's not impossible to live in-bounds for a high-performing elementary school.

I think the OP should do whatever she wants, but she should consider all her options. And even with financial aid, putting 2 kids through Sidwell is going to cost at least $40k unless you are very low income.

Yes. Houses in Brookland are really 350K.

It's cute though that you are so rich and sheltered.

[Anonymous]

Yeah we live in Brookland and no way could we afford $750! Paid a little over $400k. We are at Yu Ying and happy. 10 min to drive there. Then we take the car home and take the Red Line to work. Pretty easy. At least, we are used to it.

[Anonymous]

Not many houses in Brookland for $350K anymore. Think $550 and up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah we live in Brookland and no way could we afford $750! Paid a little over $400k. We are at Yu Ying and happy. 10 min to drive there. Then we take the car home and take the Red Line to work. Pretty easy. At least, we are used to it.

It sounds like it works great for charters, for sure!!

[Anonymous]

Fwiw very few of my brookland neighbors seen to frequent this forum. But as I may have mentioned in another thread, it seems like a lot more parents of younger kids are looking more seriously at the local dcps because the good charters fill up so fast. Good luck if you move though. We love brookland!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this thread sounds like it's dominated by people who can afford houses in upper nw or who don't mind renting a crappy apartment in a good school district. Wake up--the difference between a "cheap house" in upper nw and a "regular" house in Brookland is like $400,000. Also factor in the most people who opt for private (especially those who cannot afford to live in upper nw) are eligible for financial aid. Average package at Sidwell is $22K. So chill out and leave the poster to his/her choices.

My cheap house in upper-ish NW was $750k. Are houses in Brookland really $350k? Not all houses in NW cost $1+ million. Almost everyone I know who lives in Columbia Heights/Petworth/Shaw paid more for their house then I paid for mine. It's not impossible to live in-bounds for a high-performing elementary school.

I think the OP should do whatever she wants, but she should consider all her options. And even with financial aid, putting 2 kids through Sidwell is going to cost at least $40k unless you are very low income.

Yes. Houses in Brookland are really 350K.

It's cute though that you are so rich and sheltered.

Oh please. I live in Brookland and I can tell you that there are very few houses available for $350k. Definitely more in the $500+k range for most places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw very few of my brookland neighbors seen to frequent this forum. But as I may have mentioned in another thread, it seems like a lot more parents of younger kids are looking more seriously at the local dcps because the good charters fill up so fast. Good luck if you move though. We love brookland!

It's great to hear that people in Brookland are thinking about their local DCPS options. The schools will never improve without the participation of all the new families moving in there.

OP, I would say that if you decide to move there, make an effort to get a feel for the block/area you are considering once you find a house. Because there isn't a community school to unite around (yet), it can be tough to make ties. I had friends who moved to Brookland for all the reasons you stated, but they never found the community they were expecting. I think they just picked a "bad" block and they started to feel a bit isolated, since most of their friends live further west or on the Hill. And because all the kids went to different schools they didn't have an easy way to make connections. They ultimately decided to move to relocate to another part of the country so who knows, maybe they didn't give it enough time. And of course this can happen in any neighborhood where the kids don't go to the local school, it's not unique to Brookland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this thread sounds like it's dominated by people who can afford houses in upper nw or who don't mind renting a crappy apartment in a good school district. Wake up--the difference between a "cheap house" in upper nw and a "regular" house in Brookland is like $400,000. Also factor in the most people who opt for private (especially those who cannot afford to live in upper nw) are eligible for financial aid. Average package at Sidwell is $22K. So chill out and leave the poster to his/her choices.

My cheap house in upper-ish NW was $750k. Are houses in Brookland really $350k? Not all houses in NW cost $1+ million. Almost everyone I know who lives in Columbia Heights/Petworth/Shaw paid more for their house then I paid for mine. It's not impossible to live in-bounds for a high-performing elementary school.

I think the OP should do whatever she wants, but she should consider all her options. And even with financial aid, putting 2 kids through Sidwell is going to cost at least $40k unless you are very low income.

Yes. Houses in Brookland are really 350K.

It's cute though that you are so rich and sheltered.

Oh please. I live in Brookland and I can tell you that there are very few houses available for $350k. Definitely more in the $500+k range for most places.

Yeah but they are still not a "cheap" $750k. It is so presumptuous to assume someone can afford a $750k house. I actually live in Petworth/Brightwood and there are plenty of houses in that range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, is there a strong reason you want to live in Brookland? It's a perfectly good neighborhood, but if don't get in to a charter you will be looking at $50k+/year for private school. Seems like it would be much cheaper in the long run to just move into a neighborhood whose DCPS you like. Or are you not considering DCPS at all? I know upper NW isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you could still live in Dupont, Georgetown, Glover Park, etc. and have good DCPS options.

Hopefully you will get into IT and all will work out!

OP doesn't sound in the least bit worried about affording private school. Your post is puzzling... "cheaper options" doesn't seem to be a consideration of OPs at all, from what they've said they want to know. Maybe they are considering IT and MV in order to not have to pay, but they sound quite willing to pay if their pics don't work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw very few of my brookland neighbors seen to frequent this forum. But as I may have mentioned in another thread, it seems like a lot more parents of younger kids are looking more seriously at the local dcps because the good charters fill up so fast. Good luck if you move though. We love brookland!

It's great to hear that people in Brookland are thinking about their local DCPS options. The schools will never improve without the participation of all the new families moving in there.

OP, I would say that if you decide to move there, make an effort to get a feel for the block/area you are considering once you find a house. Because there isn't a community school to unite around (yet), it can be tough to make ties. I had friends who moved to Brookland for all the reasons you stated, but they never found the community they were expecting. I think they just picked a "bad" block and they started to feel a bit isolated, since most of their friends live further west or on the Hill. And because all the kids went to different schools they didn't have an easy way to make connections. They ultimately decided to move to relocate to another part of the country so who knows, maybe they didn't give it enough time. And of course this can happen in any neighborhood where the kids don't go to the local school, it's not unique to Brookland.

NP, I guess people's experiences really can differ. We moved to Brookland a year ago and love it. We go to the Noyes elementary playground (on 10th and Franklin) which is a great playground and have met PLENTY of other families there. Between our kids' school friends and the people we meet at the playground, we don't feel isolated at all. And we're at a charter so no, not everyone at our school is from Brookland by a long shot. We still manage plenty of playdates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw very few of my brookland neighbors seen to frequent this forum. But as I may have mentioned in another thread, it seems like a lot more parents of younger kids are looking more seriously at the local dcps because the good charters fill up so fast. Good luck if you move though. We love brookland!

It's great to hear that people in Brookland are thinking about their local DCPS options. The schools will never improve without the participation of all the new families moving in there.

OP, I would say that if you decide to move there, make an effort to get a feel for the block/area you are considering once you find a house. Because there isn't a community school to unite around (yet), it can be tough to make ties. I had friends who moved to Brookland for all the reasons you stated, but they never found the community they were expecting. I think they just picked a "bad" block and they started to feel a bit isolated, since most of their friends live further west or on the Hill. And because all the kids went to different schools they didn't have an easy way to make connections. They ultimately decided to move to relocate to another part of the country so who knows, maybe they didn't give it enough time. And of course this can happen in any neighborhood where the kids don't go to the local school, it's not unique to Brookland.

NP, I guess people's experiences really can differ. We moved to Brookland a year ago and love it. We go to the Noyes elementary playground (on 10th and Franklin) which is a great playground and have met PLENTY of other families there. Between our kids' school friends and the people we meet at the playground, we don't feel isolated at all. And we're at a charter so no, not everyone at our school is from Brookland by a long shot. We still manage plenty of playdates.

I think the new Turkey Thicket playground will be a great touchpoint for this as well. I'm excitd about Brookland and its future. If you do move to Brookland, be sure to join the Brookland parents listserv. It is a great resource and very active. I can think of more than one parent who has said "I've moved to the neighborhood and have an xx year old who likes xx. Is anyone interested in a playdate?"

[Anonymous]

Brookland does sound good, especially if you get into a charter. This post has been helpful, tx OP!

[Anonymous]

PPs who love brookland--where do you go to socialize with friends? I haven't been in a couple of years but when I remember it being extremely thin pickings in terms of neighborhood bars, restaurants, things like family pizzerias. Is there a movie theater or good neighborhood pool? Don't remember much of that in Brookland but then maybe I wasn't looking in the right places.