Brent vs JKLM
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Anonymous
You are right that WOTP is cheaper than the Brent neighborhood now, and you're right that Capitol Hill doesn't have public middle school options yet. However, Brent is a great school. It's not mediocre. OP, if you had a 4th grader, I would move to NW. With a kindergartener, though, you should move to the neighborhood you like most. That will probably be Capitol Hill. Why be less happy for five or six years when you could love your school and your neighborhood? As PPs have said, Hill families figure it out anyway. |
Anonymous
| Brent is a great school compared to the rest of DCPS (just like Shepherd and Maury are). However, compared to JKLMM, Brent is eh. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. Also, who's to say OP would like Brent neighborhood the most? I have close friends in both areas, I like them equally with a slight edge WOTP for reasons PP mentions. Schools aside (which is huge to us), I'd opt for red line WOTP with a yard and not as many parking struggles for guests. |
Anonymous
Not to quibble, but "mediocre" Brent and even much-maligned Watkins have graduated students who are doing amazingly well academically in middle and high school and will do just fine in the college and life sweepsTakes. How many of us were completely messed up by a mediocre elementary school? Priorities people. |
Anonymous
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My child is in K now at Brent and has had an absolutely fantastic year (school play, music lessons, art, interesting field trips, lots of reading and writing stories) and adores the K teachers . I really can't imagine that any other school in DC would have provided better/more opportunities. So I'm not sure how folks can claim Brent is "mediocre" - at least in the earlier grades. Something IS going on in the testing grades - but I don't have the specific information about the students being tested to fully form an opinion on whether the testing results reflect teaching or cohort (i.e., I know Brent has traditionally lost a lot of its IB kids beginning in 3d grade as people peel off for privates, etc., in preparation for the middle school problem). I would be shocked if my child's current 100% IB cohort scored poorly on tests in a couple of years . . . but if half of the K current class is gone and replaced by OOB kids who have not received the same educational foundation, or kids w/SN who cannot perform at grade level, or kids w/behavioral problems - well, that could explain poor testing performance.
As far as the neighborhood, we could not be happier living on Capitol Hill. We use our car at most once a week; most everything is within a ten minute walk. As someone noted upthread, why would anyone want to be in close proximity to Bethesda/Silver Spring/NW? Why does one go to those areas if you don't live there? I'd rather be able to walk to work/the Mall/museums/waterfront, etc. |
Anonymous
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I've lived just about everywhere in the greater DC area and have been on the Hill for the last 8 years. It's my favorite DC neighborhood so far. But if I were you I'd choose one of the JLM schools that feeds into Deal (Key doesn't) purely for the middle school/high school situation. I think the commute and maybe lifestyle of the Hill is preferable (but I like living somewhere super walkable), but if I were moving now I wouldn't pick a school zone without a solid middle school or high school option.
Re commute - the good thing about where you're working is that the redline would work (Farragut north) or the Orange line (Farragut west). They're really close to each other. That is if your house is close enough to a metro to metro. |
Anonymous
Agree with you, pp. I think there is one poster who just has this strong feeling about Capitol Hill being isolated and tends to post that regularly. And, yes, if you want to get to Bethesda and Silver Spring, it is more isolated. But downtown? Downtown is easy peasy if you live on the Orange/blue/silver line. And we also live right by the freeway and have very easy access to 295 and 395. But like you said, to each her own. We like the theater and have easy access to many major theaters in the area but it's true that I rarely go to Bethesda or Silver Spring (athough if I lived near SS I would definitely hang out there more). |
Anonymous
Yes. But only the west side of 8th, not the east, is IB for Brent. |
Anonymous
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OP, we're at a JKLM, and I have no way of comparing our school to Brent and would never make some baldface statement that our school is better, so personally I would dismiss the posters who claim that Brent is not as good (especially the one from Ward 4 - how would you even know?).
I'm also use the red and orange/blue/silver lines several times a week and would much prefer to not have to deal with the sucky service on the red line, FWIW. |
Anonymous
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If I'm not mistaken, the eastern boundary is 8th to the north of Pennsylvania, which includes the Hine site, and Seventh to the south of Pennsylvania.
I'll also take issue with the characterization of Brent as merely mediocre. The Brent demographic is more diverse than the JKLM schools and has a higher FARM rate. Although both of these characteristics change incrementally each year as the school enters the final stages of transitioning to majority IB, bear in mid that Bremt is about 360 students, while Janney and Lafayette each have 300 more. Your DD will know virtually everyone im the K cohort and her classmates will generally all live within a 10 minute walk. No mobile classroom at Brent and DCPS has committed to refurbishing restrooms and some other upgrades for next year. Is Brent perfect for everyone? No. But don't be misled into thinking that it is not a high-performing school where parents and the administration are committed to making it even better. |
Anonymous
For Janney or Murch -- the cost is likely higher for largely inferior housing stock, even if you do get a yard. You can still buy <$1mil in Cap Hill historic and get a decent option. You're looking closer to >$1.2mil for decent housing stock in these areas. And it's like like there a ready supply in JM -- maybe you can get more house in Lafayette if you're willing to go further north and east. Of course you could always look at Hearst if you want to sacrifice best elementary options for best MS As for Key or Mann (or Eaton for that matter) -- you're looking at Hardy for MS, which would likely be in play if desired even if you chose to stay on the Hill. I'd argue the options are not really better for MS in that scenario aside from having the Wilson option for high school. You could probably get into Stuart Hobson OOB and that would be roughly comparable to Hardy and you're stuck with Eastern. If charters are in play for you (and they should be) - Basis is easier to access from the Hill. Latin is probably a wash from Hardy feeder areas and you can find shuttles from NW and the Hill. |
Anonymous
11% Brent FARM to 4% Janney, 7% lafayette, 6% Mann, 9% Murch . Mann is the only JKLM which is comparable to Brent in size -- the others are roughly twice the size. |
Anonymous
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I know a family that moved from Janney to Brent between k and first and they are very happy at Brent. It believe it is equal in quality.
Also, (not to beat a dead horse) but Brent is projected to have much smaller K classes next year. Janney's will be close to 30, Brent close to 20. |
Anonymous
Outside of Imagination Stage, does anyone with kids really consider Bethesda a "destination"? Or anything in Silver Spring? Virtually anything else which may be an attraction can be found within the city. I guess you're closer to the mall, but Crystal City is a short hop from the Hill. |
Anonymous
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The level of Hill snobbery never ceases to amaze me. We live along the red line and also walk everywhere. We also use our car rarely. We also have great family activities nearby. We have a great community of friends and neighbors. We certainly aren't sacrificing any enjoyment or happiness in exchange for schools. Sure, we can't walk to the Mall or Natalie stadium but we have the zoo, Rock Creek, and lots of other activities.
Can't you just say you love where you live without putting down other areas? |
Anonymous
+1000 |