Is it worth it to move from NW DC to Montgomery County for Public Schools - for 5 year old?

[Anonymous]

everyone known what peer groups means, how you chose to avoid them is another issue. You can claim all you want about diverse but when you hustle and try by any means possible in the lottery or language immersion programs and what not you are basically saying "I only want my kids around other kids who parents are proactive enough to jump trough the multiple hoops like I did" which more or less imply they have the resources to do so. Others like me don't like leaving things like childhood development up to chance and buy into peer groups via private schools and or exclusive neighborhoods. The only parents I respect who walk the walk in the east of 16th st neighborhoods are the ones that do straight IB public schools. Still think they are idiots but at least they aren't hypocrites who want to live one place but send their kids to school with mine acting holier than thou for living in the hood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did and wouldn't change a thing. Was IB for oyster and just couldn't commit to making it work. Kid is at bannockburn and is perfect for him. Remember it isn't only about schools, it is about peer groups and the overall community you buy into. While giving up some urban amminities we had outgrown anyway we landed in a family friendly oasis completely void of most of the DC problems.

But totally not about race, right?

nothing in the original post indicates any issue with race to me. peer groups = kids in the neighborhood, who may be getting on your kids bus, i.e. same age, possible friends. And "overall community" = friendly neighbors! Ridiculous to try and twist that into some kind of feud about racial diversity. Get a fucking grip.

I assume that you're not familiar with the area the top PP moved to.

Other than the best high school in the state (one of the top in the country), the best middle school in the state and one of the very best elementary schools in the state what am I missing? Should these be avoided because others cant afford them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Other than the best high school in the state (one of the top in the country), the best middle school in the state and one of the very best elementary schools in the state what am I missing? Should these be avoided because others cant afford them?

You are missing what posters are actually discussing here, which is not the quality of Bannockburn ES, Pyle MS, or Whitman HS, but rather the demographics of various parts of Montgomery County and DC and their respective school systems.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. I wish I had a house in CP That would be nice. Nope, we live in a rental. I work downtown, so would rather not be too far away from home, being a single Mom of twins. But I would like to best public school system possible for my kids. That is why I started wondering if moving to Friendship Heights/ Chevy Chase or Bethesda would make sense...either Somerset or Woodacres for Elementary School. If only I could afford to buy a place in those neighborhoods....if we move, I might have to end up renting for a while...

[Anonymous]

To OP, please just put a lot of thought into what "the best schools possible" means to you. Rankings are based on scores and scores correlate 100% with income. But you don't have to move to the richest zip code in the metro area to get a fantastic school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To OP, please just put a lot of thought into what "the best schools possible" means to you. Rankings are based on scores and scores correlate 100% with income. But you don't have to move to the richest zip code in the metro area to get a fantastic school.

I second this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. I wish I had a house in CP That would be nice. Nope, we live in a rental. I work downtown, so would rather not be too far away from home, being a single Mom of twins. But I would like to best public school system possible for my kids. That is why I started wondering if moving to Friendship Heights/ Chevy Chase or Bethesda would make sense...either Somerset or Woodacres for Elementary School. If only I could afford to buy a place in those neighborhoods....if we move, I might have to end up renting for a while...

Woodacres is a crumbling building + trailers and in need of a rebuild, which I believe its ear-marked to do. Also it was the school everyone wanted into in 2009 so now its stuffed to the ceiling with kids and accordingly has dropped down the league tables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. I wish I had a house in CP That would be nice. Nope, we live in a rental. I work downtown, so would rather not be too far away from home, being a single Mom of twins. But I would like to best public school system possible for my kids. That is why I started wondering if moving to Friendship Heights/ Chevy Chase or Bethesda would make sense...either Somerset or Woodacres for Elementary School. If only I could afford to buy a place in those neighborhoods....if we move, I might have to end up renting for a while...

Woodacres is a crumbling building + trailers and in need of a rebuild, which I believe its ear-marked to do. Also it was the school everyone wanted into in 2009 so now its stuffed to the ceiling with kids and accordingly has dropped down the league tables.

You could try to rent in Friendship Heights, but my rent was $2100/month five years ago for a 1 BR + den there. Those condos have a lot of foreign nationals, not ambassadors but political attaches and the likes, and it drives up rents because the individuals aren't paying - their governments are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. I wish I had a house in CP That would be nice. Nope, we live in a rental. I work downtown, so would rather not be too far away from home, being a single Mom of twins. But I would like to best public school system possible for my kids. That is why I started wondering if moving to Friendship Heights/ Chevy Chase or Bethesda would make sense...either Somerset or Woodacres for Elementary School. If only I could afford to buy a place in those neighborhoods....if we move, I might have to end up renting for a while...

Woodacres is a crumbling building + trailers and in need of a rebuild, which I believe its ear-marked to do. Also it was the school everyone wanted into in 2009 so now its stuffed to the ceiling with kids and accordingly has dropped down the league tables.

Woodacres is in the final stages of a complete rebuild. There will be no trailers and new everything next school year and they are currently in a holding school. Not sure what the county could do better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. I wish I had a house in CP That would be nice. Nope, we live in a rental. I work downtown, so would rather not be too far away from home, being a single Mom of twins. But I would like to best public school system possible for my kids. That is why I started wondering if moving to Friendship Heights/ Chevy Chase or Bethesda would make sense...either Somerset or Woodacres for Elementary School. If only I could afford to buy a place in those neighborhoods....if we move, I might have to end up renting for a while...

Woodacres is a crumbling building + trailers and in need of a rebuild, which I believe its ear-marked to do. Also it was the school everyone wanted into in 2009 so now its stuffed to the ceiling with kids and accordingly has dropped down the league tables.

Woodacres is in the final stages of a complete rebuild. There will be no trailers and new everything next school year and they are currently in a holding school. Not sure what the county could do better?

Where is the rebuild? A new location? Because I pass that crumbling school every weekend and I see no development

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Where is the rebuild? A new location? Because I pass that crumbling school every weekend and I see no development

Wood Acres Elementary School
Capital Project: Projections indicate enrollment at Wood
Acres Elementary School will exceed capacity by 92 seats
or more by the end of the six-year CIP planning period. An
FY 2015 appropriation was approved to begin the construction
of the classroom addition. The school is located at the
Radnor Holding Facility during construction. The scheduled
completion date for the addition is August 2016.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP17_Chap4_Whitman.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Other than the best high school in the state (one of the top in the country), the best middle school in the state and one of the very best elementary schools in the state what am I missing? Should these be avoided because others cant afford them?

You are missing what posters are actually discussing here, which is not the quality of Bannockburn ES, Pyle MS, or Whitman HS, but rather the demographics of various parts of Montgomery County and DC and their respective school systems.

NP here and so what? Sadly, the demographics tend to show the school's ability. Are you saying we should all want to go to Wheaton Regional instead of Whitman because it is more diverse even though the drop out rate is higher, the test scores are lower and there are more police calls/arrests there? If we prefer Whitman, we are racist?

I want my kids to go to the best school with kids that want to be there and learn. That get good grades and test scores. Families that take it seriously. I would send my kid to a 99% hispanic school if it was the highest rated, but guess what? There aren't any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where is the rebuild? A new location? Because I pass that crumbling school every weekend and I see no development

Wood Acres Elementary School
Capital Project: Projections indicate enrollment at Wood
Acres Elementary School will exceed capacity by 92 seats
or more by the end of the six-year CIP planning period. An
FY 2015 appropriation was approved to begin the construction
of the classroom addition. The school is located at the
Radnor Holding Facility during construction. The scheduled
completion date for the addition is August 2016.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP17_Chap4_Whitman.pdf

Hardly nearing completion then...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Other than the best high school in the state (one of the top in the country), the best middle school in the state and one of the very best elementary schools in the state what am I missing? Should these be avoided because others cant afford them?

You are missing what posters are actually discussing here, which is not the quality of Bannockburn ES, Pyle MS, or Whitman HS, but rather the demographics of various parts of Montgomery County and DC and their respective school systems.

NP here and so what? Sadly, the demographics tend to show the school's ability. Are you saying we should all want to go to Wheaton Regional instead of Whitman because it is more diverse even though the drop out rate is higher, the test scores are lower and there are more police calls/arrests there? If we prefer Whitman, we are racist?

I want my kids to go to the best school with kids that want to be there and learn. That get good grades and test scores. Families that take it seriously. I would send my kid to a 99% hispanic school if it was the highest rated, but guess what? There aren't any.

AGREED!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Where is the rebuild? A new location? Because I pass that crumbling school every weekend and I see no development

Wood Acres Elementary School
Capital Project: Projections indicate enrollment at Wood
Acres Elementary School will exceed capacity by 92 seats
or more by the end of the six-year CIP planning period. An
FY 2015 appropriation was approved to begin the construction
of the classroom addition. The school is located at the
Radnor Holding Facility during construction. The scheduled
completion date for the addition is August 2016.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP17_Chap4_Whitman.pdf

Hardly nearing completion then...

And since it is expected to re-open above capacity, guess what - more trailers. But at least the new building will be amazing.