DCC residents - what are your plans for high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

I always find this perception perplexing. The W's or at least Wootton and WJ really are not actually pressure cookers. There are a bunch of very smart kids and I think what happens is that these kids are surprised that in high school its no longer super easy for them the way it was in MS or ES. Its safe to be super nerdy here but its also fine to be more well rounded.

Wootton families are very down to earth. Families are range from doctors, military families, tech people, government employees, lawyers for DOJ, NIH researchers, state department, EPA etc. These aren't the high profile people. There is a large international community. People joke that its like the UN because so many countries are represented. The IMF and World Bank recommend the area to folks they are stationing here. There is a good sized Russian, Ukraine, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, African, and Indian community here. My kids also have friends from Central American, South America, Thailand, and other countries. The Jewish community is very active and fun too. Its a different type of diversity as most of Wootton is in the middle SES and doesn't have the extreme wealth of Potomac/Bethesda or the high poverty of other areas.

Sports are popular and very inclusive out here. You don't need to be headed to the pros to get on the teams. Music is popular and Wootton has lots of talented kids. Theater and art are also good and inclusive. The teachers and the community are very into the school. Everyone is still heartbroken that the former principal passed away. The new administration is good and many of the good staff have stayed.

If you decide to move to one of the Ws, I'd recommend Wootton. We have friends at WJ who also describe it as a friendly community. I just don't have much knowledge of Churchill or Whitman but these may also not be the monsters people who don't go there make them out to be.

Ummm no. Most of wootton is not middle SES. It’s mostly upper middle. There are some middle-class areas with condos, apartments and townhomes in Washingtonian and Rockshire, where town houses are only in the $500k to $600k range. Single-family homes in the cluster catchment are generally $700k and up—not middle SES

I never think of people living in a 700k house as the upper middle class but just middle class. It's a silly distinction.

Well, if the median home sales price in Montgomery County is $437K, I'd consider $700K quite a bit above the middle.
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/Report-Last-Months-Median-Sales-Price-in-Montgomery-County-Hits-New-Record-for-March/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are the W's like? Can't say for sure since I'm not there, but they seem to be stress-cookers in general.

I always find this perception perplexing. The W's or at least Wootton and WJ really are not actually pressure cookers. There are a bunch of very smart kids and I think what happens is that these kids are surprised that in high school its no longer super easy for them the way it was in MS or ES. Its safe to be super nerdy here but its also fine to be more well rounded.

Wootton families are very down to earth. Families are range from doctors, military families, tech people, government employees, lawyers for DOJ, NIH researchers, state department, EPA etc. These aren't the high profile people. There is a large international community. People joke that its like the UN because so many countries are represented. The IMF and World Bank recommend the area to folks they are stationing here. There is a good sized Russian, Ukraine, Chinese, Korean, Iranian, African, and Indian community here. My kids also have friends from Central American, South America, Thailand, and other countries. The Jewish community is very active and fun too. Its a different type of diversity as most of Wootton is in the middle SES and doesn't have the extreme wealth of Potomac/Bethesda or the high poverty of other areas.

Sports are popular and very inclusive out here. You don't need to be headed to the pros to get on the teams. Music is popular and Wootton has lots of talented kids. Theater and art are also good and inclusive. The teachers and the community are very into the school. Everyone is still heartbroken that the former principal passed away. The new administration is good and many of the good staff have stayed.

If you decide to move to one of the Ws, I'd recommend Wootton. We have friends at WJ who also describe it as a friendly community. I just don't have much knowledge of Churchill or Whitman but these may also not be the monsters people who don't go there make them out to be.

Ummm no. Most of wootton is not middle SES. It’s mostly upper middle. There are some middle-class areas with condos, apartments and townhomes in Washingtonian and Rockshire, where town houses are only in the $500k to $600k range. Single-family homes in the cluster catchment are generally $700k and up—not middle SES

I never think of people living in a 700k house as the upper middle class but just middle class. It's a silly distinction.

You probably also don’t see your own privilege. Most people think those they live around live a “normal” life—regardless of whether there is privilege. It’s easy to say you are the middle when you aren’t rich. I know because I live in those areas. I know I’m blessed to have a good house with all. Good school (not W school btw in my case). I often forget how lucky I have it though. Living in a 750k house with a hhi of 300k isn’t middle

[Anonymous]

I'm the Wootton poster. IMO 700K is a lot for a house and I agree with the DCC posters on that one. Prices have gone up and there are many 700K houses in Wootton now but there are many neighborhoods with nice houses still in the 500K-600K range. They sell fast and inventory is low but that seems to be the case across the DMV. Residents tend to stay until the last kid finished college and many have lived here 15+ years. Many people who live here bought when the houses were 400K and under.

The majority of SFHs that feed into Dufief still sell in the 500K-600K. There are sections of Fallsmead and even Lakewood that also have houses around 600K. Travilah has two very popular neighborhoods with SFHs still in this price range. Even THs in one the neighborhoods where the SFH houses have broken over the 700K mark run around 300K not 500-600K.

There are neighborhood community pools near Wootton and over by StoneMill/Dufief within walking/biking distances of the neighborhoods.

Here is a link to house that recently sold in a popular neighborhood behind Travilah ES

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/North-Potomac-MD/37158585_zpid/13032_rid/pricea_sort/39.08515,-77.242196,39.080336,-77.249116_rect/16_zm/1_rs/

Here is one for 499K that feeds Dufief ES

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/North-Potomac-MD/37153435_zpid/13032_rid/pricea_sort/39.105034,-77.228506,39.100222,-77.235426_rect/16_zm/1_rs/

Lakewood : https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Rockville-MD/37109107_zpid/33714_rid/pricea_sort/39.092241,-77.181798,39.082614,-77.195638_rect/15_zm/1_rs/

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for insight on DCC high schools. Both dh and I commute to DC and love the communities in the silver Spring neighborhoods. For high schools, is it like DC where students don’t usually get a top lottery choice in DCC schools or is there more room in the programs for all students? I’m nervous my kids would be forced to go to neighborhood school even if that is their last choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for insight on DCC high schools. Both dh and I commute to DC and love the communities in the silver Spring neighborhoods. For high schools, is it like DC where students don’t usually get a top lottery choice in DCC schools or is there more room in the programs for all students? I’m nervous my kids would be forced to go to neighborhood school even if that is their last choice.

Sorry, it's very competitive to get into the magnets. If you are nervous you should definitely make a plan to move to a home school you'd be happy with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for insight on DCC high schools. Both dh and I commute to DC and love the communities in the silver Spring neighborhoods. For high schools, is it like DC where students don’t usually get a top lottery choice in DCC schools or is there more room in the programs for all students? I’m nervous my kids would be forced to go to neighborhood school even if that is their last choice.

Sorry, it's very competitive to get into the magnets. If you are nervous you should definitely make a plan to move to a home school you'd be happy with.

I think PP was talking about the consortium lottery. MCPS advertises that most kids get their first or second choices, but most Blair kids choose Blair and that's the biggest school, so I'm not sure how that skews the numbers.

[Anonymous]

You should buy a house where you like the base school (so buy Einstein if you like Einstein). It’s not impossible to get a different consortium school but you are guaranteed your base school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for insight on DCC high schools. Both dh and I commute to DC and love the communities in the silver Spring neighborhoods. For high schools, is it like DC where students don’t usually get a top lottery choice in DCC schools or is there more room in the programs for all students? I’m nervous my kids would be forced to go to neighborhood school even if that is their last choice.

Sorry, it's very competitive to get into the magnets. If you are nervous you should definitely make a plan to move to a home school you'd be happy with.

I think PP was talking about the consortium lottery. MCPS advertises that most kids get their first or second choices, but most Blair kids choose Blair and that's the biggest school, so I'm not sure how that skews the numbers.

Thanks. Our kids are young so I had just assumed when people talk about getting in different schools in high school in the DCC they meant magnet programs. Didn’t realize there was another option but that makes total sense.

[Anonymous]

How it works outside of the magnet process is in 8th grade, students will rank the five DCC schools from first to fifth choice. If their base area school is ranked first or second, they are guaranteed a spot there. It is very difficult to get a spot at Blair if it's not your base area.

[Anonymous]

Blair. We have one graduate from the Blair magnet another who is in 'regular' Blair. One currently at Eastern.

I agree with the PP who said it is tough to get into Blair by 'choice'. We felt fortunate to have it as our home school.

[Anonymous]

Application Programs Open to DCC Students

Biomedical Magnet Program
Communication Arts Program (CAP)
Engineering Magnet Program
Leadership Training Institute (LTI)

Special Programs Open to ALL MCPS Students

Global Ecology House
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (Richard Montgomery HS)
Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/downcounty/

Click on application only programs and look at academy programs at individual high-schools

[Anonymous]

OP there really are some good choices in the DCC, and most people I know are happy with the high schools. Great programs at Blair, Einstein, and Wheaton, and i know a number of people who think Northwood is a hidden gem.

[Anonymous]

Why are parents concerned about Kennedy? The journalism track looks interesting from a recent open house, but we don't know anything about the school. Some kids have heard "horror stories" but I don't know what that means. Are these concerns from a long time ago? Or do they still exist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents concerned about Kennedy? The journalism track looks interesting from a recent open house, but we don't know anything about the school. Some kids have heard "horror stories" but I don't know what that means. Are these concerns from a long time ago? Or do they still exist?

Given the demographics of DCUM it is possible that everyone's "concerns" stem from the fact that Kennedy is the least white school in the county. I could be wrong though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are parents concerned about Kennedy? The journalism track looks interesting from a recent open house, but we don't know anything about the school. Some kids have heard "horror stories" but I don't know what that means. Are these concerns from a long time ago? Or do they still exist?

Given the demographics of DCUM it is possible that everyone's "concerns" stem from the fact that Kennedy is the least white school in the county. I could be wrong though.

Einstein doesn't have many more white people; it still has higher test scores and a much better reputation. The problem with Kennedy is the test scores. I'm sure that there are some very bright, hard-working students there, but there just doesn't seem to be a large cohort. Even white and Asian kids have low average AP and IB scores at Kennedy. Please look at this document:

http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2018/2017%20AP%20IB%20Course%20Enrollment%20and%20Exam%20Participation%20Performance.pdf

If MCPS wants to turn Kennedy around (and Watkins Mill, which also has low test scores), it would need to add a competitive magnet there. Just as Wheaton is attracting kids who might not be competitive enough for Blair SMAC, maybe there could be a humanities magnet at Kennedy that would be less competitive than CAP?