No idea how to research school districts before buying a home

[DSSM]

I am at a total loss of where to start. I am so overwhelmed when I think about AAP, charter school lotteries, language immersion programs, etc. We are in the process of identifying neighborhoods to buy in and obviously the school district would be an important consideration but how do you go about deciding when your neighborhood would be assigned to a set of elementary, middle, and high schools that may get redistricted before your kids graduate and you *may* get in on one of these lotteries, or your kids *may* pass whatever this AAP test is.

The specialty programs in PG county look great but there's of course no guarantee we'd get in - are the placement rates published anywhere? I know AAP takes the top 15% performers. We're in VA right now and like the area. We were looking to generally stay in the area but if there was some assurance that we could get into a fantastic, not just a good, school if we bought elsewhere, then we would consider it. That kind of rules out DC because the charter lottery seems like too much of a crapshoot for us to risk buying there.

Thanks for any tips!

[Anonymous]

OP, start with your budget, and a "dream list" for your house, realizing it is likely just a dream in these parts, which is fine. Also list what you absolutely can not live without, given your budget.

First and foremost, know your commute. I can not stress this enough.

Decide whom who want to live near. Are you the suburban type? Urban type?

Then, narrow it down to a few possibilities. Google school rankings in those districts. See if it works. Plod on until you find one that does.

No one can tell you where to live.

Some places "seem" wonderful. Until you realize you live next to the obsessive sicko who should have been institutionalized years ago. Fortunately, this is not the norm.

[DSSM]

Thanks PP. We already have a budget, home style in mind, and thought we were set on the Huntington area but then learning about PG schools got me thinking maybe we're limiting our options. I already know about the "Great Schools" ratings and I occasionally search for school-specific feedback on this site but it's really vague - like "oh, who sends their kids there?" That's not exactly useful feedback for me, so we're going to tour what would be the local elementary for the neighborhood we're looking at. Just wondering if there are any predictably good school districts in the area that make it worth considering buying a home there?

[Anonymous]

Budget?

Commute?

[Anonymous]

Honest truth PG schools are awful, yes you could get into one of the special programs but are you willing to risk your child not getting in? We have several friends underwater and unhappy with the charter placement slot they got in DC this year. They are now looking at renting in a stronger school district (MoCo or VA) since private school isn't financially an option.

[Anonymous]

Thing you should be looking at in a school:

Graduation Rate (for HS)
Standardized Test Scores : Reading / Math
Boundaries (are students from the neighborhood or bused from around the city)
Number of students per class
Advanced Classes & Language offerings (is just Spanish and French OK? or do you want your child to have the option of Russian & Chinese)

[Anonymous]

The neighborhoods with great schools are not necessarily the ones you would enjoy living in. Though, in some desperate cases, their list serves may attempt to cheerlead otherwise. Does that matter to you?

What is your budget and commute, OP?

[Anonymous]

JKLM

Done

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JKLM

Done

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

I went to a high school with a 2 Great Schools ranking, no AP classes or gifted programs, and still got into Yale and now have a great career and life.

Just saying... i think people place more importance on that sort of stuff than necessary. A motivated student, especially one with involved parents (and you clearly are since you care enough to ask this question) will do well anywhere.

Focus on finding your dream house somewhere with a workable commute and the rest will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a high school with a 2 Great Schools ranking, no AP classes or gifted programs, and still got into Yale and now have a great career and life.

Just saying... i think people place more importance on that sort of stuff than necessary. A motivated student, especially one with involved parents (and you clearly are since you care enough to ask this question) will do well anywhere.

Focus on finding your dream house somewhere with a workable commute and the rest will be fine.

Things are a hell of a lot different now then they were 20 years ago and just because you were smart enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school with out support doesn't mean OPs child will be able to do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JKLM

Done

What does this mean?

It's an acronym for good a schools. Janey, Key, something, Murch

Stick to those

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a high school with a 2 Great Schools ranking, no AP classes or gifted programs, and still got into Yale and now have a great career and life.

Just saying... i think people place more importance on that sort of stuff than necessary. A motivated student, especially one with involved parents (and you clearly are since you care enough to ask this question) will do well anywhere.

Focus on finding your dream house somewhere with a workable commute and the rest will be fine.

No one should plan to send their kid either to a high school with a 2 GS rating (ghetto) or to Yale (crapshoot).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a high school with a 2 Great Schools ranking, no AP classes or gifted programs, and still got into Yale and now have a great career and life.

Just saying... i think people place more importance on that sort of stuff than necessary. A motivated student, especially one with involved parents (and you clearly are since you care enough to ask this question) will do well anywhere.

Focus on finding your dream house somewhere with a workable commute and the rest will be fine.

No one should plan to send their kid either to a high school with a 2 GS rating (ghetto) or to Yale (crapshoot).

But isn't PP's point worth discussing -- good school ranking doesn't go hand in hand with a promising future for your kid. There are a lot of different ways to go about being successful. I would even argue that the parents who try hardest to engineer success have the least fulfilled and interesting kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:JKLM

Done

What does this mean?

It's an acronym for good a schools. Janey, Key, something, Murch

Stick to those

Don't stick with those. PP is an idiot and clearly sheltered. Do some research on this site. There are lots of great schools that are east of the park and don't get as much publicity. Schools like J.O. Wilson or Shepherd ES. Go visit. Look at the schools in Capital Hill. Remember that schools East of the Park also feed into Deal and Wilson if that's what you are interested in.

The thing about scores is that you can pretty much guarantee that if you come from a certain socio economic background.