Would you do it...live in Prince Georges County and DCs attend Independent School in DC?
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Anonymous
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I understand that this forum is for PG County Schools, however, I thought it may be the best place to gain insight from those families that fit the profile described in my subject line. Like most of the folks in this forum we are two educated professionals with young children who live in Prince Georges County and who desire an excellent educational environment for our children. We are not considering the public schools for which we are zoned nor the lottery or "specials". Unfortunately, just not options for our DCs. (No judgment- just not for us). We are religious (Catholic) and are looking at many of the independents in DC and Annapolis both Catholic and no religious affiliation. Here is the kicker....neither of us work in DC or Annapolis. We travel for work to NoVA and Howard County!!!!
Are we crazy to voluntarily subject ourselves to beltway traffic into DC for what we see as a GREAT school for our DCs? Is this just a necessary sacrifice (financially and other) that we must make based on what we desire in an educational environment for our DCs? Other than HT are there any private schools closer to Bowie, including Annapolis that can compete with the DC elite Independents? Our other option, of course, is to move and that is on the table. Thoughts? Advice? School recommendations (PK/K) (I am a veteran DCUMer--so I am prepared for the blowback coming from this post.) |
Anonymous
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What would your drive time be for one of the "DC elite"? Is money a consideration? |
Anonymous
| Friends? St Jerome's? |
Anonymous
| There are some private schools in PG that, while not "elite" are quite good (Friends, St. Jerome's) that most parents would consider great schools. I'm not sure if they fit your bill if you're focused on "elite" schools, though. I would look into those more, and see if there's anything near where you work in Howard and NoVa that would be do-able. I hate commuting, and some people don't mind it. You need to see whether the logistics of pick-up and drop off are even feasible for a NWDC elite school given your work hours, commutes, and when the school offers before- and after-care. I think it would be difficult to find a part-time nanny to pick them up after school and drive them a significant distance to your house unless you're willing to pay a ton for that. |
Anonymous
| Where do you live (town)? And where in NoVa and HoCo do you work? Also, what age/grade are you children? There may be other options near home or work that will be better options for your children and still not require you to commute for 2 hours each way just to make things work. |
Anonymous
| For young kids, I don't think this would be a good option. People that I know that have tried this hated it. They eventually moved to Friends or Holy Redeemer and were quite happy there. |
Anonymous
| Would I? No, I wouldn't. |
Anonymous
| So, OP, what do you think? |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
You may want to try some of the elite schools in NoVa - like Potomac and SSSA which have school buses that leave from Southern Prince George's County. If your work schedule is rigid, then going for an elite school in D.C. will ensure a long day for everyone, which will lower quality of life. Quite a few kids from Prince George's County need to leave NLT 6:30am to get kids to school for 8am start time, so this may not be a good option for young kids who need lots of sleep. I would recommend a strong Catholic elementary program with excellent English and Math for lower grades - I hear you don't get the bang for your buck in the lower grades at elite DC privates....on the other hand, it's easier to get accepted in the earlier grades with play date type testing....applying to grade 6 and and above you have to test to get in....if you plan on letting your kids stay at same school til 12th grade, then moving may be an option. You have lots to consider - weigh your options and do what's best for your family. Signed, Prince George's County Parent with Kid in Elite School |
Anonymous
| What about Dematha, Elizabeth Seaton, Palotti or Good Counsel? If you want a catholic school you can live in pg near them (I know GC's in Olney, but from Laurel it's an easy commute.) Personally I'd try to pick what's most livable for your current jobs with a eye on the options. By HS or late middle, your child might be able to take metro to school? What are your goal schools, really - for some of them, there's buses from places in PG. For others I would just avoid, personally - if your NoVa working spouse has to pass the school every day, that's about all that would put it back on my radar. Taking 1.5-2 hours + to get my kid to school and me to work wouldn't be sustainable. |
Anonymous
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I actually send my DC to a independent school in montgomery county. Everyone has to do what is right for their family. For me our neighborhood PS is not a viable option and it seems to be easier to get my DC into an "elite" independent school than to get in one of the lottery programs ( just my experience). But I also work in MC and her school is 5 miles away from my job. My DC has taken this commute with me since birht because our day care and pre school has also been in MC near my job. I would check out schools in NOVA, some also have bus service from Ft. Washington area.
My unsolicited advice is forget about the eliteness of a school, because all of the independent schools have good academics but find the school that will be the right fit for your child and where you feel as though will be a good fit for you and your family. Good luck with your search. |
Anonymous
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OP here---thanks for all of the thoughtful responses and suggestions. We live in Bowie and are looking at PK programs. Since I first posted, we have attended Open Houses at many of the Independents in DC and the commute to the Open Houses has been a very sobering reality that we would not be able to sustain that drive on a daily basis. Ultimately, I think we are going to move and are now working on our 2 year plan to make that happen. In the interim, we are focused on Annapolis privates and privates in Howard County. I think a previous poster said it best that we need to focus on what works best for our family and honestly, I like being in my home with my children and focused on hearing about their day and making dinner by 5:20pm everyday. The other wrinkle in the DC schools is the social life of DC on the weekends. We would have to drive back in to DC for DC to attend events and playdates etc. Soooo too much driving. Feeling better about the direction we are headed.
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Anonymous
| Move |
Anonymous
| OP, Research the public schools in Howard County first, I hear they are just as good as the privates. |