Moving to DC - need school advice

[Anonymous]

Will be moving to DC early summer (recent decision). Are we out of luck re schools? DC is 6 and in grade 1, private school. We will live in one of DC's downtown areas (prob Georgetown). What would be best to do in terms of application? DC is a medium not super strong academic student but lively, friendly, very social and active. Which schools would you suggest applying to? Thanks

[Anonymous]

If you're intent on private school, one possibility is the British School of Washington, in Georgetown. At least in the past they've had rolling admissions, unlike most schools.

[Anonymous]

And for another view- if you move to georgetown, you are probably in boundry for Hyde Elementary School (public school) which people seem very happy with and has a very dynamic principal. You would be guaranteed a spot in your local elementary school, and I think hyde covers georgetown http://www.hydeelementary.org/

[Anonymous]

OP, I used to live in Georgetown and dd went to Hyde. We were very happy with it. That was quite a few years ago but I still hear good things about it. You should definitely look into it along with investigating private schools. Another DCPS school that draws from upper Georgetown is Stoddert.

[Anonymous]

Do not be afraid to call some of the private schools, you never know. They put out there they are SO selective, but a lot of them are hurting.

[Anonymous]

Maret School! There are lots of great private schools in the area, but none are more friendly and insanely excellent than Maret

[Anonymous]

What about working with an Education Consultant. If this is a transfer, perhaps the employer will contribute. From what I hear, many (most?) schools are fully or overenrolled. Second Grade is not an entry year at most schools. Also, scroll down and read the school threads! Hyde is supposed to be great.

[Anonymous]

We are moving to DC this summer too. I applied to schools for the children when it was the admissions season (i.e. Winter for the following Fall) because I thought this might happen. The girls both got into our first choice schools, which was a great development, but I am writing to say that I got the impression that the private schools are very accommodating to out of town families. I felt very welcomed and that the process was flexible in terms of the difficulty of being from out of town. I would certainly check with any private schools you are interested in, if that is the route you want to go.

[Anonymous]

OP, only your younger child would be eligible for Hyde. Elementary in DC is Pre-K to 5, so your older one will be in middle school. I strongly encourage you to check out Washington Latin PCS (public charter) for middle school and high school in order to avoid the (regular) public schools in the upper grades.

[Anonymous]

Also, you should take much of what you read on the "private school" threads with a large grain of salt. Various people have various agendas there, and it takes a while to start feeling what the level is, if you ever get there on those threads.

[Anonymous]

I agree - call the privates you are interested in - over the years, I have had a few friends get in over the summer - I think applying during non-entry years may possibly be to your advantage as there are less applicants and summer calls may be welcome given the current economy.

[Anonymous]

I would try Beauvoir. It is a PK-3 school and usually quite hard to get into. However, my impression is that they sometimes have rising second and third graders leave unexpectedly over the summer as people get transferred etc., and that, because the school ends in third grade, they do not actively recruit new kids to replace them. However, it might be a good fit for you as you are transferring into town. Many Beauvoir kids go onto St Albans (for boys) and NCS (for girls) at fourth grade, schools that many families find very attractive (others go onto GDS etc.). If this is potentially a good fit for you, you should call and see if they have slots this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maret School! There are lots of great private schools in the area, but none are more friendly and insanely excellent than Maret

Chance of finding an opening at Maret right now is pretty tiny, though.

Call schools. It varies by grade level, but Maret is small at the elementary level, already has a full class and a wait list.

What kind of school do you want?