DCPS (Upper NW) vs MCPS, where to go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The smaller NW DCPS elementaries feel like privates: small grade sizes, two teachers per class in K, beautiful facilities, and more varied after-school enrichment offerings than MCPS ES.

There is more latitude in DC for PTAs to fund extra staff than in MCPS, where there is no allowance for it. PTAs also seem more active in DC, by percentage of parents participating in them and funds raised per capita.

Some NW DCPS also teach a foreign language once a week during the core school day. (DC has many immersion schools, too, if you want to go that route).

Also, many MCPS don’t allow parent tours; it’s up to the principal. I was only able to tour two Bethesda publics, one Silver Spring, and one Chevy Chase public school. The MCPS schools I toured wouldn’t let us observe a class (with the exception of Somerset, whose parent guide let us pop into two classes for a few minutes) and wouldn’t allow us to come by during recess, when student—staff ratio is lowest / chaos level is highest.

DCPS, on the other hand, provides so much transparency. I visited nearly every NW school, some multiple times, and it made me feel more comfortable with DCPS as a whole. I was able to take pre-scheduled and one-off tours. Everyone was so friendly in administration! The front office staff just seem happier in DC.

I also like that DC schools are largely walkable. In MCPS, many students bus to school. I know many kids enjoy the bus, but we want to sort of “root” ourselves in a walkable school community.

Finally, I liked how diverse the parents on the tour were, by nationality and race in DC. In the Bethesda and Chevy Chase elementaries, it was almost universally white, American parents (many born in Maryland) on the tours — maybe 80-90% of the parents fit that description. We were looking for more international family community.

I agree with everything you've said. Am making the move from MCPS to DC.

This is an obvious troll post.

We are making this move as well, this summer, to NW DC for a JKLM.

[Anonymous]

I totally agree with the benefit of walkability and always want that. The major issue is we are not able to have walkability AND Asian population. Walkability really exists in DC only, which has 5% Asians. At this moment, we are guessing that having Asian peers around is more important.

Happy to hear more about other parents' thoughts on this.

[Anonymous]

Avoid DCPS at all costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The smaller NW DCPS elementaries feel like privates: small grade sizes, two teachers per class in K, beautiful facilities, and more varied after-school enrichment offerings than MCPS ES.

There is more latitude in DC for PTAs to fund extra staff than in MCPS, where there is no allowance for it. PTAs also seem more active in DC, by percentage of parents participating in them and funds raised per capita.

Some NW DCPS also teach a foreign language once a week during the core school day. (DC has many immersion schools, too, if you want to go that route).

Also, many MCPS don’t allow parent tours; it’s up to the principal. I was only able to tour two Bethesda publics, one Silver Spring, and one Chevy Chase public school. The MCPS schools I toured wouldn’t let us observe a class (with the exception of Somerset, whose parent guide let us pop into two classes for a few minutes) and wouldn’t allow us to come by during recess, when student—staff ratio is lowest / chaos level is highest.

DCPS, on the other hand, provides so much transparency. I visited nearly every NW school, some multiple times, and it made me feel more comfortable with DCPS as a whole. I was able to take pre-scheduled and one-off tours. Everyone was so friendly in administration! The front office staff just seem happier in DC.

I also like that DC schools are largely walkable. In MCPS, many students bus to school. I know many kids enjoy the bus, but we want to sort of “root” ourselves in a walkable school community.

Finally, I liked how diverse the parents on the tour were, by nationality and race in DC. In the Bethesda and Chevy Chase elementaries, it was almost universally white, American parents (many born in Maryland) on the tours — maybe 80-90% of the parents fit that description. We were looking for more international family community.

I agree with everything you've said. Am making the move from MCPS to DC.

This is an obvious troll post.

We are making this move as well, this summer, to NW DC for a JKLM.

I know you’re a troll but if any others are considering this nonsense I hope you looked closely at the curriculum for science, math and ELA and the completely dismal offerings in middle and high school. Enjoy the significant Ed tech used in school, particularly amplify science. Dcps is objectively the worst school system in the area. It’s hard to screw up elementary school, but once your kid in in middle or high you’ll be happy to be in Maryland. No one is moving to dc for school ffs. lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was given tours at all the Bethesda elementary schools I was interested in during my house hunting last year .. so I’m not sure what OP is talking about.

Bethesda elementary schools may give tours because they are catering to parents also considering private school but most MCPS elementary schools won’t give tours. Either you live in-bounds and you can enroll and sign up for kindergarten orientation or you don’t and you can’t. At least that’s how it was back in 2014. I’m not aware of my kids’ Kensington area ES ever having given a tour. They don’t have to and they mostly choose not to. Bethesda is a bit of an exception. I think some Bethesda MS and HS may even allow “shadow days” for kids in private school which is another private school thing most MCPS schools don’t do. None of the kids going from their assigned MS to their assigned HS get a “shadow day.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid DCPS at all costs.

+100
Asian and former DCPS parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I totally agree with the benefit of walkability and always want that. The major issue is we are not able to have walkability AND Asian population. Walkability really exists in DC only, which has 5% Asians. At this moment, we are guessing that having Asian peers around is more important.

Happy to hear more about other parents' thoughts on this.

Maybe as opposed to walkability consider bike-ability and public transportation routes? I live just outside the beltway in MD. My MCPS middle schooler walks and/or bikes independently to: friends’ houses in the neighborhood, the pool, the local town commercial center with a 7-11 and other food options, the library. 8th grader has also taken the public bus to Montgomery Mall with friends (RideOn is free now) and walked or biked to where they need to get the bus.

It’s not the same as being close to Connecticut Ave in DC. But it does provide opportunities for independence if you are open to letting your teens have independence.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised at all the posts saying DCPS is just as good as MCPS. We are also Asian and were at Key for a few years. Key is considered to be a very good DCPS elementary so we didn’t really question it. But as our kid got older, we started getting pretty unhappy with the quality of their work and teaching, and were not at all inspired by the principal so we moved to MCPS. No public school is perfect but the difference is night and day. The music teacher at Key was terrible. He basically gave the kids a coloring sheet with a musical instrument on it, refused to do singing with the lower elementary schools, and gave them recorders but didn’t teach them how to play it. In MCPS, they get real music instruction on instruments. My kids still talk about how no one except for him was allowed to touch the musical instruments. The art teacher was sweet but there was no art studio. She would hold lessons in their classrooms so the only supplies they had to work with were pencils and coloring pencils / crayons. In MCPS, they have so many different materials and real art instruction. The gym teacher at Key would put out sports equipment with no real instruction. Their current gym teacher puts so much thought into their lessons— there’s an actual gym curriculum. The kids love him. Looking back, Key was such a joke and I’m still upset about that level of incompetence from so many teachers. Some of the subject specific teachers were good but the class sizes started to get pretty big by the time we left. Also, the teacher communication is so much better now. At Key, we never knew when the kids were going to have a test and no study guides were sent home. The teacher even told me they didn’t want the kids to study at home. Now, we get study guides and more comprehensive updates so we better understand the work they’re doing.
My kids also now appreciate being around more Asian kids. I don’t think I (or they) realized how different they felt at Key and hadn’t accounted for the importance of this in their experience. We are overall much happier in MCPS but these things that I reference may not be as important to you. I just wanted to give you my perspective.

[Anonymous]

PP here. One point I’ll add is I do think it’s easier to switch in elementary than middle. Kids make new friends much more easily in elementary and you’ll be able to meet other parents too. By middle, you’ll never really see other parents. I do think some level of parent connection helps you have a pulse on what’s going on in the school community. The transition was hard for a few months but the kids love it now.

[Anonymous]

Please also look at the dips new ela program thread for more information
Yup it is true. Here is the scope and sequence per grade: https://cdn.commonlit.org/website_assets/193/..._2024.pdf?1716217021

And here are the novels, of which there is one per grade in 6-10 grades:
https://support.commonlit.org/article/220-wil...e-novels-be-provided

The rest of the texts are short stories and informational texts. What a joke.

[Anonymous]

MCPS has a much stronger curriculum -- CKLA and as of next year Amplify Demos for math.

[Anonymous]

I’m one of the PPs.

I suspect that DCPS and MCPS are comparable at the ES level, with slight advantage to DCPS because of the immersion programs, the after school enrichments, and the ability of PTAs to fundraise for second teachers in classrooms and other support staff.

After that, it seems that aside from a few MS and a few HS in DC that are well known here, MCPS schools in Bethesda and Potomac are stronger.

I don’t think anyone here is arguing DC is better all the way through, unless (maybe) you do immersion all the way through or Walls/Banneker/Basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m one of the PPs.

I suspect that DCPS and MCPS are comparable at the ES level, with slight advantage to DCPS because of the immersion programs, the after school enrichments, and the ability of PTAs to fundraise for second teachers in classrooms and other support staff.

After that, it seems that aside from a few MS and a few HS in DC that are well known here, MCPS schools in Bethesda and Potomac are stronger.

I don’t think anyone here is arguing DC is better all the way through, unless (maybe) you do immersion all the way through or Walls/Banneker/Basis.

I am one the PPs that wrote about my experience with Key School, which is an elementary school. My point was that even at the elementary level at a highly regarded elementary school, the quality of DCPS resources and education is not as good.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine anyone who isn't established choosing DCPS over MCPS. The only time DC makes sense over MCPS or VA schools is if your kid already has strong roots and a move would be destabilizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m one of the PPs.

I suspect that DCPS and MCPS are comparable at the ES level, with slight advantage to DCPS because of the immersion programs, the after school enrichments, and the ability of PTAs to fundraise for second teachers in classrooms and other support staff.

After that, it seems that aside from a few MS and a few HS in DC that are well known here, MCPS schools in Bethesda and Potomac are stronger.

I don’t think anyone here is arguing DC is better all the way through, unless (maybe) you do immersion all the way through or Walls/Banneker/Basis.

Walls and Banneker are very very weak. Their offerings are comparable to the regular or lower track mcps students.