Silver Spring vs. Takoma Park

[Anonymous]

There have definitely been some changes since the list above was put together.

Takoma Park ES and Piney Branch ES are likely losing their Focus status, and with it their dedicated STEM teacher. It also seems that the TPES "magnet" is no longer taking out-of-bounds kids, but no one has explained what that means to the broader parent community.

Rolling Terrace has shifted from a mostly-out-of-boundary Spanish immersion to a dual immersion model for in-bounds kids only.

East Silver Spring has had a good couple of years for test scores, partially due to changing demographics in the neighborhood. According to one massive DCUM thread, most sub-groups (low income kids, kids of color) do better at ESS than at PBES, and white and Asian kids do the same.

Woodlin saw its GS scores drop, but people are still very happy at the school and the critical mass of families sticking with Sligo MS plus strong administrators have made that a good option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, it’s Woodmoor. Not Woodmore. It’s a perfectly nice neighborhood. True that you can’t walk to the Metro from there, but there’s nice housing stock and lots of families with younger kids.

OP, we live in one of the Woodside neighborhoods (there are a bunch; all are south of the Beltway and I think zoned for either Woodlin or Sligo Creek ES). TKPK is more charming. That’s just fact. But we have a lot of the advantages you get in Takoma Park: access to green space, nice neighbors, involved civic associations. Walkable to the Metro and to downtown Silver Spring.

Our neighbors have/have had kids at Woodlin and Sligo. All are happy. The Woodliners are going to Sligo. Most (not all, but this is going to be true of any neighborhood HS) of the older kids go to Einstein and are having good experiences there.

One elementary school I haven’t seen mentioned is Oakland Terrace. I believe (but correct me if I’m wrong) they’re piloting a different type of immersion program. I have friends up there and they are really happy with the school. Their kids aren’t in immersion, though.

As far as crime ... it occurs anywhere near a big city. It happens in Bethesda, too. I take normal precautions but I don’t feel unsafe in my neighborhood.

OTES has a new dual-language (English-Spanish) immersion model for kids starting in K this year, and those entering the school from this point. Our oldest is in first there so is not in the program, but younger siblings will be. We're happy there despite missing the immersion program; it's a smaller school, very diverse, lots of parent involvement. Our kid has had great experiences thus far. You can walk to Forest Glen metro from there, which would take 20-30' depending on where you live in the catchment area.

[Anonymous]

Takoma park is vastly overpriced. SS still has some relatively affordable areas.

I don't give a crap about schools though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takoma park is vastly overpriced. SS still has some relatively affordable areas.

I don't give a crap about schools though.

I don't get why TP is overpriced. It's very close to lots of jobs and commute matters to people. It's close to a red line metro. Schools have a good reputation (great even, from what I've heard about elementary and middle and GS ratings are very high, realize Blair doesn't have as a high GS rating but has a good reputation).

I don't live in TP so really don't care one way or the other, but I don't agree it is overpriced.

[Anonymous]

As an outsider, Silver Spring has always struck me as more diverse and we'll adjusted. Takoma Park seems to be mostly somewhat smug Gentry liberals intermixed with some of the more run down low income housing in the area.

Silver Spring has some of both of this but also lots of different types of people (working class people, yuppies, upwardly mobile immigrants, religious homeschoolers, whatever). I prefer the more down to earth vibe there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma park is vastly overpriced. SS still has some relatively affordable areas.

I don't give a crap about schools though.

I don't get why TP is overpriced. It's very close to lots of jobs and commute matters to people. It's close to a red line metro. Schools have a good reputation (great even, from what I've heard about elementary and middle and GS ratings are very high, realize Blair doesn't have as a high GS rating but has a good reputation).

I don't live in TP so really don't care one way or the other, but I don't agree it is overpriced.

To a certain degree, TP benefits from people assuming the schools are great. Piney Branch ES is a GS6, which is perfectly fine but there are Silver Spring schools with higher scores. Somehow, though, folks assume the Takoma Park scores are higher than they actually are.

[Anonymous]

OP? Are you around 3 years later?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP where in SS? SS is a huge place. You need to clarify this to get a meaningful response.

Also, we are assuming you mean Takoma Park, MoCo, but there is a PG side to TP as well.

No there isn't. The PG side was incorporated into MoCo about 15 years ago.

almost 25 years ago–1995.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't ssims go to blair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't ssims go to blair?

Some of SSIMS goes to Blair and some of SSIMS goes to Northwood.