Advice for a complete novice in the world of DCPS

[Anonymous]

You can certainly play the lottery for charter schools without a DC address and see what happens. You can choose your house based on what school you get into (you could even rent temporarily in order to be able to register by the deadline).

Based on the uncertainty regarding where you might end up, I'm not sure that moving in before the lottery makes sense unless you have a specific school in mind. Most of the best neighborhood schools either don't have a PK3 program, or the slots are not guaranteed, even to IB kids. If you want a (nearly) guaranteed slot for PK3 at a good neighborhood school, possible options include Shepherd or SWWFS. I'm sure others can suggest more.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Where are your jobs? Do you need to be near metro?

OP here. Metro not needed - I work downtown and have free parking, and DH--ironically a DCPS teacher--will be moving to a new school next year so not sure on location, but I'm sure he'll drive too.

As a DCPS teacher, wouldn't he know what schools work for you? You can search on redfin within those school boundaries and with 2BR minimum / $650k max.

He teaches Special Ed in a high school in a rough area, and it's been his first posting in DCPS. I don't know if he should still know, but he doesn't.

Then can you give an idea of what a "good school" means to you? People on this board squabble over that all day, but all that matters to you is what you think.

Do you care about solid middle school / high school paths? If not, there are many areas with good elementary schools options, and possibilities for MS/HS.

OP here. First I really want to thank all of you for taking the time to answer and discuss.

So to me a good school is diverse, with engaged parents, a responsive and strong admin, and great teachers. Where there is care taken with placement of students so that kids who are struggling and kids who are advanced can both get what they need (I know, next I'll ask for the unicorn). I also really appreciate access to the arts. I know Greatschools ratings mean NOTHING, but it's hard to know which ones are great despite low scores, and which ones aren't.

Ideally I'd love solid middle/high school path but I don't see that happening in our budget.

You could consider Shepherd Park. Prek 3 available and path to Deal and Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet. Good charters close by to lottery into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet. Good charters close by to lottery into.

Also maybe consider Langdon, Woodridge area...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet. Good charters close by to lottery into.

It makes no sense to move to Ft. Totten in hopes of getting a charter spot. Better to see where/if you get a place in the lottery and then move nearby. There's no IB preference for charters so applying without an address is no big deal. And if you need more time to find a place after the enrollment deadline, you could lease an apartment anywhere in the District, use that address to enroll, then break the lease/sublet the apartment and find a real home in the District over the summer.

Or just move to TP or SS. https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/2109-Derby-Ridge-Ln-20910/unit-2-6/home/11129108 is $460,000 (plus a small condo fee) and has 2 bedrooms upstairs, another in the basement, and plenty of space. You're just two metro stops further out and the schools are good from K-12. Crime's a lot lower too. Yes, you're 1.3 miles from the metro, but it's not that hard to get to Silver Spring and there's a lot more going on there than near Ft. Totten.

[Anonymous]

We have friends whose inbound school is SWW at FS and they did not get in for pk 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet. Good charters close by to lottery into.

It makes no sense to move to Ft. Totten in hopes of getting a charter spot. Better to see where/if you get a place in the lottery and then move nearby. There's no IB preference for charters so applying without an address is no big deal. And if you need more time to find a place after the enrollment deadline, you could lease an apartment anywhere in the District, use that address to enroll, then break the lease/sublet the apartment and find a real home in the District over the summer.

Or just move to TP or SS. https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/2109-Derby-Ridge-Ln-20910/unit-2-6/home/11129108 is $460,000 (plus a small condo fee) and has 2 bedrooms upstairs, another in the basement, and plenty of space. You're just two metro stops further out and the schools are good from K-12. Crime's a lot lower too. Yes, you're 1.3 miles from the metro, but it's not that hard to get to Silver Spring and there's a lot more going on there than near Ft. Totten.

One problem with these plans is the short time between the lottery results (end of March) and when you must turn in residency paperwork (early May for many schools). So if you are going down this route, be ready to move quickly. This page details what documents you will need to prove residency and be able to enroll.

http://www.myschooldc.org/enroll/dc-residency-requirements/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fort Totten area is still affordable and pretty quiet. Good charters close by to lottery into.

It makes no sense to move to Ft. Totten in hopes of getting a charter spot. Better to see where/if you get a place in the lottery and then move nearby. There's no IB preference for charters so applying without an address is no big deal. And if you need more time to find a place after the enrollment deadline, you could lease an apartment anywhere in the District, use that address to enroll, then break the lease/sublet the apartment and find a real home in the District over the summer.

Or just move to TP or SS. https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/2109-Derby-Ridge-Ln-20910/unit-2-6/home/11129108 is $460,000 (plus a small condo fee) and has 2 bedrooms upstairs, another in the basement, and plenty of space. You're just two metro stops further out and the schools are good from K-12. Crime's a lot lower too. Yes, you're 1.3 miles from the metro, but it's not that hard to get to Silver Spring and there's a lot more going on there than near Ft. Totten.

One problem with these plans is the short time between the lottery results (end of March) and when you must turn in residency paperwork (early May for many schools). So if you are going down this route, be ready to move quickly. This page details what documents you will need to prove residency and be able to enroll.

http://www.myschooldc.org/enroll/dc-residency-requirements/

It's not that hard, but it might be a expensive. When you get into a charter through the lottery, rent an apartment in DC. Any apartment in DC. Look for one that allows you to sublease or transfer the lease without penalty, or a 6-month lease that goes month-to-month after that (protip: in DC, all leases go month-to-month after they expire). Use that address for enrollment, explaining that you are in the process of moving there. You can live there if you don't find anything better (so don't pick a studio far from the school if that's not going to work for your commute and family size) , but you can be mentally prepared that what you'll actually do is spend the summer looking for a place that works better for you, and move in shortly before the start of the school year.

But you seem like a somewhat risk-averse person who values a house (not apartment) with more square footage, is fine with driving to work, is currently a MD resident, has a sub-$500k budget, and wants a school with high test scores. I don't see what the advantage for you is of living in DC. I live in DC and it works really well for me, but my situation is different.