Primer on Montgomery County schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really depends on budget...there are the traditional W schools (Churchill/Whitman/WJ/BCC) the close to W school (Wootton) and everything else. The traditional Ws will require a budget of $750 minimum. $500 will get you to Wooton. After that you can find things for $350-$450 in strong but either further out areas or smaller in closer-in areas.

Hilarious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our son is 4 months old.. So I am looking at the long game I suppose

MCPS has changed and continues to change drastically. By the time your DC goes to school, it will be a completely different place.

Not really...

When our child was four months old the west side of the country was high performing, the east not so much and now that my child is 9 that is still the case. The major clusters should remain relatively the same while individual school may change slightly or be rezoned.

The extremes may not have changed but I think the midtier schools have probably been declining or not the same as they were before.

I made a similar mistake as a previous poster in just focusing on high schools when shopping for homes ten or fifteen years ago and didn't realize that elementary schools that feed into that high school might vary.

In general though it looks like a lot has changed in that area from the time we bought that home until now.

So I think as others mentioned, might not worry about it too much for now until the OP's child is closer to school age. A lot might change between now and then, including OP's life. Such as having to relocate due to a new job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP..please find another source. This board is just about singing the praises of ones own school and tearing apart others (which they generally know little about)

OP here.. My original question was asking for another source

[Anonymous]

OP again... But a big thank you to those who posted sincere responses!

[Anonymous]

OP, we love the College Gardens neighborhood in Rockville. Check it out. Townhomes would be in your budget. Neighborhood has nice parks/playgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry for the vagueness of the question. I realize now it's a huge system and will require tons of research.
Basically, I work in downtown DC but am looking to make a move to another location in Maryland. DH works in Moco already, all over but mostly Rockville. Budget would be about 350k due to massive student loans. We are completely willing to buy a place that needs work in order to get a little more space and yard.

Look in the Rockville cluster! It's a hidden gem. You can buy in at 350 (but easier at 400), especially if you're willing to put some work into the house. We're in Barnsely ES and loooove the neighborhood -- everyone loves the school.

+1 your best bet for the budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we love the College Gardens neighborhood in Rockville. Check it out. Townhomes would be in your budget. Neighborhood has nice parks/playgrounds.

+1 We are in these school too and LOVE our neighborhood and school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Barnsley isn't a focus school. It does have a highly gifted program though.

You are totally incorrect.

I have 2 kids at Barnsley. It IS a focus school. Class sizes are limited from K-2, and then go up in 3rd. High(ish) FARMs and ESOL population. And, yes, it does have an HGC and also a Deaf/HOH program, along with a GT/LD program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For decades: Whitman cluster, BCC cluster, Churchill cluster, Wooton cluster, Walter Johnson cluster -- all safe 'bets'

The cream of the crop these days has been skimmed to the magnets. All that's left at the W's are the 2nd stringers...

[Anonymous]

Check the neighborhoods near Forest Glen Metro. Oakland Terrace & Flora Singer ES.

[Anonymous]

With your budget and DH's job, I would check out the Rockville area. I recommend renting for a couple years while you get a feel for the different neighborhoods in the area and to test whether you can stand the commute. That would also allow you beef up your savings a bit more, which would increase your options.

FWIW, I wouldn't be too focused on high schools at the moment, and in my opinion, elementary schools are largely fine--they will not make or break your kid's schooling. We live in downtown Silver Spring and have had a good experience so far. We value being close to the metro and in a walkable area. But we wouldn't have known that until we rented here.

[Anonymous]

Look in Poolesville. High school was ranked 3rd in MD. Ranked 107 in US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really depends on budget...there are the traditional W schools (Churchill/Whitman/WJ/BCC) the close to W school (Wootton) and everything else. The traditional Ws will require a budget of $750 minimum. $500 will get you to Wooton. After that you can find things for $350-$450 in strong but either further out areas or smaller in closer-in areas.

Hilarious!

I agree, which MoCo is this person living in? Sure get a condo in Bethesda and then pay at least 700 per month in HOA on top of your mortgage.

[Anonymous]

With your budget and work later cations I'd look for a tow home in Rockville 20850 or 20852 feeding to Richard Montgomery or Walter Johnson clusters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With your budget and work later cations I'd look for a tow home in Rockville 20850 or 20852 feeding to Richard Montgomery or Walter Johnson clusters.

Sorry about the typos.