Compare Woodlin, Bradley Hills, Wyngate E.S.

[linuxangel]

We are trying to figure out what house to buy. We found one really like in Silver Spring and 2 that are okay in the Wyngate area. So, I searched this forum and see positive thoughts about Woodlin, but here is my questions - are the Bradley Hills, Wyngate clusters so much better. I have looked at rankings and it seems these latter schools have slightly higher scores and many fewer children living in poverty, but I still don't have a sense of how much better they might be? Is it 5% better, or 25% better...that could affect my decision. I appreciate all opinions and any thoughts on the clusters for these areas as well.
Thanks much,
Worried Mom

[Anonymous]

I don't have kids at any of the schools. But, from what I've heard, Woodlin is excellent. Small classes, great community, etc. I don't know much about Bradley Hills but I know people with kids at Wyngate and the classes are definitely larger and I haven't heard the same positive feedback.

As you point out, it's the high schools that differ so I would try to get as much information about that.

Also, did you know that part of the Woodlin district is going to become part of the new McKenney Hills Elementary in a few years?

If you have time, I would definitely try to tour each school.

[Anonymous]

Can you share more info about the McKenney Hills elementary plan?

I live in the Woodlin district and didn't know about this.

I've heard only good things about Woodlin. There might be bigger variations at the middle and high school level though.

[Anonymous]

I am the pp re: Woodlin and McKenney Hills. I have limited knowledge. I am in the Oakland Terrace district and was told by the principal that in about three years half of Oakland Terrace and half of Woodlin will be in a brand new school called McKenney Hills (there is a school building there now that is unused, it will be torn down and a new building will be built). It's in the McKenney Hills neighborhood. They have not determined the boundaries yet or the high school that the new school will feed into though there are different proposals.

[linuxangel]

Hi I am the OP..This is very helpful info! Much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you share more info about the McKenney Hills elementary plan?

I live in the Woodlin district and didn't know about this.

I've heard only good things about Woodlin. There might be bigger variations at the middle and high school level though.

I've heard that McKenney Hills is currently on the plans to open for the 2012 school year. It needs to be torn down completely and built from scratch. So....as long as the building plans proceed as scheduled, the intent is for kids to enroll in 2012.

[Anonymous]

We've had very positive experience with both of our kids at Wyngate. The class sizes start at 24 in Kindergarten so I think that might be larger than some of the MCPS elementary schools that have a higher FARMS population. The principal is REALLY good. And we love the sense of community in the neighborhood...

[Anonymous]

Bradley Hills feeds into Pyle MS and Whitman HS. Both are excellent, if not at or near top in the state. If you are buying your home for the long run, this is a consideration. Even in this market, the comps show that homes in that cluster have pretty much held on to value.

[Anonymous]

I have heard great things about Woodlin. I think where the problem comes in is after Woodlin in Jr high. Woodline is mapped to Sligo, so if you are going to stay until the Jr. High years, check out those stats as well.

I love my neighborhood in Silver Spring, but now wish I would have bought a smaller house in Bethesda so I wasn't stressing about schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard great things about Woodlin. I think where the problem comes in is after Woodlin in Jr high. Woodline is mapped to Sligo, so if you are going to stay until the Jr. High years, check out those stats as well.

I love my neighborhood in Silver Spring, but now wish I would have bought a smaller house in Bethesda so I wasn't stressing about schools.

I agree in part (we are at Oakland Terrace, though, not Woodlin). I've heard Woodlin is great. I also worry about the SS schools after elementary (also in Sligo) but I honestly don't know if those fears are justified. Also, looking at housing in Bethesda now, the prices are basically double. Even with two kids, I could probably send them to private school for HS for less than the cost of a comparable house in Bethesda. And I really like Silver Spring. Plus, it is so convenient for our commutes and that counts for a lot.

But if you are looking at comparably priced homes I'd probably go with a better high school. On the other hand, I actually don't want to send my kids to Whitman.

[Anonymous]

You should research the middle and high schools carefully (and if you are looking in SS, don't assume that you can magically switch to another HS in the cluster -- there are no guarantees, and most students wind up at their neighborhood HS).

Who wouldn't want to send their kid to Whitman??? It's one of the best in the county.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to send my kids to Whitman for 2 reasons:

Very competitive atmosphere

No economic/other diversity (don't want my kids in a school full of rich kids)

[Anonymous]

I went to Whitman and I intentionally chose to purchase our house in a Bethesda elementary school that will NOT feed into Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but to the PP: Is Whitman really that different from the other Bethesda high schools? My sense is that they're all full of rich white kids whose parents want them to get into Harvard.

[Anonymous]

I went to B-CC for the last 2 years of HS. I would have loved to be able to purchase a house in the Somerset..B-CC school cluster, which is where we're renting now because that cluster is more diverse. Unfortunately, being that my husband and I are both public servants in one way or another, we are not able to afford to purchase a house in Chevy Chase. However, we did choose to focus our house search in the Bradley Hills...Whitman school cluster. I've heard great things about it, which at the very least is critical in purchasing a house as an investment.

While Whitman is highly competitive and it is full of overly priviledged kids. It is a very good school. I've spoken with current parents and at least one junior at the school now to see how and why they like it. I know I'll have to deal with kids whose parents buy them expensive cars -- that won't be me even if I win the lottery. But our country and our world is HIGHLY competitive, so my son will have to learn how to deal with that to be successful. Being brilliant and/or intelligent is not enough, it is critical to learn how to deal with competition.

For most of my education, I attended WIS, when it was just starting out. I got a diverse perspective on the world and didn't realize until life at B-CC how divisive this country is. Public school is/was extremely clicky in a way that my private school was not. There were so-called scholarship students at WIS and race was never an issue, the way it was at B-CC.