Private school and living in Capitol Hill
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Anonymous
| My family is moving to the area and has elementary-school aged kids. We like Capitol Hill, but the big downside seems to be that it's a commute from many of the top private schools in the city. Do families commute to NW for school? |
Anonymous
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1. What is it that you like about Cap Hill that you couldn't replicate further to the west, and therefore closer to many private schools?
2. Why are you opting for private / already writing off Cap Hill public elementary schools -before- you even get here? Middle school is another discussion, but a couple of the elementary schools are widely used by neighborhood families. And to answer your question, no, there aren't many -- if any -- kids from the Hill in my kids' school in NWDC. |
Anonymous
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Capitol Hill was historically a bit more bohemian, and families in that neighborhood used Capitol Hill Day School, a progressive private.
I have known one or two people that commuted from the Hill to Sidwell etc. Be aware that Sidwell and Maret get 10 applicants per spot, and Georgetown Day gets something like 6 applicants per spot. This decision may be made for you. |
Anonymous
| You may have more luck if you post this on the private school board. |
Anonymous
WIS is not the admissions slog it used to be |
Anonymous
| I see the occasional non-charter school uniforms on older kids but there are fewer middle school and ever fewer high school age kids living on Cap Hill. The cohort skews much younger. There are significant numbers of elementary kids and the vast majority attend neighborhood/charter public schools. |
Anonymous
^^"Bohemian"? Please . . . Cap Hill is pretty lefty but more like urban professional and wonky. I've lived here long enough to recognize a sizeable number of conservatives and evangelicals who live on the Hill. All the "Bohemians" are settling in Brookland these days to tend to urban farms and beekeeping. |
Anonymous
Really? This makes me want to move to Brookland. I live on the Hill. |
Anonymous
| There are commuters. Some of them carpool together a day or two a week to create neighborhood bonds with schoolmates. Others might have work in NW, so it is part of their daily commute to work. It is a smaller group of people than charters, for sure, but yes, there are plenty of us. Capitol Hill Day draws the biggest crowd from the Hill private focused families. Also, it is easy to get to VA from DC in the am; so schools like Burgundy Country Day are also an option. |
Anonymous
Your plan doesn't make any sense unless both of you work in the Hill. |
Anonymous
| PP here. In fact, I would say the Hill, with the exception of a couple of schools, has such spotty schools overall, and has seen such administrative upheaval, that there is less uniformity in the immediate neighborhoods, all the children going to 'x" school. This neighborhood more so than many others, people make the decision that is right for their family, so block by block, you have different mixtures school choices (homeschooling, private, local charter, distant charter, and the neighborhood school, for those who are lucky enough to be in bounds for a good one or willing to really invest some work into their existing) |
Anonymous
Real estate market is driving some hard choices these days. Not everyone can pony up the 2M for a 4 bedroom in a good school district. There are still better deals on the Hill compared to NW. |
Anonymous
Let's not exaggerate. You can get a perfectly fine 4bd in NW, with access to great public elementary + middle school, for less than $1.2m. Not much more than in CH, especially when you take into account private school tuition for X years for Y kids. |
Anonymous
New poster-- I agree that Brookland is great. I live on the Hill and it suits me, but I have friends in Brookland and I totally see the appeal! You should look into it-- house prices are going up, but still lower than the Hill. I agree with the earlier post that Hill families generally do what is right for them and there is no one school. On my street a few go to Brent, one family goes to Capitol hill Day School, one goes to a Quaker school in College Park (Friendship?), one goes to Lowell, one goes to Yu Ying Charter, one goes to Washington Latin charter and one homeschools-- and the homeschool is part of a cool program where other Hill families also participate -- classical Conversations?. And one kid attended Washington international School, but he has recently graduated from high school. Anyway, this mix of options encourages parents to do what is really best for your family-- you aren't going to stand out as odd or going against the grain! If you want to live on the Hill and commute to a private school in upper NW, ask the schools you are interested in for info. |
Anonymous
| Pp's experience has been the same as mine. We are in IB for one of the great Hill schools, but we have neighbors who send their kids to language charters, chml, inbound school, other charters, aiden, wis, maret, Capitol day, St. Peter's, and GDS. The charter kids all carpool, and most of the private ones either carpool, go with mom/dad to work, or have the au pair drive. I love the Hill and do not find NW DC appealing at all. |