Capitol Hill families - If you moved to NW or burbs for school, do you have any regrets?

[Anonymous]

Some of the earlier posters seemed to have this suburban fantasy (maybe from their own childhood) that their kids would be able to live in a neighborhood where they can necessarily transport themselves alone everywhere. Maybe you happen to move to an area where there are similar aged children right down the street. But there is some luck/chance involved in that. A lot of the DMV suburbs are not all that walkable.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RM doesn’t actually offer access to many IB classes for students outside the magnet. Not sure what the point of IB is if kids don’t pursue the full Diploma. BCC also offers IBD but access seems limited to the highest achievers.

Do you have links for this? My understanding was different.

If you are actually interested in these schools, my advice would be to call up the IB coordinators at these schools and have a conversation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

You raise a good point. None of these suburban types will ever know how awesome it is to know that your kid will be able to easily walk to Eastern HS. Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

+1, I live on the Hill with no intention of leaving and no one I know does this. I do think there is an older cohort of parents whose kids were/are more free range, but the culture has changed. Newer families moving to the Hill are higher income, more likely to have nannies even once their kids are school age (also lots of people with family living with them or nearby), and their kids don't do this. The old guard on the Hill was more likely to be dual feds or even one fed, one SAHP, Gen X hippies/hipsters where having more free range kids in the city made sense to them. Newer folks are more risk averse.

It's a cultural shift that I think the PP, whose kids are clearly now older, may not realize it's happened because they don't socialize with the people who now have kids in elementary. This Hill is less free range now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

You raise a good point. None of these suburban types will ever know how awesome it is to know that your kid will be able to easily walk to Eastern HS. Pathetic.

Touché.

[Anonymous]

Why are people hyping up CH so much?
It seems fine but nothing above and beyond other DC neighborhoods. I think CH residents live in a bubble. Get out and explore the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

You raise a good point. None of these suburban types will ever know how awesome it is to know that your kid will be able to easily walk to Eastern HS. Pathetic.

You must be dumb if you think that Eastern HS is the only option for Hill parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

You raise a good point. None of these suburban types will ever know how awesome it is to know that your kid will be able to easily walk to Eastern HS. Pathetic.

You must be dumb if you think that Eastern HS is the only option for Hill parents.

+1. We walk everywhere, and my kids have a short ride on public transportation to their top-ranked school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you have to love all these people claiming that the suburb to which they moved is just as walkable as their old DC neighborhood. And of course virtually everyone in the burbs not working from home is driving to his or her job(s).

As a general matter, DC is far more walkable than the burbs.

For example, here are ratings from Walk Score:

DC 98

Alexandria 62
Arlington 71
Bethesda 45
Fairfax 54
McLean 23
Potomac 16
Reston 40
Tysons 60

You raise a good point. None of these suburban types will ever know how awesome it is to know that your kid will be able to easily walk to Eastern HS. Pathetic.

You must be dumb if you think that Eastern HS is the only option for Hill parents.

+1. We walk everywhere, and my kids have a short ride on public transportation to their top-ranked school.

So you walk everywhere… but not to school.

There is no “top ranked” HS on Capitol Hill. Not even private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

+1, I live on the Hill with no intention of leaving and no one I know does this. I do think there is an older cohort of parents whose kids were/are more free range, but the culture has changed. Newer families moving to the Hill are higher income, more likely to have nannies even once their kids are school age (also lots of people with family living with them or nearby), and their kids don't do this. The old guard on the Hill was more likely to be dual feds or even one fed, one SAHP, Gen X hippies/hipsters where having more free range kids in the city made sense to them. Newer folks are more risk averse.

It's a cultural shift that I think the PP, whose kids are clearly now older, may not realize it's happened because they don't socialize with the people who now have kids in elementary. This Hill is less free range now.

There's truth is in this analysis, but you're overstating your case. Many of the Brent 4th and 5th graders still have parents who sign them up with admins for self-release from the campus. We know dozens of these families after a decade at the school as an IB family. I don't know if self-release is an option at the other Hill public elementary schools. But I know that lots of the older Brent kids still get themselves to after-school extra-curriculars within around a mile of the school. Caregivers aren't rushing to Brent to squire all of the older students places in the afternoons. We see kids on their bikes and scooters getting themselves to karate on 8th St., soccer in M Park and at the Marine Barracks, tennis in Garfield Park, friends' houses etc. Some of them wind up at our place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

+1, I live on the Hill with no intention of leaving and no one I know does this. I do think there is an older cohort of parents whose kids were/are more free range, but the culture has changed. Newer families moving to the Hill are higher income, more likely to have nannies even once their kids are school age (also lots of people with family living with them or nearby), and their kids don't do this. The old guard on the Hill was more likely to be dual feds or even one fed, one SAHP, Gen X hippies/hipsters where having more free range kids in the city made sense to them. Newer folks are more risk averse.

It's a cultural shift that I think the PP, whose kids are clearly now older, may not realize it's happened because they don't socialize with the people who now have kids in elementary. This Hill is less free range now.

There's truth is in this analysis, but you're overstating your case. Many of the Brent 4th and 5th graders still have parents who sign them up with admins for self-release from the campus. We know dozens of these families after a decade at the school as an IB family. I don't know if self-release is an option at the other Hill public elementary schools. But I know that lots of the older Brent kids still get themselves to after-school extra-curriculars within around a mile of the school. Caregivers aren't rushing to Brent to squire all of the older students places in the afternoons. We see kids on their bikes and scooters getting themselves to karate on 8th St., soccer in M Park and at the Marine Barracks, tennis in Garfield Park, friends' houses etc. Some of them wind up at our place.

This is why most CH discussions are nonsensical. 8 year olds wandering around the Brent boundary is far different from kids walking around other boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

+1, I live on the Hill with no intention of leaving and no one I know does this. I do think there is an older cohort of parents whose kids were/are more free range, but the culture has changed. Newer families moving to the Hill are higher income, more likely to have nannies even once their kids are school age (also lots of people with family living with them or nearby), and their kids don't do this. The old guard on the Hill was more likely to be dual feds or even one fed, one SAHP, Gen X hippies/hipsters where having more free range kids in the city made sense to them. Newer folks are more risk averse.

It's a cultural shift that I think the PP, whose kids are clearly now older, may not realize it's happened because they don't socialize with the people who now have kids in elementary. This Hill is less free range now.

There's truth is in this analysis, but you're overstating your case. Many of the Brent 4th and 5th graders still have parents who sign them up with admins for self-release from the campus. We know dozens of these families after a decade at the school as an IB family. I don't know if self-release is an option at the other Hill public elementary schools. But I know that lots of the older Brent kids still get themselves to after-school extra-curriculars within around a mile of the school. Caregivers aren't rushing to Brent to squire all of the older students places in the afternoons. We see kids on their bikes and scooters getting themselves to karate on 8th St., soccer in M Park and at the Marine Barracks, tennis in Garfield Park, friends' houses etc. Some of them wind up at our place.

This is why most CH discussions are nonsensical. 8 year olds wandering around the Brent boundary is far different from kids walking around other boundaries.

Where can I find info about tennis at Garfield Park? The closest kids lessons I’ve found are at East Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, 2 kids to Brent, 8 years each. They walked to school together without parents from when eldest was in 3rd grade, from East Cap. We took the self-release-walk-home-independently option for them at school for 4th and 5th, like many other families in their peer groups. We gave them whistles, reflective vests and LED lights for helmets and on bikes and scooters and watch phones to call or 911 us if need be. We taught them to cross streets safely and to be aware of their surroundings. The youngest just graduated in May. Never had any kind of problem in all weather.

Well, this is great for you, but very few parents would be comfortable doing this. I say that as a Hill resident.

+1, I live on the Hill with no intention of leaving and no one I know does this. I do think there is an older cohort of parents whose kids were/are more free range, but the culture has changed. Newer families moving to the Hill are higher income, more likely to have nannies even once their kids are school age (also lots of people with family living with them or nearby), and their kids don't do this. The old guard on the Hill was more likely to be dual feds or even one fed, one SAHP, Gen X hippies/hipsters where having more free range kids in the city made sense to them. Newer folks are more risk averse.

It's a cultural shift that I think the PP, whose kids are clearly now older, may not realize it's happened because they don't socialize with the people who now have kids in elementary. This Hill is less free range now.

Interesting, because this thread seems to suggest that CH is full of “poor” people who can’t afford to move or send their kids to private schools, and so are at the mercy of poor MS and HS options.