How to identify good schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have been in your situation. We ended up in Rockville. We looked in Bethesda, North Potomac, Rockville and Clarksburg. While looking, we found an elementary school we REALLY liked (College Gardens ES) and after that just looked at houses zoned for that school. DS is in Julius West MS now, while his public school journey wasnt perfect so far, I dont regret buying in our neighborhood and cluster one bit. He is getting good education with mostly amazing teachers (there are always couple of so so ones) and has very tight group of neighborhood friends that carried him socially through the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

Did you ever go to a rich school, and then a not so rich school? I have seen the difference.

The problem is just more than drugs. Yes, there are drugs in all schools, but the level and amount is different in a lower income school vs a higher income one. Drug issues in wealthy schools get swept under the rug more easily because the parents can hire expensive lawyers (or they are one themselves), whereas in poorer schools, all the ugly is laid out for all the world to see. In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious.

Also, materialism is a big problem in rich schools. We moved from a small but wealthy school district, and the level of materialism was not something I wanted my kids exposed to. Student parking lot full of expensive cars; kids getting expensive cars before they are even 16, etc.. My kid won't get a car until college, if even that, and will be a used normal car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wootton cluster, Churchill cluster, Walter Johnson cluster, Churchill cluster, Whitman cluster are all excellent.

For this poster, it’s “avoid black and brown people.” YMMV. [/quote
Found a woke!]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nag. That’s 90s thinking. Do NOT correlate housing to schools. Pick the CHEAPEST and SAFEST neighborhood and go private.

Please recommend neighborhoods fit this description. Cannot afford Bethesda or CC.

I would do silver spring and Grace Episcopal. Graduated tuition, small class sizes, diverse and textbooks.

[Anonymous]

When a school does better than typical with its special needs population, ESL population or its low income population, that usually means some really awesome teaching and learning is happening there. Any school can do well with high income kids. That's easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When a school does better than typical with its special needs population, ESL population or its low income population, that usually means some really awesome teaching and learning is happening there. Any school can do well with high income kids. That's easy.

This is very true, but if your kid is a high achiever or even just above average, your kid will get lost in a school with a lot of high needs kids.

Find a school that doesn't have a FARMs rate above 25% or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When a school does better than typical with its special needs population, ESL population or its low income population, that usually means some really awesome teaching and learning is happening there. Any school can do well with high income kids. That's easy.

This is very true, but if your kid is a high achiever or even just above average, your kid will get lost in a school with a lot of high needs kids.

Find a school that doesn't have a FARMs rate above 25% or so.

That's too limiting in MoCo. Look at schools with FARMS rates in the 25-45% range. They will be diverse and affordable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nag. That’s 90s thinking. Do NOT correlate housing to schools. Pick the CHEAPEST and SAFEST neighborhood and go private.

Please recommend neighborhoods fit this description. Cannot afford Bethesda or CC.

I would do silver spring and Grace Episcopal. Graduated tuition, small class sizes, diverse and textbooks.

Living in Silver Spring can be difficult depending on your income. It's got some really rough spots. It sounds like they're looking for under 500K range? Although some folks will disagree, anywhere near a Metro can be unsafe at night, imho. Red Line Shady Grove / Rockville is a little better than Glenmont, but not by much.

Bethesda does have a few apartment / condo buildings under 500K (Westlake area).

If you need a house, I would look further out. Poolesville HS, Quince Orchard HS neighborhoods are affordable in housing but with decent schools. Poolesville can commute using the train, and QO is still metro accessible via Shady Grove / 370 but with lots of traffic.

Wherever you pick, check out spotcrime.com or the Montgomery County police incident map to see how many incidents there were before moving there - it may save you a lot of headaches later on.

However, it depends on where you work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

Did you ever go to a rich school, and then a not so rich school? I have seen the difference.

The problem is just more than drugs. Yes, there are drugs in all schools, but the level and amount is different in a lower income school vs a higher income one. Drug issues in wealthy schools get swept under the rug more easily because the parents can hire expensive lawyers (or they are one themselves), whereas in poorer schools, all the ugly is laid out for all the world to see. In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious.

Also, materialism is a big problem in rich schools. We moved from a small but wealthy school district, and the level of materialism was not something I wanted my kids exposed to. Student parking lot full of expensive cars; kids getting expensive cars before they are even 16, etc.. My kid won't get a car until college, if even that, and will be a used normal car.

DP here but this is ridiculous, condes and ignorant.

I myself graduated from a classic “inner city” high school. We had kids, including the star of the basketball team, selling crack at school. Kids were regularly getting jumped at school. Kids still had cars and many kept guns under the seat because they thought they were Ice Cube. You don’t need to be rich to have a car. It was an unsafe environment and I would rather expose my kid to affluenza, lacrosse bros and Potomac house parties than have my kids exposed to any of the things that I’ve experienced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

Did you ever go to a rich school, and then a not so rich school? I have seen the difference.

The problem is just more than drugs. Yes, there are drugs in all schools, but the level and amount is different in a lower income school vs a higher income one. Drug issues in wealthy schools get swept under the rug more easily because the parents can hire expensive lawyers (or they are one themselves), whereas in poorer schools, all the ugly is laid out for all the world to see. In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious.

Also, materialism is a big problem in rich schools. We moved from a small but wealthy school district, and the level of materialism was not something I wanted my kids exposed to. Student parking lot full of expensive cars; kids getting expensive cars before they are even 16, etc.. My kid won't get a car until college, if even that, and will be a used normal car.

DP here but this is ridiculous, condes and ignorant.

I myself graduated from a classic “inner city” high school. We had kids, including the star of the basketball team, selling crack at school. Kids were regularly getting jumped at school. Kids still had cars and many kept guns under the seat because they thought they were Ice Cube. You don’t need to be rich to have a car. It was an unsafe environment and I would rather expose my kid to affluenza, lacrosse bros and Potomac house parties than have my kids exposed to any of the things that I’ve experienced.

+1

Wokes have convinced themselves (and try to convince us) that W schools have just as many problems. But just turn on the news and see for yourself how many violent crimes are comitted in east county schools. No thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

Did you ever go to a rich school, and then a not so rich school? I have seen the difference.

The problem is just more than drugs. Yes, there are drugs in all schools, but the level and amount is different in a lower income school vs a higher income one. Drug issues in wealthy schools get swept under the rug more easily because the parents can hire expensive lawyers (or they are one themselves), whereas in poorer schools, all the ugly is laid out for all the world to see. In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious.

Also, materialism is a big problem in rich schools. We moved from a small but wealthy school district, and the level of materialism was not something I wanted my kids exposed to. Student parking lot full of expensive cars; kids getting expensive cars before they are even 16, etc.. My kid won't get a car until college, if even that, and will be a used normal car.

DP here but this is ridiculous, condes and ignorant.

I myself graduated from a classic “inner city” high school. We had kids, including the star of the basketball team, selling crack at school. Kids were regularly getting jumped at school. Kids still had cars and many kept guns under the seat because they thought they were Ice Cube. You don’t need to be rich to have a car. It was an unsafe environment and I would rather expose my kid to affluenza, lacrosse bros and Potomac house parties than have my kids exposed to any of the things that I’ve experienced.

+1

Wokes have convinced themselves (and try to convince us) that W schools have just as many problems. But just turn on the news and see for yourself how many violent crimes are comitted in east county schools. No thanks.

I'm the ^^PP. You guys need better reading comprehension skills.

Never did I state that a much lower income school was better than a high income school. I stated that wealthy schools have wealthy problems, materialism and high end drug problems being swept under the rug by wealthy parents and their high priced lawyers.

I went to HS out west with real gangs. I saw drug deals go down, too, but as I stated, these were known issues that couldn't be swept under the rug by parents.

Having stated that, I'd rather my kids not go to either very low or wealthy income schools. They both have problems specific to that group.

I did well for myself, and when I had kids, we lived in a well to do area. The materialism was a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

Look at the race/ethnicity breakdown on GS and also at the percentage of FARMS and ESL students.
Join local groups and forums and whatnot and hang out at the local playgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking to move within Montgomery County and have two daycare age children. I understand that Great Schools ratings are not actually that informative. How does one figure out the quality of the schools? We hope to end up around North Bethesda / North Potomac / Rockville. I am most concerned about Elementary and Middle given our kids are young.

At the end of the day, high SES areas have the good schools. You can argue until cows come home but it is what it is. I'd focus on Bethesda/Potomac/North Potomac but not Rockville area. Full Disclosure - I am not in those areas.

high SES also have issues that go with too much wealth; low SES areas have issues that go with too much poverty.

Find somewhere in the middle. Rockville is a good one.

I hear that all the time but I don't know what that means. I can only assume you are referring to drug and academic pressure. Drug problem is all over the place - high and low and middle SES schools.

Did you ever go to a rich school, and then a not so rich school? I have seen the difference.

The problem is just more than drugs. Yes, there are drugs in all schools, but the level and amount is different in a lower income school vs a higher income one. Drug issues in wealthy schools get swept under the rug more easily because the parents can hire expensive lawyers (or they are one themselves), whereas in poorer schools, all the ugly is laid out for all the world to see. In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious.

Also, materialism is a big problem in rich schools. We moved from a small but wealthy school district, and the level of materialism was not something I wanted my kids exposed to. Student parking lot full of expensive cars; kids getting expensive cars before they are even 16, etc.. My kid won't get a car until college, if even that, and will be a used normal car.

DP here but this is ridiculous, condes and ignorant.

I myself graduated from a classic “inner city” high school. We had kids, including the star of the basketball team, selling crack at school. Kids were regularly getting jumped at school. Kids still had cars and many kept guns under the seat because they thought they were Ice Cube. You don’t need to be rich to have a car. It was an unsafe environment and I would rather expose my kid to affluenza, lacrosse bros and Potomac house parties than have my kids exposed to any of the things that I’ve experienced.

+1

Wokes have convinced themselves (and try to convince us) that W schools have just as many problems. But just turn on the news and see for yourself how many violent crimes are comitted in east county schools. No thanks.

I'm the ^^PP. You guys need better reading comprehension skills.

Never did I state that a much lower income school was better than a high income school. I stated that wealthy schools have wealthy problems, materialism and high end drug problems being swept under the rug by wealthy parents and their high priced lawyers.

I went to HS out west with real gangs. I saw drug deals go down, too, but as I stated, these were known issues that couldn't be swept under the rug by parents.

Having stated that, I'd rather my kids not go to either very low or wealthy income schools. They both have problems specific to that group.

I did well for myself, and when I had kids, we lived in a well to do area. The materialism was a problem.

You: "In the rich schools, the issues are more insidious"

Also you: "Never did I state that a much lower income school was better than a high income school."

Which is it?

[Anonymous]

Elementary school: We wanted our kids to go to a dual-immersion school. We bought in Kensington for under 600K. Happy thus far. Watch the boundaries wherever you decide. We almost bought a block away, but that one was not zoned for OTES. We caught it just in time.