Downcounty schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Anonymous



High school assignment in DCC is based on elementary school, not middle school. So some middle schools are split between two high schools"

Crappy idea. What if all your kids' friends end up at a different HS?

With the magnet programs and academies in the DCC, kids often end up at different schools than at least some of their friends anyway.

[Anonymous]

Niece and nephews went to Northwood, loved it, all got into their first choice colleges (one Ivy, two top notch public universities). My kids are mapped to Northwood, too (though not in HS for another 10 years). I'm not moving anytime soon.

I think kids can have a wonderful experience at DCC schools as long as parents are engaged, kids are focused and they seek out everything the schools have to offer, academically, extracurricular-wise, and socially.... And that's no different than the "better" schools in MoCo with the exception at these schools (W schools) that kind of parent / kid engagement is the norm and expectation.

[Anonymous]

New Hampshire estates is great and it will former you close to both Tokoma park and downtown SS at a budget friendly price point and it is very diverse which is the best part of SS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New Hampshire estates is great and it will former you close to both Tokoma park and downtown SS at a budget friendly price point and it is very diverse which is the best part of SS

People obviously view diversity differently. We ruled out New Hampshire Estates specifically because we thought it was not diverse from both a racial and SES standpoint. I have also heard people say good things about the school, but I disagree with the characterization as diverse. This was a frustrating dynamic in our search for SS schools, because many people use the word diversity as if it were synonymous with minority and poverty. Diversity should signify a mix of people of many different backgrounds, but often I found when people told me a school was diverse they were just trying to tell me that it was a high FARMs school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New Hampshire estates is great and it will former you close to both Tokoma park and downtown SS at a budget friendly price point and it is very diverse which is the best part of SS

People obviously view diversity differently. We ruled out New Hampshire Estates specifically because we thought it was not diverse from both a racial and SES standpoint. I have also heard people say good things about the school, but I disagree with the characterization as diverse. This was a frustrating dynamic in our search for SS schools, because many people use the word diversity as if it were synonymous with minority and poverty. Diversity should signify a mix of people of many different backgrounds, but often I found when people told me a school was diverse they were just trying to tell me that it was a high FARMs school.

I agree with you. I'm not sure why diverse is now code for FARMS. If you want a truly diverse environment--mutli ethnic, racial, and economic , what is the proper word to use for it now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New Hampshire estates is great and it will former you close to both Tokoma park and downtown SS at a budget friendly price point and it is very diverse which is the best part of SS

People obviously view diversity differently. We ruled out New Hampshire Estates specifically because we thought it was not diverse from both a racial and SES standpoint. I have also heard people say good things about the school, but I disagree with the characterization as diverse. This was a frustrating dynamic in our search for SS schools, because many people use the word diversity as if it were synonymous with minority and poverty. Diversity should signify a mix of people of many different backgrounds, but often I found when people told me a school was diverse they were just trying to tell me that it was a high FARMs school.

I also agree with this. I worked for a time in the early 2000s at Montgomery Knolls ES, which was (and probably still is) truly diverse--the racial/ethnicity breakdown was something like 25% black, 40% Hispanic, 20% white, 15% Asian. Some of the black kids were AA, some were Ethiopian or West African. Some Hispanic kids were Spanish speakers, some were not. There were ESOL students across the groups. Enough FARMs to get to a focus school, but still many "comfortably living" SES families. Most of the higher SES kids were white (but not all), but the school as a whole was very mixed. I appreciated that atmosphere and it seemed like a great learning environment for ALL students.

NHE is 77% one group, 17% of another, and less than 5% of everyone else. That is not diverse. I grew up going to schools that were 75-90% my racial group, and I do not think it was beneficial for me in this respect, although the schools themselves were good. I want more true diversity for my children (and I am not white).

[Anonymous]

I think Northwood is better than it's reputation. I know teachers and parents there who say that it's a great place.

[Anonymous]

Parkland/Argyle/Loiderman also feed into Kennedy.

[Anonymous]

We absolutely love Sherwood Forest in Silver Spring, just north of downtown silver spring. Westover is a fantastic and small elementary school that many kids walk to, right in the heart of the neighborhood. There is also Robin Hood Pool (renovated last year) which is the social hub for families. Can't say enough great things about Sherwood Forest!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love Stonegate. The neighborhood is wonderful! The school is the best elementary I have experienced.

NEC, not DCC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We absolutely love Sherwood Forest in Silver Spring, just north of downtown silver spring. Westover is a fantastic and small elementary school that many kids walk to, right in the heart of the neighborhood. There is also Robin Hood Pool (renovated last year) which is the social hub for families. Can't say enough great things about Sherwood Forest!

This is a great oasis, but it is several miles from downtown silver spring.

[Anonymous]

I know a PP chimed in with "Not East Silver Spring" but we've had kids there for years and have had a great experience.

While it can be daunting to send your middle class white kid to a high FARMS and majority minority school, we've found that the mix of middle class social justice-oriented families and education-oriented immigrant families is a great mix. One thing we have loved about the school is the high performing Black and Latino kids, obviously being spurred by parents who came to the US to give their kids a good shot at success.

There's one poster on DCUM who is really negative about the school, and maybe she had a bad experience, but that hasn't been our experience at all. We've found solid teachers, a strong principal, and a really friendly and high achieving group of kids. It's also a small school, which lends itself to the kind of "neighborhood school" environment that we were looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love Stonegate. The neighborhood is wonderful! The school is the best elementary I have experienced.

+1 its a great neighborhood with a great elementary school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We absolutely love Sherwood Forest in Silver Spring, just north of downtown silver spring. Westover is a fantastic and small elementary school that many kids walk to, right in the heart of the neighborhood. There is also Robin Hood Pool (renovated last year) which is the social hub for families. Can't say enough great things about Sherwood Forest!

Sherwood Forest is not "just north " of downtown Silver Spring. It is a good 20-30 minute drive from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a PP chimed in with "Not East Silver Spring" but we've had kids there for years and have had a great experience.

While it can be daunting to send your middle class white kid to a high FARMS and majority minority school, we've found that the mix of middle class social justice-oriented families and education-oriented immigrant families is a great mix. One thing we have loved about the school is the high performing Black and Latino kids, obviously being spurred by parents who came to the US to give their kids a good shot at success.

There's one poster on DCUM who is really negative about the school, and maybe she had a bad experience, but that hasn't been our experience at all. We've found solid teachers, a strong principal, and a really friendly and high achieving group of kids. It's also a small school, which lends itself to the kind of "neighborhood school" environment that we were looking for.

We're AA and opted out of ESS. Not the only AA family we know to do so. In fact, I can easily think of at least 7 other AA families in the neighborhood (along Sligo, SS Ave, across from MC-Takoma, near Safeway, etc) that we know socially who are sending their DC to private school rather than ESS. None of us are affluent. I'm glad it is working for your family and many others whether white and MC or immigrant black and Latino. However, there are concerns we have about the achievement gap at ESS. I'm not sure if things would be different if we all were zoned for TPES/PBES because I have not looked at the test scores there. I have AA friends who are happy with other DCC ES than ESS, but I'm sorry, I don't know any AA families attending ESS who describe it as a great school. Please have the ones you know post their experiences on this thread or a new one. I'd love to see what I and others I know are missing.