Moving to DC, and can't decide between Oyster and MoCo

[Anonymous]

8 is too old for immersion in MoCo, unless your kid can pass an informal test in the language. For entrance into the older grades an instructor will ask your kid to describe in spanish or french how to divide two numbers, for example. This is the sort of thing the other kids are already doing in the foreign language, so your kid will need to know how too.

[Anonymous]

I realize this is a tangent, but as the PP who commented about how little difference there is between Woodley Park and Bethesda in terms of urbanness, I'm not dissuaded from this view by some of the outcry from proud urbanites. Woodley Park is totally suburban and I'm willing to bet that it's less diverse in terms of class and race than much of Bethesda - at least it surely is less so than my neighborhood in the BCC school district. Yes, Woodley is closer to those parts of DC that actually do resemble a true city neighborhood, such as Adams Morgan or Mt Pleasant. But otherwise, the only difference between Woodley Park and Bethesda is that the owners of $1m-plus row houses in Woodley are willing/capable of financing some private education at some point during the course of the 12years our kids will be in school... Many of us in MoCo live here precisely because we can't afford private school tuitions.

For the OP, think about what you and your family really mean or want when you say you prefer to live in the city - is it metro access and walkability? If so, there are lots of other locations that will suit you, in and out of DC proper. If you want a vibrant neighborhood with lots going on at all hours, which is what I think of when I think of urban neighborhoods, then Woodley doesn't fit the bill anyway. For that I could recommend Eastern Market as a starting point, and others might come up with a dozen other neighborhoods as well. But the schools in many of these areas are a lot iffier than in leafy green NW DC.

[Anonymous]

OP: Eight can work at Oyster, but do call the school!

As for this:
But otherwise, the only difference between Woodley Park and Bethesda is that the owners of $1m-plus row houses in Woodley are willing/capable of financing some private education at some point during the course of the 12years our kids will be in school...

No, not everyone who lives in Woodley goes private. Huge myth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Eight can work at Oyster, but do call the school!

As for this:
But otherwise, the only difference between Woodley Park and Bethesda is that the owners of $1m-plus row houses in Woodley are willing/capable of financing some private education at some point during the course of the 12years our kids will be in school...

No, not everyone who lives in Woodley goes private. Huge myth.

Seriously, there is a reason Oyster is packed to the gills - and with IN BOUNDS kids.
That poster has no clue what they're talking about.
Woodley Park is not suburban. That poster is just trying to make themselves feel better about not living in the city.

[Anonymous]

Right, I get that Oyster is crowded with neighborhood kids... but how many kids living in the $1m-plus row hoiuses of Woodley Park remain in DCPS for the full 12 years?

I actually lived in and enjoyed both neighborhoods, but just find it comical that there are DCUMs who see Woodley as "urban."

[Anonymous]

OP. I understand the physical resemblance between Woodley Park and Bethesda (ie. both look suburban), but I'm assuming there's an urban orientation in WP that's absent in Bethesda. Perhaps I'm wrong. I do think Metro access is key to actually using the city's amenities, as opposed to being happy they are nearby. And if your child is in an urban school, that keeps your orientation on the city. Even 15 more minutes on Metro twice a day can keep you from doing things in the city -- that's my experience.

Another option I've been researching is Washington Latin School (charter school), which could be an option in a couple of years if we decide Oyster would not work for my 8 y.o.

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments. It is such an important decision, and I can't take it lightly. I was so miserable as a child in terrible schools that I cannot visit that misery on my children. I'd do anything to avoid that.

[Anonymous]

Right, I get that Oyster is crowded with neighborhood kids... but how many kids living in the $1m-plus row hoiuses of Woodley Park remain in DCPS for the full 12 years?

Plenty. Most go to Deal and Wilson. Not all, of course, but not all go to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It ought to be an easy decision, but we've moved DC to two schools for various reasons, and I don't want to pick the wrong school for her. That's why I'm second-guessing myself. If it were just me, I'd move to the city, no question. Many people on DCUM have fled the city solely because of the schools. My friends and relations in DC unanimously recommend moving to the suburbs. I'm fighting more than my own instincts here. DH has never lived in a city (I'm from NYC), and he's leaning toward the suburbs for the schools, but sees the better fit for our family (mostly ME) in the city.

Um, this sounds like a LOT of things to overcome: DH preference, family & friend concerns, and - most importantly - your own instincts that MoCo school is better. Then there's moving, changing schools for a 3rd time (?), and starting a little late (debatable) in a unique school with no directly comparable alternative (i.e. one that is DCPS, k-8, 50/50 bilingual, similar scores, demographics etc.).

Just curious, Oyster aside, what are the attributes you consider to be a "better fit"? 202 is a faaaar cry from 212 when it comes to being a city.

FYI - if you rent in Oyster boundary, you'll need to prove residency with at least 2 months' paid rent and utilities.

[Anonymous]

There has to be a way to demonstrate residency sooner. It is impossible that DCPS would ask OP's kids to wait 2 months before enrolling in school!

[Anonymous]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it still sounds like you want Oyster more for the neighborhood than for the program. It is a challenging program. Your child will be in class with native Spanish speakers and other students who have a linguistic edge because one or both parents speaks fluent Spanish. I know several families who've moved into the Oyster neighborhood and, for whatever reasons, the school has not been for them. So, things to ponder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the differences between Bethesda and Silver Spring? Huge!

What do you mean?

[Anonymous]

15:06 For me, a very different energy, a very different mix. Are you the OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I understand the physical resemblance between Woodley Park and Bethesda (ie. both look suburban), but I'm assuming there's an urban orientation in WP that's absent in Bethesda. Perhaps I'm wrong. I do think Metro access is key to actually using the city's amenities, as opposed to being happy they are nearby. And if your child is in an urban school, that keeps your orientation on the city. Even 15 more minutes on Metro twice a day can keep you from doing things in the city -- that's my experience.

Another option I've been researching is Washington Latin School (charter school), which could be an option in a couple of years if we decide Oyster would not work for my 8 y.o.

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments. It is such an important decision, and I can't take it lightly. I was so miserable as a child in terrible schools that I cannot visit that misery on my children. I'd do anything to avoid that.

Very true, and a good way to describe the difference between Woodley Park and Bethesda. Bethesda is a very nice, sophisticated suburb. Woodley Park is authentically urban, albeit in an upscale corner of the District. Anyone who expects it to be 212 vs. 202 needs to move back to NYC, you'll never be happy in DC.

[Anonymous]

PP here. That comment came out harsh, and it wasn't intended that way. People have a lot of prejudices of what an urban experience should be, and those can be hard to overcome especially if they are, after all, based on personal experience. You will never confuse DC with NYC, but if you're hoping in your heart that living in the District will approximate the NYC of your memory I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment. And in the interest of sparing you that disappointment I'm just saying flat out that urban in WP is authentic but it's not New York.

On average it's just easier to find solid schools in the suburbs, some of them are B-plus to A-minus, but few are below a B-minus. The challenge in the District is that yes, you can find the A-minus schools, and even the A and A-pluses (Oyster is one), but you have to work harder to find them. Washington Latin is developing a great reputation.

Good luck whatever you do. It's clear you have many factors to consider. Again I apologize for the curtness of my message - it wasn't intended the way it came out. It was meant to say that upscale urban in DC may seem downright bedroomy to someone from NYC and you need to know that or else you'll be disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:06 For me, a very different energy, a very different mix. Are you the OP?

I'm the OP. Please elaborate. What is the "energy" difference? I'm assuming SS is much more economically diverse. What worries me is that the more affluent parents in SS seem to bypass the public schools after elementary. I'd prefer to live in a more economically diverse area than Bethesda or Chevy Chase, but the trade-off with the schools stops me from considering SS. Is there another way to look at this? Am I missing something?