Moving to area with 3rd grader for 2017-2018 school year

[Anonymous]

We're moving to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring area for the 2017-2018 school year and we're deciding where to look for a house. Our biggest concern is picking a school for our DS, who will be in 3rd grade next school year. We're considering the Piney Branch or Pine Crest areas. Our DS is very bright, and is in the top reading and math groups at his current school. Where would we be better placed for him to continue to get a great education?

[Anonymous]

Frankly, I would look for a house in both areas. The market here is extremely competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Frankly, I would look for a house in both areas. The market here is extremely competitive.

It's one thing to look in both areas, but I'd like to know if there should be a preference, rather than putting an offer on the first place that opens up. My concern is primarily for my DS's education, and I don't want to spin my wheels every weekend running around open houses and with an agent, especially when we have other things to be doing.

[Anonymous]

Op: zoned for Piney Branch. Higher probability your child will get into HGC and TPMS magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op: zoned for Piney Branch. Higher probability your child will get into HGC and TPMS magnet.

Why would there be a higher probability for the TPMS magnet? I thought the HGC did not include math - the kids are mixed in with the rest of the school for compacted math.

There's a new HGC at PBES for PBES kids, so the PP is right - the odds are better because your kid would only be competing against other PBES kids, not against 2000 other kids in the area.

[Anonymous]

Bump - I'm also in the market.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Piney Branch because they have a stand-alone HGC starting next year, plus preference for the TPMS magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op: zoned for Piney Branch. Higher probability your child will get into HGC and TPMS magnet.

Why would there be a higher probability for the TPMS magnet? I thought the HGC did not include math - the kids are mixed in with the rest of the school for compacted math.

There's a new HGC at PBES for PBES kids, so the PP is right - the odds are better because your kid would only be competing against other PBES kids, not against 2000 other kids in the area.

There are 25 spaces in the TPMS magnet that are reserved for inbounds kids. I don't know if that set aside is just PBES, or if it includes ESS. I would think it would include ESS as it is in bounds for TPMS. But, I only ever hear people refer to PB when talking about it.

OP, I don't know where you are moving from, and I am sure your kid is bright. Just a heads up that there are many. many smart kids in MCPS. I have had several friends move here, and worry that there would not be sufficient acceleration or gifted peers for their kids. Most of them found that their kids were fairly typical among the high achieving kids here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op: zoned for Piney Branch. Higher probability your child will get into HGC and TPMS magnet.

Why would there be a higher probability for the TPMS magnet? I thought the HGC did not include math - the kids are mixed in with the rest of the school for compacted math.

There's a new HGC at PBES for PBES kids, so the PP is right - the odds are better because your kid would only be competing against other PBES kids, not against 2000 other kids in the area.

There are 25 spaces in the TPMS magnet that are reserved for inbounds kids. I don't know if that set aside is just PBES, or if it includes ESS. I would think it would include ESS as it is in bounds for TPMS. But, I only ever hear people refer to PB when talking about it.

OP, I don't know where you are moving from, and I am sure your kid is bright. Just a heads up that there are many. many smart kids in MCPS. I have had several friends move here, and worry that there would not be sufficient acceleration or gifted peers for their kids. Most of them found that their kids were fairly typical among the high achieving kids here.

I'm the OP that suggested zoned for Piney Branch. You are correct that I should have included houses zoned for ESS in getting preference for the TPMS magnet. However, because the new Piney Branch HGC is only for kids zoned for Piney Branch, I think the odds are better if the OP finds a house within boundary.

[Anonymous]

Yes, all kids zoned for TPMS (coming out of ESS, PBES, privates, or language immersion magnets) are eligible for one of the 25 extra spots in the magnet. It's a pretty sweet gig.

With that said, the existence of the PBES stand-alone HGC makes it a good bet for a smart kid, with the caveat that there are a lot of smart kids at PBES, as well as kids that came in via the TPES magnet from out of boundary.