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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Moving to DC - Murch vs. Eaton?
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Anonymous
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We will be moving to NW DC, renting at first, and are our DD is in K. She is a bit shy and is already reading, I think a smaller, "neighborhood" school would be a good fit.
We've found a few rental options that are in bounds for Murch or Eaton. Can anyone give us feedback on how things are at those schools this year? I've seen Janney mentioned a lot but I wonder about the construction and I haven't yet found a rental option there for when we need one. If the difference is huge, then I'll keep looking. I''d really appreciate any advice or insight! |
Anonymous
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Eaton gets much stronger reviews than Murch does. I think the incremental difference you get from any of the top schools is about fit. You/your child with the school.
From the non-charter schools that have a strong track record of performance in order of size, Mann is the smallest, followed by Key, Eaton, Janny and Laffeyette. Hyde is very small and you might want to consider it. |
Anonymous
| Murch and Eaton both have good reputations. They both have just had work done on their outdoor spaces. Murch does have more outdoor space, if that is important to you. I don't think either school is slated for major construction anytime soon. Eaton has a principal who has been there for a few years and is well liked by the community. Murch has a new principal this year. Both schools have strong parent support and offer a variety of after-school activities. If I remember correctly, Eaton was just chosen as a specialty school for Chinese language and culture. Someone will correct me if I am wrong about that. Either is a good choice! |
Anonymous
| Both are good schools. Personally I would rather live in the neighborhood where Eaton is, and like the activities for kids there as well. Only negative I ever hear about Murch is that it's crowded, but that says something about how desirable the school is. |
Anonymous
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As you probably know, as an inbounds child, your child will have the right to attend either Murch or Eaton. I would call both schools, and ask what their current K class size is. I have toured both, never had a child at either, but K class size makes a huge difference.
Also, if you need aftercare, check whether it is available. I believe that Murch aftercare frequently fills up for the K level. That could leave you needing to do a 3:30 pickup or make alternative aftercare arrangements. FWIW, I have an older sibling who was offered an OOB spot at Janney. Youngest is in K. I asked about the possibility (conversation in July) about getting the youngest into K, was told then that the K class size was 26, 27. I declined the spot for the oldest because I need kids in the same school .. . . . Good luck. |
Anonymous
| My kids went to Murch, and it's a wonderful, friendly place with some great teachers. Plus, they just renovated the playground and soccer field and the outdoor space looks wonderful. I'd pick it over Eaton. |
Anonymous
| Murch. |
Anonymous
| We have been really happy at Eaton and love our teachers this year. |
Anonymous
| You could do Horace Mann; pricey district overall but there are lots of apartments on New Mexico, Cathedral, Foxhall that are more reasonable than houses and in-boundary. Good education. |
Anonymous
If you do this - double check boundaries before you sign a lease. I think it may be Cathedral that 1 side of the street is Mann and the other is Stoddert. |
Anonymous
Correct. Eaton is one of 13 schools in the Catalyst project. It's extra money from private sector and support from DCPS over the next 3 years to develop into a "theme" school. Schools had to apply for it. Info on DCPS site. |
Anonymous
| Murch has had an excellent track record for many years. Eaton has had a much higher number of OOB students than the typical upper NW schools. Apparently the neighborhood parents aren't very invested in it. |
Anonymous
Yes, but if you want Chinese you should go to Washington Yu Ying where they're actually doing Mandarin Immersion. A smattering of elementary Chinese smacks of "me too! me too!" but what will the students actually LEARN that is beyond Ni Hao Kai-Lan (the Chinese "Dora the Explorer")? |
Anonymous
Lived on Cathedral and both sides were Mann, but definitely check. Loved living there--very leafy and close to Glover Park and Tenley. |
Anonymous
I had a child at Eaton and it didn't work for us, but I think the comment above is a little unfair. A large part of the Eaton neighborhood (Cleveland Park) contains multi-million dollar homes, which are either occupied by high income families whose children are older than elementary age or by high income parents who generally wouldn't consider public school in any case. Also, Eaton is a few blocks away from a few of the top ranked private schools -- Beauvoir/St. Albans/NCS and Maret (and Aidan, which is a Montessori program). So, there's a significant chunk of the neighborhood which doesn't attend Eaton, and that's not necessarily a reflection of Eaton's quality. That said, there is also a strong in boundary community at Eaton. Mostly these folks live in more "modest" homes (which in this neighborhood I would call under 1.25 million. Ha!) and townhouses, McLean Gardens condos and apartment buildings along Wisconsin and Connecticut. And, frankly, I always thought it was a plus that everyone -- in and out of boundary -- seems to make no distinction socially about who is in and who is out. For this reason, I don't think comparing OOB percentages at Murch and Eaton really reflects much about which school is higher quality. |