Montgomery County School Recommendations

[Anonymous]

We are looking for advice on Montgomery County pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are a professionally, well-educated AA family and buying a home ($700 - 750k range) next year - work in Arlington and DC and would like to avoid an excessive commute. We are thinking Silver Spring but open to other recommendations. We would like advice on schools and understand assessing school quality is somewhat subjective. Our son will be entering 2nd grade this fall. We are looking for culturally diverse schools, with a culture of respect (from the top-down), academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable; however, we are looking for schools where my son won't be the only AA child in his class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - we want our son to value the importance of interacting with kids that may not look like him and come from homes with like-minded parents.

I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

You are turning it into a race issue. You will have a terrible commute to Arlington. You are better off living in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for advice on Montgomery County pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are a professionally, well-educated AA family and buying a home ($700 - 750k range) next year - work in Arlington and DC and would like to avoid an excessive commute. We are thinking Silver Spring but open to other recommendations. We would like advice on schools and understand assessing school quality is somewhat subjective. Our son will be entering 2nd grade this fall. We are looking for culturally diverse schools, with a culture of respect (from the top-down), academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable; however, we are looking for schools where my son won't be the only AA child in his class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - we want our son to value the importance of interacting with kids that may not look like him and come from homes with like-minded parents.

I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Thanks!

I would look at Takoma Park and East Silver Spring elementaries, which have diverse student populations with significant percentages of AA students, and are very close-in. Also in-bounds for TPMS and Blair HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are turning it into a race issue. You will have a terrible commute to Arlington. You are better off living in VA.

I think the op has legitimate reasons for wanting his/her son to attend diverse schools.

Op, curious why you arenting going to live in Va if one spouse works in Arlington?

[Anonymous]

Agreed with East Silver Spring or Cannon Road ES come to mind. Cannon Road is right off the ICC and it has relatively little to no traffic to get to VA. Welcome to MCPS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for advice on Montgomery County pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are a professionally, well-educated AA family and buying a home ($700 - 750k range) next year - work in Arlington and DC and would like to avoid an excessive commute. We are thinking Silver Spring but open to other recommendations. We would like advice on schools and understand assessing school quality is somewhat subjective. Our son will be entering 2nd grade this fall. We are looking for culturally diverse schools, with a culture of respect (from the top-down), academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable; however, we are looking for schools where my son won't be the only AA child in his class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - we want our son to value the importance of interacting with kids that may not look like him and come from homes with like-minded parents.

I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Thanks!

Are you open to DC at all? We are a very similar family (down to the rising 2nd grader) and we live right across the line from Silver Spring in Shepherd Park in NW DC. It is a very diverse neighborhood with lots of other families like ours. You'd have to increase your budget to at least 800-850K, though.

As for MD, I agree that eastern Silver Spring and Takoma Park may be good bets. However, one of you will have a longish commute to Arlington--it might be tolerable if you leave very early.

[Anonymous]

OP - I'd suggest looking at the demographic breakdown for the school, grade and number of classes (if that is available, not sure). In some schools that are smaller in the W clusters the ES schools may only 2 sections per grade so if you see 10-20 AA students then you know your son won't be the only AA in a class. DD went to an ES with a lower AA% but three of her closet friends are black - one AA, one African, and one Jamaican. Out of 70 kids about 15 were African, AA, bi-racial or racially black but from another country like France etc. In my son's class which was smaller - only two sections because there were barely 60 kids in the grade there were fewer AA kids but some in each class. Several of his friends are black and DS has been in class with all the kids on different years.

Commuting from the western side or Bethesda would be better to Arlington. I can't imagine commuting to Arlington from Silver Spring.

I don't much about BCC but it may be more diverse because there are more international families.

[Anonymous]

Arlington won't be a fun commute, but given your other considerations, I think Silver spring and Takoma Park are good options for you. If you were willing to do DC proper, Shepard Park might work too, in terms of atmosphere. I am not sure if it is out of your price range though.
In terms of elementary school sin Silver Spring, there are several that could work well for you: Sligo Creek, Highland View, Forest Knolls, Woodlin, flora Singer and Oakland Terrace. East Silver Spring gets good reviews from friends too. These are all relatively close in to DC. Silver Spring is huge, and if you go too far out, the commute to Arlington will become unbearable.

[Anonymous]

Agreed with East Silver Spring or Cannon Road ES come to mind. Cannon Road is right off the ICC and it has relatively little to no traffic to get to VA. Welcome to MCPS!

OMG this has to be the BIGGEST lie ever told on DCUM. Only an idiot would believe that there is no traffic to Virginia from Silver Spring by taking the ICC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for advice on Montgomery County pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are a professionally, well-educated AA family and buying a home ($700 - 750k range) next year - work in Arlington and DC and would like to avoid an excessive commute. We are thinking Silver Spring but open to other recommendations. We would like advice on schools and understand assessing school quality is somewhat subjective. Our son will be entering 2nd grade this fall. We are looking for culturally diverse schools, with a culture of respect (from the top-down), academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable; however, we are looking for schools where my son won't be the only AA child in his class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - we want our son to value the importance of interacting with kids that may not look like him and come from homes with like-minded parents.

I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Thanks!

I would look at Takoma Park and East Silver Spring elementaries, which have diverse student populations with significant percentages of AA students, and are very close-in. Also in-bounds for TPMS and Blair HS.

+1 I've had kids at both Takoma Park/Piney Branch and East Silver Spring, and they are both good choices that fit OP's criteria in terms of diversity and in terms of drawing families that value diversity. However, the commute would be really hard to Arlington, particularly by car. If I had to commute to Arlington from home, I would probably jump down North Capitol to Fort Totten, and then park and ride to Arlington on the Yellow Line.

Shepherd Park is another good choice, as PP noted, but the commute would be just as bad.

OP - I feel you. I'm really struggling to think of a MCPS school that would give you the diversity you are seeking but that wouldn't make for a terrible commute. In your position, I'd probably look at NoVA, assuming the Arlington job is for the long haul.

[Anonymous]

OP here...thanks for your advice. We looked in Arlington -- too expensive and not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Crazy to think MoCo if you work in Arlington. Seriously OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for advice on Montgomery County pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are a professionally, well-educated AA family and buying a home ($700 - 750k range) next year - work in Arlington and DC and would like to avoid an excessive commute. We are thinking Silver Spring but open to other recommendations. We would like advice on schools and understand assessing school quality is somewhat subjective. Our son will be entering 2nd grade this fall. We are looking for culturally diverse schools, with a culture of respect (from the top-down), academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable; however, we are looking for schools where my son won't be the only AA child in his class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - we want our son to value the importance of interacting with kids that may not look like him and come from homes with like-minded parents.

I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Thanks!

Are you open to DC at all? We are a very similar family (down to the rising 2nd grader) and we live right across the line from Silver Spring in Shepherd Park in NW DC. It is a very diverse neighborhood with lots of other families like ours. You'd have to increase your budget to at least 800-850K, though.

As for MD, I agree that eastern Silver Spring and Takoma Park may be good bets. However, one of you will have a longish commute to Arlington--it might be tolerable if you leave very early.

PP again. One other thought--I understand your experience with Catholic schools, but many of the private/parochial schools in this area are a lot more diverse. My good friend bought in a relatively inexpensive area of NE DC, but has her kids in a diverse Catholic school. My kid just finished her first year in private, and although the school is probably only 10-15% black I swear that half her class was black/biracial. She is far from a lonely only.

You may want to post your specs (commute, price range, school quality) in the real estate forum and ask for recs re: where to live.

[Anonymous]

Wootton, Churchill, Walter Johnson all have AA students beyond one kid per elementary. These schools lack the economic diversity but that's not always a bad thing because the kids that look like you are not economically different from you or the kids of all the other races. It can be difficult to be one the few high performing/UMC minorities when most of the kids that look like you are very poor and/or low performing. The schools that have the stark economic and performance segregation tend to have racial issues.

This might be why so many UMC minorities choose Bethesda, a W school, private or Prince Georges/magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Agreed with East Silver Spring or Cannon Road ES come to mind. Cannon Road is right off the ICC and it has relatively little to no traffic to get to VA. Welcome to MCPS!

OMG this has to be the BIGGEST lie ever told on DCUM. Only an idiot would believe that there is no traffic to Virginia from Silver Spring by taking the ICC.

Yeah, I was really confused by the ICC comment too. The ICC goes E/W. If you get on the ICC in SS, how are you getting to VA? Via 270? You'd still have to do 270 N/S which is not fun at rush hour. Or do you take the ICC to Georgia or New Hampshire and then go through DC? I commute from Kensington to Virginia, so there may be routes from SS through DC that aren't too bad in the morning, but SS to Virginia via the beltway/American Legion Bridge I think would be long.