Which W / BCC school is least difficult to not be very wealthy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Transplant_1 wrote:OP here. I'd appreciate serious conversations on this thread.

Thank you 9:13 and 9:28 for your thoughts. Yes, am posting to try to break though the assumptions. So I appreciate your thoughts.

Do you -- or others -- have a sense of BCC and Whitman? They are the two wealthier areas (at least based on home prices. I know BCC has an area in its zone that is not, but kids life in sub-cultures/sub-groups so still trying to figure out what the experience would be like for us.)

My kid attends Whitman. We live in a small house in a nice neighborhood and drive 15/20-year-old cars. No tutors, no college counselors, no fancy internships, no big vacations. DH is a fed and I work at a nonprofit. We do pay a lot for extracurriculars for our only kid. I’d estimate that our HHI is in the bottom third of our neighborhood and maybe bottom quarter of our kid’s school. It’s no big deal recognizing that others have more. We’re comfortable and happy. Love Whitman.

Hi PP, but you do realize that even those small houses go for about $ 1 mill these days, right? Or about $ 4-5K to rent. Not everyone has that kind of money.

OP wasn’t asking whether s/he could afford a home in these districts but whether the income disparity would be an issue. There is still income disparity in these expensive neighborhoods, especially among those who bought small fixer-uppers 10-15 years ago (us) and those who are buying large new-builds now (many of our neighbors). It’s all relative. My point is that it’s only an issue if you make it one.

And my point for the PP who wrote that you can buy small houses for 1 mill is that not everyone can afford to buy those little houses, or rent them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the silver spring schools are rubbish. please don't move there because you feel poor compared to some families in Bethesda.

We were not rich and our kids did fine at Whitman. Go for the academically strongest place you can find. Whitman, BCC, Churchill. The second 2 of these will be more diverse, if that matters to you.

How can you know that the SS schools are rubbish? I don't have a dog in this fight, but am considering a MoCo move, and I had the impression that Blair, at least (which is TKPK not SS, I guess) had offerings and outcomes as good as the W/BCC schools.

DP. Here is the Blair sheet, see what you think.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Blair is really silver spring and its outcomes are propped up by the magnet and cap programs. The rest of the school is like Eastern middle (zoned for Blair) but with older kids doing older things. The reason those programs were put there is Blair was the poorest most diverse school in MoCo at the time. It was and is a carrot to get white kids ehemmm good students to self integrate in an attempt to stave off middle class (white) flight that was crippling DC and in the eastern inner suburbs at the time. There are other schools that need it more now that proximity has stabilized TP and DTSS prices for lower income white collar, no family money types priced out of better areas.

Some people might think that, but the evidence suggests otherwise. A few years back, the county accidentally leaked the average SAT scores by high school arranged by demographic group. It turned out my kid’s demographic, which is the largest common demographic between Blair and the W’s, was 1326/1600, which was higher at Blair than any other MCPS HS. Some might suggest it was the magnets, but since they’re 90% Asian, that’s not the case. It turns out that these assumptions some people make aren’t based on facts, and it turns out that if you treat demographics as a proxy for SES, the same kid ends up doing more or less the same (and slightly better at Blair than) at any of these schools.

[Anonymous]

The problem with these types of threads is that no one ever considers themselves wealthy. So you have all manner of parents jumping up and down to say their kid is at Whitman or BCC or WJ but they are actually just middle class but they don’t realize they are rich compared to most SS/Rockville/Gaithersburg families.

You should ask about your kid doing a shadow day if possible at all of these schools. Housing can be challenging to find so just go with the best housing situation you can get and any of the Bethesda schools will be fine. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the silver spring schools are rubbish. please don't move there because you feel poor compared to some families in Bethesda.

We were not rich and our kids did fine at Whitman. Go for the academically strongest place you can find. Whitman, BCC, Churchill. The second 2 of these will be more diverse, if that matters to you.

How can you know that the SS schools are rubbish? I don't have a dog in this fight, but am considering a MoCo move, and I had the impression that Blair, at least (which is TKPK not SS, I guess) had offerings and outcomes as good as the W/BCC schools.

DP. Here is the Blair sheet, see what you think.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Blair is really silver spring and its outcomes are propped up by the magnet and cap programs. The rest of the school is like Eastern middle (zoned for Blair) but with older kids doing older things. The reason those programs were put there is Blair was the poorest most diverse school in MoCo at the time. It was and is a carrot to get white kids ehemmm good students to self integrate in an attempt to stave off middle class (white) flight that was crippling DC and in the eastern inner suburbs at the time. There are other schools that need it more now that proximity has stabilized TP and DTSS prices for lower income white collar, no family money types priced out of better areas.

Some people might think that, but the evidence suggests otherwise. A few years back, the county accidentally leaked the average SAT scores by high school arranged by demographic group. It turned out my kid’s demographic, which is the largest common demographic between Blair and the W’s, was 1326/1600, which was higher at Blair than any other MCPS HS. Some might suggest it was the magnets, but since they’re 90% Asian, that’s not the case. It turns out that these assumptions some people make aren’t based on facts, and it turns out that if you treat demographics as a proxy for SES, the same kid ends up doing more or less the same (and slightly better at Blair than) at any of these schools.

Oh, I remember that! It was so eye-opening to realize things aren't always as they seem. The info is on page 8 at this link. https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the silver spring schools are rubbish. please don't move there because you feel poor compared to some families in Bethesda.

We were not rich and our kids did fine at Whitman. Go for the academically strongest place you can find. Whitman, BCC, Churchill. The second 2 of these will be more diverse, if that matters to you.

How can you know that the SS schools are rubbish? I don't have a dog in this fight, but am considering a MoCo move, and I had the impression that Blair, at least (which is TKPK not SS, I guess) had offerings and outcomes as good as the W/BCC schools.

DP. Here is the Blair sheet, see what you think.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Blair is really silver spring and its outcomes are propped up by the magnet and cap programs. The rest of the school is like Eastern middle (zoned for Blair) but with older kids doing older things. The reason those programs were put there is Blair was the poorest most diverse school in MoCo at the time. It was and is a carrot to get white kids ehemmm good students to self integrate in an attempt to stave off middle class (white) flight that was crippling DC and in the eastern inner suburbs at the time. There are other schools that need it more now that proximity has stabilized TP and DTSS prices for lower income white collar, no family money types priced out of better areas.

All the parents who take locality pride for some bussed in Chevy Chase Asian kid going to an ivy despite their own avg GS13 quality C student offspring is just the type of perception bounce a school like Kennedy and the DCC Lottery could use that would make real changes to system for the better.

So many parents who bought into areas with lots of FARMS push for what seems to be retaliatory sending of poor kids to rich areas when the most realistic plan is sending the rich kids to the poor schools. It worked for Blair but that seems to be forgotten and in typical middle class outrage it becomes about hoarding resources and off loading problems. If you view most posts on DCUM they almost always are about hoarding resources and offloading problems with a thin veneer of self proclaimed righteousness

OP - These are the parents you are going to be rubbing shoulders with at a school like Whitman. Snobby, snarky, status-obsessed, and absolutely paranoid that some conspiracy is afoot to make their schools slightly more diverse.

I think you will be fine wherever you end up, but I also thing one of the other PPs is right. No one thinks they are rich, which means you are hearing from people on this thread who claim to be regular middle class folks but who are in the 1% (and the global .1%). Honestly, a well-supported kid is going to do well anywhere, and in your position I'd pick the house and lifestyle you want. Of all the schools you have listed, B-CC is the most diverse and to my mind has the best lifestyle for you and for your kids. I personally place a huge premium on reducing driving for teens, and living in-bounds for B-CC means your child will have access to public transportation and a walkable downtown without needing to drive while their brain is still developing. I'd weight that far above something as superficial as average test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with these types of threads is that no one ever considers themselves wealthy. So you have all manner of parents jumping up and down to say their kid is at Whitman or BCC or WJ but they are actually just middle class but they don’t realize they are rich compared to most SS/Rockville/Gaithersburg families.

You should ask about your kid doing a shadow day if possible at all of these schools. Housing can be challenging to find so just go with the best housing situation you can get and any of the Bethesda schools will be fine. Good luck!

Omg yes. The sky is the limit on wealth and there’s always someone with (a lot) more. People’s take on their own income category and “class” are kind of worthless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Transplant_1 wrote:OP here. I'd appreciate serious conversations on this thread.

Thank you 9:13 and 9:28 for your thoughts. Yes, am posting to try to break though the assumptions. So I appreciate your thoughts.

Do you -- or others -- have a sense of BCC and Whitman? They are the two wealthier areas (at least based on home prices. I know BCC has an area in its zone that is not, but kids life in sub-cultures/sub-groups so still trying to figure out what the experience would be like for us.)

My kid attends Whitman. We live in a small house in a nice neighborhood and drive 15/20-year-old cars. No tutors, no college counselors, no fancy internships, no big vacations. DH is a fed and I work at a nonprofit. We do pay a lot for extracurriculars for our only kid. I’d estimate that our HHI is in the bottom third of our neighborhood and maybe bottom quarter of our kid’s school. It’s no big deal recognizing that others have more. We’re comfortable and happy. Love Whitman.

Hi PP, but you do realize that even those small houses go for about $ 1 mill these days, right? Or about $ 4-5K to rent. Not everyone has that kind of money.

OP wasn’t asking whether s/he could afford a home in these districts but whether the income disparity would be an issue. There is still income disparity in these expensive neighborhoods, especially among those who bought small fixer-uppers 10-15 years ago (us) and those who are buying large new-builds now (many of our neighbors). It’s all relative. My point is that it’s only an issue if you make it one.

"Those who bought small fixer-uppers 10-15 years ago" were quite affluent then, or they couldn't have bought those houses, and are presumably still affluent now, or they wouldn't still be there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Transplant_1 wrote:OP here. I'd appreciate serious conversations on this thread.

Thank you 9:13 and 9:28 for your thoughts. Yes, am posting to try to break though the assumptions. So I appreciate your thoughts.

Do you -- or others -- have a sense of BCC and Whitman? They are the two wealthier areas (at least based on home prices. I know BCC has an area in its zone that is not, but kids life in sub-cultures/sub-groups so still trying to figure out what the experience would be like for us.)

My kid attends Whitman. We live in a small house in a nice neighborhood and drive 15/20-year-old cars. No tutors, no college counselors, no fancy internships, no big vacations. DH is a fed and I work at a nonprofit. We do pay a lot for extracurriculars for our only kid. I’d estimate that our HHI is in the bottom third of our neighborhood and maybe bottom quarter of our kid’s school. It’s no big deal recognizing that others have more. We’re comfortable and happy. Love Whitman.

Hi PP, but you do realize that even those small houses go for about $ 1 mill these days, right? Or about $ 4-5K to rent. Not everyone has that kind of money.

OP wasn’t asking whether s/he could afford a home in these districts but whether the income disparity would be an issue. There is still income disparity in these expensive neighborhoods, especially among those who bought small fixer-uppers 10-15 years ago (us) and those who are buying large new-builds now (many of our neighbors). It’s all relative. My point is that it’s only an issue if you make it one.

And my point for the PP who wrote that you can buy small houses for 1 mill is that not everyone can afford to buy those little houses, or rent them.

Of course these neighborhoods are completely out of reach for many families. Presumably that’s not the case for OP or she wouldn’t be considering it.

[Anonymous]

We’ve actually, and quite sadly, seen the opposite of what you mention OP. A family friend had to pull out their child because they were continuously harassed by kids who taunted them by calling them wealthy and that they didn’t represent their ethnic group. Socioeconomic diversity is difficult to navigate.

[Anonymous]

OP, we rented a condo unit for one year when my kid attended one of the ES in the Pyle/Whitman zone. More than once he was told that " oh you live in an apartment, not a house like we do...we live in a huuuuuge house"... one kid was going on all the time that they live in a huge, $ 20mill house....she confused it with $ 2mill, but still....another kid kept going on about how much the Dad earns each day......so I opted to move into the BCC zone and hopefully, we will have less of this kind of attitude....we shall see....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we rented a condo unit for one year when my kid attended one of the ES in the Pyle/Whitman zone. More than once he was told that " oh you live in an apartment, not a house like we do...we live in a huuuuuge house"... one kid was going on all the time that they live in a huge, $ 20mill house....she confused it with $ 2mill, but still....another kid kept going on about how much the Dad earns each day......so I opted to move into the BCC zone and hopefully, we will have less of this kind of attitude....we shall see....

My goodness! They never changed.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]I think Takoma Park would be a good fit, it’s more hippie vibe[/quote]

Takoma Park is also land of the millionaire next door. Wealth, but different values. Not as materialistic. Nice for everyone, no matter SES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the silver spring schools are rubbish. please don't move there because you feel poor compared to some families in Bethesda.

We were not rich and our kids did fine at Whitman. Go for the academically strongest place you can find. Whitman, BCC, Churchill. The second 2 of these will be more diverse, if that matters to you.

How can you know that the SS schools are rubbish? I don't have a dog in this fight, but am considering a MoCo move, and I had the impression that Blair, at least (which is TKPK not SS, I guess) had offerings and outcomes as good as the W/BCC schools.

DP. Here is the Blair sheet, see what you think.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Blair is really silver spring and its outcomes are propped up by the magnet and cap programs. The rest of the school is like Eastern middle (zoned for Blair) but with older kids doing older things. The reason those programs were put there is Blair was the poorest most diverse school in MoCo at the time. It was and is a carrot to get white kids ehemmm good students to self integrate in an attempt to stave off middle class (white) flight that was crippling DC and in the eastern inner suburbs at the time. There are other schools that need it more now that proximity has stabilized TP and DTSS prices for lower income white collar, no family money types priced out of better areas.

All the parents who take locality pride for some bussed in Chevy Chase Asian kid going to an ivy despite their own avg GS13 quality C student offspring is just the type of perception bounce a school like Kennedy and the DCC Lottery could use that would make real changes to system for the better.

So many parents who bought into areas with lots of FARMS push for what seems to be retaliatory sending of poor kids to rich areas when the most realistic plan is sending the rich kids to the poor schools. It worked for Blair but that seems to be forgotten and in typical middle class outrage it becomes about hoarding resources and off loading problems. If you view most posts on DCUM they almost always are about hoarding resources and offloading problems with a thin veneer of self proclaimed righteousness

OP - These are the parents you are going to be rubbing shoulders with at a school like Whitman. Snobby, snarky, status-obsessed, and absolutely paranoid that some conspiracy is afoot to make their schools slightly more diverse.

I think you will be fine wherever you end up, but I also thing one of the other PPs is right. No one thinks they are rich, which means you are hearing from people on this thread who claim to be regular middle class folks but who are in the 1% (and the global .1%). Honestly, a well-supported kid is going to do well anywhere, and in your position I'd pick the house and lifestyle you want. Of all the schools you have listed, B-CC is the most diverse and to my mind has the best lifestyle for you and for your kids. I personally place a huge premium on reducing driving for teens, and living in-bounds for B-CC means your child will have access to public transportation and a walkable downtown without needing to drive while their brain is still developing. I'd weight that far above something as superficial as average test scores.

LOL. If I was OP, I think I’d rather be anywhere you are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the silver spring schools are rubbish. please don't move there because you feel poor compared to some families in Bethesda.

We were not rich and our kids did fine at Whitman. Go for the academically strongest place you can find. Whitman, BCC, Churchill. The second 2 of these will be more diverse, if that matters to you.

How can you know that the SS schools are rubbish? I don't have a dog in this fight, but am considering a MoCo move, and I had the impression that Blair, at least (which is TKPK not SS, I guess) had offerings and outcomes as good as the W/BCC schools.

DP. Here is the Blair sheet, see what you think.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf

Blair is really silver spring and its outcomes are propped up by the magnet and cap programs. The rest of the school is like Eastern middle (zoned for Blair) but with older kids doing older things. The reason those programs were put there is Blair was the poorest most diverse school in MoCo at the time. It was and is a carrot to get white kids ehemmm good students to self integrate in an attempt to stave off middle class (white) flight that was crippling DC and in the eastern inner suburbs at the time. There are other schools that need it more now that proximity has stabilized TP and DTSS prices for lower income white collar, no family money types priced out of better areas.

All the parents who take locality pride for some bussed in Chevy Chase Asian kid going to an ivy despite their own avg GS13 quality C student offspring is just the type of perception bounce a school like Kennedy and the DCC Lottery could use that would make real changes to system for the better.

So many parents who bought into areas with lots of FARMS push for what seems to be retaliatory sending of poor kids to rich areas when the most realistic plan is sending the rich kids to the poor schools. It worked for Blair but that seems to be forgotten and in typical middle class outrage it becomes about hoarding resources and off loading problems. If you view most posts on DCUM they almost always are about hoarding resources and offloading problems with a thin veneer of self proclaimed righteousness

OP - These are the parents you are going to be rubbing shoulders with at a school like Whitman. Snobby, snarky, status-obsessed, and absolutely paranoid that some conspiracy is afoot to make their schools slightly more diverse.

I think you will be fine wherever you end up, but I also thing one of the other PPs is right. No one thinks they are rich, which means you are hearing from people on this thread who claim to be regular middle class folks but who are in the 1% (and the global .1%). Honestly, a well-supported kid is going to do well anywhere, and in your position I'd pick the house and lifestyle you want. Of all the schools you have listed, B-CC is the most diverse and to my mind has the best lifestyle for you and for your kids. I personally place a huge premium on reducing driving for teens, and living in-bounds for B-CC means your child will have access to public transportation and a walkable downtown without needing to drive while their brain is still developing. I'd weight that far above something as superficial as average test scores.

LOL. If I was OP, I think I’d rather be anywhere you are not.

Oops, post was directed at the previous poster discussing Blair. Agree with this response. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Definitely Rock Creek Forest. When my kids went there they felt rich compared to classmates (and we are not rich by any means - 2 feds in a small 3br). But, this changed considerably when they went to Westland/Silver Creek and on to BCC. Now all I hear is how all their friends have elevators in their homes and take great vacations.