Murch vs Lafayette vs Janney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
OP here - also I wondered what it is like to live in these neighborhoods

Where are you coming from, OP? Easier to describe this if we know this.

OP again. Grew up in New England but am returning to US after years abroad in Europe & Asia. Don’t want to live in suburbia but have several kids...so that’s why I’m looking in NW. I’d say I’m fairly liberal and open-minded.

I’ve got news for you: the parts of NW DC you’re considering are pretty suburban. Parts of close-in Bethesda and Arlington feel more urban that the areas zoned for Lafayette, Janney, and Murch.

Mayor Bowser and her planning director Mr. “Trueblood” not making that name up) want to make Ward 3 much more urban. Just see their changes to the Comp Plan, including their progressive of “soft density” plan which would allow multifarious buildings deep into single family residential neighborhoods.

Of course, they also propose an ambitious school building program to accommodate the growth that they are pushing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not my DCs report that the girls are very cliquey at Deal. They stick to their cohorts from ES. Boys don’t seem to be and branch out more.

Former Janney parent here. One child has gone through Deal and one 6th grader there now. I think middle school is hard for all middle school girls. They are all just trying to figure out where they fit in a survive it all, the popular kids and the kids being left out. I have had kids in both situations, one kid has experienced both. FWIW, both my children have good friends from Murch, Lafayette and Eaton. All bright kids. The smartest/most academically successful friend of one of my children came from Lafayette. But she would have been that wherever she went to ES.

Buy/rent the home you like in the neighborhood that fits your family best. All are good choices. Hearst too. I am sure Bancroft and Shepherd Park are as well but those are very different neighborhoods.

Why are these distant schools still in the Deal and Wilson cluster?! Makes no sense anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live at an address (close to Reno Rd.) that could easily be zoned to any of these 3 schools, depending on the whims of DCPS. i.e., I have nearby neighbors whose kids attend all three, depending on exact street.

So I came here to say … pick the house you like with an eye on the micro neighborhood environment you want. The schools are so similar — the old 'distinction without a difference' thing. But the experience of living at, say, Arcadia Pl. NW, would be an appreciably different life than living at 43rd and Jenifer, at Chesterfield Pl., or 44th and BUtterworth. All these addresses have their advantages over the others but the day-to-day lived experience in each will be different.

But don’t buy on Reno Rd, which is a traffic sewer!

[Anonymous]

OP again. Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m getting the sense I should also expand my search to include Hearst & Eaton. These feed into Hardy, I believe. As I understand from some other threads that Hardy has been improving and has the benefit of being small

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m getting the sense I should also expand my search to include Hearst & Eaton. These feed into Hardy, I believe. As I understand from some other threads that Hardy has been improving and has the benefit of being small

Eaton feeds into Hardy and Hearst feeds into Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m getting the sense I should also expand my search to include Hearst & Eaton. These feed into Hardy, I believe. As I understand from some other threads that Hardy has been improving and has the benefit of being small

Eaton feeds into Hardy and Hearst feeds into Deal.

Hate to say it but that is one reason why Hearst has risen in perception compared with Eaton.

[Anonymous]

No one has mentioned the fact that Lafayette is huge and overcrowded. I'd take that into consideration. To me Murch seems like the best option. Parents not too crazy, great location, slightly more diverse, feeds into Deal although Deal is also huge and overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks everyone for the advice. I’m getting the sense I should also expand my search to include Hearst & Eaton. These feed into Hardy, I believe. As I understand from some other threads that Hardy has been improving and has the benefit of being small

Eaton feeds into Hardy and Hearst feeds into Deal.

Hate to say it but that is one reason why Hearst has risen in perception compared with Eaton.

Hardy is smaller and has a distinctly “downtown” vibe if that is your thing. It has more than its share of discipline issues. There are no playing fields for the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Truly, if your children would do well in one of these schools, they will do well in all of them. PPs have pointed out that Lafayette is huge, if that matters to you. Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like and your kids will do just fine.

Plenty of kids- and parents - in DC would give anything to have access to any one of these schools. You're very fortunate to be able to afford living in bounds for any of them. I am not trying to sanctimonious, just trying to provide some perspective.

To keep some perspective, these are good schools for DC. That may not necessarily be true against schools in better-run districts.

Mmm no. These are good schools, period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Truly, if your children would do well in one of these schools, they will do well in all of them. PPs have pointed out that Lafayette is huge, if that matters to you. Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like and your kids will do just fine.

Plenty of kids- and parents - in DC would give anything to have access to any one of these schools. You're very fortunate to be able to afford living in bounds for any of them. I am not trying to sanctimonious, just trying to provide some perspective.

To keep some perspective, these are good schools for DC. That may not necessarily be true against schools in better-run districts.

Mmm no. These are good schools, period.

Our DD goes to Deal. Math teaching is terrible and in another subject she has had a parade of different substitutes. Deal is only good compared to the DC public alternatives. I giess You could say it’s very good for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned the fact that Lafayette is huge and overcrowded. I'd take that into consideration. To me Murch seems like the best option. Parents not too crazy, great location, slightly more diverse, feeds into Deal although Deal is also huge and overcrowded.

Murch will soon be crazy overcrowded too. Since the renovation our little street has gotten 12 new Murch students. It must be even more in the apartment buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Truly, if your children would do well in one of these schools, they will do well in all of them. PPs have pointed out that Lafayette is huge, if that matters to you. Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like and your kids will do just fine.

Plenty of kids- and parents - in DC would give anything to have access to any one of these schools. You're very fortunate to be able to afford living in bounds for any of them. I am not trying to sanctimonious, just trying to provide some perspective.

To keep some perspective, these are good schools for DC. That may not necessarily be true against schools in better-run districts.

Mmm no. These are good schools, period.

Our DD goes to Deal. Math teaching is terrible and in another subject she has had a parade of different substitutes. Deal is only good compared to the DC public alternatives. I giess You could say it’s very good for DC.

Agree, we currently have 2 students in different grades at Deal. I have not seen any evidence that the school is challenging, in any way. Maybe that qualifies as good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on the conduct of the parents at the forum last night I’d scratch Murch off the list if I were you. Wow. Just wowwww.

What was the forum? Can you explain? This doesn’t sound good...

[Anonymous]

Op, why those 3 schools? What about Mann, Stoddert and Eaton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has mentioned the fact that Lafayette is huge and overcrowded. I'd take that into consideration. To me Murch seems like the best option. Parents not too crazy, great location, slightly more diverse, feeds into Deal although Deal is also huge and overcrowded.

It was mentioned 2-3 times already. Did you read the thread before making that assertion?