HoCo with Kids

[Anonymous]

We are considering a move to Howard County to be closer to work. I am familiar with the great schools scores and the positive reputation of particular school clusters (River Hill, Centennial, Atholton). But I really don't know the county very well and lack a sense for what different areas of are like.

Are there particular areas of Ellicott City / Columbia / North Laurel that have a strong neighborhood identity? Are there places that neighborhood kids tend to play together? Where there's particularly good community support for the school?

Academics are important to us, but really we just want a friendly, nurturing place for our kids to grow up. FWIW, our oldest is sweet, shy, maybe a touch ADD, and is the kind of kid who would love to be on a robotics team. (Meaning: we would love to find out that one or more schools has an active team...)

Basically, I would love to hear experiences / stories. I'd like to know where to dig a little deeper, first.

[Anonymous]

Hammond Village in Laurel.

[Anonymous]

Huntington in Kings Contivance. Lovely family feel, trees and paths .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering a move to Howard County to be closer to work. I am familiar with the great schools scores and the positive reputation of particular school clusters (River Hill, Centennial, Atholton). But I really don't know the county very well and lack a sense for what different areas of are like.

Are there particular areas of Ellicott City / Columbia / North Laurel that have a strong neighborhood identity? Are there places that neighborhood kids tend to play together? Where there's particularly good community support for the school?

Academics are important to us, but really we just want a friendly, nurturing place for our kids to grow up. FWIW, our oldest is sweet, shy, maybe a touch ADD, and is the kind of kid who would love to be on a robotics team. (Meaning: we would love to find out that one or more schools has an active team...)

Basically, I would love to hear experiences / stories. I'd like to know where to dig a little deeper, first.

How old are your kids? HoCo is great. You should drive around the different areas on the weekend to get a feel for different areas. Columbia, Ellicott City, Fulton, Clarksville, Marriottsville are all great but have very different vibes.

[Anonymous]

One child is in elementary school, and one is a new baby. Kids are spread far apart in age so we have to serve two different age groupings that the same time.

Older child seems to be thriving in a small private school, but the commute to work from home/school is killing us. New baby is pushing the outer limits of our budget and time, esp. with a second drop off. I also wish the older child's class hung out together more easily after school. When school lets out, everyone disappears in separate directions, unless we arrange specific playdate plans. In short: even more logistics are required.

Lost and looking for more time with neighbors and together. Seeking road map. :p

[Anonymous]

Look for a place that has neighborhood summer swim teams. (Pretty sure Columbia does.) In MoCo the swim teams form a foundation for neighborhood kids to get to know each other and hang out together, which often translates into public school friend groups and maybe eventually high school swim team. Even if you don't join, it at least indicates enough kids in the neighborhood who are around to play with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One child is in elementary school, and one is a new baby. Kids are spread far apart in age so we have to serve two different age groupings that the same time.

Older child seems to be thriving in a small private school, but the commute to work from home/school is killing us. New baby is pushing the outer limits of our budget and time, esp. with a second drop off. I also wish the older child's class hung out together more easily after school. When school lets out, everyone disappears in separate directions, unless we arrange specific playdate plans. In short: even more logistics are required.

Lost and looking for more time with neighbors and together. Seeking road map. :p

The Clemens Crossing area is amazing and feeds into atholton (mostly). I’ve also heard good things about Pointers Run elementary (Riverside community is great) and Phelps Luck (not familiar with the neighborhood though). My kids go to Clemens and we love it. The school has a very active PTA and the community is very involved. Most of the neighborhoods that feed into the school are family friendly with kids running around everywhere.

I looked for the same thing when we moved here from Silver Spring (I grew up in Columbia), it really helps to be in a neighborhood with other kids your child’s age so they have some companionship! Good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions

[Anonymous]

PP here, also check out the Dorsey Hall area!

[Anonymous]

Pp again (sorry!!) There are some facebook groups for Howard county moms and Howard county schools that you can check out. I think the school one is called HoCo school interest or something like that. Lots of info there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huntington in Kings Contivance. Lovely family feel, trees and paths .

And Swim Team! Every village has a pool.

[Anonymous]

We lived in Howard County for a few years and loved it so much. It's very oriented towards families. I I could afford, I would focus on Clarksville and the Maple Lawn area.

Our kids loved the pools and all the walking paths.

[Anonymous]

Check out the houses off Rivers Edge Road. Nice
community with a variety of size and age homes. Very sought after place. Very tight community and neighborhood events. Feeds into Pointers Run elementary and Clarksville middle and atholton High.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We lived in Howard County for a few years and loved it so much. It's very oriented towards families. I I could afford, I would focus on Clarksville and the Maple Lawn area.

Our kids loved the pools and all the walking paths.

I would not move to Maple Lawn because it is just so crowded there. If you don't mind being on top of your neighbors and having your kids in the largest ES in the county (over 1000 students and growing), it is a lovely community with TONS of families.

[Anonymous]

OP back. Would anyone be able to comment on Harper's Choice and Wilde Lake? Either the neighborhood or school cultures? I had a nice time scouting those areas and might like to look closer.

I have spent a little bit of time in Dorsey's Search (Dorsey Hall?), too, and liked what I saw.

I am going to snoop around the neighborhood names everyone provided up-thread, too.

[Anonymous]

Avoid Wilde Lake and Harper's Choice!

I would look in neighborhoods that are zoned to the following high schools:
River Hill
Atholton
Marriott's Ridge
Howard
Mt. Hebron
Centennial

Checkout the school's profile pages on the Howard County School website. https://www.hcpss.org Each school has their own website and profile page. That way you will learn things like testing scores, extracurricular clubs, PTA information, racial demographics, graduation rates, FARM rates, etc. This way you will get accurate data about each school to determine which school environment will best fit your family. I find that the school's websites and profile pages provide lots of information. If you have specific questions about a particular school, then contact a particular school's counselor. Also, many schools have Facebook and Twitter pages.

Schools in Ellicott City are academically better and you can not go wrong anywhere in Ellicott City. There are many international families with a strong focus on academics that reside in Ellicott City. Also, Clarksville is a great area to look into as well.