Ashburton Elementary
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Anonymous
| Thoughts on Ashburton elementary from those who attend now? Are there any tangible plans to ease the overcrowding? Is it a good school outside of that? If we choose to go private (we are several years away from school-age) will we be the only ones on the block doing so, or will we be able to make friends at the playground? Thank you! |
Anonymous
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They can't build any further additions, but there's a capacity study going on to consider a new elementary school for the WJ and B-CC clusters.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/bccwjesclusterstudy.aspx |
Anonymous
Ashburton parent here. Folks in the Ashburton neighborhoods are generally friendly, I don't think you'll have a problem finding playmates at the park if you go private - especially if you live here with a LO now. If you are concerned about attending a big school, you are out of luck in this area of Montgomery County. The baseline school size now is 750 kids. Ashburton's physical plant is now that big, plus they tacked on a Modular addition in which the 5th Grade sits; acknowledging that they would not do anything to make Ashburton any smaller, but it is a nice space with a real connection to the building and a bathroom facility, unlike the portable farm that used to be there. Classes at Ashburton range from 21-22 in K, up to 30 in 4th/5th. Our 2nd Child is now a 4th Grader, and, although I make no claim of perfection, we have been happy enough at AES. Private school attendance in the neighborhood is usually the close Catholic schools - Woods and DeChantal for ES. A few for Lycee Rochambeau. Not too many of the big-name independent schools. Who knows what is going to happen with the joint capacity study. Any solution would be several years away. |
Anonymous
| Honestly, I know a LOT of families in that area (we attend another MCPS school but happen to know a bunch in Ashburton) and they love the school. It surprises me because I know there are tons of discussions about issues with the overcrowding and a lot of them were very nervous (most families I know have kids mid-elementary age, 2nd or 3rd grade). |
Anonymous
| Most going to private in that area will be at religious schools. Not many into the DC private school scene if that's what you're planning. |
Anonymous
I know a lot of families who live there too, and some don’t love it. Too big, the “stop light” ratings of kids, etc. It wouldn’t be my first choice. |
Anonymous
That’s a lot of kids. How do teachers manage 30 in a classroom? Do they use Chromebooks all day? |
Anonymous
What's that? |
Anonymous
Kids get a red, yellow, or green rating of their behavior. All the other kids know about it, and it becomes a public shaming of sorts, at least as described by the friends I know. Even if their kids are regularly "green," there's lots of playground talk about who is red or yellow. Lousy, if you ask me. |
Anonymous
| Right, because none of the kids already know who in their class was screaming when walking down the hall, who threw a pencil at their friend, who didn't do homework, etc., etc. |
Anonymous
| Even if people are friendly, I do think the decision to go private makes it more difficult to make neighborhood friends. Pretty soon the kids are planning the play dates, not the parents (at least by second grade), and it’s usually the kids they see at school. Of course, if they have kids right on the street, that’s different. |
Anonymous
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(1) School is large and it took me a bit to get accustomed to, but personally I think it's an advantage in preparing your child for entering middle school where three large elementary schools will feed into. My children have never noticed or complained. (2) We've had only great experience with Ashburton teachers and staff. (3) Amazing diversity at Ashburton. This is a major advantage over other schools in the immediate area and other clusters. (4) Academics. Ashburton is rolling out a new Math curriculum and it's a major improvement. Previous curriculum was an MCPS-wide issue, not school specific but Ashburton was selected as one of the first schools to roll this out.
We've not had any issues with the stoplight method and it's teacher/grade-specific, not a school-wide program. That said, I can see how the method might be challenging for a certain type of learner (generally speaking boys) who are being expected to sit still while having a lot of energy and short recess (this is an MCPS issue not Ashburton). One potential advantage of a larger school, is that your son or daughter is likely to find a core group of friends because there are so many kids to potentially interact with. And since classes from year to year can change dramatically, it gives your child an opportunity to branch out and expand their network of friends while keeping their core group who they can connect with on the playground. |
Anonymous
And adding to that helps how, exactly? Moreover, there’s a difference between kids observing peers and observing how the grown-ups rate said peers. |
Anonymous
| The solution to not liking "being on yellow" or "being on red" is to behave. It's not that complicated. |
Anonymous
So, you don't personally have kids that go there, yet you know all of the in's and out's, huh? Is this what you do all day long, talk with a lot of families about the elementary school their kids go to, but yours do not? Oh, let me guess... you're a realtor, right?? lol "I know "a lot" of families who live there... sure you do. |