Commuting to Brookland-CUA

[Anonymous]

I'm moving to the DC area with two children and will need to commute to the Brookland-CUA vicinity for my job. I am happy to take the Metro or drive to work.
Where should I consider living if I want great public schools straight through high school and a reasonable commute?
Budget is 900k if we buy and 4k if we rent.
We're relaxed, down to earth people. My preference would be to live somewhere with a little bit of a backyard, but a walkable downtown with restaurants, etc would be fun, too.
My wife will likely be working part-time in Bethesda/CC and her commute is a factor as well.
Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you want somewhere on the west side of redline in upper NW in DC (from Cleveland Park north to Friendship Heights) or MoCo. I live in SE Capitol Hill though so I can't give you advice on what house you can afford or specific school boundaries but DCPS is the most reliable from elementary through high school up there -- although Wilson (High school) doesn't work for every kid but by then kids are old enough to commute to magnet schools (School without Walls, Banneker) on their own. However, I know little about MoCo so I'll let someone else speak to that.