Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long story short, my husband and I are looking to buy a starter home/condo in DC. Our budget isn't particularly high. We are currently TTC so thinking about potential school options for our child. I know the lottery is a whole thing, but assuming we wanted to just send our kiddo to the neighborhood school, what are some less popular but still "good" schools that you might recommend? If it's in the top 10, it's probably out of our budget. We are assuming we'd have to move or look for other options for middle/high, but we aren't TOO picky on elementary school as long as our kid feels safe and excited about learning. Any recommendations of areas/schools to look at would be appreciated. Ideally, i'd like a diverse school where a wide range of perspectives/languages/etc would be welcomed.

One house we really liked is zoned for Barnard- would you recommend that school?

Honestly? I would wait to panic when you have had your child. Who knows if you will actually like DC and want to live here?

[Anonymous]

Maybe look for connections and search back on the Petworth Parents Facebook group. You’ll get more local insight, good and bad, from people who actually live and raise children in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Live in a Deal feeder school. Dont want MacArthur HS. There are definitely options around 800k if you can be somewhat patient. Condo, small row home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live in a Deal feeder school. Dont want MacArthur HS. There are definitely options around 800k if you can be somewhat patient. Condo, small row home.

This is a crap take. MacArthur has been great. My kid would have drowned at both Deal and JR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Petworth and are zoned for Barnard. We bought before we had a kid and I really wish we could move but we can’t. Our neighbors are terrible (drug dealer on one side, someone who sits around and smokes weed all day on the other). There’s a lot of good about Petworth that I like. But we feel stuck now because we can’t likely sell our house and I hate that. The lottery has never worked out for us and now my kid goes to private. Womp. If you get good neighbors, and a deal on a house, Petworth is great for young families.

Just for a different perspective, we also live in Petworth and are zoned for Barnard. Our block and neighbors are great, we have never had any issues. Sent our kid to Barnard for ECE and thought it was a wonderful environment, but did lottery out to a WOTP DCPS during elementary - this was for the MS feed, not a reflection on Barnard itself. Kid is now at an application DCPS high school. We love our house and are not planning to leave until retirement, if ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Live in a Deal feeder school. Dont want MacArthur HS. There are definitely options around 800k if you can be somewhat patient. Condo, small row home.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a Deal feeder school. Dont want MacArthur HS. There are definitely options around 800k if you can be somewhat patient. Condo, small row home.

+1

All dcps is either not good or outright terrible. Don’t expect the same quality of education that you get elsewhere. I’m tired of people pretending otherwise to new parents.

[Anonymous]

Pick a place that will work with kids until they start K. Then make a decision to stay or move based on finances, schools, and life. You will have wiggle room because most schools are fine through first. Second is when problems emerge and the gap widens at third. Prioritize a place that makes life easy (short commute, family friendly) for now. If you don't have kids then you will still be happy.

[Anonymous]

Adding Ordway Gardens (Eaton-Hardy-MacArthur) to the McLean Gardens option…Proximity to Cleveland Park metro has been fantastic for tweens/teens…there was a WaPo article awhile back that framed condo/townhouse living as the new American dream!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Live in a Deal feeder school. Dont want MacArthur HS. There are definitely options around 800k if you can be somewhat patient. Condo, small row home.

+1

All dcps is either not good or outright terrible. Don’t expect the same quality of education that you get elsewhere. I’m tired of people pretending otherwise to new parents.

You realize many people don’t agree with you and aren’t “pretending.” If you don’t have kids in the schools that are being discussed, STFU because no one wants to hear it. You can also stop painting yourself as some altruistic force coming in to save new parents.