PG County Parents, where are you sending your kids to school?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:When families "make the annual move to MD" they are not moving to PG.

We are actually considering the move into PG. I figured we culd get more house/space in the Bowie area and send DC to private school and still save money. We would make the move so that DC could enter at the beginning of MS (6th grade), so that he enters with a bunch of kids who are also new. DC is currently in one of the HRC in DC, but we need more space and a sure path to instate college tuition. We are running the numbers and although I can think of good private HS that are not 40K, I cannot think of any good MS options within reasonable price range. So, we are considering the move and the numbers PP. BTW-My family is not alone. I was told to look in the Mitchellville area and drive around. I was told that many of the cars had private school bumpers on the cars. Decisions, decisions.

Why hello there! May I recommend my neighborhood in Lanham Seabrook 20706? I live in the Glenn Estates neighborhood and we have several homes for sale in our neighborhood. We have a lovely neighborhood, a pool, an HOA full of people who are actually sane and do not really care what you do with your house as long as there are no appliances in your front yard, beautiful affordable homes, a mile from the MARC station and about 15 minutes from the New Carrollton metro/marc/amtrak station. We are so close to 495 and 50 as well. It is a very convenient area, and I have heard really good things about our public elementary. The downsides are our middle and high schools are not so good.

What will you do for MS and HS?

Also, do you get a sense that due to the closeness of PG county to the city and people getting priced out of DC, PGC will become the beneficiary of middle income people who desire backyards for their child(ren)?

Yes. Big time.

Agree. We're noticing in Hyattsville that houses are often being sold by word of mouth so not having to go on the market.

Old Greenbelt too. We are just talking about the possibility of selling and we already have 5 interested parties waiting for us to decide.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Friends coming school in college park is definitely worth exploring. Tremendous diversity; racial and economic.

I know a lot of people who were not happy at all with this school. Very unprofessional staff/teachers.

Can you expand on this? What is unprofessional about them?

I heard this too. Teachers who are too "familiar" with students. Teachers with interesting "extracurricular" activities.

I think the implication of this comment is absurd. DS attends FCS and I have heard absolutely nothing of the sort.

Perhaps your "source" is referring to the fact that everyone goes by their first name at FCS, including the head of school. This reflects Quaker philosophy that everyone has a "light within." The school fosters respect for others, and adults don't need a title to gain respect and authority.

Let's clear this all up about FCS! I worked there for 7 years, there was a lot that went down but those issues were only with a few staff members. [b]Two having an affair and another is now in jail for molesting a child when he babysat her. Everything is out in the open now. That shouldn't cast a bad light on the entire school and very hard-working staff that are there. All those staff members are long-gone and the school is a great school. If you want more information get it from a reliable source.[/b]

Thanks for posting this. I'd also add that there is a different head of school who's been there for at least 5 years now, and he's excellent.

-PP with child at FCS

I personally know more than two who were having an affair and have heard from a friend who taught there that there was a lot of fooling around among teachers. And partying.

[Anonymous]

Question? If my child is moving into PGC, Bowie area, entereing the 6th grade, what are his options. It seems that the private MS are really K-8, so DC would be an outlier. That is, he would not be entering with a new cluster of kids, also looking to meet new friends.

I understand that no one or very few on these boards recommend the MS in PGC.

I love the homes in PGC, with the affordable prices in comparison to the other areas, so I am really looking for some good feed back to make the move. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question? If my child is moving into PGC, Bowie area, entereing the 6th grade, what are his options. It seems that the private MS are really K-8, so DC would be an outlier. That is, he would not be entering with a new cluster of kids, also looking to meet new friends.

I understand that no one or very few on these boards recommend the MS in PGC.

I love the homes in PGC, with the affordable prices in comparison to the other areas, so I am really looking for some good feed back to make the move. Thanks.

We know some folks in Bowie who have gone to the Annapolis area schools for MS - Key School was a doable commute for them but they weren't going into DC for work either. There are Bowie area kids at some of the DC area independents, but not a ton. Bowie is a little tougher (IMO) than say Hyattsville, because the commute to DC or MoCo for private schools is longer.

[Anonymous]

If you are thinking of moving for August school start, I'd consider finding an area that has a K-6 if you can and then figuring out which middle school might be best after you've had a year to get your bearings.

Elementary schools generally have a more family run atmosphere so your child would be less likely to get lost and there would only be one or a few teachers to deal with if a problem arose.

Other than that, I've heard MLK and Hyattsville Middle are the best two in the county. It's too late to apply for Performing Arts program at Hyattsville Middle and it's too late for the charter school program too.

[Anonymous]

I am happy to find this forum. My daughter is entering kindergarten this Fall. We just moved into a new development. We are zoned for the new school (Edward Felegy) in Hyattsville. I am so nervous as there is no information available for this school. Any thoughts on this new school.

[Anonymous]

The principal is temporarily housed at Nicholas Orem, which is right by Giant. He has a good reputation from what I've heard. I'm going to go by next week and talk to him. I'm also nervous. Since the building isn't completely finished, my guess is that they'll be more information in a couple of weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question? If my child is moving into PGC, Bowie area, entereing the 6th grade, what are his options. It seems that the private MS are really K-8, so DC would be an outlier. That is, he would not be entering with a new cluster of kids, also looking to meet new friends.

I understand that no one or very few on these boards recommend the MS in PGC.

I love the homes in PGC, with the affordable prices in comparison to the other areas, so I am really looking for some good feed back to make the move. Thanks.

If you are interested in sending your child to public school, I would recommend looking at homes north of Route 450 (generally speaking). Those homes feed into Samuel Ogle Middle, which is probably your best option. Benjamin Tasker is improving, with the addition of a new principal and a faculty house cleaning, but it draws from the lower income areas of Bowie (townhomes and apartments.) I really hate even typing that, but that's just reality. Ogle is not without its problems, but considered to be a better choice all around.

As far as private schools, I wouldn't worry at all about your child being an 'outlier' socially. There are a great many parents who fear the middle schools so sixth grade is a big entry year at many of the schools. Kids come in and out all the time.

The best school in Bowie (and in the county) is Holy Trinity School. If you are a fundamentalist or otherwise devout Christian, Grace Christian is a good option. HTS is more academic and less religious than GCS. I've heard mixed things about St Pius (larger class sizes) not as strong academically.

[Anonymous]

DC private school. Unfortunately, whether we admit it or not, anywhere in PG County is just settling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC private school. Unfortunately, whether we admit it or not, anywhere in PG County is just settling.

Oh, please. This isn't constructive. Hey, OP and anyone else, if you have $40K free every year to spend on Sidwell, go for it (and don't bother with the PG Public Schools forum, please).

For the rest of us, it's a matter of researching choices, assessing your budget, and having many many backups. We live in old town Laurel and won't send our child to the school there (it is SO true that there are some great elementary schools in PG - this just isn't one of them), so are planning on applying for the Goddard Montessori lottery for age 3, and the Goddard French immersion lottery for K, while also touring and applying to private/religious schools within our budget (we aren't religious). We are considering:

St. Jerome's
Grace Episcopal
Mater Amoris
Evergreen Montessori
Friends Community
Holy Trinity Episcopal (Bowie)
Holy Trinity (Georgetown)
Bowie Children's House
Paint Branch Montessori
Sandy Spring

It's a pretty big range, $$ wise and location wise (we both work in DC) but clearly there are a lot of options here at different price points and convenient to different commutes and locations in northern PG. If you have the money for DC and you think it is worth shlepping your kid 2 hours each day to make it happen, go for it. But for the rest of us, it's far from impossibly bleak, and it's more constructive to lay out and discuss options than to write it all off as crap.

[Anonymous]

OH, and I forgot to mention even if you miss lotteries for Pre-K and K, have your kid tested privately and consider having them go to a TAG (Talented and Gifted) public school. If we did that, our kid would be bused from Laurel to Bowie each day (keep in mind that if you do Goddard, there is no busing) from grade 2 through grade 8. For high school kids can apply for the magnet program at Roosevelt, which is very strong, and for middle/high there is the new College Park Academy program. But as I said above, you have to balance your efforts between applying for these great public programs (that everyone and their dog is applying for, because they are few and far between) and researching/evaluating/applying for private options you can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC private school. Unfortunately, whether we admit it or not, anywhere in PG County is just settling.

Oh, please. This isn't constructive. Hey, OP and anyone else, if you have $40K free every year to spend on Sidwell, go for it (and don't bother with the PG Public Schools forum, please).

For the rest of us, it's a matter of researching choices, assessing your budget, and having many many backups. We live in old town Laurel and won't send our child to the school there (it is SO true that there are some great elementary schools in PG - this just isn't one of them), so are planning on applying for the Goddard Montessori lottery for age 3, and the Goddard French immersion lottery for K, while also touring and applying to private/religious schools within our budget (we aren't religious). We are considering:

St. Jerome's
Grace Episcopal
Mater Amoris
Evergreen Montessori
Friends Community
Holy Trinity Episcopal (Bowie)
Holy Trinity (Georgetown)
Bowie Children's House
Paint Branch Montessori
Sandy Spring

It's a pretty big range, $$ wise and location wise (we both work in DC) but clearly there are a lot of options here at different price points and convenient to different commutes and locations in northern PG. If you have the money for DC and you think it is worth shlepping your kid 2 hours each day to make it happen, go for it. But for the rest of us, it's far from impossibly bleak, and it's more constructive to lay out and discuss options than to write it all off as crap.

I agree 100%. Well-stated!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OH, and I forgot to mention even if you miss lotteries for Pre-K and K, have your kid tested privately and consider having them go to a TAG (Talented and Gifted) public school. If we did that, our kid would be bused from Laurel to Bowie each day (keep in mind that if you do Goddard, there is no busing) from grade 2 through grade 8. For high school kids can apply for the magnet program at Roosevelt, which is very strong, and for middle/high there is the new College Park Academy program. But as I said above, you have to balance your efforts between applying for these great public programs (that everyone and their dog is applying for, because they are few and far between) and researching/evaluating/applying for private options you can afford.

Is this on-line MS and HS?

[Anonymous]

CPA does not have a very appealing web page. I can't get any information on the school. Any thoughts