Struck Out in DC school lottery....Tell/Sell me in your non-W School Cluster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
+1. It is a very short drive to a lot of things. Lots of people end up a 5-10 drive to things rather than a 5-20 minute walk because it expands options considerably and generally will be less expensive. People at all budgets make this trade off, but particularly at OP's budget it makes a lot of sense to do so.

That trade-off really gets you once the kids are middle-school and especially high-school age, though. Old enough to get themselves places, if they CAN get themselves places - which they can't, if the only good way to get themselves there is by car.

Most places that are that close to other things have other ways to get around. Where I live, there are buses that people can take. At a certain age, kids could ride bikes. For times those don't work, there are ubers or it will still be no big deal for me to drive the kid 10 minutes like I have for the previous 14 years.

You are also ignoring some of the ways suburbs are logistically easier. If you aren't close enough to walk to school, you get a bus. That is vastly easier that one many people have once they aren't going to their neighborhood school in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Here are your non-W schools with lower than 30% Farms. There are others that are not far over 30%, but, FARMS have steadily risen since the early 2000s, they are not getting lower!

I included Wootton because maybe you'll find a unicorn. I think your budget is tough period. You'll have to compromise.

Clarksburg (26%)
Damascus (14%)
Richard Montgomery (19%)
Northwest HS (22%)
Poolesville (6%)
Quince Orchard (21.3%)
Sherwood (15%)
Wootton (less than 5%)

Out of curiosity, I looked at FARMS rates back in 2002. Wheaton was the only highschool with over 30% FARMS at 38.4%. 18 out of 26 (69%) of our highschools are over 30% Farms with some being more than 50%. The school system is done. Buyer beware.

Here is the dashboard with data.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Actually, this is being addressed by the boundary study and the new consortiums designed to promote greater diversity in all schools.

[Anonymous]

We live in Anne Arundel Co, feeding into South River High. Depending what end of town your work is, the commute might be no worse than Olney.

[Anonymous]

And, if OP wants to click off every single.box, you may need to move to Howard County or Frederick.

Some other options closer:

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Silver-Spring/33-Stonegate-Dr-20905/home/10573830

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Olney/4021-Morningwood-Dr-20832/home/10721743

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Olney/18541-Queen-Elizabeth-Dr-20832/home/10714098

https://www.redfin.com/MD/Kensington/11016-Glueck-Ln-20895/home/10991667

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

Yes, it's just the usual fact-free fear mongering. The actual MCPS data shows SS schools like Blair are stable and have experienced about 1% variance over the past decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

Yes, it's just the usual fact-free fear mongering. The actual MCPS data shows SS schools like Blair are stable and have experienced about 1% variance over the past decade.

That’s funny because Blair was mostly white and all middle class a short generation ago, doesn’t appear to be a stable trend line to but maybe that trend is your stable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

Yes, it's just the usual fact-free fear mongering. The actual MCPS data shows SS schools like Blair are stable and have experienced about 1% variance over the past decade.

That’s funny because Blair was mostly white and all middle class a short generation ago, doesn’t appear to be a stable trend line to but maybe that trend is your stable.

And Georgetown was a ghetto a few decades back too. Things are always changing. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, the FARMS rate has varied within 1%.

[Anonymous]

The trend that has been going on for the past 20 years is people no longer want to live in the outer burbs. Places like North Bethesda (aka Rockville) and Potomac are flat. The close-in areas; however, are going great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The trend that has been going on for the past 20 years is people no longer want to live in the outer burbs. Places like North Bethesda (aka Rockville) and Potomac are flat. The close-in areas; however, are going great.

I've long suspected this is at the root of the fact-free fearmongering.

[Anonymous]

The MoCo close in areas that don't have great schools like Bethesda and CC have been just as hobbled. Houses are still cheap in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. Closer in Silver Spring has appreciated more than northern Silver Spring but the area is still relatively flat. The poverty in those areas is just growing too fast for the schools to keep up. Which schools have the highest drop out rate? Wheaton, Northwood, and Gaithersburg. Northwood is pretty close in.

The problems are everywhere. Montgomery Village used to be a nice place for government workers and professionals that worked in MD. Now it is terrible, high crime, poverty and all rentals. The low income housing developments in the Northwest boundary hold that school back despite there being lots of positive things going on at Northwest. The FARMS rates in the DCC have grown substantially in the past 10 years. The area is not gentrifying. It is getting poorer. Potomac is aging and losing out to VA.
Whether it is the schools, poverty rate increases, high taxes, or long commutes because there are few business or professional opportunities in MoCo, everyone here is being negatively hit by it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

Yes, it's just the usual fact-free fear mongering. The actual MCPS data shows SS schools like Blair are stable and have experienced about 1% variance over the past decade.

That’s funny because Blair was mostly white and all middle class a short generation ago, doesn’t appear to be a stable trend line to but maybe that trend is your stable.

And Georgetown was a ghetto a few decades back too. Things are always changing. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, the FARMS rate has varied within 1%.

You think Georgetown was a ghetto in anybody’s life time but can see that silver spring is today? Talk about out of touch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. The schools that have FARMS in the 30%-40% FARMS (or 50% ever been on FARMS) are also likely to grow in poverty even faster. I doubt that Poolesville or Damascus will grow that quickly because the high density low income housing just doesn't exist out there to support the surge in FARMS that you are seeing in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg and Germantown. MCPS will start trying to bus kids from Gaithersburg and Germantown into QO, NW, and Wootton and this will kill those skills. Silver Spring is already a lost cause with poverty already taking over those schools. No idea about Sherwood but I would guess that it get caught up the MCPS bussing plans too.

Snort.

Yeah
OP, don't listen to this. Because real estate values are going up, there are many areas in silver spring and Wheaton that are improving. You may have to take a chance on a school pyramid that is less than you want, but we also are in the under 500k club, and it's fine.

Yes, it's just the usual fact-free fear mongering. The actual MCPS data shows SS schools like Blair are stable and have experienced about 1% variance over the past decade.

That’s funny because Blair was mostly white and all middle class a short generation ago, doesn’t appear to be a stable trend line to but maybe that trend is your stable.

And Georgetown was a ghetto a few decades back too. Things are always changing. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, the FARMS rate has varied within 1%.

Landmaelrks from its industrial blue collar past are still present like the smoke stack from the meat rendering plant or the the husks of the pallet and flour mills along the waterfront. Your point is well taken; places change with time. Look at 14th street today. I’d never believed that transformation was possible 20 years ago.