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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
Moving to the DC area (likely Bethesda) & need advice on schools - both public and parochial
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Anonymous
| Hi there - We are moving to the DC area from California in the summer. If possible, we would like to settle in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area. Currently, my pre-k and 2nd grade sons are in a small, Catholic school that has a well-rounded curriculum (e.g., language, sports, performing arts, solid academics) and a small, nurturing atmosphere. We are not necessarily wedded to continuing with private (parochial) schools in the DC area if there are good public school alternatives (which is not the case where we currently live in California). So I'm curious about opinions re Montgomery County public schools - which ones are considered "the best" (realizing this is highly subjective, but thinking about active parent community, strong academics, etc.), and opinions re parochial schools & how they compare to the Bethesda area public schools. Thank you! |
Anonymous
| Well there are tons of posts about montgomery county schools. The schools are excellent - the biggest gripe seems to be the incessant testing. If you want Catholic schools there are a few good ones in the area - again search here and hopefully you will find the generalities about each. My kids go to Blessed sacrament in chevy chase, dc. Third grade you may be able to get a spot for next year. K is much more difficult. They just are sending acceptance letters. Call the school 202 966 6682 and ask for Mrs Molloy - she can probably advise you on school options. |
Anonymous
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http://www.hcross.org/index.html
In general, though, the publics in Bethesda/Chevy Chase are really good. |
Anonymous
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If you are interested in smaller schools than you may be shocked at the sizes of Bethesda/CC area public schools. From what I gather Somerset has a "smaller" feel to it and maybe Westbrook too though it is bursting at the seams. Both are substantially bigger in numbers than most parochial schools.
Depending on your future area, look at Blessed Sacrament and Little Flower. Maybe St. Bart's, or St. Anns and Annunciation just over the line in DC if the first 2 have no room. They should all have websites. My kids are in parochial school and have been very happy. |
Anonymous
| We made the same move and our children are at Norwood. We love the school, but in hindsight I wish we had gone public instead. The public schools are great, and if we had gone public we would know a lot more parents in our neighborhood and all our kids' friends would be nearby instead of all over the county. |
Anonymous
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http://www.adw.org/education/edu_schools_elem.asp - catholic schools of washington (Dc and maryland)
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/ - at a glance document for mont county |
Anonymous
| If I was deciding between public in Bethesda OR some of the Catholic Schools mentioned, I would only consider Blessed Sacrament or Little Flower with a possibility of Annunciation. (note: I am not familiar with St Bart's because it is further out) St. Ann's does not compare. |
Anonymous
| OP since you are out of town I wanted to comment on PP - re Norwood - this is not a catholic school! With a good neighborhood catholic school you will have the same neighborhood experience as a local public. My kids walk to their catholic school and most of the kids live within 2 miles of the school. Also a major difference in expense in parochial schools and other private schools. Generally speaking "real" private schools are $25K - $32K per year while parochial schools are around $7K per year. Its true you get what you pay for but parish schools are heavily funded by the parish, HSA (fundraising), and in some cases the archdiocese. |
Anonymous
| You can't go wrong with the Bethesda public elementary schools in the Whitman HS cluster, such as Carderock Springs, Bradley Hills, Burning Tree. Why don't you start with public, and if there is any issue, then switch to private. |
Anonymous
I wasn't recommending Norwood for her - duh! |
Anonymous
| Duh - then why did you respond? |
Anonymous
| Thanks everyone for these great comments... very helpful! I will definitely peruse the discussions of the various MC public schools. Any thoughts on Holy Cross (in Garrett Park)? My niece goes there... |
Anonymous
St. Bart's is maybe 3 miles down River Road from Little Flower so I wouldn't say it's further out by much. If the OP is in Chevy Chase, Annunciation would be much further away. I would suggest starting with BS and LF too - they may still have one or two openings in each grade with private school acceptances just coming out. Tuitions at all the area elementary catholic schools are comparable except Trinty and Our Lady of Mercy which are higher. Not sure how they compare to CA prices though. Most things here gave us sticker shock when we relocated 5 years ago. |
Anonymous
| You know, I have heard that California schools suck because there is no money. That is not the same case in Montgomery County. All these people are suggesting Catholic schools because that is what you are used to, but here the public schools are quite good. |
Anonymous
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We used to go to one of the Cathoics mentioned above, made the move to public and could not be happier.
We live in Chevy Chase. Our cluster is wonderful, as is the 20816 area of Bethesda. In MoCo I would search for homes in 20815 - CChase 20816 - Bethesda 20817 - also Bethesda High schools are BCC and Whitman - you cannot go wrong! |