Relocating to DC with kids Grade 3/Grade 6, job in Bethesda - live in DC or MD?
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Yumi
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Background: Moving to DC, job in Bethesda, kids in grades 3 & 6, international family (parents from 2 different places), coming from 4 years in Asia. 3-5 years in DC projected.
We are not Suburbanites by nature so are trying to figure out if we should move to Bethesda to be close to work (near Bethesda Metro) or move into DC proper to have the experience of urban living in a great city. Rental budget up to $3500, no budget for private school, 1 car, 1 commuting bike. Taking into account commuting times, public schools at Elementary AND Jr High level (in same boundary area), where should we live? I would like kids to walk/bike to school but don't want to have to drive everywhere else if we are in the suburbs. How far will our rental budget go in DC metro area? People who live in Bethesda, how often do you go into DC for museums and events? Thanks for any input! |
Anonymous
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If Bethesda....I would personally only recommend DOWNTOWN Bethesda (and not North Bethesda.) You can walk everywhere and it is very convenient. More of a "community" feel---lots of restaurants/shops----weekend festivals---A great art theater/mainstream theater---the Crescent Trail goes to Georgetown (it is great for hiking/jogging/walking.)
I live in downtown Bethesda and it is metro/car accesible to DC. Other people who live in DC can speak to the pros/cons of living there. |
Anonymous
| If you want public schools and want to live in DC, I'd recommend you live in an area that feeds to Deal Middle School. Others can speak to the right neighborhoods to be in boundary there, but I think it includes the areas of AU Park, Tenleytown, and Chevy Chase DC. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| With kids that age, you're more likely to get involved in their events on the weekend, rather than spending too much time in museums. Stay in Bethesda. |
Anonymous
| we (family of 4, kids 3.5 and 7, half international family) chose to live in Chevy Chase DC. DH works in Rockville, and needs to the car, I work downtown and use metro/bycicle in good season. kid goes to Murch, which is very close and feeds into Deal middle school. I am an ruban person so after looking into Bethesda (and could not afford areas like Edgemoor very close to the metro) we bought in DC. your budget may be sufficient for a small house. if you live close to the metro, I do not think there is a lot of difference between DC and Bethesda. we love CC DC. we walk everywhere (stores, transportation, library, playgrounds), including places like the Avalon Theater and Politics and Prose, very friendly area, reasonably safe. |
Anonymous
| if you can't afford private school (think upwards of $30-40k per year per child) do not move to DC |
Anonymous
| I live in dc and love it, but I also work in dc. If you live in Bethesda, live there. |
Anonymous
| We live in NW DC and love it. Kids are in elementary and Middle -- Murch and Deal. we like both schools (love Murch, in fact). It gets more tricky when you get to high school-- Bethesda Chevy Chase is hands down better than Wilson High. |
Anonymous
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I would live in Bethesda hands down. We moved there after living in DC and within a half mile or so of the Bethesda metro it's very walkable-- supermarkets, movie theaters, bookstores, library, farmers markets, etc. Although admittedly not as urban as much of DC, it also doesn't have as many headaches (school being the first among them, but not the only one). Also note that many areas of DC (including many recommended for their school) are not more, and often less, walkable than downtown Bethesda.
We go to DC (Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, etc.) for events regularly-- maybe once a month, although Roundhouse theater in Bethesda has some good shows too. |
Anonymous
| It's such a personal choice. I used to live in Bethesda and moved to DC. I love it more. I think it is more neighborly, but it's our choice. We have 2 kids, one in a charter and one in DCPS. I couldn't be happier. I used the schools in Bethesda and like our DC schools just as much. |
Anonymous
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I'd do Bethesda, DC's got some great schools but organization isn't the strength, if you're moving on after 9th or 10th, or especially 11th grade, MCPS is going to be much more on the ball about the transition out. Plus if you got to BCC you've got the option of an IB program which may make the transition even easier.
In addition, if you want a guaranteed option for a good middle school (e.g. not a charter where you have to apply), then you're probably looking at Deal in Upper Northwest. Deal's a very nice school, and people are very happy there. But frankly the neighborhoods within the bounds for Deal are as suburban feeling as downtown Bethesda. We moved from Tenleytown to downtown Bethesda, and getting downtown is just as easy as it was there, plus I've got more stores, and libraries, and theaters, and things like farmer's markets, in walking distance than I did in DC. |
Anonymous
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Chevy Chase MD or Bethesda MD have great schools for elementary and Middle grades.
For DC, I would choose Glover Park. Stoddert ES is a great school for international families. Your older can go to BASIS charter school which is closer to the European model of schooling and has many good teachers. You also do not have to worry about transportation because BASIS has a bus route for the Stoddert neighborhood students. |
Yumi
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Thank you all so much for your replies! Very helpful information and opinions.
One technical question: What do we need to prove residency in a certain school boundary area? What happens if we arrive in USA (DC or MD) and want to enroll kids in school before we rent or puchase a home? Will a lease from a corporate apartment/long stay hotel work (am assuming not...)? Thanks for any info. |
Anonymous
You can't bank on attending Basis - the school will almost certainly have lottery admissons over the winter. Most teachers are young due to poor pay. I'd visit Basis before you buy into the hype - it's a cramped facility (no outdoor space, no performance space) and a school offering a curriculum that only works well for math gifted kids past 6th grade. They're already having trouble with rowdy and poorly prepared 7th and 8th graders - read other threads. |
Anonymous
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pp, I do not agree with you about BASIS.
The pay is not poor at all -- in fact it is better than most charters, and that's why it is attracting many good professionals who want to live in DC. As for the facility, it is pretty nice and well kept. Poorly prepared 7th and 8th graders are doing remedial classes in math. In fact there are 3 levels of math for grades 7 and 8. There will be remedial English offered soon. I know that because we belong to the same category of wasting 2 years in our previous schooling nd being poorly prepared. Out of 8 teachers, we have 6 good teachers, one so so and one who knows the subject but cannot convey the ideas clearly. BASIS is a huge improvement over our previous school. |