Relocating to DC with kids Grade 3/Grade 6, job in Bethesda - live in DC or MD?
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Anonymous
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OP, regarding your questions on residency. DCPS, and I bet individual schools including charters, would have a list of the required and accepted documents. To apply, you just need a DC address. Once accepted, you will need to prove residency by a certain point. I moved to DC over the summer and the two charters I worked with were accommodating and understanding. At first I showed them a sub-lease agreement and then I had a real lease. I didn't have any of the other required documents in the end and they were still very understanding and did a quick home visit.
In terms of suggestions on where to live, I'm all about convenience. I lived in DC and loved it but it was walking distance to my work. DC involved a lot more research and luck (charter school lotteries) and it was all worth it but if your work is in Bethesda, may be just easiest to stay there if the neighborhood schools are good. Your challenge is also that your kids are or will soon be in middle school. There are tons more options at the elementary school level in DC, much less so middle school and beyond. |
Anonymous
I don't doubt that BASIS represents a massive improvement over your previous school, whether it was DCPS or DC Charter, but this thread is to advise a family choosing between MoCo and DC public schools. Bethesda middle schools have playing fields/courts, performance spaces (for band, orchestra, drama), gyms, great art rooms, even pools in some cases. They also offer test-in academic magnet programs and honors classes for most academic subjects where remedial isn't in the mix. Basis, whatever it has to recommend it, doesn't offer MoCo facilities or a very well-rounded education at the high school level (if they get a high school). That may or may not work for these folks. They should check out Basis if they're interested, a school still in the test tube stage in DC. |
Anonymous
Here is info. on MCPS registration-- http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/proofs.aspx and this is MCPS residency and international admissions http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentservices/isao/ |
Anonymous
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If you decide to do Md here are a few things my sister is facing that lives there:
Finding a house to buy is difficult if you unless you can afford more than $400 and preferably $450. Lots of elementaries in both DC and Md have good elementary programs, not so good middle school options in affordable areas like Wheaton. If you rent you have to assume you will have pretty substantial rent increases each year, Montgomery does not have rent control. Finding 3 bedroom houses or even condos can be difficult. DC does have rent control so they can't increase your rent more than 10% each year. Think a lot about what you expect from education, DC schools in upper northwest are solid, but not without issue. They tend to be less structured and more team based learning, this can be an issue for some parents. |
Yumi
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Thanks again for more great information and useful links!
I looked at the website for the international admissions part of MCPS but wonder if anyone has any first hand experience with international admissions. Our case is different in that my kids are US Citizens but have been out of the US for 4 years. We are not coming in on visas but as citizens so I can't tell from the website which rules apply to us. Has anyone done an mid-year admission to MCPS from overseas? Thanks so much, I really appreciate your time in replying. |