Reply to Hardy/Deal vs Arlington middle schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are facing a similar decision to OP. We live EOTP and have never had luck in the lottery. Both of our kids are strong students and one will be starting MS in the fall. We love DC and don’t want to leave. Our eldest DS has a lot of freedom in our neighborhood to walk around, meet up with friends, and we think this gives him a sense of independence and confidence you can’t get everywhere. We went to an open house for a middle school in the suburbs and were surprised at how the school talked about the kids getting there, crossing the street, etc and addressing parent concerns that seemed suited to kids much younger than MS age. I’m worried my kids will end up a bit sheltered and stifled. But it may be worth it for the better schools and the certainty. [/quote]

We moved from Capitol Hill when our eldest was 11 to Arlington, about a mile from Ballston. Our kids walked to high school, took ART and metro buses and Metro all over Arlington and into DC on the weekends. Neither of them bothered to get their drivers license until they were in college because it just wasn't necessary. They weren't sheltered or stifled at all.

I truly didn't want to leave DC, but almost everything about our lives got easier when we moved, without giving up very much. My commute got longer, but only by about 15 minutes each way. DH's commute was shorter.[/quote]

Oooh this is the most compelling thing I’ve heard. Tell me what got easier in your life. And were you able to make new adult friends? We are so settled in our DC neighborhood that I am having trouble envisioning the move. But our inbound MS is terrible and I’m tired of the constant lottery uncertainty. [/quote]

We lived on the Hill, but our kids went to a DCPS elementary school in another neighborhood, so we had a morning and afternoon school commute. That ended when we moved to Arlington.

Once in Arlington, I never again wasted a minute thinking about or applying for charters, choice schools, lotteries, etc. Amazingly freeing. My kids went to the neighborhood schools they were assigned to! And it was fine! The end! One of our kids needed a 504, and though there were some glitches here and there over the years, it was handled in a far more competent manner than when DCPS was overseeing it.

When we lived on the Hill, we had a grocery store, pharmacy, library, hardware store, parks, playgrounds, etc within walking distance. In Arlington, we have those same things within walking distance, plus we have a yard that the dog can enjoy and a driveway so no need to circle the block looking for a spot when I come home late at night. (Our house is about the same size--small--though differently configured since it's not a row house.)

For those times that I need a big-box store in the suburbs I am that much closer.

We are actually closer to NW DC than when we lived on the Hill. We are further from Metro, but we have a bus line that is just a few steps from our front door, takes me straight to Ballston metro in 5 minutes.

On the Hill, we had our cars broken into more times than I can remember, once had our front door kicked in in the middle of the night, and I was followed from the metro once by a group of teens who came up behind me and let off some kind of alarm noise right in my ear, scaring the crap out of me. In Arlington we've had no break-ins of any kind nor gangs of teens causing trouble. Also, in Arlington, no one steals deliveries off our front stoop.

We have been lucky enough to have great neighbors both on the Hill and in Arlington, so while we missed the old people we made new friends and now feel completely settled here. With very rare exceptions, the kids' neighborhood friends went to the same schools and their school friends all live within walking distance. (On our block on the Hill, there were 5 boys born in the same year....all 5 went to different elementary schools).

Not sure if this is still something DC struggles with, but services in Arlington are so much better than they were when we lived on the Hill. Trash and recycling are picked up on time, we have compost pickup, too. If you have a large item that you are trashing, you call and schedule a pickup within a few days. The streets are plowed quickly. If you complain about a pothole, someone comes to fix it. When we had a drainage issue in our yard, the county had someone we could consult with. The library system is excellent (and we are within walking distance of the main branch). There are county nature centers where you can host a birthday party pretty cheaply and walk in the woods. Tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields. Kids recreational sports programs are great and easily accessible. County-run classes in all kinds of things (arts, language, tech, skills) for adults and kids. Arlington is extremely small, so even if something is located on the other side of the county, it's a short drive away.

I can't emphasize enough: I was happy on the Hill, and I didn't want to move. But once we did, I realized that so many things about DC living were hard. Things are just much easier here.

The biggest downside IMO is: Capitol Hill is generally so much more attractive. Some (much?) of Arlington is pretty ugly. Strip malls and such. When we were looking at houses here, I referred to it as Uglyton. ~shrug~ Turns out I love it here anyway.[/quote]

Thanks for this thoughtful response. We moved to DC from NYC a few years ago and spoke about it this way — that we didn’t realize how hard our lives were there until we left.

Would I give up our neighborhood to gain back the brain space I spend thinking about school lotteries? I just might.

I still love the independence my kids have here but it might not be enough to stay. [/quote]

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