Reply to What's the best Pk3 and Pk4 programs in DC? Rank 1-5

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[quote=Anonymous]I think that is a good point... they are all similar because many of them are very good.  Just like there is more than one "dream" school for university, the same for elementary.  There are many, many good programs out there.  Judging or ranking them depends on your own values/criteria - whether you want an array of specials, big playground, language immersion.  Your desire for one thing (immersion) may outweigh negatives in a host of other areas.  With Spanish immersion, there are lots of choices but if you are looking at Chinese or French, you only have YY and Stokes.  Also, neighborhood and ease of commute makes a HUGE difference.  Without the parent-run bus of my DD's school, there is no way I would ever be able to manage drop-offs and pick-ups.  I have read about families driving one hour each way through cross-town traffic but I just don't know how I could do it, even if I felt comfortable driving/parking, without going insane.  Don't get me wrong, I know parents would do anything for their kids but if there is a very, very good school near me, then why would I have to sacrifice to go cross-town.  With that said, I know that some people unlucky in the lottery have very little choice.

I think you are going about it the wrong way - you want to see which ones have the best "reputations".   But as people have pointed out, families usually only have direct experience from one or two schools. After reading these message boards for a long time, the good news is that there is a long list of schools that seem to have a good reputation, people on the whole speak very highly of.  in no particular order, SWS, Capitol Hill Montessori (forget what it is called now, right near Union Station) Brent, JKLMM, Peabody, Maury, Ludlow-Taylor (its reputation for early childhood far exceeds that of the school overall), Tyler, YY, LAMB, CapCity, Stokes, Two Rivers, Hearst, Stoddert, Appletree, Bridges, Mundo Verde, Inspired Teaching, Creative Minds, Oyster, E.L. Haynes

Not all have both PS-3 and PK-4.  And there are other good options - I'm sure I'm forgetting some that I know about and don't know enough about others (West, Ross, etc.) to comment.  For example, I hear KIPP is great for those seeking a very structured framework.

Yes, posters will say that direct experience is necessary and that is true but I had to apply for and to some extent pick (I got to visit the schools we got into once we arrived) from afar.  I used DCUM as background and it was helpful.  It was a lot of reading but going through all the threads often eked out a good balanced viewpoint.[/quote]

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