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[quote=Anonymous][quote=abarem123][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Couple things to respond do in this thread - so in no particular order.

Lots of research to back the test score and socioeconomic statements above - and if you are at a school with little to know at risk population, it is very true that teaching can be substandard, but test scores will still be OK due to external variables. If you want to get into the data of quality teaching that is helping all kids improve, look at resources like https://www.dcboldschools.org/. But since you will only be here a few years in early elementary, this may not be much of an issue/concern anyway.

Second, while Peabody is a 'neighborhood' school, due to a decades old gerrymandered boundary that cuts across the whole Capitol Hill, you could be in bounds and be 1.5 miles away from somebody else who lives in bounds. The other school boundaries are much smaller/regular shaped, so the proximity to classmates is much more noticeable.

Agree to look at which schools are in swing space, and while LT and Maury are both good options, I think Payne's boundary/school community has some significant advantages too. It is a small boundary, near metro/bus access, near bike lanes and a grocery store and walkable to other restaurants/retail, but not too close to any that it impacts parking etc. [/quote]

Thank you. Living close to classmates is important to us and one of the things we like most about where we live now. We will likely rank Peabody in our PK4 lottery because we ultimately just need a spot for a year, but may prioritize moving to L-T, Maury, Brent, or Payne IB areas as opposed to Watkins/Peabody for that reason. Curious - why is Payne not a "top three" like L-T, Maury and Brent? Is it just historically more socioeconomically diverse and/or test score driven? I'll definitely check out the DC Bold Schools website![/quote]

Payne is just a new entrant to the "solid schools" list, so people whose kids have already gone through elementary or whose info is a few years out of date aren't as familiar with it. I feel like it was under the radar until about a year ago but when you look at their test scores and programming, there is a ton to like.

Also Payne got overshadowed by Maury, which is nearby and in the same MS triangle, for years, so I think people buying in Hill East just focused on Maury and didn't notice Payne's steady improvement. Also south of Payne is Chisolm, which is a Spanish immersion DCPS, and that immersion program probably also overshadows Payne because it's a special program. But I really hear only good things about Payne these days.

I also think JO Wilson is on the cusp of being viewed similarly. The issue there is that for years their IB families have been poached by a charter called Two Rivers that used to be very highly regarded but has really fallen out of favor in recent years. JO is currently in a swing space and getting a brand new campus next year, plus it feeds into Stuart-Hobson, which is currently considered the best MS option on the Hill (L-T and Watkins/Peabody also feed into S-H). JO has seen steady improvement in recent years but is in a bit of a holding pattern right now due to the swing space -- I would expect to see a big surge in interest there in the next few years. But since you are moving this year, I'd focus on Maury/Brent/L-T/Payne which are more established as strong programs with good boundary buy in and parent communities.[/quote]

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