Just wanted to note that we have had a great experience with the elementary school in Woodmoor, and the neighborhood is wonderful - very family friendly.

Carroll Knolls / McKenney Hills (Forest Glen area -- west side of Georgia Avenue, just north of the beltway) feeds the new Flora Singer and Oakland Terrace elementary schools. Most of the neighborhood is walking/biking distance to the Forest Glen metro (red line to Union Station is 20-30 minutes) and good commute to NIH. Easy access to Takoma Park, as well. We have a nice mix of modest housing styles, almost everything is (well) under $500k. Most of the houses in the neighborhood are 3br, however.

We have your same criteria, but slightly different commute (to foggy bottom) and have been looking off an on for over a year in Oakland Terrace, Flora M. Singer, Woodlin, or Rosemary Hills (BCC). Please buy before March 1 when we start shopping again! Good luck.

We live in Sligo Park Hills and both kids go to Sligo Creek ES. We have been very happy here and really like the neighborhood. We have a 3bedroom SFH that was just over $500k about a year and a half ago.

another vote for Forest Knolls. PP is right some of the housing stock is not great but it varies by block - there are some great finds and most houses are updatable. Woodmoor houses are more aesthetically pleasing and pricier, but the ES isn't as good...

Forest Estates/Flora Singer are great.

We are in Sligo Park Hills and feed into East Silver Spring ES and Takoma Park MS. We are very happy with ESS so far as are our neighbors. There is a 3 bd, 1.5 bath on our street coming on the market in the next couple of weeks. I think they plan to list around 515k.

I live in Silver Spring and like it very much. If I had to do my house search all over again, I would look at Forest Knolls as a PP mentioned and Highland View. If I'm not mistaken, both schools feed into Silver Spring International Middle School. I also hear really good things about Oakland Terrace.

Forest Knolls ES, Northwood Park area!

16:38 here. We are in Indian Spring, and very happy with Highland View ES.

OP here. We have looked at places in the BCC Cluster and don't mind going over, but we will have a short time frame in which to find a house so I thought it was best to widen our search. Any other neighborhood/schools besides what has been listed? Any personal experience with any of the elementary schools?

Rosemary Hills is in the BCC Cluster (Rosemary Hills - North Chevy Chase - Westland - BCC).

Recent lowest sale prices around $515K. Great community/neighborhood with lots of young families/kids.

Rosemary Hills and the Woodside neighborhoods (woodside forest, etc) are great neighborhoods with good schools. I'm not sure if there is a lot of inventory in your price range though. Indian Spring, Branview, seven Oaks, north Hills are all good neighborhoods. Schools are Highland View and Sligo Creek ES, followed by Silver Spring Intl Ms and DCC choice HS. Woodmoor is a beautiful neighborhood, but I hear mixed things on the elementary and middle schools. Forest Knolls is a great elementary school, but we didn't find the housing stock in that neighborhood to be very appealing aesthetically. Lots of people are happy in the Forest Glen area with Oakland Terrace and Flora Singer. I think forest glen and the area that feeds to forest knolls probably have the most affordable housing prices of the neighborhoods I have listed.

Forest Glen neighborhood zoned for either Oakland Terrace or Flora M. Singer elementaries.

Hi All,

My husband and I are starting to look at houses in Silver Spring/Kensington/Takoma Park. My in-laws live in Takoma Park so we want to live somewhat near to them, not have a terrible commute to work (husband is at NIH, I am by Union Station). We have a 3 y/o and expecting a second in June. We would love a 3-4 bedroom house (2 FB) that is around $500K. We want to send our children to public school and have done some research on the Silver Spring E.S. Are there any neighborhoods you would recommend considering and/or avoiding? Also, if you send your child to one of the Silver Spring elementary schools, I would love to hear your views on that particular school?

Thanks in advance for your help!