Anonymous wrote:

I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

This is the type of kid that will not do well with the new MCPS system. Achievement is not recognized,rewarded or encouraged at all. If your child is gifted you can escape to the GT center and the gifted kids can get ES grades from time to time. Your child will figure out quickly that no matter how hard she works she will get the same "P" grade as if she put forth no effort at all. For kids that are more into sports or social activities, this is great. Its also great for students who struggle because they never know that they are at the bottom of the class. For kids with a strong work ethic it is very demoralizing.

Unfortunately this.

I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

This is the type of kid that will not do well with the new MCPS system. Achievement is not recognized,rewarded or encouraged at all. If your child is gifted you can escape to the GT center and the gifted kids can get ES grades from time to time. Your child will figure out quickly that no matter how hard she works she will get the same "P" grade as if she put forth no effort at all. For kids that are more into sports or social activities, this is great. Its also great for students who struggle because they never know that they are at the bottom of the class. For kids with a strong work ethic it is very demoralizing.

How do people feel about the middle schools? I know Hoover and Pyle, but not much about the others. We have a house in DC now that we bought at the right time a million years ago, so we can afford in most neighborhoods so long as we weren't looking for something bigger than what we need. I prefer closer in, but DCs at the right schools is more important than location, lest we would stay in DC!

And bestrides 7 locks, I have heard carderock and bannockburn were small and warm es- any others?

Anonymous wrote:OP here-thanks for the suggestions-what I want most is a nurturing elementary on the smaller side but a middle and high school where There are a variety of academic and non academic opportunities-activities and clubs, honors courses/apps etc. and to the PP-no need to take offense by what I was saying-some kids are smart but not academic/more into other things, some need a lot of guidance and some are self motivated and driven and don't need as much hand holding. So as opposed to the kids that aren't self motivated or are not really into academics or academic oriented achievement. I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

It is public HS. All the top HS are going to offer the AP's, after school, sports activities that you want. The three highest rated HS's are Wootton, Whitman and Churchill.

The MS's for Wootton are Cabin John and Frost, for Whitman, Pyle and for Churchill, Cabin John and Hoover. Agree that MS can be tough for any kid.

Choose your neighborhood based on what you can afford and what type of community you want. The smallest elementary that fees into these schools is 7 Locks.(goes into Cabin John and Churchill)

The rest will run bet 450 and 550 for elementary. The MS's run around 1200.

OP here-thanks for the suggestions-what I want most is a nurturing elementary on the smaller side but a middle and high school where There are a variety of academic and non academic opportunities-activities and clubs, honors courses/apps etc. and to the PP-no need to take offense by what I was saying-some kids are smart but not academic/more into other things, some need a lot of guidance and some are self motivated and driven and don't need as much hand holding. So as opposed to the kids that aren't self motivated or are not really into academics or academic oriented achievement. I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

For "motivated kids"? As opposed to the slackers?

Anonymous wrote:Other elementary schools in the Whitman/Pyle cluster that are equally excellent:

Burning Tree
Wood Acres
Bradley Hills

Elementary schools in the BCC cluster that I know about personally (not to say there aren't more) that are excellent:

Bethesda
Westbrook

There are amazing elementary schools in Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring

There's a French immersion program at Sligo Creek that is excellent.

There's a Spanish immersion program at Rock Creek Forest that is excellent.

There are many many options.

Agree with this list. In Bethesda, I would add Carderock Springs (feeds into Pyle, Whitman). Excellent school. Recently renovated, so not bursting at the seams. Room to expand, in fact, b/c extra space for growth was built in as part of the construction.

I could have written this post. I am currently trying to decide where to buy our "forever home," to the extent those exist these days. I was thinking Bannockburn/Pyle/Whitman, but have decided that I would rather live in a neighborhood served by Rosemary Hills/Westland/BCC.

Judging from the threads I found through searches, I know this is a hot button issue....but can anyone give me the latest info on the new middle school? I can't find much on the MCPS website, though I guess I ought to keep digging.

Re the PP at 10:45, note that class size and school capacity are separate issues. If a school is over capacity, that doesn't mean that there are 35 children in each class. It means that normal-sized classes meet in portables, instead of in the school building.

PP here. Look at neighborhoods to see what type of place you want to live. That will help you decide.

Other elementary schools in the Whitman/Pyle cluster that are equally excellent:

Burning Tree
Wood Acres
Bradley Hills

Elementary schools in the BCC cluster that I know about personally (not to say there aren't more) that are excellent:

Bethesda
Westbrook

There are amazing elementary schools in Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring

There's a French immersion program at Sligo Creek that is excellent.

There's a Spanish immersion program at Rock Creek Forest that is excellent.

There are many many options.

If your children to do not have any learning disabilities or special needs, then just look for a neighborhood you like on the west side. The example you mentioned is perfectly fine. If one of your children does have an LD, then ask around because the quality of accommodations differ from school to school depending on the principal and the special needs team. In that regard, Bethesda Elementary has an excellent reputation.

Elementary schools in MoCo are bursting at the seams due to demographic changes in the population, and thus boundary changes have recently occurred or will certainly occur, so make sure to buy smack in the middle of a school district, not at the boundary, unless the other schools over the boundary line are equally good.
A lot of elementary schools have students in portables, a lot of schools are scheduled to be renovated (I have heard that students at Wood Acres will have to be moved elsewhere for 18 months while construction is going on). All this should not deter you from choosing these schools since I do not think it will affect the level of teaching, but just be mindful that MoCo is in complete upheaval at the elementary school level! And of course, I expect this upheaval to continue onto MS and HS, as this larger group of students moves up the school chain.

One thing to keep in mind - the reputation of MoCo schools dates from before the explosive population growth. MCPS is struggling to adjust to this, financially and logistically. Not that money is a problem per se, since MoCo and MD are wealthy, but rather that they are playing catch-up with the student population (they have to deal with older elementary school buildings for which no second stories were intended, thus driving up the cost of renovations, they have to buy land from the County for additional ES, etc). I suspect that larger class sizes will have an impact on the standardized test scores and also on the quality of the teaching in the classroom, and that for some years in the future, MoCo will not have that stellar academic reputation.

Just FYI.

All middle schools have a reputation for bullying and the reputation of schools changes with changes in principal so you can't really predict what will and won't be good in five to ten years. And,the HSs with special programs are spread through the county, so it's not really all that easy to pick an area and believe your kids won't have to travel if they get into a special program.

I think that you will drive yourself nuts looking for the "best" schools.

Look for convenient neighborhoods that you like and can afford. Then look at the schools for those neighborhoods. Probably (if you're posting on DCUM) the schools will be fine.

(Keep in mind, also, that it's very rare to hear anybody make a positive comment about any middle school anywhere ever. That's just middle school.)

I know all of. MoCo has wonderful schools, but it seems that there are so many choices, it's hard to distinguish which is the best/most desirable to live within bounds of. So many of the high schools are good that determining the best area for local elementariies is nigh impossible. We are looking for an area close enough in that commuting to DC or VA for changing security dept jobs and location won't be severely painful, where the elementary is small and respectful, where the middle school does not have a rep for bullying or rampant risky behavior and where the high school is one of the many great ones that will teach our kids well, allow them to do advanced, IB or G & T without hoofing it across town. Where are we looking for? At first I thought Bannockburn then Pyle and Whitman, but I feel like I am limiting our choices and we have a lot more options in MoCo than we originally though we had. Help!