schools. we moved a bit farther out and spent a little more $ for the schools. yes, what matters is the home environment, but education is a package. generally, you need decent schools in conjunction with active parenting.

I prioritized being in a good school district (Arl - Yorktown HS) and a lesser house (smaller, older, needs more work) over being in a lesser school district (Wakefield - Barcroft or Randolph) in a house that was nicer and needed no work.

I haven't regretted it, though I do sometimes get severe "nice bathroom" envy.

Anonymous wrote:Schools are overrated. The home environment is what counts. The school does very little. Poor Performing schools draw from areas with mostly bad environments. Good Schools don't. I'd get the house. You're at the whim of redistricting anyways.

Yep

Sorry but this sounds like a "what I want" vs. what's best for my kid debate.

No contest for me but I prioritize education over a nice looking house. You'll have to make your own choice.

Schools are overrated. The home environment is what counts. The school does very little. Poor Performing schools draw from areas with mostly bad environments. Good Schools don't. I'd get the house. You're at the whim of redistricting anyways.

Yeah, that topic hardly ever gets discussed on DCUM. LOL.

Counting down until we can read about Pimmit Hills yet again...

Anonymous wrote:School. You can improve the house or move at some point but you can't redo the school years.

But there's always the possibility of the school being redistricted and then you're in the ugly house with the mediocre school. Happened to a lot of my coworkers last year and their housing values were based on their schools so they dropped.

School. No matter how beautiful your house is, neither you nor your kids will be happy if you don't like the school.

School. You can improve the house or move at some point but you can't redo the school years.

I couldn't imagine myself in an ugly 900k home. And by ugly I mean the ones posted in the other thread without master bathrooms or closets or garages.

We just made that decision!!! We decided neither. We moved further out (Sterling) where the schools and the houses were better. We were only commuting to Tysons and Reston so it worked for our commutes though.

We passed on so many amazing homes that were in 3-5 school districts. We thought the schools might get worse over time instead of better (because rents kept lowering and people couldn't sell homes, so everything was getting cheaper).

Isn't this the exact same question from the ugly house thread?

School. Would always regret sending my child to a less-than-optimal school.

School for me. A home can slowly be improved, but if you don't like your elementary school choice, it will probably be made worse by middle school.

I believe this probably have come across the mind of many people. Would you rather have a house you love (9 out of 10) in a school district that is 5 out of 10 or a school you want your kids to attend (9 out of 10) in a home that is 5 out of 10? FYI, we can't have both or afford to send them to private. Thanks for your time!