Churchill senior currently procrastinating on his homework who went to BFES/Hoover/Churchill here, I can talk about what it might be like for your kid.

Class consciousness isn't really a factor until middle school, when you meet all the kids from the other 2 elementary schools and have the opportunity to go over to their houses. But, after a while, it just becomes a fact and not a particularly pervasive one. By 8th grade most people forget what elementary school people come from and I have never heard of anyone being teased for not having a mansion near River Rd.

In Churchill it gets better, money-wise, because the kids from Cabin John are comparable to BFES. The real problem in Churchill is cliques, which have nothing to do with money. In some groups buying a car is a "let's see who's richer competition" but the vast majority of kids don't care.

In other words, it's not a problem at all.

Caveat: I'm a guy and don't care about brands names. I also stay away from the partying crowd so it may be drastically different for them. They seem to be a lot more obsessed with flaunting their wealth.

Anonymous wrote:$50 bucks for a night out at Cheesecake in middle school is a basic threshold???? Holy %$#$%.

I guess the days of $10 to hit the mall food court with some friends for a slice are not good enough. Middle school kids shopping at Nordstrom's?

Good luck with that, OP. I think the basic threshold for winter vacation is a week in Vail.

OMG, who gives their kids $50 for a simple night out with friends?! That's pretty affluent in my book. Our kid uses her allowance to buy Chipotle at the food court then goes to someone's house to watch NetFlix with friends. That's more our speed. Then again, we live in a different school cluster.

15:55 makes me sick and ashamed.

Signed,
Bells Mill Mom

15:55, what is basic threshold for car? Audi? or BMW 3 series?

Anonymous wrote:$50 bucks for a night out at Cheesecake in middle school is a basic threshold???? Holy %$#$%.

I guess the days of $10 to hit the mall food court with some friends for a slice are not good enough. Middle school kids shopping at Nordstrom's?

Good luck with that, OP. I think the basic threshold for winter vacation is a week in Vail.

Darn, I didn't know that too... Even my HS kid is happy with $20 for ice cream and movie, and he shops @ Kohls
I guess I live in the bubble
Signed
Beverly Farms ES /Churchill HS parent

$50 bucks for a night out at Cheesecake in middle school is a basic threshold???? Holy %$#$%.

I guess the days of $10 to hit the mall food court with some friends for a slice are not good enough. Middle school kids shopping at Nordstrom's?

Good luck with that, OP. I think the basic threshold for winter vacation is a week in Vail.

I know of several areas of "smaller" houses in that elementary school district occupied by federal workers and others without a stratospheric income. I really wouldn't stress about it.
I grew up nearby and sure you'll see a lot of kids with designer clothes and fancy cars in high school but it won't be everyone and I honestly remember no one really cared too much as long as you met a basic threshold.

i.e. the parents could afford to give a middle schooler $50 bucks for a weekend night out to go to the Cheesecake Factory (yuck-what were we thinking?) and a movie and they could afford to buy some of their clothes in the teen section of Nordstrom's (which really isn't very expensive).

Public school in Potomac is still public school. My kids go to the schools OP is referring to and I would not classify them as any better than other MCPS schools. I would say with the kids in MS and HS that have extra spending money comes parties with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

In general, in any wealthy area, I think being surrounded by kids that have parents with a lot of $ is going to be a problem in MS, maybe, and definitely HS, unless you are willing to shell out some serious $ for nice vacations, expensive first cars, etc..so that your child won't feel left out.

Or, if you think your kids can withstand that kind of pressure, then why not.

And I agree with the other PP about your definition of "best schools". Highest score doesn't always mean "best" school.

I think you need to readjust your thinking. If you can afford in that neighborhood- you are not poor. We are in that area and are poor FOR THAT AREA, which is what I assume you mean. My kids often ask for things that all of their friends have and we just are honest and say that we can't afford it. We also remind them of all of the things that they are blessed to have. It is fine- a nice community to live in. BFES is also definitely the lowest SES of the Hoover feeding schools, it is not all super rich people.

Anonymous wrote:If your HHI is under 1.5M, you will feel like an outcast.

Signed,
Poor BFES Parent

I am suspecting either a troll and a sock puppet, or two trolls.

If your HHI is under 1.5M, you will feel like an outcast.

Signed,
Poor BFES Parent

If you can afford a house in the Beverly Farms zone (the school district is MCPS), you probably are rich. It's just that there are other people who are even richer.

Also, I'm not sure how you're defining "best public schools out there", but if you're defining it as "public schools attended by the highest proportion of students with affluent, well-educated parents", my advice to you is to expand your definition.

Also, I'm curious: how small is this small house?

The Uber Rich go private..

My husband and I are considering a small house in the Beverly Farms school district in Potomac. We do ok financially but we are not rich by any means. Does anybody have any experience with this school, and Hoover and Churchill? How is it for a non-rich kid? We want to give our so the opportunity to go to the best public schools out there, but my only concern is that other kids may look down on him for not being as wealthy as they are.