It might be too late for Milton for next year. They got a ton of applications for K and decisions are coming out Friday.

Milton gives great FA. I had friends going there with 2 kids in the school and they were middle class, owned their own home, but not wealthy and got 50%. So I would talk to them about FA and not just look at sticker.

My DS is at CESJDS and we are extremely happy. The are open on a hybrid system (unlike public schools here) and the distance learning has been great. He has good teachers, works hard, learns a lot and has nice friends.

I don't think it's a mess - I think it's a good school and he's getting a good education. It's also a pretty big school (for private/Jewish) so there are lots of class options, choices for more or less religious kids and a good enviornment.

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering a move to D.C. and don't know the area at all. Can you tell me what my options are for elementary school and the "personality" of the different day schools in D.C. I'm looking for a pluralistic day school, not a yeshiva for my rising kindergartener. Looking for a warm, nurturing environment with down to earth families. Thanks in advance for any guidance!

This sounds EXACTLY like Milton. Don't let the tuition scare you. The school is very generous with financial assistance.

CESJDS is a mess. We pulled both of our kids out for other schools that are so much better. They will promise you the world at CESJDS, but it is totally disorganized. Many of the paying families have left the school for other options. Head of school just looks out for himself and his own kids. There is favoritism based on synagogues and who you know. To boot, it is a very cold place if you aren't a "favorite." Don't know muckiest about Milton but regret that we didn't try it for our kids as I hear good things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Gesher

If you are looking at Virginia, then Gesher is a great option.

DP. Can you tell me more about Gesher for older elementary kids? We're looking for options for our rising 4th grader next year.

We’ve applied for middle school- not sure how competitive this year. We’ve talked to parents who have loved the individual attention their kids have gotten.

Anonymous wrote: Gesher

If you are looking at Virginia, then Gesher is a great option.

Thank you for the feedback so far. This is really helpful! We currently live in an area with a lower cost of living so it was a bit shocking seeing the tuition price for Milton.

I had 2 children go through JDS. We started in K. K and first were wonderful. Warm, caring, lots of fun activities woven into the day. 2nd started to get a bit tougher and became more academic. In 3rd, they start to level Hebrew and math--support, on grade, advanced. That holds for 4th and 5th but the kids can and do move between the label. There is a lot of parent engagement, many kids belong to the same shuls or play on the same sports teams on Sundays.

Judiacs are good and bad. They are good in that they are taught by people who really understand the holidays, speak Hebrew, and can teach the parsha. They are bad in that the judiacs teachers are not trained teachers which means classroom management during that time is chaos. Judiacs is 1/2 every day. However, I'm not sure the judiacs teachers at Milton are any better trained. I don't like the way JDS teaches the parsha. Kids learn the story but they don't learn the pasuk, millah, or shoresh so they can't just pick up the torah and understand in Hebrew what is going on in the story.

There are all levels of observance in the school but the school asks for all school activities you adhere to the highest level of observance so no child is left out. That means kosher food at the bday parties, no parties on shabbat, no mass emails sent out on shabbat etc.

The middle school is a mess. The level of rigor is far below the county public schools. There are 8 periods and 3 or 4 of them are judiacs. But most of the kids have been together since elem. so parents still know each other and the kids have fun. It's a good place to go to MS--friendly and minimal bullying.

My daughter starts HS in the fall. I haven't signed the contract yet. I'm really on the fence. If HS is anything like MS, I want her to go to public. But I hear that the HS is the shining star.

I withdrew my son in 3rd. The school is not able to support any sort of SN. They say they can and the do try but the execution just fails. My son has been thriving in MCPS. I always thought both of my kids would stay at JDS from K-12. But as they've grown and changed, it's no longer the right environment for them. Like you, I purchased my house based on school location.

For me that meant purchasing in Rockville. Luckily the public school that we are zoned for are well regarded.

We are at Milton and love it, have been there for 6 years now with multiple kids. I don't know very much about CESJDS because it is nowhere near where we live so I can't compare. Milton has also done a great job during Covid - kids have been in person a few days a week (dependent on grade) since September, either outside or now inside in very small groups in well-ventilated classrooms, with frequent covid testing. There have been a very small number of cases and no spread. The virtual days are also as good as they can be. It is a very welcoming, friendly community and I highly recommend

Gesher

I want to figure out schools first and base our home search on proximity to school. I'll look at both Milton and CESJDS. Can you speak to their different feels? I appreciate the help!

Where will you be living? The two main non-orthodox choices are Milton in DC and CESJDS in Potomac. They have differences in feel, but a lot of it will be what you can do geographically.

I'm considering a move to D.C. and don't know the area at all. Can you tell me what my options are for elementary school and the "personality" of the different day schools in D.C. I'm looking for a pluralistic day school, not a yeshiva for my rising kindergartener. Looking for a warm, nurturing environment with down to earth families. Thanks in advance for any guidance!