My child will likely go to Einstein in a few years. I always thought I would move before that would happen. But I've been in my neighborhood a long time and like it. And I don't want to take on a huge mortgage by moving to Bethesda or other neighborhood with "better" schools at the same time as I'm really focused on saving for college and retirement.

Is it a perfect school? Absolutely not. Do I worry that there are gang problems or about my child's safety? Absolutely.

But I've talked with a number of parents who have children at Einstien and they are unifrormly happy with it. They feel their children are getting good academics (both in and outside of the IB program) and are involved with a nice array of extracurricular activities. They say they have not experienced problems where they feel their children are unsafe.

It's incredibly diverse, with whites being the minority, and I think that in the end that's what is driving the continuing white flight to the schools mentioned by a PP. I'm not really criticizing that; I think we all need to find our comfort level with diversity. I have mixed feelings on the high FARMS rate. On the one hand, many studies show a correlation between that and academic progress, as well as incidents of violence. On the other, there is no way we'd being keeping up with the Jonses (from Uggs to pricey vacations) in a richer school, so this is a better fit for our income level.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the previous poster that people in real life speak more highly of Einstein (I mean people I know who have kids there) than what is said on this board.

What is your budget? What kind of commute do you want? For many, the Einstein area is great in terms of commute and affordability. Some of the neighborhoods are very nice and there is a real sense of community.

OP here: the budget is 550K tops. Commute is the most important factor, that is why we are looking in the close-in suburbs. Could you please tell me which neighborhoods did you consider nice?

I agree with the previous poster that people in real life speak more highly of Einstein (I mean people I know who have kids there) than what is said on this board.

What is your budget? What kind of commute do you want? For many, the Einstein area is great in terms of commute and affordability. Some of the neighborhoods are very nice and there is a real sense of community.

I also have a toddler now, so this is not yet a concern, but our house is zoned for Einstein. I have heard much better things from neighbors than people write on this board. And several of my neighbors' kids are in other consortium schools and doing well, getting into good colleges, etc. We also have a great elementary school (Woodlin).

Anonymous wrote:
Thank you for this post. We are slated for Einstein, but our first and only so far is 20 months old so we have a while. I went to private school and am a big fan of the nontraditional curriculum, smaller classes, etc., so that is still on the table for middle and high school, but we can't depend on that. Obviously private is expensive and we are planning for two kids - we will just have to see. But we love our neighborhood in Silver Spring - a great and walkable community, great house, and great commutes, so we aren't anxious to leave. It's good to know Einstein and the consortium might be an option. It seems like so many parents in my neighborhood are very involved in the elementary school, and I've been hearing really positive things about the schools for the future (but admittedly don't track it too much because middle and high school are so far off and there is also a chance we will be leaving the DC area).

OP here: What is your zip? Sorry for being so nosy, but I am not familiar with SS at all, so any bit of info helps.

Anonymous wrote:Kensington Parkwood/North Bethesda/Walter Johnson
Garrett Park/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Ashburton/North Bethesda/Walter Johnson
Farmland/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Luxmanor/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Rosemary Hills/Westland/BCC
Rock Creek Forest/Westland/BCC


Try 20852, 20853, 20895, 20817, 20910, 20815

You can find houses that are in a decent (for M.C. excellent public schools) price range (i.e. 400K-700K) in all these areas (you can also find 1MM+ houses in these areas as well) - you just have to look and be patient.

Good luck!

OP here: thank you, poster. That is exactly the info I was looking for!

There is info on Einstein & consortia on the thread on General Schools Discussion.

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Einstein part of the DownCounty Consortium, which includes Northwood, Blair, Einstein, Kennedy and Wheaton, so if OP decided in 12-15 years when the issue was front and center for her child, couldn't she opt-in to send kid to Northwood or Blair? Plus both Einstein and Kennedy have IB programs and Blair has a renown science program (generally considered the Thomas Jefferson of Md and is regularly featured in the news for its Intel finalists etc.) I think that if OP finds the right house in a good neighborhood that they can afford, then they have options later on - maybe not the platinum/almost pvt standard of say, a Churchhill, but a good education nonetheless.

OP, don't let the gossip about Einstein get to you, there are people who trash Einstein on this board who, perhaps, don't actually have children enrolled at Einstein and are only going on misinformation, innuendo and gossip. The good news is that is priced into the house you are buying so you are getting a better deal on the house. The bad news is that there is a kernel of truth, but it is disproportionate to the reality.

Full disclosure, I do not have children at Einstein, but I have heard it is a decent school with much going for it, even though it has some negative elements. The negative elements for individual students, however, I think can be overcome with involved parents.

Thank you for this post. We are slated for Einstein, but our first and only so far is 20 months old so we have a while. I went to private school and am a big fan of the nontraditional curriculum, smaller classes, etc., so that is still on the table for middle and high school, but we can't depend on that. Obviously private is expensive and we are planning for two kids - we will just have to see. But we love our neighborhood in Silver Spring - a great and walkable community, great house, and great commutes, so we aren't anxious to leave. It's good to know Einstein and the consortium might be an option. It seems like so many parents in my neighborhood are very involved in the elementary school, and I've been hearing really positive things about the schools for the future (but admittedly don't track it too much because middle and high school are so far off and there is also a chance we will be leaving the DC area).

Kensington Parkwood/North Bethesda/Walter Johnson
Garrett Park/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Ashburton/North Bethesda/Walter Johnson
Farmland/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Luxmanor/Tilden/Walter Johnson
Rosemary Hills/Westland/BCC
Rock Creek Forest/Westland/BCC


Try 20852, 20853, 20895, 20817, 20910, 20815

You can find houses that are in a decent (for M.C. excellent public schools) price range (i.e. 400K-700K) in all these areas (you can also find 1MM+ houses in these areas as well) - you just have to look and be patient.

Good luck!

OP: thank you, everybody for all the responses. So what is a good HS cluster in SS, Kensington or Rockville for that matter?

Isn't Einstein part of the DownCounty Consortium, which includes Northwood, Blair, Einstein, Kennedy and Wheaton, so if OP decided in 12-15 years when the issue was front and center for her child, couldn't she opt-in to send kid to Northwood or Blair? Plus both Einstein and Kennedy have IB programs and Blair has a renown science program (generally considered the Thomas Jefferson of Md and is regularly featured in the news for its Intel finalists etc.) I think that if OP finds the right house in a good neighborhood that they can afford, then they have options later on - maybe not the platinum/almost pvt standard of say, a Churchhill, but a good education nonetheless.

OP, don't let the gossip about Einstein get to you, there are people who trash Einstein on this board who, perhaps, don't actually have children enrolled at Einstein and are only going on misinformation, innuendo and gossip. The good news is that is priced into the house you are buying so you are getting a better deal on the house. The bad news is that there is a kernel of truth, but it is disproportionate to the reality.

Full disclosure, I do not have children at Einstein, but I have heard it is a decent school with much going for it, even though it has some negative elements. The negative elements for individual students, however, I think can be overcome with involved parents.

Try Blair or Northwood

General consensus is that is is problematic. Maybe you should look in the Walter Johnson cluster instead?

This may not be exactly what you are looking for but I am regularly in that building for outside events..and the bathrooms are horrible.. No latches, no soap, no tp. Maybe educationally fine, but the maintenace needs help!

Existing parents, could you please give me any feedback? We are considering to buy in MoCo close-in suburbs. Bethesda is too much for our budget
TIA.