Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We attended a Title 1 school. Life was grand. Smaller class sizes, great staff and my kids were challenged (the teachers taught up to their level).

You realize most of the "worst" schools on DCUM is really just classim and racism.

"Oh no, my daughter can't play with a FARMs/Immigrant child. I want her to do well!" Lame.

So true! This stems from the misguided belief that the quality of education available at each school is homogenous, but these ratings are an average and many schools have a greater range in preparedness.

We loved our focus school because our kids got far more individual attention.

I agree. The teaching at many of the lower performing schools is probably just as good or better than the teaching in the higher performing school. The difference in ratings reflect the capabilities of the student body, not the teaching. A smart capable child will do well almost anywhere in the county.

Do you have high performing kids? You could also try for the magnet schools.

Anonymous wrote:We attended a Title 1 school. Life was grand. Smaller class sizes, great staff and my kids were challenged (the teachers taught up to their level).

You realize most of the "worst" schools on DCUM is really just classim and racism.

"Oh no, my daughter can't play with a FARMs/Immigrant child. I want her to do well!" Lame.

So true! This stems from the misguided belief that the quality of education available at each school is homogenous, but these ratings are an average and many schools have a greater range in preparedness.

We loved our focus school because our kids got far more individual attention.

For $600K you can get a SFH zoned for Rockville, Magruder, or Sherwood. Also Poolesville if you are willing to live farther out. Look in zip codes 20853 and 20832. Elementary clusters in those zips include Flower Valley, Cashell, and Olney.

Also do not feel pressured to buy a more expensive house than you can afford. Despite what you will hear on this forum, these clusters are diverse and there are many high income, professional families that live in these clusters. These scary times confirm our decision to buy a house that is less than we can afford.