Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - from reading your post I can tell you will be much happier in private. You live in McLean so tell your DH this is non-negotiable and you must do St. Luke’s, Potomac, or Langley School. You will be unhappy at Churchill Road given the politics of FCPS and the huge class sizes, and it will be even worse for you when half your neighbors talk about how their kids are thriving in privates.

Agreed. If you are worried about "wokeness" then just go to private Catholic. Which is not to say that CRES is very "woke" but yes, it follows FCPS curriculum. It's probably 1/3 Asian families, as well as a lot of diplomat families, which shows that there is a high emphasis on education there. I also have not experienced classes that are too large, and my DC was there from K-6. It is unique in that a lot of the families can afford private, and many eventually do send their kids to private for the higher grades.

The academics and peer group will stronger academically at Churchill than at the local public. Churchill is not a woke school. There are almost no black children.

Meant to say academics will be stronger at Churchill than Catholic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - from reading your post I can tell you will be much happier in private. You live in McLean so tell your DH this is non-negotiable and you must do St. Luke’s, Potomac, or Langley School. You will be unhappy at Churchill Road given the politics of FCPS and the huge class sizes, and it will be even worse for you when half your neighbors talk about how their kids are thriving in privates.

Agreed. If you are worried about "wokeness" then just go to private Catholic. Which is not to say that CRES is very "woke" but yes, it follows FCPS curriculum. It's probably 1/3 Asian families, as well as a lot of diplomat families, which shows that there is a high emphasis on education there. I also have not experienced classes that are too large, and my DC was there from K-6. It is unique in that a lot of the families can afford private, and many eventually do send their kids to private for the higher grades.

The academics and peer group will stronger academically at Churchill than at the local public. Churchill is not a woke school. There are almost no black children.

I have a kid at Churchill Road. My child is happy and has been thriving. This is a very well educated and wealthy area.

The school is an AAP center. Many families seem to leave if their kid doesn’t get in.

I laughed out loud at this. Churchill Road is a solid school with many kids from well-off families. Teachers are teaching academics, not sitting around trying to think of ways to be “woke.” That is the last thing teachers have an inclination to think about.

Check out Catholic school teacher salaries and the woeful health coverage to see why so many of them leave to go public.

Your kinder kid will be fine and happy. And little kids don’t need homework. Their job is to play after school.

Anonymous wrote:OP - from reading your post I can tell you will be much happier in private. You live in McLean so tell your DH this is non-negotiable and you must do St. Luke’s, Potomac, or Langley School. You will be unhappy at Churchill Road given the politics of FCPS and the huge class sizes, and it will be even worse for you when half your neighbors talk about how their kids are thriving in privates.

Agreed. If you are worried about "wokeness" then just go to private Catholic. Which is not to say that CRES is very "woke" but yes, it follows FCPS curriculum. It's probably 1/3 Asian families, as well as a lot of diplomat families, which shows that there is a high emphasis on education there. I also have not experienced classes that are too large, and my DC was there from K-6. It is unique in that a lot of the families can afford private, and many eventually do send their kids to private for the higher grades.

From what I see. I live within the boundaries of CRES.

1) Families with $5M+ homes send their kids to private schools
2) Most of the families south of Georgetown Pike send their kids to CRES, unless they need specialized assistance (ASD, ADHD, anxiety and etc..). Don’t get me wrong, there are kids with these diagnosis at CRES, I know because my child is one of them. We might send child to private in middle school for smaller classes (this is a FCPS vs private not a CRES thing)
3) Unless you have money to burn, I would not send your kid to Potomac. The level of wealth is next level. Go to an open house and take a look.
4) Less homework than private. Homework outside of reading starts in 3rd grade at CRES, takes my child 5-10 minutes.
5) CRES is not woke, from my point of view. It follows the standard FCPS curriculum.

It is kindergarten, you can always change schools.

Anonymous wrote:OP, are you Catholic? Why would you send your child to catholic school if not? Talk about indoctrination… The Potomac School is your private school option in McLean, which is very close to your neighborhood. But for kindergarten? I would recommend starting out at CRES (yes I had 2 attend there) and see how your child does. I had one who loved big schools - the more friends the better! Another flew under the radar and needed more individual attention that a private school could provide. CRES is one of the best, if not THE best around. The world is changing, and you can’t expect your kids to not be exposed to it. We raise them to have a strong moral standing and to respect others. Trust your parenting. Kindergarten (and letting go) is harder on parents than the kids.

Ugh. So typical.

OP, are you Catholic? Why would you send your child to catholic school if not? Talk about indoctrination… The Potomac School is your private school option in McLean, which is very close to your neighborhood. But for kindergarten? I would recommend starting out at CRES (yes I had 2 attend there) and see how your child does. I had one who loved big schools - the more friends the better! Another flew under the radar and needed more individual attention that a private school could provide. CRES is one of the best, if not THE best around. The world is changing, and you can’t expect your kids to not be exposed to it. We raise them to have a strong moral standing and to respect others. Trust your parenting. Kindergarten (and letting go) is harder on parents than the kids.

I cannot believe so many folks are advocating for a Catholic school on this board.

That said, I send two kids to a parochial school and one is at FCPS. There are positives to both. I suggest you apply to St Luke’s and ask your neighbors for the DL on Churchill ES.

The one thing I've noticed is that Churchill Road will soon be the only FCPS ES for McLean inside the Beltway north of 123.

Whereas there will be three FCPS ES for McLean inside the Beltway south of 123 - Chesterbrook, Franklin Sherman, and Kent Gardens.

It seems there is more of a "private school culture" north of 123 and more of a "public school culture" south of 123. Maybe it's just about money but it also seems to be attitudes towards public education.

CRS has disruptive kids, PTA parents, and adm., aside from politics and other unproductive distractions.
I think St. Luke’s would be a good fit for your DS and your family.

Anonymous wrote:Our DS will enter kindergarten next year! The plan was always to send him to the local parochial catholic school but my husband really wants to send him to public.
I am a VERY nervous since I grew up going to private throughout (the families and academics were great)
Are the kids and families friendly at Churchill? Is there weird gender and woke ideology at Churchill? Are the academics good? Do they use textbooks or are they on screens mostly? Is there homework to reinforce concepts? Any other reassurance is welcomed!
Thank you!
Worried parent

---- Are the kids and families friendly at Churchill?
There are friendly and unfriendly kids and families.

---- Is there weird gender and woke ideology at Churchill?
Gender issue ----- no experience.
woke ideology ------ a little, not a focus, also depends on the grade level, teachers and months.

----- textbooks? No

---- screens? Usage depends on grade and teacher.

---- homework? Yes and depends on which grade and teacher. 20 min reading, activities and worksheet(6th grade),

I have Kindergartner at Churchill Road. St. Luke class size is about the same as CRS, but less classes per grade.

To answer some questions:
-No homework
-No textbooks
-Students spend limited time on iPad
-Great teachers

If you want a more individualized and traditional education, you should go to private.

I purposely moved out of that school district. The people were insufferable. School is OK but huge classes. Half the neighborhood is in private and you will be an outsider if you aren't at Potomac.

I’d at the very least be one St Luke parishioners, apply to St Luke school, pay the $350 or whatever to hold a spot. It’s a great school and the tuition is a not insane.