Bump up for more recent information

FYI - this read was started 2 years ago and almost all posts are from then. It got bumped up by someone asking about bus transport for a public school.

Anonymous wrote:does anyone know if Georgetown Day, Sidwell or WIS have buses to/from Ft. Washington, MD or the vicinity?

I don't know about WIS, but GDS and Sidwell don't have any bus transportation -- it's not that they are excluding PG County.

Good afternoon. Do you know if there is any bus service from Kettering Middle School to Nalley Road in the afternoon?

Anonymous wrote:I just went to a private school fair and it seems like the VA private schools (Potomac, SSSA, Burgundy Farm) have MD bus routes (many piggybacking on the SSSA route). So it looks like those will be our focus. We also work in VA and commute back home to Ft. Washington so we can do some of the pick up/drop off ourselves sometimes.

We are at one of those schools and use the bus - you should know that the bus stops change year to year depending on demand and they will not tell you until late August where the stops will be for the year. If you are really going to rely on the bus you need to realize that the stops in coming years may not be the ones they have this year and they may not be able to add a stop just for your child.

I just went to a private school fair and it seems like the VA private schools (Potomac, SSSA, Burgundy Farm) have MD bus routes (many piggybacking on the SSSA route). So it looks like those will be our focus. We also work in VA and commute back home to Ft. Washington so we can do some of the pick up/drop off ourselves sometimes.

More info for Bullis


http://www.bullis.org/admissions/bus-service/index.aspx


Click on link at right for 2011-2012 Bus Stop Times by Route

Potomac in VA has a bus stop in Marlow Heights

This is PP - and they adjust the bus route yearly based on ridership, so you can always call their bus coordinator and ask what the possibilities are.

Sandy Spring Friends School has a stop in Laurel.

one piece of unsolicited advice - the bus is a wonderful thing and makes all sorts of schools possible, but do be mindful of how much time your child will spend on it each day. We moved my 6 yr old from a wonderful school (to another, not as wonderful but still nice school) after a year because he couldn't take being on the bus for 50 min each way. The schools will tell you the buses are like family, the kids are happy, consider the bus much-needed down-time, etc, all of which is true, but it's still a LONG time to sit and for us it meant a kid who got out of school at 3:45 and home at 4:45 NEEDING to run around for 20-30 min before we could attempt much of anything whether it be reading, piano, or just playing more quietly. Now as a 6 yr old he didn't have much homework, but the older kids we know on the bus really struggled with finding time to get everything done. My kid is so much happier with more time to play and less time commuting. When we get closer to middle school, when I care much more about being in the most appropriate school, we will likely move to be nearer to the school DC will attend. Again - completely unsolicited, but I wish I had thought this through a bit more before we started school last year.

No they do not, most DC schools do not offer transportation to MD.

does anyone know if Georgetown Day, Sidwell or WIS have buses to/from Ft. Washington, MD or the vicinity?

I have been considering Broad Creek and Maryland Intl Day also right here in Ft Wash. Thanks for the review on Broad Creek, I couldn't find many reviews online.

Don't make assumptions about bus routes. PG county is long. Landon & Holton are to the north. Burgundy, Browne and SSSA are in Alexandria, VA, a relatively easy commute from the Fort Washington area. Also, Maryland International Day School is in Fort Washington, and follows the primary IB curriculum.
If your child is young, Broad Creek preschool in one of the Episcopal churches (forget the name) is a lovely, developmentally appropriate introduction to school. Can't assume buses cover the whole north/south territory.