Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 01:04     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:I think you should buy assuming you might stay there until your kid is in HS. As a PP noted, a lot of people get priced out of where they think they want to live after their "starter" home, and then you are in the position of either staying in your starter, move to a worse neighborhood for a better house, or move out of the city for lower COL (which means not inner suburbs, which are mostly just as expensive as the city itself, in some places more expensive).

So do not just look at elementary, look at school pyramid.

As someone who lives on the East side, stuck in our starter, with Dunbar as our IB high school, all I can say is: don't do what I did. Also do not rely on the lottery to bail you out of an elementary or middle school you don't like -- there are no guarantees and the more desirable schools get harder to get into every day.

So my advice is either to buy IB for the J-R HS pyramid OR undershoot your budget and put away money for private (which you could definitely do if you are willing to buy a condo, you could get something for 500-600 in a good neighborhood with a solid elementary and just tuck away the difference). I would also look at close in suburbs.

I have so, so many school regrets in DC. Most of the advice on here thus far is bad. There are so many of us who feel stuck in houses we can't upgrade from, in schools that aren't meeting our kid's needs, just trying to figure it out. I would have made much different choices if I had it to do again, starting with focusing on high school pyramid and not assuming we'd be able to trade in our starter when it was convenient for us.


This. You need to look at middle and high school when looking at elementary. We did and thus are able to stay in the city. If not, would have moved to the burbs

Big mistake to be so short sighted with your lens just to elementary. Also the whole neighborhood thing EOTP is very fleeting because many families will leave their poorly performing IB school, go charter or move.
Anonymous
Post 04/09/2026 00:28     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't know much about Barnard but there are a number of good options in that neighborhood.

If you tell us your budget we can tell you three or four neighborhoods to target with decent and/or up-and-coming elementary schools.


We are looking to spend max 800k for a small place (2-3 bedrooms). I previously lived in petworth in my early 20s so definitely interested in that area, but don't know much about the schools.

Thank you!


You should look into McLean Gardens in NW DC. 2-3 bedroom condos are in your price range and zoned for either Hearst-Deal-Jackson Reed or Eaton-Hardy-Macarthur.


McLean Gardens is a great suggestion! We’ve loved living here - lots of families with kids, a nice pool, lots of green space and access to trail and walkable to everything (Wegmans, Giant, CVS, tenleytown, schools etc.)
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 23:23     Subject: Re:Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
^^ one parent a remote worker
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 23:22     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


People who keep advocating for this, can you be specific on which area or which schools to target exactly?

Where do you work? Location will help a lot


Not OP but interested in this line of conversation. At least one parent a worker most of the time, other parent has varied. Very much like the PP identifying as a city person. The walkability and community (and very easy access to DC museums and kid-friendly activities. There’s always something going on!) of our current location is hard to get over. But middle school will come sooner than a blink…

The idea of needing to get in and out of the car just to go to library, playground, or emotional support iced coffee, is depressing. Also as a remote worker, it’s really nice to step out and walk a few blocks for a break or if something can be a phone/walking meeting.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:49     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


People who keep advocating for this, can you be specific on which area or which schools to target exactly?

Where do you work? Location will help a lot
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:30     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


People who keep advocating for this, can you be specific on which area or which schools to target exactly?
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:30     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


If I could completely do it over again, I would also move somewhere with a better school pyramid. And I would just try very hard to find something walkable or at least that didn’t feel super spread out and generically suburban. I am a city person but the lottery is a nightmare. We fell in love with our neighborhood and set down roots here and really do not want to move, so we aren’t, but I sometimes think about lighting it all on fire and moving somewhere I never have to think about where my kid is going to the next school again. For example we do not know where our DC is going to high school in three years and whether it will be free or 60K a year. Hard to plan around that!
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:28     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:There are starter homes in the 800s in the Maury zone, because it goes all the way out to RFK, and that area is cheaper than the inner Hill.

If buying a condo, I would just do it zoned for JR like previous posters have suggested. You can be near transit and walkable.


But then go to Maury and … where?
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:16     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


Could not agree more.

This is also what I would recommend.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 22:09     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Move to the burbs.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 21:52     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
There are starter homes in the 800s in the Maury zone, because it goes all the way out to RFK, and that area is cheaper than the inner Hill.

If buying a condo, I would just do it zoned for JR like previous posters have suggested. You can be near transit and walkable.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 20:37     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


This. Also agree with the post above. For context, I’ve lived in petworth for 13 years and having a rising pre-k 4 student.

On the plus side (for you) petworth real estate market sucks right now. Tons of listings in the 800s are sitting. I know because we want to sell and move to the suburbs and the timing sucks, and Fairfax is comparatively white hot.

The lottery is such a mindfck I would just recommend moving somewhere where there is a great in bound school pyramid, you go through the grades, the end.

Financially it’s much better to stay in DC for us and we just got into a desirable charter school that has a high probability of DCI for MS and HS, but I’m sure a suburban school system is “better” and guaranteed. I feel stuck now and it’s hard to pick up and go as I’ve lived in DC my whole adult life.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 19:59     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
I think you should buy assuming you might stay there until your kid is in HS. As a PP noted, a lot of people get priced out of where they think they want to live after their "starter" home, and then you are in the position of either staying in your starter, move to a worse neighborhood for a better house, or move out of the city for lower COL (which means not inner suburbs, which are mostly just as expensive as the city itself, in some places more expensive).

So do not just look at elementary, look at school pyramid.

As someone who lives on the East side, stuck in our starter, with Dunbar as our IB high school, all I can say is: don't do what I did. Also do not rely on the lottery to bail you out of an elementary or middle school you don't like -- there are no guarantees and the more desirable schools get harder to get into every day.

So my advice is either to buy IB for the J-R HS pyramid OR undershoot your budget and put away money for private (which you could definitely do if you are willing to buy a condo, you could get something for 500-600 in a good neighborhood with a solid elementary and just tuck away the difference). I would also look at close in suburbs.

I have so, so many school regrets in DC. Most of the advice on here thus far is bad. There are so many of us who feel stuck in houses we can't upgrade from, in schools that aren't meeting our kid's needs, just trying to figure it out. I would have made much different choices if I had it to do again, starting with focusing on high school pyramid and not assuming we'd be able to trade in our starter when it was convenient for us.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 19:51     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
Anonymous wrote:You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.


Could not agree more.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 18:13     Subject: Looking to move to DC and overwhelmed by school system!
You need to move to Montgomery County, MD or Fairfax County, VA, with easy commuting distance to your work, and then you won't need to move later. Families get attached to their schools, and moving is a wrench when you've made friends in the neighborhood.