I agree that charters are probably the way to go. We have been pretty lucky, we were accepted to Bridges off the waitlist a few weeks before school started and are currently at Inspired. We just bought in Shep Park and are now in Deal boundaries so if our current charter doesn't pan our for middle school we have a back up plan. I do agree that you should assume a commute will/can be up to 30 minutes. However, you can be creative with carpooling etc. I'm with you and I'm a city person, can't see myself ever living in the burbs, so I will make it work no matter what.

This. +1.

Anonymous wrote:This is why most families who aren't multimillionaires live in Md and va

This is why most families who aren't multimillionaires live in Md and va

You can make yourself highly crazy with all of this, and it's helpful if you find yourself in that situation to just step back, step away from these boards, and trust that something will work out and to take it year by year. While it's true that the lottery has gotten lots more competitive, it's also true that several new charters seem to be up and running more effectively right off the bat. I'm in Ward 5 where there really weren't any PS options when I first went through the lottery (and where the schools are really problematic anyway), so we were dependent on the lottery, both DCPS and charters, to find a good school for our kid. We really love the neighborhood (Brookland), so moving wasn't something we wanted to do.

Stressful? Yes, definitely, at times. Our lottery numbers were lousy for PS3 but we ended up pulled off a DCPS waiting list for a pretty good school (but not the greatest fit for our kid). When we tried the lottery again for PS4, our numbers were lousier, but we ended up pulled off a charter waiting list for a school we love and plan to stay at for several years. While, sure, I wish we had a school down the street that would work and driving is a PITA (note for any haters out there--with the strangeness of zoning lines, we're not even zoned for the school we could walk to. We'd need to drive or bus to our "neighborhood" school anyway), it's less stressful to put in that extra time than to have my daughter in a school I feel iffy, at best, about and to worry about her education every day.

Being patient and flexible helps (characteristics I definitely do not have an abundance of), but perseverance helps, too. And the system is crazy enough that there's movement even a month or so into the semester, and people do switch late (we did). Knowing the whole thing is a challenge can help, and also that the landscape changes quickly, so worrying about it too far in advance isn't going to help much.

Good luck.

This has been incredibly stressful for me and our family. Didn't get into any schools in the lottery system for three years. Finally got into a good school but had to switch schools for my son. Also, I wouldn't assume anything when it comes to the district--srysly look at the vast corruption in the city government--nothing good happens quickly, but it can all go to pot overnight.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe but they don't mix, very segregated so you might see them but not socialize.
DC is very segregated by class, race, income, etc. The schools are like that too. Just know what you're buying into OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Petworth is not very international.

I meant DC was International compared to Loudoun County where I am now.

It has a strong Ethiopian presence, and the Muslim community center on Georgia brings many immigrants to the neighborhood at least for a few hours every Friday. And someone is shopping at several halal meat shops. There's also a fairly large Hispanic immigrant population. I call that international.

NP, I think that applies to the entire DC metro area and I think class is the biggest problem. My child's school is racially/ethnically diverse, but not by SES. The school is primarily middle to upper-middle class. I believe this is true for many of the popular charters, at least the schools that are talked about on DCUM.

OP, as a PP stated, if you are not picky about the model of education, would consider language immersion and able to commute up to 30 mins for your child to attend school, Petworth area would be okay. You can reach the Ward 5 charters and most of the other charters are in bordering Petworth neighborhoods. It is possible to only get into one school the first time you enter the lottery. We are on the Hill and despite being in boundary for Maury, we didn't get in until preK. We got into AppleTree and I enrolled my son for one year. I liked the school and it is a good option for a year or two (they only do PS and PreK). For PreK we had a few good choices. We decided to go with language immersion and I am happy with the school. Personally, I didn't find the lottery to be stressful end of the world experience. I am happy that we had choices. You are three years away from entering the lottery so things may change or the better or get more competitive. If you can wait to buy and rent, that will give you more options in the future, but again Petworth is fairly central so a lot comes down to commuting time, i.e., the location of your job to home to school. So much could change in 3 yrs.

Maybe but they don't mix, very segregated so you might see them but not socialize.
DC is very segregated by class, race, income, etc. The schools are like that too. Just know what you're buying into OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Petworth is not very international.

I meant DC was International compared to Loudoun County where I am now.

It has a strong Ethiopian presence, and the Muslim community center on Georgia brings many immigrants to the neighborhood at least for a few hours every Friday. And someone is shopping at several halal meat shops. There's also a fairly large Hispanic immigrant population. I call that international.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Petworth is not very international.

I meant DC was International compared to Loudoun County where I am now.

It has a strong Ethiopian presence, and the Muslim community center on Georgia brings many immigrants to the neighborhood at least for a few hours every Friday. And someone is shopping at several halal meat shops. There's also a fairly large Hispanic immigrant population. I call that international.

Anonymous wrote:Petworth still has a lot of problems, I might live their as a single male but not as a family. I want to be able to walk around the neighborhood and feel safe even at night. I once dated someone who got conned by a relocation realtor to move their from another area that didn't know the area. He would get his car broken into in his own driveway multiple times a year. He also witnessed a shooting in the ally behind his house. All of these things happened at night.

Petworth is pretty large. There are parts where I'd feel pretty comfortable at night, but then I know how to handle myself in the city. I live in Shaw and feel totally safe. Maybe it's just me.

OP, if you know what you want, don't let the ninnies scare you away. The DCPS east of the park are pretty bad, with the exception of a couple on the Hill. However, there are a number of really good charters. If the international nature of the city is important to you, you'll be glad to know there are some immersion school choices that you just can't get in the suburbs: 1 Chinese, 1 French, several Spanish, and maybe a Hebrew option too (rumor has it they're in the application process).

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:Petworth is not very international.

I meant DC was International compared to Loudoun County where I am now.

I would assume that some of the on-the-edge schools would be in much better shape by the time you would have a school-aged kid. I only really know schools on the Hill so I'll give you advice based on that. I would look at Maury except that middle school options aren't great. I would look at Ludlow-Taylor and JO Wilson as they feed into Stuart Hobson, well-regarded already and hopefully going up up up. If you're comfortable with edgy, you can get a pretty good priced house north of H Street in-bounds for JO Wilson. Those 2 schools aren't there yet in the older grades, but they are definitely up-and-coming.

Tubman, really?

I'd move in-boundary for one of the schools that isn't terrible, but isn't all-that highly sought after either. Bancroft, Garrison, Barnard, West, Tubman, Cleveland, Marie Reed... not all of them would necessarily be my first choice schools, but I'd feel OK sending my kid there, at least in the early years.

Petworth is not very international.