Anonymous wrote:22:40 again. I wanted to add that I was hesitant about the school at first, especially considering we were coming from a private, parochial school in the Midwest. Our plan was to apply for Lucy V. Barnsley School in 4th grade (eldest started at Twinbrook in 3rd). When it came time to apply, both of my kids wanted to stay at Twinbrook and were continuing to excel. Now the oldest is preparing for Julius West. He is excited about the IB program, even though we looked at and considered applying to Takoma Park MS for the Math & Science magnet.

For afterschool programs there is one at the school and one at Twinbrook Community Center. I love the Community Center program. They also have a morning program. I've used the morning program for drop in care on the days I have an early meeting. Meadowhall & Twinbrook are part of the same before & aftercare program.

OP here. It's really good to hear perspectives from someone who lives in the area, thank you. I have read about the Rockville before and after care programs (so affordable!) and that is definitely a draw to the area. We will continue to do research and look at our options but are not ruling out the 20851 area code at this point. It really is such an affordable and convenient area. Of course we are concerned about safety but it seems the area is generally safe (but please correct me if I'm overstating safety).

Thanks to all posters and the tips on the other areas we should consider! It's really good to hear all perspectives, including from those who might not consider the area because those perspectives will definitely come into play when it comes to resale value.

Anonymous wrote:Twinbrook has a rating of 3, pretty low.

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/968-Twinbrook-Elementary-School/

Meadow hall 4

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/924-Meadow-Hall-Elementary-School/

Maryville has a ok score of 7 nothing stellar but 2 steps above FAIL.

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/922-Maryvale-Elementary-School/

For what its worth, GreatSchools rating is purely based on test scores and nothing else. So you have to take that into consideration when looking at the ratings.

22:40 again. I wanted to add that I was hesitant about the school at first, especially considering we were coming from a private, parochial school in the Midwest. Our plan was to apply for Lucy V. Barnsley School in 4th grade (eldest started at Twinbrook in 3rd). When it came time to apply, both of my kids wanted to stay at Twinbrook and were continuing to excel. Now the oldest is preparing for Julius West. He is excited about the IB program, even though we looked at and considered applying to Takoma Park MS for the Math & Science magnet.

For afterschool programs there is one at the school and one at Twinbrook Community Center. I love the Community Center program. They also have a morning program. I've used the morning program for drop in care on the days I have an early meeting. Meadowhall & Twinbrook are part of the same before & aftercare program.

Twinbrook has a rating of 3, pretty low.

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/968-Twinbrook-Elementary-School/

Meadow hall 4

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/924-Meadow-Hall-Elementary-School/

Maryville has a ok score of 7 nothing stellar but 2 steps above FAIL.

http://www.greatschools.org/maryland/rockville/922-Maryvale-Elementary-School/

I will add a bit to the Twinbrook love. I also love living in the neighborhood. When we were looking for a home, it was important to be within walking distance to the metro. There was no other neighborhood we found in MoCo that had SFHs in our price range (also the 300s) that also had a metro stop close by (walking distance).

Up and coming is a fair description of the neighborhood. The neighborhood has a lot of potential due to its location. The above poster mentioned the development slated to occur on both sides of the metro (a town square, shops, condos, office space). Much of Rockville and the surrounding area (north bethesda) is slated for infill development over the next 20-30 years. There is a plan under discussion to transform rockville pike into something closer to the Ballston corridor. MoCo is considering adding rapid transit (bus rapid transit) in key corridors such as the Pike and Veirs Mill Rd (which splits Twinbrook). No one knows what the future holds, but if all this developent continues apace it should mean that Twinbrook is a good investment.

Rockville is a great town with a very responsive city government (e.g they monitor neighborhood list servs and resond immedietely to any issues and areas of concern). The town center is wonderful and also expanding. Everything is a short drive, walk or bike ride away. The metro can take you farther and there is also very good bus service, including through the neighborhood (Metro and Ride on, both of which I use). Twinbrook has easy access to rock creek park trail and has its own greenbelt which is good for hiking/biking.

Everyone we've met in the neighborhood has been wonderful and there are no shortage of opportunites to meet new people. you'll find people out walking and biking all the time, as many walk/bike to and from the metro and surrounding shopping, as well as for recreational purposes.

The feedback I've received regarding the school has mostly been positive. The low test scores are in fact due to the large number of ESL learners and, I guess, low income students (there are low income apartments up and down twinbrook pkwy). The curriculum is the same as any school in MoCo and I have heard may nice things about the teachers at the school. Several parents I have talked to said the school's title I status has a number of benefits, including smaller class sizes and more resources than other elementary schools.

Overall, Twinbrook is a great place and seems to be getting better all the time.

I live in the Twinbrook neighborhood and really love it. I think for the $300-350 price range, you can't get much better for a SFH with a yard. We like the playgrounds and people in the neighborhood, the ability to walk or bike to metro, and the accessibility to local shopping and restaurants, including the Rockville Town Center. The residents of Twinbrook are quite a mix -- some of the houses are permanent rentals but many are owned by long-time residents or by younger couples with kids. Overall, it is a safe area and no problem for a woman to walk around alone or for kids to play outside. Another note about the potential for the neighborhood is that there is a lot of effort being put into developing the area around the Twinbrook metro. There are already several buildings associated with HHS and NIH, but there is a plan (already underway) to add more mixed use housing/shopping on both sides of the station. I think that this will continue to support the Twinbrook area and keep it vital.

I cannot personally speak to the education at Twinbrook Elementary, but when we did our research as our child approached school age, we heard many positive comments from parents who had children there. As it turns out, we entered the immersion lottery and our child got at spot a Maryvale. Although I don't know what the English/neighborhood classes are like at Maryvale, I can say that the school always seems calm and well run when I stop by in the middle of the day and all of my interactions with the principal and the teachers that I've met have been very positive so far.

OP, we live in 20852 (feeds to Walter Johnson). It is a more expensive area, but you could get a small townhome there is the 400-450k price range. If you don't have a family yet that would be plenty big for a while. The area is very nice, lots of younger families, and very convenient. The schools are better than the ones in East Rockville.

My kids go to Twinbrook and we are very happy there. They have small class sizes and have been appropriately challenged. I encourage you to visit. We have an active PTA and I haven't had any issues with the administration. We have had a number of teachers that we adore. All three kids are above grade level and doing well. The school is diverse and that was important to us.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

PS I love our neighborhood. I havent had any experience with crime and I feel like it is a hidden gem.

OP, I live in a neighborhood that feeds into Rockville High school. It's none of the ones you mentioned. I think you may have to up your budget a bit honestly. I don't think you are going to find what you want otherwise. I have friends at Rock Creek Valley who like it a lot. I know someone in the Maryvale neighborhood who would not touch the school with a 10 foot pole (the regular program, not the immersion program). I agree you need to look in 20853.

I have a friend who works at Twinbrook ES and is ready to quit....

BTW OP..you are correct Rockville is a great city with the new town center and excellent recreation with camps and sports etc. Not every neighborhood is the same but we find it a great place to live.

We are in Twinbrook's cluster and very happy. Zip = 20850 Not sure you would find a SFH in your price range but likely a TH. Visit the schools and neighborhood yourself don;t listen to random people who may have little knowledge of schools their children do not attend.

Maryvale = No Good

If you are looking at these places, why not take a look at Anacostia. It too is up and coming and has a metro and soon to have a new DHS campus (where St. Elizabeth's used to be)....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have friends with kids at Maryvale who are very happy with the school - it also has a French immersion program.

Are your friend's kids in the regular program or French Immersion? I believe French Immersion is a magnet program, so those students may 'drag up' the standards of the school. I'm curious about the standards of the regular program as I read somewhere it housed a lot of "at-risk" kids.

One has a child in the immersion program and one has a child in the regular program - both kids are in K.

Try 20853 in Rockville. Same price range, but much better neighborhood, IMO (still diverse, if that's your thing).