WM is a school within a school. There are kids that have gone there recently and have done very well. However there parents were very active and the kids very focused. It can be done, but you can't leave it up to the school.

We are the upcounty area, not Aspen Hill.

PP here (13:38)...forgot to add that our oldest will be starting Kindergarten in September, so we are trying to figure out what to do and make a decision within the next few months.

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my child goes to an MCPS elementary school that looks mediocre on paper. High poverty, low test scores. Lots of folks in the neighborhood send their kids to private schools. I didn't know what to expect, but we have been so pleased with the MCPS school. I attended MCPS schools in Bethesda/Chevy Chase 10+ years ago, and I have to say, the Title I school my kid is in now is so much better than the schools I attended. Great teachers, and even all the admins and support staff know the kids by name and seem genuinely interested in them. Low student-teacher ratio, newly-renovated building, etc., etc. Couldn't be more pleased.

If you don't mind, which school is this? I am also located in an area that is known for "bad" schools (low ratings on Great Schools) and my husband and I are freaking out...we don't know what to do and whether we should sell our house and move to an area with "better" schools or if we should stick it out here and take our chances or if we should homeschool (!!!). We are in Aspen Hill, what area are you in?

We've been happy with Thurgood Marshall ES, which has some more affordable homes zoned for it and feeds into QO. Staff is great, office is great (from what I've experienced) and no portables!

I've been happy with Rachel Carson elementary in Kentlands / Lakelands. Jones lane is also good. Both feed to Quince Orchard.

I think you have to run the numbers and look at your willingness to move into a smaller place or somewhere further out to be able to afford it.

I think I'd try the school first, and consider moving if it didn't work out. You can't just go on statistics and what other people say.

You also only get out of school what you put into it. Volunteer at the school, help you kids with his HW, and I think the average kid will thrive.

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my child goes to an MCPS elementary school that looks mediocre on paper. High poverty, low test scores. Lots of folks in the neighborhood send their kids to private schools. I didn't know what to expect, but we have been so pleased with the MCPS school. I attended MCPS schools in Bethesda/Chevy Chase 10+ years ago, and I have to say, the Title I school my kid is in now is so much better than the schools I attended. Great teachers, and even all the admins and support staff know the kids by name and seem genuinely interested in them. Low student-teacher ratio, newly-renovated building, etc., etc. Couldn't be more pleased.

+1

Anonymous wrote:We did this. We currently rent out our TH and are renting an apt. We had to downsize considerably in living space, but we've adjusted and we like it. Schools were important as was the fact that the neighborhood children also go to the local school. We have that now and are definitely seeing the benefits of it.

\

At this point I am also planning to do this when DD gets to HS (so she can go to the one we prefer rather than the one where we currently live). Unless boundaries change or some such thing first.

We did this. We currently rent out our TH and are renting an apt. We had to downsize considerably in living space, but we've adjusted and we like it. Schools were important as was the fact that the neighborhood children also go to the local school. We have that now and are definitely seeing the benefits of it.

FWIW, my child goes to an MCPS elementary school that looks mediocre on paper. High poverty, low test scores. Lots of folks in the neighborhood send their kids to private schools. I didn't know what to expect, but we have been so pleased with the MCPS school. I attended MCPS schools in Bethesda/Chevy Chase 10+ years ago, and I have to say, the Title I school my kid is in now is so much better than the schools I attended. Great teachers, and even all the admins and support staff know the kids by name and seem genuinely interested in them. Low student-teacher ratio, newly-renovated building, etc., etc. Couldn't be more pleased.

I think this is more of a financial/life style question than a school question. Will you have enough money left over for rent if you rent out your house? Will your potential rent payment you receive be enough to cover your mortgage, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc? Do you want to be a landlord or do you have enough money to pay a property management company? Are you holding on to the house with the intention of moving back into it or selling it if/when the home market in that area gets better? Do you know the tax laws involved in renting out your property? How about Mo. Cty's landlord tenant laws? Do you have pets or will you want to get one while you are renting? Will your income allow you to rent a house in a neighborhood with the schools you want?

These are big decisions and there are lots of variables to consider. Here's an example I can give you of a friend of mine in a similar situation: She is not happy with the elementary school where her children attend. She is currently not working and her house value went down so they do not want to sell it. They can rent it and it will almost cover their expenses (e.g. positive to maybe a little negative cash flow) and will give them a tax loss (due to depreciation). They have savings to cover the difference and enough to cover any upcoming maintenance. However, because they have a dog they are very limited on rentals and, because she doesn't work their income was not enough to qualify them for the house they were interested in renting. She's stuck until she can find work, which has not been too easy for her.

I have been a landlord for about 8 years now because I did not sell my condo when we bought our house. It has it's ups and downs. Fortunately it is a positive cash flow and results in a small tax loss (deductible against earned income up to a certain amount depending on your AGI). That's good, but here are some "bads": calls at inconvenient times that the air conditioning isn't working, something is leaking, or the tenant locked themselves out on the balcony (yes, that happened). Breaks between tenants where we still need to make our monthly mortgage and condo payments; interviewing and selecting tenants (hard call sometimes); potential damage to your investment; repairs or replacements to major appliances or systems for which you may not be prepared, the tenants themselves, understanding the landlord tenant relationship and responsibilities.

If you don't think you will ever move back to your townhouse, why not just sell it and chalk it up to a bad purchase? If you are hoping the school systems get better, or you think the middle school is great and you plan to go back to it, well that's another story.