We did the same thing: left a neighborhood and area we loved (with a Title I school) to move further west. You know what? It was the best thing we could have done, both for our kids and for ourselves. We have a terrific social life now, are surrounded by like-minded parents, and never think twice about the quality or safety of our school. We were so torn at the time, but rapidly realized it was a great move for our family. Our kids are now upper elementary and it's been a terrific few years. Good luck, OP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does "Keep telling yourself" supposed to mean exactly? Are you at Rosemary Hills? My kid is thriving. We are happy. We bought a $600k house that is not that big just to get into a good school district.

(The school district is MCPS.)

Cluster. You know what she meant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you buy or rent near Rosemary Hills, you get a less expensive home and access to BCC schools. Despite the people who brag about how wonderful SS schools are, I don't think they are as good. We have lots of diversity and a decent number of poverty kids (just not enough to get small classes) and enough poverty kids to get an extra reading teacher assigned which makes reading groups much smaller. THe school is really good. We are very happy. We like being with parents that are very involved and supportive. We are entering 2nd grade and although things aren't perfect, they have been very positive.

Keep telling yourself that.

NP. Why do you have to be nasty?

Why do you have to put down schools you don't know anything about? Couldn't you just discuss RHPS without putting down other schools?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you buy or rent near Rosemary Hills, you get a less expensive home and access to BCC schools. Despite the people who brag about how wonderful SS schools are, I don't think they are as good. We have lots of diversity and a decent number of poverty kids (just not enough to get small classes) and enough poverty kids to get an extra reading teacher assigned which makes reading groups much smaller. THe school is really good. We are very happy. We like being with parents that are very involved and supportive. We are entering 2nd grade and although things aren't perfect, they have been very positive.

Keep telling yourself that.

NP. Why do you have to be nasty?

Anonymous wrote:What does "Keep telling yourself" supposed to mean exactly? Are you at Rosemary Hills? My kid is thriving. We are happy. We bought a $600k house that is not that big just to get into a good school district.

(The school district is MCPS.)

What does "Keep telling yourself" supposed to mean exactly? Are you at Rosemary Hills? My kid is thriving. We are happy. We bought a $600k house that is not that big just to get into a good school district.

Anonymous wrote:If you buy or rent near Rosemary Hills, you get a less expensive home and access to BCC schools. Despite the people who brag about how wonderful SS schools are, I don't think they are as good. We have lots of diversity and a decent number of poverty kids (just not enough to get small classes) and enough poverty kids to get an extra reading teacher assigned which makes reading groups much smaller. THe school is really good. We are very happy. We like being with parents that are very involved and supportive. We are entering 2nd grade and although things aren't perfect, they have been very positive.

Keep telling yourself that.

If you buy or rent near Rosemary Hills, you get a less expensive home and access to BCC schools. Despite the people who brag about how wonderful SS schools are, I don't think they are as good. We have lots of diversity and a decent number of poverty kids (just not enough to get small classes) and enough poverty kids to get an extra reading teacher assigned which makes reading groups much smaller. THe school is really good. We are very happy. We like being with parents that are very involved and supportive. We are entering 2nd grade and although things aren't perfect, they have been very positive.

Anonymous wrote:One thing that I've noticed is that there are some Silver Spring parents who are thrilled with their schools and some who have thrown in the towel and seem resigned to the fact that there's no hope for their schools. I'll bet they're not living in the same school assignments! Silver Spring is huge and despite all of the cheerleaders out there, there are some schools that fall far short of what a parent should expect. I don't blame the parents who leave, but I understand why people living just a mile away are puzzled, because they say to themselves, hey, I live in Silver Spring, and our schools are great. Talking about Silver Spring generally is like talking about Montgomery County generally - it's big and things are different from one neighborhood to the next.

That is very true. Our home school has little in common with the school where my child now goes (because of a magnet program).

I was living in an area with a low-cost home and a school with problems, and envisioned moving before my child was old enough to go to school. Time flew by, and I was feeling the same as you are- depressed about lack of alternatives. We tried COSA, applying to language immersion, considering private, etc. In the end, we started at the school we we concerned about. The teacher was wonderful. It was a great experience. We ended up moving part-way through the year to a better area with a 'better' school because I had concerns about the older grades, but considering what my child was getting, they were getting just as good of an experience at the school that we were worried about. Sometimes in kindergarten, the problems of the school-at-large or older grades aren't there yet. I would recommend starting your child there, and giving yourself more time to find the right place to move. Maybe next summer.

I am assuming that OP has like a 3 year old and plans to move in the next 2 years

There's nothing like waiting until the last minute...

One thing that I've noticed is that there are some Silver Spring parents who are thrilled with their schools and some who have thrown in the towel and seem resigned to the fact that there's no hope for their schools. I'll bet they're not living in the same school assignments! Silver Spring is huge and despite all of the cheerleaders out there, there are some schools that fall far short of what a parent should expect. I don't blame the parents who leave, but I understand why people living just a mile away are puzzled, because they say to themselves, hey, I live in Silver Spring, and our schools are great. Talking about Silver Spring generally is like talking about Montgomery County generally - it's big and things are different from one neighborhood to the next.

What is your point? Are you looking for suggestions? Did you consider school irrelevant when you purchased the home? What school assignment zone do you live in? Have you talked to neighbors or asked for opinions here or elsewhere?

PPs have mentioned some favorable SS schools, but several other Title Is are also well-regarded due to small class size and extra resources.

This post just seems weird. waaaah, our Silver Spring school sucks, I wish I lived in Bethesda!

Anonymous wrote:If you love your house and neighbors, you should stay through elementary and re-evaluate the situation for middle and high school. The many of the elementary schools in Silver Spring are fabulous with very active PTAs and parents. With so many well educated families living in Silver Spring, the middle and high schools around bound to get better.

Unfortunately, ours isn't one of those. We've thought about moving within Silver Spring to a better school assignment. It's still a possibility.