Anonymous wrote:OP here. I see upper NW and close-in Chevy Chase-Bethesda as virtually the same place. I currently live in an extremely walkable neighborhood and I know I will probably not have that again, not if I want a house with a yard. I'm trying to get a sense if it's worth moving out of the District for the elementary schools or not.

It seems that way to you, OP, because you provably live in a row-house neighborhood like Shaw or something.

But there are in fact big differences in the vibes. I don't know how else to say it. Other than to make the lame sounding statement that I think Georgetown and Shaw are virtually the same place, since they both have a lot of row houses, density, and bars.

Anonymous wrote:Big classes? 3 kids at Key and largest class has been 22.

i think every comment means the big classes are in moco.

Big classes? 3 kids at Key and largest class has been 22.

Thank you so much PP for your perspective! I think people are right that staying in DC and then doing private high school may be the best of all worlds, IF you can afford that.

I grew up in Bethesda and live now in NWDC. My siblings all stayed in Bethesda and Chevy Chase and we all have kids around the same age. Range is from 2nd grade to sophomore in high school- there are a total of 17 cousins.

Schools -- academically elementaries seem about the same. We have a bit smaller classes and less freaked out by 2.0 but the kids seem to be learning the same things. Everyone totally happy with their choices.

Middle-- Deal wins hands down. The curriculum is much more robust than Whitman and BCC feeders.

HS-- this is where the differences are. Wilson CAN be on par with the other schools but has much more urban problems which is to be expected being urban and school demographic make up. For this reason we have one at Wilson and one private. That works for us. My siblings are shocked one kid choose Wilson but he is doing extremely well and definitely academically on par with his Whitman/BCC cousins. It takes a lot of work though. I feel like I have to push and stay on top of Wilson all the time. It doesn't seem to come naturally to them to push kids like the MoCo schools do.

Living-- my kids are way more adventurous "city" kids compared to their cousins. I think there is a big difference in how I let my kids take the bus/metro and how my siblings do in Bethesda.

Speaking as a kid who moved from the suburbs to closer in during middle school, not speaking to schools, but I felt like my life improved considerably. When I was able to take Metro or a bus downtown, to a museum or the pool or the mall or whatever, I felt more free. Sometimes you just want to go meet up with friends and not have to ask your parents to drive you everywhere, even if they have time.

As everyone has said, it is not worth it for elementary school.
Perhaps but possibly not for middle but could be worth it for high school.
If you are planning to do private for HS, then definitely don't move
for schools. Lots of people are also happy with Wilson but then again lots of people are not.

OP here. I see upper NW and close-in Chevy Chase-Bethesda as virtually the same place. I currently live in an extremely walkable neighborhood and I know I will probably not have that again, not if I want a house with a yard. I'm trying to get a sense if it's worth moving out of the District for the elementary schools or not.