Anonymous wrote:The schools in Falls Church are absolutely top notch. Drop Sidwell.

Not all of them.

Take Westmorland to Williamsburg to Glebe Rd across Chain Bridge. It's not horrible if you take back roads. Are you working in Bethesda at least? Maybe you can carpool with someone?

These responses are ridiculous. Give it a try. I know people who drive an hour each way for the right school. If the school is worth it, you'll make it work if it's not, there are some excellent schools in your area.

Don't do it! And don't you want your child to get to know some neighborhood kids? You can always apply at a higher grades.

Sidwell is a great school, but so are some of the neighborhood schools in Falls Church! Take Longfellow MS for example: its math team and science team finished top 5 in the nation!

The schools in Falls Church are absolutely top notch. Drop Sidwell.

It will be difficult and frustrating in all honesty. Perhaps you should come down on a typical school day and test it out during the exact time you would need to commute. The morning commute would be during rush hour.

It's not a great commute, but you should also be thinking about th other times you need to be at school for events and meetings and also how hard it will be to arrange play dates. It all has an effect. I hope you have an easy move and find DC welcoming. I moved from NY and it's been amazing.

Try it for a year. I wouldn't rush into finding a rental nearby, not worth it. Just try out the commute first, if it's too miserable by next year then look for something closer. It might be perfectly do able and you may find others to carpool with later on.

Lots of people commute for privates and for work. On this board, the mere mention of commuting sets people into a frenzy. Move here first, get to know the area, try the commute and then decide what will work best for you.

I moved here from California!

Just expect the traffic here as bad as any major California cities, and multiply that by two, you'll be okay! Lots more local driving here instead of everything connected by highways in California,.

Falls Church? How come your kid is so smart?

Agree with 10:30 and 10:50 - the commute isn't the end of the world. Lots of people from the VA suburbs commute to the DC privates.

Of course, there is always Uber.

Folks in Reston say it takes them less than 25 minutes in the morning.

Aftercare goes until 6.

The hardest part will be getting over Chain Bridge, but if you take Williamsburg to Chain Bridge Road, it will be what it will be. The earlier you leave (if you aim to get DD there by 7:30, when most kids are dropped off) it won't be too horrible.

There are families who make this drive every day, and from areas further out- Alexandria, McLean, Great Falls, Herndon, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I know if families that drive in or have driven in from Poolesville, Darnestown and Reston.i

Doesn't make it easier though. It also depends if OP is doing the round trip 2x/day or is dropping off/picking up on the way to work.