Anonymous wrote:The big city's not for everyone, OP.

Meant to add that I agree we’re probably past the point where as a typical buyer (i.e. not all cash) can buy a sizable place for $500K in a place that guarantees good schools from PK through HS.

But that doesn’t mean you have to move to Burke. In the early 2000s, we moved into a small rowhouse in eastern Columbia Heights in a neighborhood with an active drug trade. By 2007, the neighborhood had improved enough that we decided to go ahead and have kids. The lottery got us into a DCPS that was tolerable for PK3, and then a year later into a charter school that we were happy sticking with through fourth or fifth grade. That let us trade up to a bigger place that was still east of the park, but in bounds for Deal and with feeder rights to Wilson. Then we temporarily lost access to both schools under Mayor Gray, before getting grandfathered by Mayor Bowser a few months ago.

The past 15 years haven’t always been easy, but we took the long view and feel very lucky that we kept the faith. Even today, I think you could do a version of this, but you have to be comfortable with the tradeoffs involved. Either you pay a lot for a small place in a school district that’s already established, or you approach it with a longer gameplan where you pick an underappreciated area to get more house for your money, find a way to tolerate your in-bound school or see if you can lottery in to places you can be happier with for a few years, and trade up over time.

It’s not easy, but like I said, the big city’s not for everybody.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May be moving to DC and am worried about the school situation. I have heard some of the lotteries are not truly blind. What is the deal with the school lotteries? So scary to move to a place where you're literally gambling with your child's education.

You are overstating the risk. If you want to go to a good school guaranteed, then buy or rent a home within the boundaries of a good school in Northwest DC. That way, you can try the lottery, but if you are not successful, you still receive a quality education by right.

Which neighborhoods are recommended with good in-bound schools for our budget ($450-550K)? See now why I would think we would be gambling with our child's education?

Tell us what kind of property you want to buy. If it has to be more than a 1BR+den condo, good luck. At that price range you will have a very tough time with schools unless you are willing to embrace a newly gentrifying school. This is what we did and I'm very happy with it. But you will have a really tough time buying ANYTHING in a good school district at that price.

Which neighborhood did you move to? We are open to exploring all neighborhoods.

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Anonymous wrote:Sure, it's mostly transparent, although it is complicated and can be overwhelming if it's your first year entering. And that doesn't change the fact that it's still really hard to get into a great school.

You will NOT find anything in that price range in a good district unless you're willing to take on a serious fixer-upper. I would suggest you buy in a gentrifying area (Trinidad maybe?), play the lottery for a few years, and then move if needed.

No, you rent while playing the lottery, and if you get into a great school then by a house in a gentryfing neighborhood b/c you don't worry about schools.

How old are your DCs OP? The key to game is making sure you lottery in starting at PK3, which gives you about 3 more lottery tries before you really have to start school.

This is a good idea too if you are up for moving twice. If you get into a great school, you can buy in an up and coming neighborhood and eventually have lots of equity in your home too!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May be moving to DC and am worried about the school situation. I have heard some of the lotteries are not truly blind. What is the deal with the school lotteries? So scary to move to a place where you're literally gambling with your child's education.

This is pretty insulting OP.

OP. You should stick with looking at the suburbs. Your attitude won't be welcome. Plus, you are too poor to be looking down your nose at us.

Geez, I thought city folk were supposed to be thick skinned... Why are you taking this question so personally? It's not about you sweetie. Just trying to get input from people in the know.

I love how some people are wearing the lottery system as a badge of pride. You must be one of the people who got into a good school or didn't have your boundary changed from a rising school to an absolute POS.

Anonymous wrote:Sure, it's mostly transparent, although it is complicated and can be overwhelming if it's your first year entering. And that doesn't change the fact that it's still really hard to get into a great school.

You will NOT find anything in that price range in a good district unless you're willing to take on a serious fixer-upper. I would suggest you buy in a gentrifying area (Trinidad maybe?), play the lottery for a few years, and then move if needed.

No, you rent while playing the lottery, and if you get into a great school then by a house in a gentryfing neighborhood b/c you don't worry about schools.

How old are your DCs OP? The key to game is making sure you lottery in starting at PK3, which gives you about 3 more lottery tries before you really have to start school.

Sure, it's mostly transparent, although it is complicated and can be overwhelming if it's your first year entering. And that doesn't change the fact that it's still really hard to get into a great school.

You will NOT find anything in that price range in a good district unless you're willing to take on a serious fixer-upper. I would suggest you buy in a gentrifying area (Trinidad maybe?), play the lottery for a few years, and then move if needed.

You can lottery for DC Bilingual, Bridges and Sela. Lamb would be a long shot.

Also SSMA, which above 1st grade is not that hard to get into.

OP, my mother's townhouse in Rockville costs more than $550,000. You might need to seriously think about the suburbs or a condo in NWDC if you are risk averse at that price point.

Anonymous wrote:On that budget, I wouldn't be looking within DC. Start looking in the outer suburbs.

I am a die-hard DC lover and I have to agree. Make your life easier. Burbs.

The big city's not for everyone, OP.

On that budget, I wouldn't be looking within DC. Start looking in the outer suburbs.

With your budget, if you are certain you want to be in the District rather than the suburbs, and want to avoid the risk inherent in the lottery -- rent, don't buy, in Upper NW.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:May be moving to DC and am worried about the school situation. I have heard some of the lotteries are not truly blind. What is the deal with the school lotteries? So scary to move to a place where you're literally gambling with your child's education.

You are overstating the risk. If you want to go to a good school guaranteed, then buy or rent a home within the boundaries of a good school in Northwest DC. That way, you can try the lottery, but if you are not successful, you still receive a quality education by right.

Which neighborhoods are recommended with good in-bound schools for our budget ($450-550K)? See now why I would think we would be gambling with our child's education?

Tell us what kind of property you want to buy. If it has to be more than a 1BR+den condo, good luck. At that price range you will have a very tough time with schools unless you are willing to embrace a newly gentrifying school. This is what we did and I'm very happy with it. But you will have a really tough time buying ANYTHING in a good school district at that price.

OP, you want a burke townhouse and take the VRE into DC. Trust me, save yourself a lot of grief.

+1.

!0:38 here, and to answer your question, yes I think the lottery system is quite transparent now. It has come a long way, even the past few years.