I live in 20910 and zoned for Singer.

For example, you could live in Highland View, a decent neighborhood, but be zoned for New Hampshire Estates ES, which is a deal breaker.

To the Forest Glen posters: Which neighborhoods specifically should I be looking at? We have around a $500,000 budget. We did some open houses this weekend checked out those houses for sale that are west of Georgia, South of Plyers Mill, and East of Connecticut. The houses in our price range are bigger to the east of Oakland Terrace EC, but is the Kensington side of Silver Spring more desirable? Should we also be looking to the east of Georgia? If so, how far north (Dennis? University?) It's so confusing!!

20902 is also in play as people have chimed in about the forest glen area. Flora singer is very well regarded. Lots of well educated professionals raising our kids here. Like a pp our HHI is in the mid 300s and we have no desire to move to Bethesda, though I'm sure it's lovely. We don't need more house and our commutes would be worse, and we like the community we have built here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

You seem confused. Just because the school itself is outside 20910 doesn't actually mean that kids in that zip code don't attend it. Kids inside 20910 are zoned for several 8 and 9 ranked elementary schools, including Sligo Creek, Woodlin, Rock Creek Forest, and Piney Branch.

I mean, Great Schools is a bit of a sham, but if you are going to use a sham measurement, at least use it truthfully.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

Great Schools is not a "ratings" board. OP asked for opinions and that's what I gave her.

Almost 50% FARMS. That is really high.

What school are you referring to?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

My child's school has a rating of 9

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

Great Schools is not a "ratings" board. OP asked for opinions and that's what I gave her.

Almost 50% FARMS. That is really high.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

Great Schools is not a "ratings" board. OP asked for opinions and that's what I gave her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

20910 schools are rated between a 4 and a 6 with one elementary (slingo creek) being an 8 but that's the highest rated school in the whole area and not every house in that zip code is zoned for it. So "excellent" schools is a stretch. YOU think they are excellent and that is fine, but statistics and facts disagree with you.

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This guy/girl always shows up...ignore them.

We LOVE Silver Spring, but as other posters have noted, it is very variable. We have a decent HHI (300k) and could easily live in Bethesda, and choose SS because the community cohesion and culture is great. Our schools are very good--20910--but we just passed up a beautiful home (we are looking for something larger) because a few miles out the schools get REALLY variable.

Check out the MD schools forum here--lots of info on SS schools

Anonymous wrote:It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

This is the Silver Spring hater who loves to dump on Silver Spring. 20910, 20901 have excellent schools, excellent communities and houses go very quickly here.

It ranges anywhere from average to mediocre. Price will be a clue which is which but I would say the people who pay for the top end of silver spring are over paying and could get much better once they get into the 800k and 900k. the people in the bottom range are most likely getting a decent deal for what they are paying for as they most likely had low expectations anyway.

Basically for poor people it is great as there is just enough middle class to get some decent stores and amenities but the opposite for the middle class that settel there as they have to put up with far more poverty and problems than the typical middle and upper class suburbs. The schools tend go down hill quick when not linked to one of the few better neighborhoods

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone with older kids tell me how the neighborhoods are as well as school. TIA

Narrow it down. Silver Spring is ENORMOUS. Most folks on this thread are talking about 20910 and 20901, which includes maybe 20 elementary schools, at least 4 middle schools (Sligo, SSIMS, Newport Mill, TPMS, Eastern), and at least 3 high schools (Blair, Northwood, Einstein, ???).

Each of the high schools has either a magnet program or a specialized track for high performing kids. But even the smallest of the big high schools is huge.

Where are you looking? What specific middle and high schools are you thinking of? Of the middle schools, I think SSIMS and TPMS are considered to be the strongest, but other schools have test-in magnets that are extremely desirable as well. TPMS has a prestigious magnet program that has some seats reserved if you live in-boundary, but the other magnets don't reserve spaces. Sligo Middle has had some issues, but they had a really strong principal turn the school around and there's a rising cohort of kids coming out of Woodlin, Flora Singer, and other elementary schools and are planning to use the school.

Can anyone with older kids tell me how the neighborhoods are as well as school. TIA