^^ I agree that Maury is a great school--that said they're about to get renovated and thus transfer to swing space for over a year at an undesirable location. For those reasons I would not consider it in the short-term.

As for the Cluster (Peabody/Watkins), true they're in different bldgs, but there's a bus that connects them, allowing for a single drop-off/pickup.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a kid with an ASD/ADHD diagnosis and live on Capitol Hill.

Unless they think their kids can't be mainstreamed, they should just buy or rent inbound for one of the desirable nearby schools, which include Brent (best overall reputation, but most expensive real estate), but also Ludlow-Taylor, Peabody/Watkins, and nearby Vanness.

I also agree with an above poster that the best overall nearby school for mainstreamed kids with SNs is School within a School, though the child would need to get in through the lottery, which is near impossible. (That said if the older has a HFA diagnosis then they may be able to enter SWS specialized program.)

I would add Maury to this list of well-regarded Capitol Hill elementary schools. Some of the housing there is a bit cheaper (still expensive though)! The commute is a little further but still a very reasonable drive. For Peabody/Watkins, it seems the kids in the OP will be in PK3 or 4 and 1st or 2nd grade next year. This means the kids will spend several years at different schools, which could be less convenient. I'd prioritize the other schools for that reason, but if they found a place IB for the Cluster that worked for them, wouldn't rule it out unless they hate the double drop-off.

Talking with principals and school psychologists in advance about how the IEP will transfer could be useful in figuring out which school to prefer, but there is a lot of turnover in DCPS and it's likely that some of the people in these positions will change over time. If you're looking for more charter suggestions, Two Rivers and Inspired Teaching School might be worth considering as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

With a job at Navy Yard? I don't know where they could afford to live, but that sounds like commuting nightmare to me.

Also I don't believe for a second that bridges is all it's cracked up to be.

What are your concerns about Bridges? Do you have firsthand experience?
Actually, I think any of these schools would be quite doable if you lived up near Bridges or CM (somewhere between Petworth and Ft. Totten) or Capitol Hill (SWS). As long as you live pretty close to a metro station you could get down to Navy Yard pretty handily. The problem is getting in -- as PPs noted, you have to get a seat through the lottery. There are no guarantees and you won't know if you have a seat until March 2018 at the earliest. Bridges has a special lottery for kids in the non-categorical classrooms, but sounds like these kids don't need that restrictive of an environment. OP: your brother or sister in law could always call Bridges and discuss the needs to the older child to see if a non-cat classroom would be good for him.

No, but I've hired a lawyer to fight DCPS (re: a school not mentioned here ever), and they were all DO NOT go to Bridges. They were speaking about my kid, older elementary, who wouldn't need a non-cat/self contained classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids have IEPs? I'd get an consultant. Trying to pinpoint a school can be an exercise in futility without a good IEP.

Nephew does. Little sis not in school yet (SIL is a SAHM in order to work with nephew but it also means money is very tight so no preschool.

Your niece can get an IEP and be eligible for public option preschool. They are generally run from elementary schools.