Anonymous
Post 05/13/2024 01:12     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Hello,
Our family is moving to Bethesda from the Bay Area and I would love to know if any current PS parents are willing to share their K-1 experience at BES. We toured 3 schools recently and it was such a breath of fresh air compared to what we see here, Seven Locks, Bethesda ES, and Wyngate all seemed to have really thoughtful admins and were very honest about areas they want to improve.
Hoping to pick this thread back up to see if any current K - 1 Bethesda ES parents can share how they have navigated the overcrowding. We toured with 3 other families and we all felt that the PTA at Bethesda ES did a great job with the tour, but we couldn’t fully grasp how well our kids would do or what kind of teacher support was available. The ratio is listed as 14:1 on Great Schools but I am not sure if that is correct for BES. Seven Locks seemed to have a smaller ratio with 16 kids in K on average which was impressive. Sharing this in case it is helpful for any other families in a similar situation currently touring. Thanks
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2023 08:03     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Disagree. I think she was the best principal my kids had during their time in MCPS. She’s direct, efficient, and gets stuff done. She’s not a mealy mouthed do-nothing bureaucrat like so many other school officials.


She’s focused on equity over everything else. She certainly is direct about that. She can barely hide her disdain for certain types of people. If your kid has special needs, she’s great. Otherwise, be prepared to do most teaching at home.


For ES, that is the WHOLE of MCPS


Even more so since McKnight took over. It's all about equity which seems to mean all but a select few are thrown under the bus.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2023 08:02     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:Hi- can anyone familiar with Bethesda public schools help me identify the best elementary schools in the area? Any rankings or commentary would be appreciated! Thanks in advance


They're all pretty much the same. The rest is splitting hairs.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2023 06:57     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Disagree. I think she was the best principal my kids had during their time in MCPS. She’s direct, efficient, and gets stuff done. She’s not a mealy mouthed do-nothing bureaucrat like so many other school officials.


She’s focused on equity over everything else. She certainly is direct about that. She can barely hide her disdain for certain types of people. If your kid has special needs, she’s great. Otherwise, be prepared to do most teaching at home.


For ES, that is the WHOLE of MCPS


It's actually not. But if you're so dissatisfied, you have other options... Homeschool, private school, online school.

But whining on DCUM is so much more rewarding than raising my kids!
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2023 23:05     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:They all great schools but size is the big difference. you should consider your child's needs when deciding between schools. The bigger schools tend to be less personal, and there's more competition for things like the parent organized sports teams. But the bigger schools have more diversity so a quirky kid may find they fit in there more and your social kid may enjoy meeting more people.

The smaller schools can have a wonderful small town community feel to them. The main drawback is that some are so small that the kids and interests tend to be very similar so if your child does not fit that mold it may be more difficult to fit in. It's the same for parents. If you don't fit a certain mold you may find it harder to click with other parents.

All the PTAs are really active with strong leadership. I'm sure some more cliquey than others but it probably varies from year to year.


I will just say Rosemary Hills probably has the most classes of any school because it is only k-2 but we really liked it.

Because it is only k-2 the entire school is focused around the needs of small kids and there was a lot of investment of time and effort by parents to make those early years a success.

Of course some people will tell you to avoid it because it is only k-2 ….
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2023 21:41     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Disagree. I think she was the best principal my kids had during their time in MCPS. She’s direct, efficient, and gets stuff done. She’s not a mealy mouthed do-nothing bureaucrat like so many other school officials.


She’s focused on equity over everything else. She certainly is direct about that. She can barely hide her disdain for certain types of people. If your kid has special needs, she’s great. Otherwise, be prepared to do most teaching at home.


For ES, that is the WHOLE of MCPS


It's actually not. But if you're so dissatisfied, you have other options... Homeschool, private school, online school.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2023 21:35     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Disagree. I think she was the best principal my kids had during their time in MCPS. She’s direct, efficient, and gets stuff done. She’s not a mealy mouthed do-nothing bureaucrat like so many other school officials.


She’s focused on equity over everything else. She certainly is direct about that. She can barely hide her disdain for certain types of people. If your kid has special needs, she’s great. Otherwise, be prepared to do most teaching at home.


For ES, that is the WHOLE of MCPS
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2023 21:33     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:Anyone know how much recess kids are getting during the school day in these schools?


Usually 30 minutes. But it can vary by school.
Anonymous
Post 05/11/2023 21:30     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anyone know how much recess kids are getting during the school day in these schools?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 11:27     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Focus on the high school, not the elementary.

We're at Wood Acres and are generally happy with the school. We wanted Whitman.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 09:10     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Completely disagree. It's known as the most welcoming for kids of all backgrounds and abilities, much more so than many of the other Bethesda schools.



How can you possibly completely disagree with it being overcrowded?


Disagree that it's the worst of the bunch and that there are many problem teachers and that the principal is awful.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 09:09     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
All are great. Can't go wrong with any but I would group them this way.

Close to Rockville schools which are large, more diverse: Wyngate/Ashburton

More transient than others due to apartments nearby with lots of embassy staff, known for special needs program: Bethesda

Larger school: Wood Acres

Small/er schools with similar cultures, very white: Bannockburn/Carderock/Bradley Hills/Burning Tree
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 09:08     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Completely disagree. It's known as the most welcoming for kids of all backgrounds and abilities, much more so than many of the other Bethesda schools.



How can you possibly completely disagree with it being overcrowded?
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 09:03     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary is definitely the worst of the bunch. It's overcrowded, has many problem teachers, and has an awful Principal. There are still some great teachers there, and the quality of the families and kids they bring keeps it afloat, but it's not good.


Completely disagree. It's known as the most welcoming for kids of all backgrounds and abilities, much more so than many of the other Bethesda schools.
Anonymous
Post 05/08/2023 09:01     Subject: Public Bethesda Elementary schools- best schools are..?
Anonymous wrote:Wyngate has a really great family community. The parents sponsor a lot of extra activities like multi-cultural night and the science fair that are great for the kids and really foster community. I was surprised when I moved in, expecting the usual mix of lawyers and policy wonks, but there are a ton of research scientists that work at NIH or some of the pharma companies, and also a ton of foreign (mostly European and South American but some Asian) families that work at embassies, the World Bank and IMF. Which makes it diverse in a different kind of way.

As noted upthread, the principal is leaving and a new one is being hired. There has been a lot of teacher turnover in the past couple of years, but many of the team leads are still there and are very strong (including K, 2 and 3). Probably half of the teachers have been there for a long time. I think all of the schools are having turnover problems, though.

I think Wyngate and Ashburton are also a smidge more economically diverse than some of the other Bethesda schools. We have some military families who are posted at Walter Reed, a lot of government workers, and also a fair number of parents who work at non-profits. So that won't show up in the FARMS numbers, but it is more middle class income than you often find in Bethesda.

I did hear that Wyngate's old priincipal, who is great, is heading to Somerset.


I think this is correct about the economic diversity and the schools closer to Rockville. The schools along River Road tend to have more similar families.