Definitely Janney.

Anonymous wrote:Charters are not a sure thing, they get shut down, lose funding, a bit risky to make a major family move.

I doubt the ones getting shut down are the ones OP is interested in. Getting into a sought after charter is the more likely problem. But agree completely that charters are risky as a complete school strategy because you may not get one you want.

Charters are not a sure thing, they get shut down, lose funding, a bit risky to make a major family move.

I would be in-bounds in my old home town. Can't wait to get there.

While I'm stuck here. . .Oyster (because I do want my child to learn a second language if at all possible, and doing it for free is awesome).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wilson or the cluster schools on the Hill.

Cluster schools aren't as good as some imagine them to be. Most middle-class families bail on Watkins around 3rd grade.

I am the pp you quoted. Just because a school isnt a good fit for your kid doesent mean it's not a good fit for someone else. I know about the cluster schools because I have 1 kid in there now and one who was in there, now somewhere else and considering moving him back.

We were in a similar situation to OP, and chose Oyster-Adams, given bilingual ed is key for us.

Were that not the case, we'd have chosen Janney. Both schools are great, next to red line, and with great neighbours.

Shepherd Elementery!! Very good school and feeds to Deal.

Bancroft would be a good bet. Only decent bilingual program in the city aside from O-A.

Anonymous wrote:
Brent is a good dcps school and its neighborhood is an a+ for quality of life. Metro, dc landmarks, riverfront, kids sports leagues, cool restaurants, eastern market, libraries, ballpark, playgrounds, fun people, art and theater venues all within blocks of your home. The only thing it doesn't have is good shopping. But who cares? That's what malls are for, and fortunately we have none of those.

Malls??? Only Mall I care to visit has Lincoln solemnly overlooking it!

Amazon Prime it up, baby!!

And yeah, Brent rocks. So does Maury.

Anonymous wrote:Stoddert for elementary.
Great and firendly teachers, very international atmosphere.

We were quite unahappy in our in boundary school about 2 miles away from Stoddert. The difference was so much, we thought we were in a different school system.

+1 for Stoddert. Parents are also very friendly.

Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I would visit Brent. My sons are there and we love the school. It is my greatest hope that we can keep them there through 5th grade. There is a music program, a band, a great art teacher, a Chinese elective, wonderful field trips, an energetic principal and fantastic classroom teachers. I work in the burbs so I have many friends with kids in fairfax schools and a few in montgomery county, and none of them are as passionate about their elementary school as my family is. Also the parent community and the Brent building are both exceptional. I have seen zero teacher burn out at Brent. Everyone knows my sons - the Principal greets them by name. There is some diversity and also some kids with special needs who seem to be included and provided support in a really nice way.

Brent is a good dcps school and its neighborhood is an a+ for quality of life. Metro, dc landmarks, riverfront, kids sports leagues, cool restaurants, eastern market, libraries, ballpark, playgrounds, fun people, art and theater venues all within blocks of your home. The only thing it doesn't have is good shopping. But who cares? That's what malls are for, and fortunately we have none of those.

Stoddert for elementary.
Great and firendly teachers, very international atmosphere.

We were quite unahappy in our in boundary school about 2 miles away from Stoddert. The difference was so much, we thought we were in a different school system.

If I were you, I would visit Brent. My sons are there and we love the school. It is my greatest hope that we can keep them there through 5th grade. There is a music program, a band, a great art teacher, a Chinese elective, wonderful field trips, an energetic principal and fantastic classroom teachers. I work in the burbs so I have many friends with kids in fairfax schools and a few in montgomery county, and none of them are as passionate about their elementary school as my family is. Also the parent community and the Brent building are both exceptional. I have seen zero teacher burn out at Brent. Everyone knows my sons - the Principal greets them by name. There is some diversity and also some kids with special needs who seem to be included and provided support in a really nice way.

I'd recommend Oyster, if you are interested in a bilingual education. The area is nice, you are close to the Metro, and it's a decent elementary school if you are interested in a bilingual education. Both my kids are fluent Spanish-speakers even though it is not spoken in our home.

Also, if you are considering private, you will be close to many of them if you live in the Woodley-Friendship corridor.

I agree that depending on a charter school is bad advice. Just do a search on the DCPS school lottery and you will find the lottery process to be stressful and disappointing for many families.

I don't know anything about MoCo schools, so I cannot give any advice about them. There is a MoCo section on this site that you could search for input from MoCo parents that might help you with your decision.

Good luck.

Maury or Brent - love the Hill.