Lakewood ES in Rockville is awesome. The Willows (and other nearby communities) feed into Lakewood and have houses in that price range.

-Oh and getting a blue ribbon doesn't guarantee anything (other than the admin was willing to jump through the necessary hoops to get it). Rachel Carson is an overcrowded school with trailers behind it. I'm not saying it's not a good school but it, like any other school, leaves something to be desired.

OP here - thanks so much for all your suggestions. I will give them the names of the areas and start with that.

Whoever suggested Howard County thanks for that - I had told them Montgomery County in Maryland but now I have another county to add I don't have kids yet so I had no idea what to suggest!

Yes I did post in the real estate forum but then I saw that there were forums for Virginia schools and Maryland schools and thought I would post there. This is my first time posting on DC Urban Mom and from what I understand, some people only check certain forums and my guess is that everyone who is active on the school forums has kids and is thus more knowledgeable. I did not know that there were forum police here.

I wonder what area they will end up picking! Thank you all again so much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:West Bethesda is not too urban and you can get large houses for $1.1-1.4m depending on age. Look on Redfin in Mohican hills, wood acres, bannockburn, kenwood hills, cabin john, etc. The community pool culture is great too.

They key to get one at $1.2m will be that it will probably be a 1980s or 1990s build, revisited. New builds go for more.

Nothing that's more than 4500 SF for less than $1.2M any closer than Potomac. I checked.

If you are including the basement then yes, there are Bethesda houses inside the beltway at 5k sf.
They are 3.5k-4k sf excluding the basement. FYI, real esate listings are supposed to exclude the basement in the sq footage figure.

Hence the disclaimer about if you work along the 270 corridor....

OP never said they were commuting to DC.

Several home available closer in without having to go far far out to Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Germantown, etc. Avoid the nightmare commute that is 270 or way out River or along 28 (unless one works along the 270 corridor and it doesn't matter). Here are a few with great elem schools:


Bethesda

Burdette Road
Whitman >>> Howard Co schools

http://www.cbmove.com/property/details/1031265/MLS-MC8118358/8920-Burdette-Road-Bethesda-MD-20817.aspx?SearchID=10990395&RowNum=8&StateID=26&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True&IsSold=False

20814:

http://www.cbmove.com/property/details/1040366/MLS-MC8127375/9506-Edgeley-Road-Bethesda-MD-20814.aspx?SearchID=10990395&RowNum=10&StateID=26&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True&IsSold=False

New home in Bethesda:

http://www.cbmove.com/property/details/1047252/MLS-MC8134189/6308-Lone-Oak-Drive-Bethesda-MD-20817.aspx?SearchID=10990395&RowNum=10&StateID=26&RegionID=0&IsRegularPS=True&IsSold=False

Potomac

http://www.cbmove.com/property/details/784381/MLS-MC7879281/Potomac-MD-20854.aspx?RegionID=0&StateID=26

Anonymous wrote:Look at River Falls, close in Potomac.
When you get far out in Germantown and Gaithersburg, the school quality drops a little.

That neighborhood has essentially track houses from the '70s. You will find something in your range, but it will be a carbon copy of your neighbor's house.

Anonymous wrote:Look at River Falls, close in Potomac.

When you get far out in Germantown and Gaithersburg, the school quality drops a little.

Code for "there are more minorities".

Gaithersburg - Kentlands elementary school is Rachel Carson which is a blue ribbon school.
Pp's random assertions are incorrect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at River Falls, close in Potomac.
When you get far out in Germantown and Gaithersburg, the school quality drops a little.

The school quality drops, for neighborhoods in Germantown and Gaithersburg with 4,500 s.f., $1.2 million dollar houses, compared to what? Could you please provide an example of such a school in Germantown or Gaithersburg vs. such a school in [whatever closer-in area with 4,500 s.f., $1.2 million dollar houses you're thinking of]? And, also, how you know what the quality of those schools is?

Seriously. Are you talking about quality of the schools or just the test scores/ranking on great schools?

Anonymous wrote:Look at River Falls, close in Potomac.
When you get far out in Germantown and Gaithersburg, the school quality drops a little.

The school quality drops, for neighborhoods in Germantown and Gaithersburg with 4,500 s.f., $1.2 million dollar houses, compared to what? Could you please provide an example of such a school in Germantown or Gaithersburg vs. such a school in [whatever closer-in area with 4,500 s.f., $1.2 million dollar houses you're thinking of]? And, also, how you know what the quality of those schools is?