I'd suggest Takoma Park as well. They have a STEM focus in early elementary and are one of the only schools in MCPS to do pull out math differentiation in the early grades.

Prince William and Anne Arundel counties are not within easy commuting distance to DC...and the schools there aren't better than the counties surrounding DC.

If you want STEM for your 5 year old, you need to focus on afterschool/weeknd enrichment programs and activities.

Ironically when I went to Marshall it seems like it was the county's dumping ground. How things have changes...

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks to everyone for the specific, helpful responses. I'm making a list of schools and school systems off this thread to start looking into, to guide our house search. Again, we're interested in a well-rounded school system (commuting distance from DC) that has a strong, engaging STEM focus to take us from kindergarten up. Hoping for a good public option, but open to exploring privates.

If anyone has personal experience with these programs, I'd love to hear more about them:

Prince William County --

*School systems in Bristow, Gainesville, and Haymarket
*Benton Middle School and Colgan High (which elementary schools feed in to these and how are they?)
*Governor's School @ GMU (Prince William County) (what lower schools tend to feed into this?)

Anne Arundel County --

*School systems in Severna Park, Broadneck, and South River

Private / NoVa --

*Nysmith

Thanks again everyone!

No schools "feed" into the Governor's school. It is an application program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks to everyone for the specific, helpful responses. I'm making a list of schools and school systems off this thread to start looking into, to guide our house search. Again, we're interested in a well-rounded school system (commuting distance from DC) that has a strong, engaging STEM focus to take us from kindergarten up. Hoping for a good public option, but open to exploring privates.

If anyone has personal experience with these programs, I'd love to hear more about them:

Prince William County --

*School systems in Bristow, Gainesville, and Haymarket
*Benton Middle School and Colgan High (which elementary schools feed in to these and how are they?)
*Governor's School @ GMU (Prince William County) (what lower schools tend to feed into this?)

Anne Arundel County --

*School systems in Severna Park, Broadneck, and South River

Private / NoVa --

*Nysmith

Thanks again everyone!

A few elementary schools feed into Benton. IMO, Marshall is the best.

The superintendent of PWCS' daughter attended Marshall, Benton, and Colgan, if that tells you anything.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks to everyone for the specific, helpful responses. I'm making a list of schools and school systems off this thread to start looking into, to guide our house search. Again, we're interested in a well-rounded school system (commuting distance from DC) that has a strong, engaging STEM focus to take us from kindergarten up. Hoping for a good public option, but open to exploring privates.

If anyone has personal experience with these programs, I'd love to hear more about them:

Prince William County --

*School systems in Bristow, Gainesville, and Haymarket
*Benton Middle School and Colgan High (which elementary schools feed in to these and how are they?)
*Governor's School @ GMU (Prince William County) (what lower schools tend to feed into this?)

Anne Arundel County --

*School systems in Severna Park, Broadneck, and South River

Private / NoVa --

*Nysmith

Thanks again everyone!

A few elementary schools feed into Benton. IMO, Marshall is the best.

Anonymous wrote:I will never understand what motivates people to post such odd, catty responses. We're looking for a solid, well rounded school system for our kids. I'm not sure why that's something you'd take issue with, much less waste your time reading about or posting criticisms of....

I didn't post anything snarky, but really all schools should be able to handle a stem interested kid. Do you really think a kid can't get into stem based on the elementary school they attend? The fact that you're trying to find the best of the best which really just means the richest of the richest for a kindergarten just shows me how narrow a mind you have.

Tysons has Basis McLean
Rockville has Feynman School

Both privates

Anonymous wrote:I will never understand what motivates people to post such odd, catty responses. We're looking for a solid, well rounded school system for our kids. I'm not sure why that's something you'd take issue with, much less waste your time reading about or posting criticisms of....

If you have the budget, go with a McLean HS feeder. Great school and great location for commuting to most work areas in the area. We have lived in the area for 25 years and have worked near Dulles, in Tyson's, in L'Enfant, Bethesda, and downtown. All were livable commutes. Neighbors also commute easily to the Hill, the Pentagon and along the Dulles corridor. A few even bicycle downtown and back fairly regularly.

Anonymous wrote:I'm in nova and the elementary kids super interested in stem all go to nysmith (pre-k - 8th) and then TJ - they have an extensive bus system

Unless they get into AAP

I will never understand what motivates people to post such odd, catty responses. We're looking for a solid, well rounded school system for our kids. I'm not sure why that's something you'd take issue with, much less waste your time reading about or posting criticisms of....

What's the cluster to buy in for a tiger mom?

He's way too young to speculate about this.

OP here - thanks to everyone for the specific, helpful responses. I'm making a list of schools and school systems off this thread to start looking into, to guide our house search. Again, we're interested in a well-rounded school system (commuting distance from DC) that has a strong, engaging STEM focus to take us from kindergarten up. Hoping for a good public option, but open to exploring privates.

If anyone has personal experience with these programs, I'd love to hear more about them:

Prince William County --

*School systems in Bristow, Gainesville, and Haymarket
*Benton Middle School and Colgan High (which elementary schools feed in to these and how are they?)
*Governor's School @ GMU (Prince William County) (what lower schools tend to feed into this?)

Anne Arundel County --

*School systems in Severna Park, Broadneck, and South River

Private / NoVa --

*Nysmith

Thanks again everyone!

Anonymous wrote:I'm in nova and the elementary kids super interested in stem all go to nysmith (pre-k - 8th) and then TJ - they have an extensive bus system

You mean the very rich, kids interested in stem.