Anonymous wrote:I'd rather do private over MCPS. MCPS is not impressive at all.

I have been very disappointed with the great "W" school. So many folks told us how "great" it was before she even started.

For us, it has been awful. Teachers who don't explain, can't teach, poor math instruction, even worse science instruction, few labs, a Biology teacher who scared her out of that subject as a freshman, teachers who don't show up.

I got tutors for Physics, Chemistry AND Math (all four years)

DC can focus and learn and thankfully isn't ADHD. I can't imagine doing this with learning challenges.

We are finally leaving this year and on to college. I just hope college is better. Praying for that.

Don't know if private is any better or not. Often wish we had explored it.

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Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three and I now have kids in MCPS.

There is no comparison. A top private is so much better at the high school level. Send your kids to public elementary and then to private high school. I’m neutral on junior high - I’d say public except it’s harder to get in to private for high school. Maybe apply the oldest for junior high and then try to have the younger unrest ride her coat tails to get into high school.

Not at HS level. MCPS is definitely better at HS level.

To be fair, PP said top private.

No public is going to compare to Phillips Exeter or Groton or St. Pauls

Not in STEM. The top public schools leave the top private schools in the dust when it comes to STEM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three and I now have kids in MCPS.

There is no comparison. A top private is so much better at the high school level. Send your kids to public elementary and then to private high school. I’m neutral on junior high - I’d say public except it’s harder to get in to private for high school. Maybe apply the oldest for junior high and then try to have the younger unrest ride her coat tails to get into high school.

Not at HS level. MCPS is definitely better at HS level.

To be fair, PP said top private.

No public is going to compare to Phillips Exeter or Groton or St. Pauls

Anonymous wrote:We left DCPS to go to MCPS and then left MCPS when the oldest got to Middle School

MS is definitely the weakest link in MCPS.

We left DCPS to go to MCPS and then left MCPS when the oldest got to Middle School

Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three and I now have kids in MCPS.

There is no comparison. A top private is so much better at the high school level. Send your kids to public elementary and then to private high school. I’m neutral on junior high - I’d say public except it’s harder to get in to private for high school. Maybe apply the oldest for junior high and then try to have the younger unrest ride her coat tails to get into high school.

Not at HS level. MCPS is definitely better at HS level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three and I now have kids in MCPS.

There is no comparison. A top private is so much better at the high school level. Send your kids to public elementary and then to private high school. I’m neutral on junior high - I’d say public except it’s harder to get in to private for high school. Maybe apply the oldest for junior high and then try to have the younger unrest ride her coat tails to get into high school.

Many of the privates are not comparable in math. We tried to move our MS child and they couldn't stay on the same math track as MCPS as MCPS let our child start Algebra in 6th.

Which is a mistake. There is no good reason to do that.

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Anonymous wrote:MCPS elementary schools (near DC - further out may be different but I don't know) have big class sizes. 23 kids is very common in K with 1 teacher and a floating aid shared among several K classes. We moved to MD for the schools and are still doing private elementary to get a smaller class. Not sure what we will do for middle school as it seems bad everywhere but am excited to have excellent high schools in MCPS.

That's not true. I live 50 years from the DC line and my kids ES was a focus school and typically had 15-16 kids in their K-2 classes.

^ yards not years

Focus schools and Title 1 have smaller classes. In other schools you an have up to 27 in K.

Right, but none of that has to do with being an MCPS school near the DC line. We're in Silver Spring, inside the Beltway, and our first grader's class is 13 kids. If you want a small class look for a Focus on Title I school; they're not hard to find.

Ummm, focus and title I schools are not something to actively seek. The class sizes are smaller for a reason.

My inside the beltway Bethesda elementary kids are in classes of 19 (first grade) And 20 (third grade).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a big three and I now have kids in MCPS.

There is no comparison. A top private is so much better at the high school level. Send your kids to public elementary and then to private high school. I’m neutral on junior high - I’d say public except it’s harder to get in to private for high school. Maybe apply the oldest for junior high and then try to have the younger unrest ride her coat tails to get into high school.

I’m surprised you can say that categorically. How do you think your private school education compares to the Blair magnet, for example?

I love the way Blair magnet is always pushed on stage, like an old war horse or talisman for an utterly failing school system.

Yeah for the 25 kids who matriculated from Takoma Middle with mom volunteering in class Blair Magnet IS wonderful. For the 190,000 (plus 40,000 ghost students from the Northern Triangle) Blair Magnet is a nothing burger.

Anonymous wrote:We moved for the schools. We are in the BCC cluster, and it is fine but not great. Definitely stronger than the EOTP DCPS though. If I could do it over again I would have stayed in DC and done private.

This.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS elementary schools (near DC - further out may be different but I don't know) have big class sizes. 23 kids is very common in K with 1 teacher and a floating aid shared among several K classes. We moved to MD for the schools and are still doing private elementary to get a smaller class. Not sure what we will do for middle school as it seems bad everywhere but am excited to have excellent high schools in MCPS.

That's not true. I live 50 years from the DC line and my kids ES was a focus school and typically had 15-16 kids in their K-2 classes.

^ yards not years

Focus schools and Title 1 have smaller classes. In other schools you an have up to 27 in K.

Right, but none of that has to do with being an MCPS school near the DC line. We're in Silver Spring, inside the Beltway, and our first grader's class is 13 kids. If you want a small class look for a Focus on Title I school; they're not hard to find.

Ummm, focus and title I schools are not something to actively seek. The class sizes are smaller for a reason.