I've spoken to several Wootton parents and they've said what's already been said here. These aren't myths perpetuated by real estate agents.
They said if your kid is all academic, not really into music/art, and enjoys a pressure cooker environment, he'll be fine. If you seek more of a balance, go to QO. They said there are drugs readily available with kids having disposable income and little consequence. Honestly these two families wanted out. I think one had a super high achiever but a second kid who was not and really struggled with the Wootton culture.

Personally my kid wouldn't fit in there. And I'm against giving kids whatever they want ($$$) just because grades are good. I think that's a recipe for disaster. See: underage drinking parties and drugs.

Anonymous wrote:Omg, This thread is getting ridiculous.

School A vs School B threads always turn nasty.

OP, trying to get this back on track. Whatever cluster you choose, pay CLOSE attention to the elementary school. Don't make a judgment only based on the high school when your kid isn't even in K yet. In our experience, the quality of the elementary schools in the Wootton cluster varies widely. We stupidly assumed that if we bought in that area, the schools would be comparable. We were wrong, and we now send DC to private. We would have been much better off buying a cheaper house in a less "desirable" school cluster and making the same private school decision.

Omg, This thread is getting ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 12 years away from high school.

Do you realize how much the schools will have changed 12 years from now? I've been teaching for 14 years and the difference in MCPS from my first to this year is remarkable.

There will most definitely be redistricting because of the Downtown crown growth and what is planned on going in in that area. Also, the MCPS curriculum is getting worse and you should see the people who are currently being trained to become administrators and throwing their hats in the ring...oy.

Buy a cheaper home in a kid-friendly neighborhood and send your kid to private.

Signed,
A wootton teacher

I'm glad my kid doesn't go to Wootton HS.

Signed,

An MCPS parent

You should be.
It's awful.

I doubt you're a Wootton teacher.

Signed,

A Wootton Parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are 12 years away from high school.

Do you realize how much the schools will have changed 12 years from now? I've been teaching for 14 years and the difference in MCPS from my first to this year is remarkable.

There will most definitely be redistricting because of the Downtown crown growth and what is planned on going in in that area. Also, the MCPS curriculum is getting worse and you should see the people who are currently being trained to become administrators and throwing their hats in the ring...oy.

Buy a cheaper home in a kid-friendly neighborhood and send your kid to private.

Signed,
A wootton teacher

I'm glad my kid doesn't go to Wootton HS.

Signed,

An MCPS parent

You should be.
It's awful.

Anonymous wrote:You are 12 years away from high school.

Do you realize how much the schools will have changed 12 years from now? I've been teaching for 14 years and the difference in MCPS from my first to this year is remarkable.

There will most definitely be redistricting because of the Downtown crown growth and what is planned on going in in that area. Also, the MCPS curriculum is getting worse and you should see the people who are currently being trained to become administrators and throwing their hats in the ring...oy.

Buy a cheaper home in a kid-friendly neighborhood and send your kid to private.

Signed,
A wootton teacher

I'm glad my kid doesn't go to Wootton HS.

Signed,

An MCPS parent

You are 12 years away from high school.

Do you realize how much the schools will have changed 12 years from now? I've been teaching for 14 years and the difference in MCPS from my first to this year is remarkable.

There will most definitely be redistricting because of the Downtown crown growth and what is planned on going in in that area. Also, the MCPS curriculum is getting worse and you should see the people who are currently being trained to become administrators and throwing their hats in the ring...oy.

Buy a cheaper home in a kid-friendly neighborhood and send your kid to private.

Signed,
A wootton teacher

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But your child is the same kid regardless of which school they attend. I don't believe their changes of a particular college will change. Will they become smarter if they go to Wootton? No..they will just be at a school with wealthier kids who are more likely to get into good schools...won't change their own specific chances.

Maybe not. We did magnet track (no kids at Wootton or QO) for MS and HS. Coming out of MS magnet, a few of DC's friends were not accepted to HS magnets so they ended up going back to home schools. But after 4 years of HS, there was a huge difference in terms of college admissions between the kids who went to magnets vs. kids who went back to home HS. Many magnet HS kids ended up Ivy and top tier schools (or UMD with scholarship) whereas the kids went back to home HS had much less positive results. So, I don't believe PP's statement is correct.

Not surprising given that the magnet kids GOT IN to the magnets while the others were rejected.. Magnet kids obviously showed some strength over the others before HS started.

PP you are responding to... I didn't make my point clear. In the middle school, all of these kids (mine and friends) were in the same group in terms of school performance - top 1/2 maybe but certainly not top 10% group. I was really surprised how they ended up so differently after HS.

We were in your shoes years ago and we chose Wootton. We wanted the nicer house that we could afford in QO and came close to making a purchase. However, in the end we heard mixed things about QO and went with a much smaller house that was a fixer upper in the Wootton cluster. I found the parents in our neighborhood elementary school to be very competitive about their children's academics when my older 2 kids were there. For years, I wished we hadn't moved here. But things seem to have shifted. My youngest is now in the same elementary school and the parents couldn't be any nicer. In his grade there's not the same sense of uber competitiveness. My oldest is now at Wootton and she is very happy. The academic peer pressure is working in our favor as she wasn't a motivated student in middle school. She is now doing well and working hard. I think being surrounded by peers who care about achievement is helpful for her.

PP again...also magnet vs non-magnet got different HS educations. QO college prep/AP track vs Wootton college prep /AP track are going to be very similar curriculum wise.

Aspiring to Dickinson is a path to work at Wendy's.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But your child is the same kid regardless of which school they attend. I don't believe their changes of a particular college will change. Will they become smarter if they go to Wootton? No..they will just be at a school with wealthier kids who are more likely to get into good schools...won't change their own specific chances.

Maybe not. We did magnet track (no kids at Wootton or QO) for MS and HS. Coming out of MS magnet, a few of DC's friends were not accepted to HS magnets so they ended up going back to home schools. But after 4 years of HS, there was a huge difference in terms of college admissions between the kids who went to magnets vs. kids who went back to home HS. Many magnet HS kids ended up Ivy and top tier schools (or UMD with scholarship) whereas the kids went back to home HS had much less positive results. So, I don't believe PP's statement is correct.

Not surprising given that the magnet kids GOT IN to the magnets while the others were rejected.. Magnet kids obviously showed some strength over the others before HS started.

Op here - kid is too young to tell about ambition. Both parents did very well in school (AP, top 30 but not IVY schools) but both of us are underachievers by DCUM standards.. Govt attorney (wanted balance) and Corp (not finance). So while yes, i would be thrilled by kid going to Dartmouth, I wouldn't be crying over going to a nice liberal arts college in PA like Dickenson...

Sounds like QO is a good choice. I want D.C. To enjoy school and join sports/music while doing APs and not need Xanax.

Np here. We live in Travilah Elem/Wootton district and I actually wonder whether our neighborhood will still go to W by the time our kids get there. It's so overcrowded and we are so geographically close to QO. We bought into the W district, but you just never know. Something's got to give in MoCo.