Anonymous wrote:HHI: less than $100K
House: $350K
Occupations: higher ed & part-time freelance writer
Live in Silver Spring, DCC
Child in public schools
Am I satisfied with the public schools? Yes, broadly speaking. I see all this hand-wringing on DCUM about how the W schools are so coveted, and that eastern MoCo schools are iffy.
What I never understand about this is: MCPS is one single school system. They have the same curriculum, how different can it be? Yes, I'm sure there are far more poor kids in public school in Silver Spring than in Bethesda, and that can have an effect on the overall school climate. The wealthier schools are an easier gig, so you may get more senior teachers there.
In my view, part of the effect of being in non-elite public school is good (socio-economic diversity, exposure to poor kids, non-English speaking kids, etc), and part of it is bad (teachers and schools need to focus on more basic needs and remedial/ESOL instruction). If I could afford bethesda, I'd consider moving there "for the schools", as people say. But while being among the well-off has advantages, I also expect it has disadvantages: comparing self to more wealthy peers and wanting more materially; Ivy-league goals leading to high pressure to succeed, which can be unhealthy pressure for some kids.
If I were wealthy, I might consider private school to get a more supportive, holistic, creative education, vs the standardized testing focus of public schools today.
It's not actually different. The teachers and curriculum are the same. The same cohorts do almost identical on standardized tests. Bottom line your kid will get the same education regardless of where they are. The rest is just a false narrative to intended to fluff real-estate values.