If you want a guaranteed placement, then SW DC as Amidon-Bowen elementary, which has a fantastic prek program, is Early Action which means ALL in-boundary students who apply are given a space as long as Amidon-Bowen is ranked higher than other schools you may get into.

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Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

In the past year, 4 homes have sold for over 1 million between Kearney and Taylor Sts. NE, between the railroad tracks and 13th St. Every couple months, someone is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland.

Keep dreaming, REALTOR.

Brookland is cute, but seriously, 1.2M will buy something in a much better neighborhood.

+1. And I love Brookland

Of course there are houses in the 1+ million range in-bounds for better schools than one can find in Brookland. But PP said "Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland" and someone replied with four houses this year that sold for over a million. Nobody is saying OP should buy in Brookland (unless he enters the lottery and gets into a HRCS nearby).

I live in and love Brookland, but there is a lot of dependency on winning the lottery. For OP, doesn't seem the best fit (although I'm with others that not buying and not lotterying is a better approach or just buying for investment purposes). But to the PP who questions whether homes are going over a million, facts are facts. A bunch of homes have gone near or above $1M, with the highest over $1.4 (which was huge and beautiful). I think that trend will continue, and if you look at the money people are putting into homes here many others do too (two homes on Kearny are being totally renovated and look like they will be 3500+ sq ft each, which would probably put them at $1.2 at least based on previously sales). Schools are still a sigbiciant concern, but there's a lot of reasons to be excited about a neighborhood that has a lot of amenities, has single family homes with yards, is metro accessible, and is closer and closer to downtown as the center of downtown leeps moving east (not to mention how much development is going on and planned for NE, including in Ivy City).

There is a Montessori School expanding to have a primary program starting next year -Toddlers on the Hill. It's in Navy Yard/Capitol Waterfront area. That is a really nice area to have little kids (I used to live near by on the Hill) with lots going on. If I was only going to be in DC for three years, I would rent in one of the new buildings down there and go private Montessori.

^^ PS. I wouldn't go Brent w/o a sibling, because you won't get in for PK most likely... but the idea that $1.2 wouldn't buy you a TWO bedroom is not correct. Most families don't want two bedrooms.

Anonymous wrote:Very limited inventory in the smallish Brent catchment, particularly at $1.2 price point. And, to reiterate, IB preference for PK without sibling preference is a real crapshoot. There are charter options like Appletree and possibly Tyler or VanNess it the landscape shifts quickly with demographic changes and new development. Ludlow-Taylor might be worth consideration, as well as the Cluster, but take a look at Shepard Park and Hill East as well. $1.2 won't go as far as you might think.

There is limited inventory in the Brent catchment, but there are definitely 2 BD places to be had for $1.2. Even just looking at Redfin now... way past prime buying months... there are at least 5 places that meet OP's criteria available. $1.2 for a 2 bedroom will let you buy most places; maybe not give you many options in most places... but let you buy.

Anonymous wrote:OP, you really should focus on elementary school if you intend to move BACK to DC, because that will give you the most options when you return (good public OR private) and make your rental house more desirable while you are away.

Chance the lottery for PK3 wherever you land and do private preschool if you don't get in where you want.

PS isn't a necessity. Plenty of families go the nanny/au pair route.

OP, you really should focus on elementary school if you intend to move BACK to DC, because that will give you the most options when you return (good public OR private) and make your rental house more desirable while you are away.

Chance the lottery for PK3 wherever you land and do private preschool if you don't get in where you want.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

In the past year, 4 homes have sold for over 1 million between Kearney and Taylor Sts. NE, between the railroad tracks and 13th St. Every couple months, someone is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland.

Keep dreaming, REALTOR.

Brookland is cute, but seriously, 1.2M will buy something in a much better neighborhood.

+1. And I love Brookland

Of course there are houses in the 1+ million range in-bounds for better schools than one can find in Brookland. But PP said "Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland" and someone replied with four houses this year that sold for over a million. Nobody is saying OP should buy in Brookland (unless he enters the lottery and gets into a HRCS nearby).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

In the past year, 4 homes have sold for over 1 million between Kearney and Taylor Sts. NE, between the railroad tracks and 13th St. Every couple months, someone is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland.

Keep dreaming, REALTOR.

Brookland is cute, but seriously, 1.2M will buy something in a much better neighborhood.

+1. And I love Brookland

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

In the past year, 4 homes have sold for over 1 million between Kearney and Taylor Sts. NE, between the railroad tracks and 13th St. Every couple months, someone is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland.

Keep dreaming, REALTOR.

Brookland is cute, but seriously, 1.2M will buy something in a much better neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:Very limited inventory in the smallish Brent catchment, particularly at $1.2 price point. And, to reiterate, IB preference for PK without sibling preference is a real crapshoot. There are charter options like Appletree and possibly Tyler or VanNess it the landscape shifts quickly with demographic changes and new development. Ludlow-Taylor might be worth consideration, as well as the Cluster, but take a look at Shepard Park and Hill East as well. $1.2 won't go as far as you might think.

I believe Van Ness waitlisted IB kids for PK3 this year so it's not really a possibility for OOB.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

In the past year, 4 homes have sold for over 1 million between Kearney and Taylor Sts. NE, between the railroad tracks and 13th St. Every couple months, someone is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

Um.... No.

There isn't even a decent grocery store for miles a round. Maybe one house in Brookland sold that high, but nobody is seriously paying that much to live in Brookland. Sorry. It's a cute neighborhood, but it ain't all that, yet.

Very limited inventory in the smallish Brent catchment, particularly at $1.2 price point. And, to reiterate, IB preference for PK without sibling preference is a real crapshoot. There are charter options like Appletree and possibly Tyler or VanNess it the landscape shifts quickly with demographic changes and new development. Ludlow-Taylor might be worth consideration, as well as the Cluster, but take a look at Shepard Park and Hill East as well. $1.2 won't go as far as you might think.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Yes - we only care about PK3 and 4. We intend to be in DC only 3 or so years. Language immersion in not important. Since we do have the flexibility to buy almost anywhere in DC, we would love to be strategic about it with regards to schools.

With $1.2M you really don't have the flexibility to buy "almost anywhere in DC". Houses in Brookland are going for $1 million.

You do if you would be happy with 2 or 3 bedrooms as per OP.