Newbie who loves DC (houses, transfer, elementary school)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think if you read enough of the posts of the people who complain, there is a fundamental disconnect between who they are / what they value and what Washington offers as a city. It's a pretty buttoned down government town that doesn't chase the latest fads (unless they're a political power grab). It draws a lot of powerbrokers, of course. That doesn't suit a lot of people.
DC's really a testament to thoughtful planning - both in its original founding and the use of the Metro to build vibrant, walkable communities that are just perfectly suited as we begin the end of the American automobile era.
Doglover29,
I must say that I agree with you 100%. We have been here 8 months and we are enjoying the area. There are some things I do not like but the positives outweigh the negatives for us.
I am moving to the area with my husband and daughters, and really wish we could live in the city, even picked out our fav neighborhoods. But the schools situation really killed that idea. So we're trying to find the next best thing, and looking at Bethesda. Are there a lot of young couples there do you think? We're in our early 30's too, with one 6-year-old and one 2-year-old.
Youve probably been getting negative replies because of the crime rate these days. Personally, I think the rate has been quite good lately
I think Bethesda would be a good bet. It's a very safe neighborhood, and the schooling around there is top notch. Private schools in DC are very good, but ridiculously expensive. For example, St. Albans School is 27,000 a yr. However, they do offer scholarships.
The problem I've run into with private schools in other cities has not been paying for them, it's been getting in. Even telling them I was willing to pay full-freight, it's been impossible to get a spot anywhere without some sort of connections or whatever. I found an educational consultant for DC, but even she is apparently too important to return my e-mails. So, screw it, I'm giving up on private schools.
The other cities I've lived in (New York and Charlotte) only had tuitions around $15k/yr though. If DC schools have broken through that barrier, then maybe they've actually managed to set their tuition at a level that matches demand, so there aren't insane waiting lists and endless hoops to jump through to apply for a spot for kindergarten?
I don't know if I have the energy to investigate it anymore.
Do you know how many essays I had to write to one particular preschool in Brooklyn? And how many times I had to show up for various info sessions and interviews? At one of those info sessions, one mother asked about tuition assistance and the person giving the tour got a look on her face like the woman had dropped her pants and mooned her.
I always hear this sort of thing: "I wanted to move into the city but the schools killed the deal..." I don't have kids so I really don't know the answer to this, but it seems like with the proliferation of Charter schools over the last 10 years there should be a lot more educational options in DC proper these days. Are all the charter schools lousy? Or do people just assume that because they are in DC, they must be lousy?
Statistically, the charters are not fairing any better (on average) than the DCPS. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides of that equation (meaning that there are a few good charters and a few good public schools in DC).
I heard in interview, or part of an interview, with someone who said she worked setting up a charter school in DC for a while, and DCPS (according to her) was really actively working against her and the other charter schools.
For instance, its hard for charter schools to find physical locations to operate in, and DCPS is stilling on loads of vacant land that it's not using, doesn't want to use, but doesn't want to open up to the charter schools because _______ (fill in the blank -- DCPS doesn't like Charter schools for whatever reason.)
Statistically, the charters are not fairing any better (on average) than the DCPS. Of course, there are exceptions on both sides of that equation (meaning that there are a few good charters and a few good public schools in DC).
Where are these good DC public schools? (I'm not attacking you, I really want to know).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree with you
