Looking for great elementary schools... (Ellicott City, Bethesda: 2009, price, moving to)

[Lindiac]

Our family is moving to the DC area for a new job in Greenbelt. I need to find some great elementary schools to visit, so I can decide where to start looking for housing. I am a teacher and to be honest I don't really care about test scores. The more important factor is how supportive the staff is and how students treat each other. The commute is not that much of a concern, but ideally should be under 1 hour. We visited Clarksville and liked it but housing in our price range is harder to find there. What other great elementary schools are there? I'd love to have a simple list of names for starters...

[Dreamy46]

Originally Posted by Lindiac

Our family is moving to the DC area for a new job in Greenbelt. I need to find some great elementary schools to visit, so I can decide where to start looking for housing. I am a teacher and to be honest I don't really care about test scores. The more important factor is how supportive the staff is and how students treat each other. The commute is not that much of a concern, but ideally should be under 1 hour. We visited Clarksville and liked it but housing in our price range is harder to find there. What other great elementary schools are there? I'd love to have a simple list of names for starters...

You can get the names of the schools and the test scores you don't want off of this site:

2009 Maryland Report Card

[Lindiac]

Yes, I've seen the list... but which ones do people recommend???

[bowian]

For Prince George's, I would go to the schools website and find the "autonomy zone" schools. Those are the ones where the principals have more say over how their school is run, because of good performance (test scores and otherwise). Staff may be more supportive at such a school, and morale and retention may be higher. I have found that the elementary chools in Bowie (Whitehall, Tulip Grove, Heather Hills), Beltsville, Uiversity Park, specialized schools (Goddard montessori and french immersion, Glenarden Woods), etc. are in the autonomy zone.

Look for schools where there isn't much turnover for teachers. Also, Title I schools also may be a good option. I know of one -- Robert Frost -- that seems well-run and successful. I'm sure there are others.

Good luck.

[Lindiac]

Thanks, I will look into those schools for Prince George's Co. Any suggestions about Montgomery Co, Howard Co or Frederick elementary schools? Does anyone know anything about New Market? (Another one I've seen lots of positive comments about?)

[live_strong28]

Originally Posted by Lindiac

Our family is moving to the DC area for a new job in Greenbelt. I need to find some great elementary schools to visit, so I can decide where to start looking for housing. I am a teacher and to be honest I don't really care about test scores. The more important factor is how supportive the staff is and how students treat each other. The commute is not that much of a concern, but ideally should be under 1 hour. We visited Clarksville and liked it but housing in our price range is harder to find there. What other great elementary schools are there? I'd love to have a simple list of names for starters...

Stick to Western Montgomery Cty. (Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, etc.). You won't regret it.

PG is notorious in this area for it's terrible school system and leadership, so tread carefully if you must consider PG.

[bowian]

To the OP, check out all the schools for yourself, and make the best decision for you and your family. The schools I pointed out to you are not terrible. In fact, www.schooldigger.com has updated its site for the 2009 Maryland MSAs. Although test scores are not the be-all and end-all for you, you will see some of the schools I listed above are in the 100 for Maryland elementaries, and others rank decently. The school population numbers may be a bit dated, but scores should be current. From there, you can narrow your list based on all the Maryland schools. Additionally, www.greatschools.net can provide some information on Maryland schools.

I don't have much info on Howard or Montgomery Schools, but you will find similar statistical information about them from the sites I mentioned above. Other posters here also speak highly of Anne Arundel and Calvert County public schools.

[newhart]

Since you mentioned Howard County, I have personal experience with Northfield ES in Ellicott City, located near Rts 29 and 100. Almost everyone I know loves that school, primarily because of the staff. It has a very high percentage of PTA members, often an indicator of parent involvement in the school. It's an older school, built in 1968, had been rehabbed a couple of times, and an addition is currently being built which will make it the first green school in the county.