Schools -- Whitman, Wootton, vs Walter Johnson? (Bethesda, Rockville: college, live)

[UserName14289]

Schools are far off for us, but I don't want to keep moving, so if I move to the DC area (that decision is still in progress), that will be it until my son graduates college (unless I can get back to somewhere warm), so I'm scouting areas of where I might live. I've lived there before, but there's more to consider now as a mom.

My cousin who has a child 2 weeks older than my son is vying for us to come to Rockville. She's dead set on her daughter going to Wootton.

My childhood best friend with a child 10 months younger than my son is vying for us to come to Bethesda. She doesn't plan to leave there (they've been there for 15 years) because she wants her son to go to Walter Johnson.

However, I was looking at places a little more south in Bethesda and they would be zoned for Whitman.

My concern with Whitman is that it sounds excessively competitive (in an unhealthy way) from some of the parent reviews, whereas, Wooton sounds more balanced.

I know people say that if you go to any of the W's you can't go wrong, however, I want my son to have a balanced life and not be stressed by over-acheiving parents. I think education is important (I graduated college with highest honors), but I also think my son's mental health and work/life balance is equally important.

It's a long shot, but does anyone have experience with any of these schools and can weigh in? My sources are obviously biased. TYIA