Fort Washington-Would you buy a home here? (Potomac: middle school, live in)

[fortwashingtonkid]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

We lived in the Tantallon area for 14 years, raising 2 children, and in all that time, I can't recall meeting one single person who attended Friendly High School (which our area was actually zoned for), nor Surrattsville H.S. And I only knew a handful who attended Oxon Hill High School. Everyone else we knew, either homeschooled, or commuted to private schools several miles away, and in several cases, 3 hours a day to high schools (as I mentioned above). A very bizarre situation, if you ask me.

funny. the athletic director at Howard grew up down the street from me in Fort Washington. we were good friends. He and his 2 siblings went to Fort Washington Forest but then they were all sent to St. Johns starting in middle school. Eugene Burroughs Middle was not a good school even then. All 3 kids ended up being very successful. They had great parents though. Very strict but very involved with high standards.

A lot of the smart kids were going to Walker Mill Middle because of their tag program. Many kids went private in Clinton (I can't remember the name of the school) and in Forestville to McNamara. Carroll, Gonzaga, and Dematha were big in the area too.

Most of my friends did not attend Friendly. Some did though and I remember the stories. I would not send my kids there unless there was MASSIVE improvement. So far it's only gotten worse. It's one of the worst schools in Md. now.

[Enyo]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

There are many good things about the area : the concerts and stage plays at Harmony Hall, the beautiful Fort Park grounds (and also Riverview Road) for outdoor exercise, the Y.M.C.A., the National Colonial Farm, the Hard Bargain Farm festivals, the Henson Creek trail, the excellent library.

It's just strange that so few people there use the public schools. I knew many teenagers (both black, white, and Asian) in the Fort Washington area who commuted 3 hours a day during rush-hour to various private high schools as far away as Rock Creek Park DC (St. Johns), E. Falls Church VA (O'Connell), and St. Mary's County MD (Ryken)- and they kept this up for all 4 years. After such grueling rides, I don't know how they had any time left to study.

I was raised in Fort Washington and went to public school until I was 13, then we went parochial. And, yes, the rides were often long and tedious. We studied on the bus for the most part.

I loved the area. Lots of black professionals to set a good example for me.

[Fast GTO]

Sounds like affluent blacks have given up on public schools.

[Enyo]

Originally Posted by Fast GTO

Sounds like affluent blacks have given up on public schools.

Kind of. A lot of affluent blacks go to private schools, but a lot of them stay for the magnet programs. My sister was in a magnet program at Oxon Hill, got in to a top 20 college, and graduated with honors.

[Fast GTO]

Any projections for the next 5 years with the national harbor growth? IMO schools continue to drag the area down.

[Baghead]

Yes, it's really the only piece of the puzzle missing to make the area values explode.

There has been some small amount of appreciation this year, probably attributable to what the rest of the metro area is doing by comparison.

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by Fast GTO

Any projections for the next 5 years with the national harbor growth? IMO schools continue to drag the area down.

I think the area will experience a small revival given the number of flips coming on the market. Housing will stabilize (values increase slightly) and there will be additional efforts to bring better transportation options to the area. I think you will also see other mixed use projects on the horizon to balance the options in the area.I think Prince George's is primed take advantage of first time buyers (and renters) being priced out of the dc and nova markets. Fort Washington could be in that lane depending on how things go with Mass Transportation.

[Fast GTO]

I agree with the schools being the prime factor dragging down values. Of course if you peel that onion back, are the schools rated poorly because the teachers are bad or the students are struggling due to socio-economic factors in the household? Chicken/egg problem here. Not to mention the high number of free/reduced lunch students...

The most affordable homes in the DC metro area are in Fort Washington area and many of them are pretty good renovations. Add in the new developments in National Harbor and the area could be ripe for a revival in home values in the next 5 years. Especially considering that the area west of 210 is perfectly safe and has a new police station.

But then you have the school and road problems...I think the roads will be fixed if projects can stay on track for 210.

I'm thinking of buying in the area again due to the great access the area has to DC and the affordable homes. But the schools are making me second guess. The home values are good, but will they increase if the schools don't improve? And the schools won't improve if they don't diversify. 90% of the school populations remain African American. That isn't good for any school. I like to see 70/30 or 60/40 splits (Dominant group v. combined minority figure); and before anyone gets up in arms that is the typical split in NOVA until you get into the suburbs. Diversity can come from any sort of mix, and this area lacks diversity right now.

[UrbanScholar]

Originally Posted by Fast GTO

I agree with the schools being the prime factor dragging down values. Of course if you peel that onion back, are the schools rated poorly because the teachers are bad or the students are struggling due to socio-economic factors in the household? Chicken/egg problem here. Not to mention the high number of free/reduced lunch students...

The most affordable homes in the DC metro area are in Fort Washington area and many of them are pretty good renovations. Add in the new developments in National Harbor and the area could be ripe for a revival in home values in the next 5 years. Especially considering that the area west of 210 is perfectly safe and has a new police station.

But then you have the school and road problems...I think the roads will be fixed if projects can stay on track for 210.

I'm thinking of buying in the area again due to the great access the area has to DC and the affordable homes. But the schools are making me second guess. The home values are good, but will they increase if the schools don't improve? And the schools won't improve if they don't diversify. 90% of the school populations remain African American. That isn't good for any school. I like to see 70/30 or 60/40 splits (Dominant group v. combined minority figure); and before anyone gets up in arms that is the typical split in NOVA until you get into the suburbs. Diversity can come from any sort of mix, and this area lacks diversity right now.

In my experiences with the schools in the Fort Washington area, the teachers/administrators are not the problem. Its the kids and the families that they go home to. That's why parents that can send their kids to private schools.

Most understand that when buying in Ft. Washington specifically and PGC in general that you need to factor that into your purchase when buying in the area. Although not a widespread trend I do see more private school buses navigating through my neighborhood. That seems to increase annually.

I think that the area is (slowly) becoming more diverse but a lot of the other ethnic groups that I have seen move in either have young children who are not school age or no children at all. Another hindrance to the area becoming more diverse is the lack of metro. If metro the yellow and green lines already came out here it would be a no brainer That said, I could see a rally call from this group to increase the number of charter/contract schools over then next few years to address the school issues. I could also see that same group becoming more vocal about transportation and that becoming a hot topic in the next election cycle.


It should be noted that many charter school efforts in the southern part of the county have been unsuccessful. My guess due to funding issues.

[Baghead]

Even just starting a family, I wouldn't feel bad about the area elementary school. About around junior high... Hell to the no. But that's still 10 years in the future and most people don't live in their houses that long, despite what they project when they purchase.