Urbana, Poolesville, Clarksburg (Frederick, Rockville, Middletown: buying a house, buying, public schools)

[AZ2016]

My family is recently moving to Frederick due to job relocation. We are looking for place to buy a home. I have a son close to high school age, so a high-quality high school is important to us. We are interested in a few places including Poolesville, Clarksburg and Urbana, which look like with excellent high schools and house price is reasonable. But we are not sure the living there, where seems pretty rural. Others like the commute time also needs to be considered. Comments are much appreciated!

Another question on Poolesville high school, it seems that the Clarksburg kids can test in the magnet program to Poolesville high which gives a possible option by buying a house in Clarksburg. But how to commute would be a question, by school bus? Many thanks in advance!

[homeonthelittlemountain]

Don't rule out Frederick county schools. We live in the Middletown, md cluster and it's very highly rated. Middletown is just west of Frederick. Lovely area. Check it out.

Middletown Schools - Middletown Maryland School Ratings - Public and Private

[AZ2016]

This sounds good, thanks for the information very helpful! We will take Middletown into consideration as well.

[FabulousMaryland]

You mentioned moving to Frederick. Is that where your job will be, or is it a location you chose for commuting and price point? Frederick does seem rural at first glance, and still is an agricultural county, however with the population increase - it has diversified beyond what I am guessing your initial expectations are. It has a fabulous thriving downtown, to which people from DC are regularly drawn. Many have moved to Frederick with the same apprehension you express, and are still enjoying Frederick life, many years later.

It sounds like your main consideration in choosing a home is school. Start from there - links below. Then, please come visit us to get a feel for which location you prefer - after you have narrowed down your school options.

Contact the FCPS or MCPS to find out what transportation options exist for students who don't live on a bus route.

FCPS Transportation:
Transportation

FCPS FAQ's (includes links specific to your questions)
FAQ | Frederick County Public Schools

MCPS - General Transportation and Contact Information
Transportation (Buses) - Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

MCPS - Specifically addresses MAGNET transportation
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/d...amagparent.pdf

I have lived and worked in Montgomery and Frederick Counties for many years, and still do. Please feel free to send a direct message if you have more questions about the area.

My main word of caution would be NOT to choose a location based on a school into which your child *might* test. If school is your number one consideration, find out the boundaries for that district and try your best to live there. Of course, boundaries do change, keep that in mind when asking your questions. The best source of information will be from the contacting the school systems directly; I hope the links lead you to the information you need.

Welcome to MD and Good Luck!!

Originally Posted by AZ2016

My family is recently moving to Frederick due to job relocation. We are looking for place to buy a home. I have a son close to high school age, so a high-quality high school is important to us. We are interested in a few places including Poolesville, Clarksburg and Urbana, which look like with excellent high schools and house price is reasonable. But we are not sure the living there, where seems pretty rural. Others like the commute time also needs to be considered. Comments are much appreciated!

Another question on Poolesville high school, it seems that the Clarksburg kids can test in the magnet program to Poolesville high which gives a possible option by buying a house in Clarksburg. But how to commute would be a question, by school bus? Many thanks in advance!

[AZ2016]

This is extremely helpful. Thanks much for your detailed information!

[FabulousMaryland]

I didn't realize when I initially wrote that you were already in Frederick. Did your son get a special exception to attend Urbana?