Great private schools & nice living area - if I work in DC? (Washington: renting)

[globalnamaste]

Hi DC,

We are moving to the DC area from Guadalajara Mexico - been down here for two yrs and just got a Fed Job in DC. I know Prince Frederick/Owings MD pretty well, but want to make sure I move into the best possible area for families, schools, quality of life without the big city feel...

Question is - where are the safe and pleasant communities to live in, that also, have the best private schools? I have a daughter who is 6, and her schooling is priority #1 for us. Mind you this will be on a GS14 income... Thanks for any Constructive input.

[laminmd]

There are plenty of excellent private schools in the DC metro area. My advice is to start by narrowing down which school your daughter will attend and then figuring out how much of a commute you are willing to make every day to get her there...as well as how much of a commute you are willing to do for your job. This might mean starting out with renting a place to live, applying to the desired schools, and then selecting from the ones where she is accepted. The advantage of this plan is that you will have a chance to explore various neighborhoods while you are renting without the commitment of buying, and then you can go house hunting once her school choice is finalized. As for communities without a "big city" feel in the DC suburbs, there are many from which to choose. For example, on the Virginia side, there are Falls Church, Vienna, McLean, Arlington, and parts of Alexandria which all might qualify. On the Maryland side, there are Takoma Park, Bethesda, Garrett Park, Potomac, Cabin John, Glen Echo, etc. I think people might be able to give you more helpful suggestions if you included more info about your housing budget and how much time you are willing to spend commuting to school and work.

[Mrs. 14th & You]

You should know before you pursue private schooling that annual tuition is now around $25,000 at all area independent schools. Some parochial schools can be less, however. Tuition assistance is available, but tends to be given to lower income families rather than middle income households.

For a comprehensive list of the area independent schools, go the the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington website here: https://www.aisgw.org/parent_informa...n=list&LinkID=. All of the 84 institutions listed are quite strong. The best one for your family depends on whether you want any religious affiliation, the school culture that you seek, commuting distance (many do not have bus routes), and whether your child has any learning differences.

All of these schools, even the ones in DC, are in very safe neighborhoods. Some are quite beautiful as well. Most of the top-notch schools with name-brand cachet are either in DC or within a 20 minute drive of DC. Also, given their history as elite institutions and the cost of tuition, many are located in residential areas where home prices are quite high. You may have to plan on living further out to meet your need to "get away from the big city feel" and then dropping your child off at school while you are in-bound toward your job in the city.

Admissions are competitive, even with declining enrollment due to the economic downturn. You will want to plan to apply to two or more schools. There is usually testing required for admission as well. You might want to research requirements at your target school to get a sense for whether your child falls within their score range. Depending on her abilities and potential, that may further help you to narrow your school choice.

[GoBulldogs]

Check out a video taken today from the Bullis School - a drum circle that developed right after lunch. Bullis is located in Potomac, Maryland. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AgF2jmXV3Y[/url]

[claremarie]

The best possible areas for families also tend to have the best public school systems (in suburban Maryland and Virginia -- not in DC itself). If you're not familiar with the public school systems in the DC suburbs, you might be in for a pleasant surprise, and decide that an expensive private school is not necessary.

Mrs. 14th above gave you excellent advice on the private school issue. You cannot assume that your daughter will be admitted to the school of your choice, and the school of your choice might not be convenient either to your workplace or the neighborhoods that are within your price range. For whatever reason, there aren't nearly as many private schools (other than Catholic parish schools) in the Virginia suburbs as in DC and Montgomery Co. MD.


But, in general, you'll find that the "best" areas -- best schools, safest neighborhoods, most convenient for commuting -- are also the most expensive areas, and that if your budget is limited you'll have to make tradeoffs, especially in commute time.