Private Schools in DC: What You Really Need to Know

Private School in DC: What You Really Need to Know Well, you decided that public school in DC, Maryland or Virginia isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I’m shocked. You are wondering if you should look into private schools but have no idea where to start? Fall is the season when everyone does their research and applications are due early in January. Since it’s fall, let’s do this. Disclaimer: When it comes to your real estate transaction, I’m the wizard behind the curtain making sure everything is happening as it should. When it comes to my own life, I don’t exert near the same amount of worry until I have to. Which is exactly how I found myself with a 5th grader with questionable retention skills heading to a problematic public middle school. And like most kids today, she would rather be watching other people live their lives via TikTok. This is all my opinion, based on my experience with DC Public Schools. The Downfall of the Public School and Why People Look at Private School I have loved our elementary school. Stoddert Elementary in Glover Park is an amazing gem which I will always cherish and be grateful for. But can a typical over-crowded elementary school where dozens of different languages are spoken at home, filled with kids with different home lives and abilities, properly prepare everyone for middle school? My answer is no. Now, we’re post-Covid with the added mental health issues affecting many kids, the answer is hell no - unless you have a kid who can keep their head above water and advocate for themselves. If that’s not your child, well, I’ll move over so you can get into this boat with me. Let’s cover “Teach to the Test,” first. Testing in DC Public Schools starts at 3rd grade. When I first heard this term I thought “teach to the test” meant they drilled the material on the test into the heads of the kids while simultaneously covering the rest of the curriculum. I thought wrong. “Teaching to the middle” is another issue. Back in the day like when we were little, the kid who needed special help or those who were ahead were pulled out so their education could be tailored to their needs. In later years, this turns into what is called “tracking.” Then there were Nationwide missives like “No child left behind” and such that resulted in schools keeping kids at all levels in the same class. Teaching to the middle was probably untenable prior to covid, but add in behavior issues, mental health crises and violence pervading the schools and this became a recipe for disaster. Why do People Leave Montgomery County Public Schools? Parents were already not happy with the MCPS track record. There were failures with the implementation of Common Core, then Common Core 2.0 as they called it. In 2018, they engaged John Hopkins to perform an audit where they learned that less than 1/3 of the students understood math for their grade level and less than 1/4 understood English Language Arts for their grade level. Why do People Leave Fairfax County Public Schools? More of the same. Less issues with curriculum and more with the administration. There’s a new Superintendent in place but change takes time, initial sentiment isn’t great and teachers are leaving en masse. Special Education programs are suffering. Last year there was a scandal about the National Merit Scholars not being notified until the end of the year, hampering a huge accomplishment that could have been included on college applications. Doing Your Research Register and set up an account on Ravenna. This is where most applications are managed. You may find schools that are not on Ravenna but most of the larger and more common private school names are on Ravenna. https://www.ravenna-hub.com/login ===== I work with clients from all over the world who are relocating here. Email, call or text anytime, I'm happy to help! Watch more videos 👇👇👇 Virginia Neighborhoods    • VIRGINIA | Neighborhood Tour   Maryland Neighborhoods    • MARYLAND | Neighborhood Tour   DC Neighborhoods    • WASHINGTON DC | Neighborhood Tour   DMV Schools    • SCHOOLS: DC, Maryland & Virginia   Subscribe to my channel here: ✅    / @dcrealestatemama   If you have any questions about this video, leave a comment! If you have questions about real estate in DC, Maryland or Virginia, my contact info is below. ===== Melissa Terzis 📲 (202) 253-9105 📩 [email protected] 🌐 https://www.dcrealestatemama.com/ TTR | Sotheby's International Realty 1515 14th St NW Washington, DC 20005 Office: (202) 234.3344 Melissa Terzis | DC Real Estate Mama