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My partner and I are in our late-20s, buying a house in Petworth near the Barnard elementary school district, and considering having kids who will get to be elementary-school-aged sometime in the next 6-9 years, when we hope to still be living in DC and Petworth. I guess we won't know how we'll feel about all this until (as a previous commenter said) we actually have the kids and know their personalities and needs, and see how we react as parents. For now though, I understand that Barnard is highly ranked in terms of elementary schools east of the park, and that seems "good enough" to me. I think middle and high school would likely be trickier. But honestly, what's most important in elementary school is socialization. As educated parents we will read to our children, have books in our home, and likely teach them to read more or less outside of school. We will be able to be involved in their school and provide them with after-school enrichment that we might not be able to afford if we were paying private school tuition as well. So for elementary school (I hope) we'll be fine with the "good enough" neighborhood options, and be pleased to have our kids exposed to and socialized with the cultural, ethnic, educational, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity that comes along with them. And then maybe there will be a great charter school available nearby for middle school, who knows?

by kavakado on Jul 17, 2012 1:34 pm • link • report