Moving to Baltimore (City) with a 3 year old

Submitted by Independent-Key-666 t3_10p67kn in baltimore

Hi everyone,

Newish Reddit member here. We moved to DC from Europe last year for work, but its really not for us. We both work remotely, but have to be in the office 1/2 days per week. We have seriously been considering buying in Baltimore and have already viewed 5 or 6 houses over the past couple of months.

I think i'm fine with the train 2 days per week, but the niggling doubt i have is over the schools.

The school system where i'm from is much more straightforward. i.e. you just send your kids to the local primary/elementary school and you can be fairly confident they will get a good level of education.

The U.S. system is more complicated to me. So, if i move to Baltimore, can i send my kids to the local public school or do i need to factor in private education costs? What about charter schools?

The neighborhoods we have been looking in so far are around Penn Station, Otterbein and Fed Hill.

Grateful for any advice!

Update: thanks everyone, very helpful.

PS apologies for posting another 'moving to Baltimore' type post. I just noticed in the rules thread that people are getting a bit tired of answering these type of questions.

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Crlady t1_j6iqwor wrote

I live near Penn Station. I wouldn’t send my kid to public schools for K-5 but if your child is 3 they can do preK anywhere. It will cost money, of course.

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zinniasinorange t1_j6itzpx wrote

We live in Mt Vernon and my step daughter goes to Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School. They have prek3 and 4, although the 3 may only be half-day (she was at another place for that). In Baltimore, charter schools are run by the school system, which makes them much more reliable than in other cities. It was a lottery to get into the school, but it wasn't too difficult, and it is really a great school. Other people love Roland Park elementary, and you could probably live somewhere zoned for that school and commute pretty easily.

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Expendable_Red_Shirt t1_j6izyqb wrote

I’d encourage you to look at Medfield. It’s a cute and safe residential neighborhood and the elementary is a good one.

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B-More_Orange t1_j6j1egc wrote

Of those options, I'd stick to Federal Hill/Otterbein if you'd prefer not to pay for private school. Federal Hill prep is one of the best elementary schools in the city. Some of the other good elementary schools are in Medfield, Canton, Mount Washington and Roland Park, but it seems like you're trying to stick around the train station corridors. There are always options like living in Mount Washington and taking the light rail to Penn Station for the train or living in Canton and driving to Halethorpe for the train if any priorities change.

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megalomike t1_j6j317e wrote

you can move anywhere in baltimore and send your child to the neighborhood public school at no cost. you may or may not find the school acceptable. You can apply for a spot in a public charter school, which may have residential criteria or may not. public charters are also free. you can attempt to select a public elementary school and enroll your child out of zone. this is free but not guaranteed. you can enroll your child in a private school and pay tuition. the quality is likely to be up to your standards but it is also very expensive.

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emersonkingsley t1_j6j91gt wrote

LiveBaltimore has useful resources and a woman who can answer questions: https://livebaltimore.com/resident-resources/schools/

If you move into Bolton Hill (one of the MARC-adjacent neighborhoods), message me and I can share how parents here are navigating preK and elementary. There are good option, including the local public. 👍🏼

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Ok_Spray_2317 t1_j6juzw6 wrote

It is more complicated than other places, but certainly doable. There are lots of good elementary schools, middle can be a little tougher and then some great choices again for high school- in general kids apply to high schools and can go wherever they get in, there isn't really zoning for high school. A couple others not mentioned yet- Hampstead Hill (Canton), Francis Scott Key (locust point), Thomas Johnson (south baltimore), Midtown and Mt Royal (Bolton Hill). It's also often possible to get your kid in a school out of zone if there is room. No guarantees but I know plenty of people who have had success.

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babysonfirebmore t1_j6l1ezt wrote

Just want to say that we made the move from DC a while back and now have a toddler and tiny one. We couldn't be happier and plan on sending the kids to public schools. Happy to chat separately about any questions you might have. We really love it here and plan to be here permanently.

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