Osetiya

Osetiya t1_j3f5jax wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in New to the area. Thinking long term: Which hcpss high schools are the best/worst? I am factoring in academics, safety, diversity, etc. by One-Love88

My friend taught at Hammond High School and later switched to Broadneck High School in Anne Arundel County, which is one of the “best” schools there.

When I asked her how she liked teaching at Broadneck, she told me she liked it but that she was shocked by how behind the curriculum in Anne Arundel County was compared to HCPSS schools. She said she was used to students in the grade levels she was teaching having already been through more advanced content than she was teaching them.

HCPSS schools set their students up to be geniuses. Some of the schools serve more disadvantaged students, and you may see lower test scores at those schools compared to test scores at River Hill, Marriotts Ridge, Atholton, and Centennial, but all the schools are equipped with some of the best teachers, the best resources, and numerous opportunities to exceed. The curriculum has very high expectations for students. There are equity and access issues in HCPSS, like any other school district in the country, and they do need to make strides in those areas, but you really can’t beat out HoCo’s quality of life.

Columbia is proof that people with different income levels can live in a thriving area together, rich with opportunities, amenities, and still have safety and top schools. It accomplished something people in other MD counties think is impossible.

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Osetiya t1_j3cueo3 wrote

Reply to Possibly Moving to Columbia from Central PA by [deleted]

  1. Yes. In fact, one of the best places to raise a family in the country.

  2. It really depends on who you ask. If you ask people from outside of Howard County, they will probably say “rich,” “expensive,” and “bougie.” People from the most expensive enclaves within Howard County where nearly every house is a $900k+ McMansion might call Columbia “sketchy,” and that’s only because people in Howard County are extremely sheltered from blighted areas, as the county doesn’t have any areas like that. One time someone told me that Elkridge is Howard County’s version of Glen Burnie, which is a ridiculous statement when the median household income in Elkridge is well above $100k, the poverty rate in Glen Burnie is much much higher, and the economic activity is much lower.

So, long story short, because Howard County is highly affluent and has little poverty compared to other areas, even upper-middle-class towns get called “sketchy” on the occasion cause the residents don’t know what true poverty and blight looks like. Columbia is a thriving upper-middle-class area with good socio-economic diversity. Columbia is the type of place where you can have a $700k single family home right next to a row of townhomes or apartments. Take a drive through Phelps Luck, and you’ll see large brand new $1M+ McMansions on Arnolds Ct, older but cute $600k colonials on matured streets, townhomes, and apartments all on the same street.

  1. No, not really.

  2. The school system Columbia belongs to (Howard County Public Schools) is one of the best in the entire country, and (along with Montgomery County Public Schools) is the best school system in all of Maryland. The biggest reason families move to Columbia and the rest of Howard County is for their public schools.

  3. It is, but I would add an extra ten to fifteen minutes on that commute due to traffic during rush hour. However, there are other areas in Howard County that could provide a shorter commute to Rockville which you should also consider—such as Laurel, Fulton, Maple Lawn, Clarksville, and Glenwood.

  4. I don’t live in Columbia, but I’m in the area often and know a lot about it. From what I hear among residents of Columbia, the Columbia Association (which maintains the numerous parks and recreation spaces Columbia has to offer) can be pretty hefty in price. Another common complaint is that there’s bad traffic in the area.

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