Montclair elementary school tours started at 9:00 a.m. this morning.
I went to my first one, and I’m still alive.
Barely.
As I said before, all of the elementary schools are great, and every parent I know likes the school her child ends up in. But after touring just one, Northeast, I’m starting to understand why parents get crazy about the “choice” process.
I thought Northeast was a perfect fit for my child, and as a former art teacher, I loved their art program. But ultimately, I may not get in. Northeast, our system’s smallest elementary school, only has 25 open spots for incoming students. According to the Registrar’s office at the Board of Education, Montclair is expecting about 500 incoming kindergarten students next school year. So the odds of getting one of the 25 spots are pretty slim. I’m going to keep reminding myself not get too emotionally attached, so I won’t be disappointed come July. I repeat in my head: All of the schools are great. Right?
But who knows what will happen on my journey? Maybe I’ll like the one I’m touring tomorrow even better. After all, Northeast does have a super early start time.
Did you tour today? What did you think?
Today I heard that Watchung has only 17 spots that are not already promised to siblings.
Edgemont is the smallest school, not Northeast. That was a plus, in addition to it being Montessori, in choosing it for my son. I heard they have 30 spots available.