Michelle Obama Visits Washington Private Schools

Michelle Obama, the soon-to-be first lady, visited at least two well-known private schools Monday as she and President-elect Obama prepare to move their two young daughters to the White House in January. She toured Georgetown Day School in the morning and Sidwell Friends School, which Chelsea Clinton attended, in the afternoon. In between, she spent about two hours visiting the residential portion of the White House with first lady Laura Bush while their husbands met privately in the Oval Office. It is not clear whether the Obamas will look at other schools, and their staff provided no details.

Ten-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha now attend a private school in Chicago. Sasha will be the youngest White House resident since the Kennedy administration and Washington is full of speculation about where they will attend school, how much they will appear in public, and other details.

One student at Georgetown Day said she hoped the Obama girls would attend there. "It's really our turn," she said, noting that Sidwell Friends had been the presidential family's choice in the past. Another Georgetown Day student said having the Obama girls as classmates would give him "bragging rights" with his friends. Georgetown Day, founded in 1945, was an early pioneer in integration and prides itself on its diversity. The school's Web site says about 35 percent of its estimated 1,000 students are of color.

About four hours later, Michelle Obama arrived at Sidwell Friends. Students gathered outside the private Quaker school and waited near the door with their cell phones, hoping to take pictures and possibly shake her hand. One 15 year-old student said his older brother was a student at Sidwell Friends when Chelsea Clinton attended. President Bill Clinton would go to PTA meetings and other events, he said.

Another private school, the Maret School, would not comment on whether Michelle Obama planned to visit, citing the school's policy of protecting families' privacy. Reporters and TV crews had camped out at Georgetown Day, Sidwell Friends and the Maret School.

There are some public schools in the District of Columbia that the Obamas could consider, including a few in affluent northwest Washington that have been recognized nationally as Blue Ribbon Schools.