NoVa public schools? alexandria or arlington?

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to respond re: the high school boundaries in Arlington as a county native.

My sense is that they are probably pretty similar to what they were 20+ years ago when I was in high school and I think the reason they seem a bit odd is because at that time, a) the county population was much lower, and b) there was not such a massive concentration of housing and people along the Metro line.

Wakefield has always been the designated school for most (all?) of South Arlington (I think maybe a small pocket goes to W-L - maybe in Glencarlyn? or used to) so that leaves Yorktown and W-L to divide everything north of 50.

North North Arlington has always been less densely populated than the center of the county. My neighborhood growing up was even redistricted so that my older sibling went to W-L and I attended Yorktown, I'm guessing in an attempt to lessen the population at W-L and boost the numbers at Yorktown, which at that time was very small (less than 1,000 students).

Also wanted to concur with whoever made the point earlier about North Arlington schools (north of Lee Hwy) being more white/less diverse - while there is less racial/ethnic diversity than central and south Arlington, there are, of course, families of color - they just tend to be earning middle and upper middle class incomes like their neighbors. There are also, of course, middle and upper middle class white families in central arlington (just north and south of Rt 50) and further south in Arlington who are perfectly happy with their economically/racially/ethnically mixed schools, us included.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone share with me which public elementary school offers or has the best special needs program. I have a child who is 9 who suffers from vocal tics. Annonymous can you please let me know which arlington county school rocks for special education.
Thanks

[Anonymous]

Arlington pays its teachers really well and so it attracts lots of high quality. The class size is small despite the overcrowding. And parents have the resources to supplement with tutors when needed. Lots of parental involvement. Rich, middle and poor go to Arlington schools all the way through high school.

[Anonymous]

I live in Fairlington and we have neighbors that go to Abingdon Elementary and Claremont Spanish Immersion. My daughter "won the lottery" and so she goes to Arlington Traditional (some of that is actually because it is very close to my work and actually easier for me to get to during the school day.) My husband and I were very impressed with Abingdon - they have an amazing principal who has been there for about 6-8 years now and a very involved PTA from what I can tell. They also require all of the students to play a musical instrument in 4th and 5th grades - I think they do Suzuki violin in 4th - which is something ATS does as well. They have a strong relationship with the Kennedy Center as well. In our neighborhood, we could have also gone to Campbell Elementary which is "experiential learning" - but that's way too loosey-goosey for me. (The kids don't get grades at all.) She would have gone to Abingdon if not ATS (Spanish immersion just wasn't my thing, although I hear wonderful things from the parents that are there.)

I can't speak to the middle school or high school choices in South Arlington, although I am planning on moving to the Swanson / Williamsburg area when my daughter hits that age, primarily because so many of her current classmates (ATS has a much larger population from North Arlington) will be going there. We'll see how that works out....

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

What, exactly, are you implying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

What, exactly, are you implying?

Did I stutter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

Given that OP posted 2.5 years ago, she probably has things squared away. What is up with the recent spate of threads resurrected from the grave?

[Anonymous]

Didn't catch that, thanks ^^pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

What, exactly, are you implying?

Did I stutter?

You were opaque, yes. Why don't you explain yourself a little more clearly? Who is this "all" you refer to, and what makes you think they are "scared" of these things? What's the purposes of making this opaque comparison, exactly? Are you suggesting you are a better or more virtuous person than this mysterious population you refer to so opaquely? Please explain it to us in a little more detail, because, yes, you sort of did kind of stutter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just wanted to let you know OP that white middle class people send their kids to Sourh Arlington schools, we aren't all scared of economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. Small class size, excellent teachers, great kids.

What, exactly, are you implying?

Did I stutter?

You were opaque, yes. Why don't you explain yourself a little more clearly? Who is this "all" you refer to, and what makes you think they are "scared" of these things? What's the purposes of making this opaque comparison, exactly? Are you suggesting you are a better or more virtuous person than this mysterious population you refer to so opaquely? Please explain it to us in a little more detail, because, yes, you sort of did kind of stutter.

You have got to be kidding me that in a thread riddled with "white" "upper/middle class" "high population of El Salvadorean's" "illegals moved to Fairfax county when Prince William cracked down" you are acting shocked I would make a statement like the above? But let me break it down for you: "all" = upper/upper-middle class white people, "scared of" = non-white people, particularly Hispanic people, and lower/lower-middle class, especially those who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The purpose of the comparison was to let the OP know that South Arlington schools are a great option and not to discount moving there. She specifically asked about Alexandria and Arlington schools, did she not?

Do I think I am better or more virtuous? No, but I definitely think I got a better deal on a house in a great school system than some who pay more for a house just b/c it is North Arlington due to the demographics.

I didn't realize the thread was 2+ years old though, if I did, I wouldn't have bothered replying, as she has probably settled into her new house by now and maybe already remodeled a bathroom or two. Why are you so upset with what I posted anyway?

[Anonymous]

I hadn't read the old posts, so I didn't see remarks about El Salvador, etc. So, I literally didn't understand what on earth you were talking about.

I do know that South Arlington and Alexandria City schools have some of the poorest reputations in the region. Maybe that's just perception and it's unfair, but it is a perception nonetheless, and a very real one. THAT's what people fear, not color. North Arlington also has a lot more going for it in other ways than South Arlington, including much better housing stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hadn't read the old posts, so I didn't see remarks about El Salvador, etc. So, I literally didn't understand what on earth you were talking about.

I do know that South Arlington and Alexandria City schools have some of the poorest reputations in the region. Maybe that's just perception and it's unfair, but it is a perception nonetheless, and a very real one. THAT's what people fear, not color. North Arlington also has a lot more going for it in other ways than South Arlington, including much better housing stock.

Alright, but don't try to call me out at being "opaque" just cause you didn't read the thread...

Also - the stuff you said above about S. Arlington is the "politically correct" things people say. I have lived in Arlington (north and south) for over a decade. The housing stock in S. Arlington is just fine, there is only one area I would not live in. Some sections of North Arlington have more metro access, but I don't take the metro anyway, so personally I don't care about that. Just like North Arlington, there are areas in South Arlington you can walk to a metro, walk to restaurants, walk to shopping, walk to a libraries, etc... almost all areas you can walk to parks. So, I can't figure out what North Arlington has "going for it" that South doesn't, besides less ethnic and economic diversity. You know what - if that is what you want - fine, but admit it and move on.

My kids go to the schools in South Arlington (have attended two different elementary schools) and both were wonderful - 15 kids per class with an assistant teacher. Top quality teachers, many who have taught in the school district, often the same school, for 15+ years, parents who are involved with their children and care about their education, even though English may not be their first language or even a language that they speak, their kids speak English very well thanks to a wonderful pre-K program in the county that targets recent immigrants.

Anyway, we have veered way off topic in a thread that is really old, but maybe this will encourage some people looking for a house not to discount S. Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hadn't read the old posts, so I didn't see remarks about El Salvador, etc. So, I literally didn't understand what on earth you were talking about.

I do know that South Arlington and Alexandria City schools have some of the poorest reputations in the region. Maybe that's just perception and it's unfair, but it is a perception nonetheless, and a very real one. THAT's what people fear, not color. North Arlington also has a lot more going for it in other ways than South Arlington, including much better housing stock.

Alright, but don't try to call me out at being "opaque" just cause you didn't read the thread...

Also - the stuff you said above about S. Arlington is the "politically correct" things people say. I have lived in Arlington (north and south) for over a decade. The housing stock in S. Arlington is just fine, there is only one area I would not live in. Some sections of North Arlington have more metro access, but I don't take the metro anyway, so personally I don't care about that. Just like North Arlington, there are areas in South Arlington you can walk to a metro, walk to restaurants, walk to shopping, walk to a libraries, etc... almost all areas you can walk to parks. So, I can't figure out what North Arlington has "going for it" that South doesn't, besides less ethnic and economic diversity. You know what - if that is what you want - fine, but admit it and move on.

My kids go to the schools in South Arlington (have attended two different elementary schools) and both were wonderful - 15 kids per class with an assistant teacher. Top quality teachers, many who have taught in the school district, often the same school, for 15+ years, parents who are involved with their children and care about their education, even though English may not be their first language or even a language that they speak, their kids speak English very well thanks to a wonderful pre-K program in the county that targets recent immigrants.

Anyway, we have veered way off topic in a thread that is really old, but maybe this will encourage some people looking for a house not to discount S. Arlington.

True, we've veered slightly off topic, but there is nothing "politically correct" about what I said. On the contrary, you were insulting.

It's perfectly valid to not want to send your child to a school where ESOL is 50%, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: - Arlington has more flexibility and more options in school choice, including a much larger variety of specialized programs and alternative school choices.
- Buying a 2+ bedroom house in a "good" N.Arlington public school zone will cost you $150K+ more than precisely the same house in a "good" Alexandria zone.
- Alexandria has skewed enrollment problems, with some schools over-subscribed and some very under-subscribed, so re-zoning or some other re-structuring may occur within the next several years.
- Cohort sizes at the "good" elementary schools in both districts are growing with the reputation of that elementary school. The Taylor/Key/Sci Focus grouping in Arlington has been affected by this, for example, as have George Mason and Douglas MacArthur in Alexandria.The number of kindergarten classes has jumped (i.e. from 2 to 4) over the course of just a few years in some of these schools, as people with young kids move into the district that they hear is so good.
- I believe that Alexandria does have a lower cap than Arlington on the number of kids in the non-Title I classrooms, 22 max in Alexandria v. 25 max in Arl, maybe?
- In Alexandria, it seems the middle schools can be an issue (there are only 2 of them). Then again, some of the Arlington middle schools have issues too -- the big oral sex episode several years back was in one of the N. Arl middle schools.
- Because there is only one public high school in Alexandria, it has all the bells and whistles, including a brand-new facility. But it ain't anywhere on the list of great high schools that US News or Jay Matthews put together, while a few of the Arlington high schools are fantastic according to those lists.
- Alexandria has a LOT of private schools, not all Catholic. In Arlington, there are Catholic schools, but really no other privates it seems.

The number of K classes may have jumped but the NUMBER of kids per class has stayed exactly the same!!! That is a very important distinction. My kid had 19 kids with a teacher and full-time aide and floating readiner in his ASFS K class last year and has 20 kids in first grade class this year with teaacher and full-time aide.