James Madison High School: what do you think about this school?

[Anonymous]

Last night they had their curriculum night. What did you think? Any parents of student there want to weigh in? I have heard that some people really prefer Marshall HS. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last night they had their curriculum night. What did you think? Any parents of student there want to weigh in? I have heard that some people really prefer Marshall HS. Thoughts?

From a RE perspective, homes in the Madison district probably command a small premium over similar homes in the Marshall pyramid. However, in the current school year, there are about an equal number of kids in-boundary for Madison transferring to Marshall as there are kids in-boundary for Marshall transferring to Madison (there are about 65 students at each school transferring to the other).

Some reasons to prefer Madison over Marshall: (1) greater community support, arising in part from the fact that all Town of Vienna students attend Madison; (2) higher test scores and lower percentage of ESOL and other students with special needs; (3) typically better athletic/extra curricular programs; and (4) greater popularity of AP courses in NoVa compared to IB.

Some reasons to prefer Marshall over Madison: (1) it's smaller; (2) it's considered less of a "pressure cooker" by some; (3) the administration is perceived as more caring and even-handed, whereas some feel that athletes get preferential treatment at Madison; and (4) some prefer IB to AP.

[Anonymous]

I live in the Madison pyramid, my kids are young so haven't attended any of their school functions, but I've never heard anyone in my area say they would prefer their child to go to Marshall. Marshall is getting a slightly better reputation than it used to have but Madison has always been a more sought after school pyramid and is one of the reasons we chose to live here.

What I know of Madison- I've heard good things about the academics, the after school activities and the athletics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in the Madison pyramid, my kids are young so haven't attended any of their school functions, but I've never heard anyone in my area say they would prefer their child to go to Marshall. Marshall is getting a slightly better reputation than it used to have but Madison has always been a more sought after school pyramid and is one of the reasons we chose to live here.

What I know of Madison- I've heard good things about the academics, the after school activities and the athletics.

There are literally dozens of families who live in the Madison district who decide to send their kids to Marshall every year (and vice versa). If you've "never heard anyone in your area" say they'd prefer their child attend Marshall, it probably says more about your current set of acquaintances than it does about Marshall.

[Anonymous]

It's not a matter of better or worse. They're two different schools with different focuses. Has the Marshall curriculum night passed, or could you attend and form your own opinions?

[Anonymous]

Madison is an excellent school and has had that reputation for some time. The housing in marshall zones are becoming more expensive due to the location. Recently the area has seen a transformation of marshall being a lower scoring school to one of the top schools in the area. I would pick either school but also take location and proximity to dc into consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Madison is an excellent school and has had that reputation for some time. The housing in marshall zones are becoming more expensive due to the location. Recently the area has seen a transformation of marshall being a lower scoring school to one of the top schools in the area. I would pick either school but also take location and proximity to dc into consideration.

Excluding TJ, Marshall's test scores have been in the top half of FCPS schools for about a decade and in the top quarter (along with Langley, McLean, Woodson, Oakton and Madison) for the past five years or so. The fact that the school is getting renovated and Tysons is starting to forge an identity independent of Vienna and McLean are positives for the school.