Yorktown versus Washington-lee?

[Anonymous]

Apologies if this has been asked before/recently. I would be grateful to hear what people think of these two schools. All opinions are welcome. TIA!

[Anonymous]

It's ok to ask. But these schools are talked about almost every week it seems in almost every other thread, and in threads not specifically about Arlington schools. Here's my largely unbiased comparison of the two schools.

You should know that the high school boundaries will change in about two years. You can find specific information about when decisions will be made on the APS website. So unless you live within a half mile of the school, expect the possibility of the high school changing soon.

Both high schools have wealthy kids and poor kids. Some parents like the greater ethnic and socio-economic diversity at W-L, and cite that as a reason for looking for homes in the W-L neighborhoods. The test scores are higher at Yorktown, and that appeals families who prioritize test scores. Usually though, neighborhood amenities or a particular house tend to trump the differences between the two schools among homebuyers.

Academically, both schools are very similar, and there are lots of high achieving students at both schools. Last year W-L had 8 Natl Merit Semifinalists and Yorktown had 7. Both schools had a couple of Finalists the year before. A high number of students at both schools are ivy league bound every year. Both have won the US Department of Education Blue Ribbon award, but that was well over a decade ago.

The IB program at W-L is very competitive and work intensive. W-L also has an AP program for students not interested in IB classes. My hunch is that the AP program is a little weaker, if only because the IB program at W-L is a magnet program with a competitive application process. But W-L's Natl Merit Finalist the year before last was an AP scholar, so there are smart kids in both programs. Unique to W-L are some engineering and STEM electives. W-L is the only county school that has a specialized design technology laboratory. W-L recently received national recognized for its best buddies program, which pairs students volunteers with students with learning and developmental disabilities.

Yorktown is an AP school, and the AP scores at Yorktown are highest of the three Arlington high schools. On occasion, people on here have described Yorktown as a pressure cooker. Some classes at Yorktown have a public policy focus, versus the engineering and STEM specific classes that W-L has. Yorktown is also a nationally recognized "school of character" and puts an emphasis on developing an inclusive environment for all students. Yorktown has also made headlines for reducing the nightly homework load of students and eliminating all summer assignments.

Yorktown is a Northern Virginia football powerhouse. W-L is better known for it's crew (rowing) tradition; the team rows out of the prestigious Potomac Boat Club. W-L is also a gymnastics powerhouse. The team won another region crown this year.

To sum it all up, you can't go wrong with either school, but you may prefer the programs of one school over the other.

[Anonymous]

Puh-leeze. Last post is biased in favor of W-L, which has a lot of low-income kids and gangs. Yorktown has a much better reputation, hands down!

[Anonymous]

The previous poster must be the middle school Yorktown booster who surfaced a week ago. I'd take what s(he) said with a few grains of salt. W-L is 30% low income. Yorktown is about 15% low income.

As far as gangs, they are not a problem in Arlington or at any of the public schools.

About 200 students transfer to W-L from Yorktown every year, whether or not Yorktown has the better reputation. Arlington is fortunate to have great high schools, Wakefield included. Wakefield HS is playing for the region tournament title in basketball tonight.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the comments so far. Please keep them coming.

Question: is there a good source of information for problems each of the schools has - like gang activity, drugs, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the comments so far. Please keep them coming.

Question: is there a good source of information for problems each of the schools has - like gang activity, drugs, etc?

There is no gang activity. Drugs are a problem at Yorktown and W-L like most other area public and private schools, as is drinking. APS publishes a yearly survey about drug and alcohol use among its students. As I recall underage smoking is way down from a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

There are kids at W-L who are on the fringes of the gang scene but it's not an overwhelming presence. There is a drug problem at both schools among some upper middle class white kids with too much time and money on their hands, access to cash and Rx drugs - but that's probably true at almost every high school in NoVa.

[Anonymous]

Dropout rate at W-L is almost 10%, MUCH higher than Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

You asked about drugs: I can tell you this from my own high school experience -- more money, better drugs. Never saw coke or lsd until I went to an elite private. Apparently what the kids in town say on this topic is that the drug of choice varies with income: "Wakefield: Alcohol, W-L: Pot, Yorktown: Coke."

That's what I hear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You asked about drugs: I can tell you this from my own high school experience -- more money, better drugs. Never saw coke or lsd until I went to an elite private. Apparently what the kids in town say on this topic is that the drug of choice varies with income: "Wakefield: Alcohol, W-L: Pot, Yorktown: Coke."

That's what I hear.

What I hear is that Wakefield is now famous for an epic choke that will not soon be forgotten in regional basketball history. It's what happens when a team with talented athletes is not taught the fundamentals. Very sad night in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dropout rate at W-L is almost 10%, MUCH higher than Yorktown.

Why not go for a cool 20% dropout rate?

Back to reality: on the APS website, the dropout rate for 2008-9, the most recent year reported, is 1% for W-L and .7% for Yorktown, and 1.4% for Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You asked about drugs: I can tell you this from my own high school experience -- more money, better drugs. Never saw coke or lsd until I went to an elite private. Apparently what the kids in town say on this topic is that the drug of choice varies with income: "Wakefield: Alcohol, W-L: Pot, Yorktown: Coke."

That's what I hear.

What I hear is that Wakefield is now famous for an epic choke that will not soon be forgotten in regional basketball history. It's what happens when a team with talented athletes is not taught the fundamentals. Very sad night in Arlington.

Obviously, the middle and high school kids have hijacked this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are kids at W-L who are on the fringes of the gang scene but it's not an overwhelming presence. There is a drug problem at both schools among some upper middle class white kids with too much time and money on their hands, access to cash and Rx drugs - but that's probably true at almost every high school in NoVa.

There is no gang scene unless you mean minority kids wearing skinny jeans and brightly colored shirts, with the fake emo glasses. Too funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's ok to ask. But these schools are talked about almost every week it seems in almost every other thread, and in threads not specifically about Arlington schools. Here's my largely unbiased comparison of the two schools.

You should know that the high school boundaries will change in about two years. You can find specific information about when decisions will be made on the APS website. So unless you live within a half mile of the school, expect the possibility of the high school changing soon.

Both high schools have wealthy kids and poor kids. Some parents like the greater ethnic and socio-economic diversity at W-L, and cite that as a reason for looking for homes in the W-L neighborhoods. The test scores are higher at Yorktown, and that appeals families who prioritize test scores. Usually though, neighborhood amenities or a particular house tend to trump the differences between the two schools among homebuyers.

Academically, both schools are very similar, and there are lots of high achieving students at both schools. Last year W-L had 8 Natl Merit Semifinalists and Yorktown had 7. Both schools had a couple of Finalists the year before. A high number of students at both schools are ivy league bound every year. Both have won the US Department of Education Blue Ribbon award, but that was well over a decade ago.

The IB program at W-L is very competitive and work intensive. W-L also has an AP program for students not interested in IB classes. My hunch is that the AP program is a little weaker, if only because the IB program at W-L is a magnet program with a competitive application process. But W-L's Natl Merit Finalist the year before last was an AP scholar, so there are smart kids in both programs. Unique to W-L are some engineering and STEM electives. W-L is the only county school that has a specialized design technology laboratory. W-L recently received national recognized for its best buddies program, which pairs students volunteers with students with learning and developmental disabilities.

Yorktown is an AP school, and the AP scores at Yorktown are highest of the three Arlington high schools. On occasion, people on here have described Yorktown as a pressure cooker. Some classes at Yorktown have a public policy focus, versus the engineering and STEM specific classes that W-L has. Yorktown is also a nationally recognized "school of character" and puts an emphasis on developing an inclusive environment for all students. Yorktown has also made headlines for reducing the nightly homework load of students and eliminating all summer assignments.

Yorktown is a Northern Virginia football powerhouse. W-L is better known for it's crew (rowing) tradition; the team rows out of the prestigious Potomac Boat Club. W-L is also a gymnastics powerhouse. The team won another region crown this year.

To sum it all up, you can't go wrong with either school, but you may prefer the programs of one school over the other.

I think this is a very thoughtful post and I agree with it. I don't think the poster is biased toward W-L but rather pointing out some things that people who only know the schools by test scores/street rep may not already know. I went to Yorktown and now live in a neighborhood currently zoned for W-L. I would be happy with either one and frankly with Wakefield as well.

[Anonymous]

In case OP does not know the test scores, on greatschools.org Yorktown has an 8, WL has only 5, Wakefield 4. But fantastic inside info on the schools from PP.