Current APS MS parents who are staying

[Anonymous]

We are a pretty typical Arlington family, I’m a consultant and DH is a Fed contractor, living in our tacky shack and sending our kids to APS. We lived here because schools seemed solid and commute was good for me (I usually have clients downtown).

Now with WFH, moving to Fairfax or even Moco/HoCo seem feasible, and those schools systems seem to really value academics over whatever APS is prioritizing this week.

My DD is in 8th grade, and it’s been an okay experience, she’s fairly bored and finds her classmates disruptive, but I chalk some of that up to just being middle schools. She’s a solid student, geometry math, always As, etc.

We really value academic, and we see a lot of like minded families moving their kids to private or just moving away.

I want to stay in APS, I think the education will be fine and high school will offer enough differentiation that our DD will shine (we are zoned for WL).

Can other parents who are academic focused (ie, schools is #1 priority for their kid and good grades are expected) give some perspective on why they are staying with APS? DH wants to move or go private and I want to shut him down and show him it won’t just be those without better options or old parents of 3rd kids who can’t be bothered to move who stay in APS.

[Anonymous]

We have a 10th grader in private and our 8th grader in APS with plans to go private for HS. Also zoned for WL.

Moving to Fairfax/MoCO/Loudoun, etc isn’t going to be much different. They have many of the identical issues. If you just want a bigger house, yard I could see it. But, with only 4 years left I wouldn’t be looking for a larger home or yard upkeep.

We like walkable and close to DC which is why we love our current home. If we did anything it would be move to DC since school public District no longer matters.

[Anonymous]

I am in the "old parent with third kid" dynamic. We're probably staying, although hope for a choice opportunity (Tech, HB or WL IB, if we can talk DC into continuing with French). O'Connell is our only realistic other option, and I would choose it over Yorktown for DC, but DC has so many friends and is not going to be an academic standout wherever she ends up.

You're in a better situation with WL than Yorktown, although I have heard through the grapevine that colleges will view it somewhat disfavorably if a child goes to an IB school, but does not pursue an IB diploma. I have no first-hand experience, it's just something that I've heard (probably on this forum, if I had to guess).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a 10th grader in private and our 8th grader in APS with plans to go private for HS. Also zoned for WL.

Moving to Fairfax/MoCO/Loudoun, etc isn’t going to be much different. They have many of the identical issues. If you just want a bigger house, yard I could see it. But, with only 4 years left I wouldn’t be looking for a larger home or yard upkeep.

We like walkable and close to DC which is why we love our current home. If we did anything it would be move to DC since school public District no longer matters.

This. We did APS K-8. The private HS has been eye-opening. Level of education so much greater. Kids were straight A students in APS. The increase in academic expectations, work load and depth in each subject has been much greater in private. We were worried how well APS was preparing them for college. The smaller class size and facilities is an added bonus.

[Anonymous]

We are very similar, OP.

My 8th grader is looking forward to the IB program at W-L (and will also apply again to H-B for kicks). HS is much more differentiated and kids will be with peers who take academics seriously more so than in MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a pretty typical Arlington family, I’m a consultant and DH is a Fed contractor, living in our tacky shack and sending our kids to APS. We lived here because schools seemed solid and commute was good for me (I usually have clients downtown).

Now with WFH, moving to Fairfax or even Moco/HoCo seem feasible, and those schools systems seem to really value academics over whatever APS is prioritizing this week.

My DD is in 8th grade, and it’s been an okay experience, she’s fairly bored and finds her classmates disruptive, but I chalk some of that up to just being middle schools. She’s a solid student, geometry math, always As, etc.

We really value academic, and we see a lot of like minded families moving their kids to private or just moving away.

I want to stay in APS, I think the education will be fine and high school will offer enough differentiation that our DD will shine (we are zoned for WL).

Can other parents who are academic focused (ie, schools is #1 priority for their kid and good grades are expected) give some perspective on why they are staying with APS? DH wants to move or go private and I want to shut him down and show him it won’t just be those without better options or old parents of 3rd kids who can’t be bothered to move who stay in APS.

We stayed with APS after dismally unchallenging middle school. Hoping to get through relatively unscathed as APS continues its downward spiral; but regardless, I'm confident any "academically-inclined" student can find an "academic" peer group and courseload in any of the high schools via AP, IB, and dual enrollment classes. Maybe you'll need to deal with less nonsense in a small private school than you do in a full-sized public district, whether Arlington or Fairfax Co or Montgomery or Howard.

That said, if APS really does switch to standards based grading full-force, I'd be more concerned about college preparedness - not due to lack of academics, but due to lack of motivation and time management and having a decent idea of what work and workload to expect in college.

[Anonymous]

I’ve lived in Arlington for 29 years and am unsure of what you mean by “tacky shack.”

We have two high schoolers in independent schools. Tried APS for high school and it was a disaster for our oldest. The class sizes were much too large and then the pandemic hit and things really fell apart.

Academics are important to us, but what’s more important to us is that our kids are happy and well-rounded. They also get much more individualized attention from their teachers because class sizes at both schools are between 10 and 12 students. My older child has 55 kids or so in their grade and my younger child has roughly 120.

The tuition bills are massive (we are just under 100K for both), but it is so worth it.

[Anonymous]

You might want to post in the FCPS forums. Anyone who is paying massive tuition bills will twist themselves into a pretzel to justify it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might want to post in the FCPS forums. Anyone who is paying massive tuition bills will twist themselves into a pretzel to justify it.

DH is much more comfortable with FCPS, so I don't need to hear from them. I appreciate PP who is staying, but really seems to be pinning it on HB or the smaller IB program insulating her student from the oversized WL.

FCPS doesn't have the same problem of trying to squeeze 3500 students into a campus designed for 2000 -- they open new high schools and have much more land. And they aren't moving towards standards based grading I think, another point my DH and I argue about.


A few questions about IB. 1) I hear there is talk to move it to Wakefield, but I think that was put on hold? 2) Are the class sizes of IB actually smaller than mainstream classes? 3) If you are zoned for WL, than IB is automatic right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You might want to post in the FCPS forums. Anyone who is paying massive tuition bills will twist themselves into a pretzel to justify it.

DH is much more comfortable with FCPS, so I don't need to hear from them. I appreciate PP who is staying, but really seems to be pinning it on HB or the smaller IB program insulating her student from the oversized WL.

FCPS doesn't have the same problem of trying to squeeze 3500 students into a campus designed for 2000 -- they open new high schools and have much more land. And they aren't moving towards standards based grading I think, another point my DH and I argue about.


A few questions about IB. 1) I hear there is talk to move it to Wakefield, but I think that was put on hold? 2) Are the class sizes of IB actually smaller than mainstream classes? 3) If you are zoned for WL, than IB is automatic right?

Not sure about 1 & 2, but yes on 3.

I think for 2, a large class of motivated kids won’t feel as “crowded” as a large class of unmotivated kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You might want to post in the FCPS forums. Anyone who is paying massive tuition bills will twist themselves into a pretzel to justify it.

DH is much more comfortable with FCPS, so I don't need to hear from them. I appreciate PP who is staying, but really seems to be pinning it on HB or the smaller IB program insulating her student from the oversized WL.

FCPS doesn't have the same problem of trying to squeeze 3500 students into a campus designed for 2000 -- they open new high schools and have much more land. And they aren't moving towards standards based grading I think, another point my DH and I argue about.


A few questions about IB. 1) I hear there is talk to move it to Wakefield, but I think that was put on hold? 2) Are the class sizes of IB actually smaller than mainstream classes? 3) If you are zoned for WL, than IB is automatic right?

Not sure about 1 & 2, but yes on 3.

I think for 2, a large class of motivated kids won’t feel as “crowded” as a large class of unmotivated kids.

NP, if you are zoned for Yorktown should you just give up on hoping for IB since WL is so crowded?

[Anonymous]

I’m the PP and I’m not sure about transfers - sorry. I would imagine there is the opportunity but no guarantee.

[Anonymous]

Eh. If your kid is an academic standout in middle school (not just As but engaged in school and with teachers) they will get all they need and more in APS high school at WL. If your kid is more average I’d say you might want the small private school thing if you you worry your kid will get lost. APS will not nurture a kid. They will give them opportunities and the rest is up to them. I think this is just part of life but lots of parents feel their kids need more attention. Mine don’t.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 very academically strong daughters. My 6th grader is now in private. I kept my 7th grader in APS. My sixth grade daughters education far surpasses my APS daughters education. The work is challenging. The communication is amazing. The teachers are invested and administrators are listening to parents. There’s homework and tests and accountability! I wish l had sent both to private. It’s been the best money l ever spent. Also, as a mom l don’t need to constantly stress about APS nonsense as much as l used to. My seventh grader has 1 more year and then l will move her to Holton Arms, Potomac, Basis or Madeira.

[Anonymous]

I’m not really sure what unicorn your husband is hoping to find in FCPS. That’s a big, bureaucratic system with schools of varying quality. APS just seems mediocre or mediocre-plus, with some weirdness going on. Not really sure what you mean by shut him down.