King Abdullah Academy Closing: FCPS Buy for HS?

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Anonymous wrote:I’m thrilled about this. We are in Fox Mill/Carson and the transition from Carson to SLHS where our neighborhood kids are a minority is awful. I am hoping very much that our neighborhood along with RCMS area will go to this new school.

It’s going to very interesting to see what they do if they make this a general HS. Fox Mill is a big neighborhood. They may not want to pull it out of SLHS. There is also the reducing transportation time vs. reducing split feeder issue. I don’t see how they solve both because the new HS won’t have room for everyone. Look at
who people think should attend this new school… Fox Mill, Emerald Chase, Franklin Farm, Chantilly Highlands, who else? There’s isn’t room for everyone so someone is either keeping their long commute to Oakton or staying at Westfield or South Lakes

Fox Mill used to go to Oakton and South Lakes was just fine without it.

Actually it wasn’t; hence, the large boundary change in 2008.

And then South Lakes got expanded after that outside the renovation queue.

Fox Mill isn’t that far from South Lakes and should stay there. If anything they should look to adjust the boundaries so it goes to Hughes as well.

The last thing anyone should be implying is that we need to build an addition to KAA before the sale has even closed.

Why? The Western HS was proposed to relieve SLHS, Oakton, Westfield, and Chantilly. Basically Caron is going to feed the new school instead of three or four way split.

South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, no one travels as far to South Lakes as Crossfield travels to Oakton, and capacity at the new school may be limited. So, nice try (again), but I wouldn't assume that everyone currently zoned to Carson will feed to this school. Boundaries may change, and they may conclude they still need some split feeders, even if they can reduce the three-way split at Carson.

LOL, I'm not trying anything difficult. Read past CIPs to understand why the new high school was proposed. Check how close Carson MS is to the new HS.

Don't overcomplicate it.

It's complicated by the fact that Carson has a large capacity for a MS and the new school would appear to have a small capacity for a HS.

Also, reducing student commutes to Oakton may take priority over sending everyone now at Carson to the new HS.

Sorry if reality bites.

No worries, it won’t bite.

Carson MS will be a feeder school for the new HS, just like Herndon MS to Herndon HS, Hughes MS to South Lakes HS, Johnson MS to Fairfax HS, and Cooper MS to Langley HS.

If you lack common sense, just wait and see.

Or it could remain a split feeder like it has been, and like Franklin, Thoreau, Holmes, Poe, and Kilmer have been.

You're the one making assumptions that at this point are premature.

Nice spin.

You are the one making a claim that Fox Mill should stay in SLHS. I am just pointing out that’s very unlikely. Hopefully, you are not too dumb to understand this.

How close are the middle schools you listed to the nearest high school? Do you know the distance between Carson Middle School and the new high school?

It is 0.5 miles.

Given that South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, and the distance from Fox Mill to South Lakes is much shorter than the distance from Crossfield to Oakton, it's quite likely. Sorry.

Here you go.

So the bottomline is you just don’t want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school.

Wait and see.

It's not that I don't want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school. It's that making sure Oak Hill goes there to address overcrowding at Chantilly and Crossfield goes there to shorten the long commute to Oakton should be higher priorities.

You, on the other hand, are trying to get assurances now that everyone currently at Carson will go there. That is simply premature.

Again, I'm sorry you dislike South Lakes so much.

Don't be ridiculous.

When did I say I dislike SLHS? I personally like the IB program at SLHS.

But, it makes far more sense for current Carson kids to attend the new school than your absurd idea.

Look at the map. Why should Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS? Do you really think that makes sense?

Stop being sorry and get some common sense.

It clearly makes sense to send Oak Hill and Crossfield kids there and if necessary keep Fox Mill kids at South Lakes since the priorities should be reducing overcrowding at Chantilly and reducing long commutes to Oakton.

It appears you didn't bother to listen to what the School Board members voting in favor of this purchase had to say. That's what they were focusing on, not changing the SLHS boundaries. It's sad we've invested so much in South Lakes over the years only for people to try and avoid it when it's nearby and not overcrowded.

Oak Hill doesn’t even go to Carson, and the school board is already working on reducing the overload at Chantilly.

Crossfield is closer to SLHS and farther from the new high school compared to Fox Mill. If anything, they should send Crossfield to SLHS instead of Fox Mill. Isn’t that obvious?

You lose all credibility by insisting Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS. I don’t see it happening.

You sound like you don’t live here or don’t understand that Crossfield is much further away from Oakton than Fox Mill is from South Lakes. Why would they disrupt two entire communities to make this change instead of one, dummy?

DP. I DO live in the area and am familiar with all these neighborhoods and all these schools. Sounds like you are not.

1. None of us know how this would end up, but several posters are leaving out some details:
McNair and Coates will likely attend this school
2. All of Floris will likely attend this school. Remember McNair, Coates, and Floris send kids to Westfield. Westfield is isolated from the community neighborhoods by commercial and industrial areas--along with Dulles Airport. The commute is also not an easy one during rush hour. 28 is a nightmare.
3. Oak Hill (which, by the way is the closest elementary school and neighborhood to the Carson/KAA site) currently attends Chantilly. THRU plans to split this neighborhood and send a good portion of it to Oakton. The Oak Hill community is not happy about this. It splits the neighborhood and sends a good portion of it thirty minutes away--going from a short commute to a thirty minute commtute. KAA is basically across the street.
4. Discovery Square--which attends Floris--is also right by the KAA site.
5. PP--who claims that Crossfield is further away than Fox Mill--is stretching the issue because most of Crossfield's attendance zone is just as close to KAA as Fox Mill. If she really were familiar with the area, she would realize that Franklin Farm on the other side of 286 would likely go down Franklin Farm Rd to Centreville. They could turn on Wall or McLearen to get there. They would be driving through neighborhoods that likely will also attend the KAA site.

Again, none of us know how this will play out. I could see Emerald Chase once again going to Oak Hill and Carson and KAA, but I don't know. And, neither do any of us.

I don't see Fox Mill being at the top of the list. But, I may be wrong. South Lakes does not appear to need relief at this time and Fox Mill is equidistant to South Lakes and Carson--though some neighborhoods are closer to Carson. Neither is far.

If I were the School Board, my first goal would be to eliminate the long bus ride to Oakton and the bus ride/isolation to Westfield. Overcrowding at Chantilly has repeatedly been given a priority and I THINK it is very likely Oak Hill will attend KAA.

This creates a contiguous boundary. It eliminates split neighborhoods and split feeder elementary schools.

Fox Mill to new HS: 3.3 miles
Crossfield to new HS: 5.3 miles

AGAIN - not talking about the actual schools, talking about where kids live now compared to current high school.

Of course. In general Fox Mill kids live closer than Crossfield kids. Look at the map. The traffic is also easy for Fox Mill kids thanks to Pinecrest rd.

It is a wash. Some Fox Mill live closer than some Crossfield kids and some Crossfield kids live closer than some Fox Mill kids.
The question is: will they move Crossfield from Oakton? If so, Crossfield goes to KAA. That seems likely to me, but I don't live in Crossfield boundary or Fox Mill. And, I am not on the School Board--which is what counts.

It's not really a wash.

Yes, some Crossfield kids live close to KAA, but many, if not most, Crossfield kids live east of Lawyers Road. If I remember correctly, none of the Fox Mill boundary is east of Lawyers Road, meaning they don’t have to cross Lawyers or 286.

But you’re right. We are not the decision-makers. Meren may let Fox Mill stay in South Lakes. Some parents at Crossfield may lobby hard against the boundary change. Fox Mill probably has a slightly better chance.

Um, no, you clearly have no affiliation with Crossfield. Most Crossfield kids live in Franklin Farm or off of West Ox between West Ox and Fairfax County Parkway. Only the kids in Folkstone and Fox Mill Woods and one or two random streets off of Fox Mill live on the other side of West Ox/Lawyers.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This purchase is a coup for Fairfax County. This will be the nicest public school facility (of its size) in the County, perhaps in the entire State. The original build cost was around $100M (excluding $15+M in other improvements). If the FCPS tried to build something similar (they wouldn’t have, it’s too nice), I suspect it would have cost us taxpayers closer to $200M.

Arlington’s Wakefield was more expensive (adjusting for inflation), and likely has the nicest gym and pool of any public or private high school in the state. But yes, KAA sets the bar much higher for FCPS. I certainly hope future facilities will be constructed to the same level in terms of design and amenities. For a wealthy area taxpayers deserve better facilities. Just go to any other nice suburb outside of Philly, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, etc. They are leagues ahead of what FCPS typically builds.

there is a reason for that. kaa students and staff and faculty took care of the building. because it was loved.

Oh, nonsense. How ridiculous.

Please show me any other kid who feels a sense of ownership over their school building, even after they graduate. these kaa kids were stewards over their building treating it with alot of love and care. if you get over your negativity, you may actually agree. its in excellent condition because it was always treated with immense care. no graffiti, no wear and tear. you are hard pressed to find that anywhere else in public schools. I'm sorry its the truth. that building was so loved by a very large community.

I don't question that it was loved. But, the community was not that large. This is not the fault of the new students. Let it go.

+100
It’s not anyone else’s fault that the Saudi government decided not to continue funding this school. Why are former KAA parents chiming in at all?

They don't want the sale to go through so their kids can stay there, obviously. They're trying to incite backlash which is just not going to happen. This is basically a done deal.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This purchase is a coup for Fairfax County. This will be the nicest public school facility (of its size) in the County, perhaps in the entire State. The original build cost was around $100M (excluding $15+M in other improvements). If the FCPS tried to build something similar (they wouldn’t have, it’s too nice), I suspect it would have cost us taxpayers closer to $200M.

Arlington’s Wakefield was more expensive (adjusting for inflation), and likely has the nicest gym and pool of any public or private high school in the state. But yes, KAA sets the bar much higher for FCPS. I certainly hope future facilities will be constructed to the same level in terms of design and amenities. For a wealthy area taxpayers deserve better facilities. Just go to any other nice suburb outside of Philly, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, etc. They are leagues ahead of what FCPS typically builds.

there is a reason for that. kaa students and staff and faculty took care of the building. because it was loved.

Oh, nonsense. How ridiculous.

Please show me any other kid who feels a sense of ownership over their school building, even after they graduate. these kaa kids were stewards over their building treating it with alot of love and care. if you get over your negativity, you may actually agree. its in excellent condition because it was always treated with immense care. no graffiti, no wear and tear. you are hard pressed to find that anywhere else in public schools. I'm sorry its the truth. that building was so loved by a very large community.

You are hilarious. Of course it’s easy to have a school population who cares about their building when you can kick any kid out of your school! Imagine having to care about all students and not just get rid of them for not conforming to your standards. I have heard some stories about kids who got kicked out of KAA and ended up in FCPS. Not exactly model citizens.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This purchase is a coup for Fairfax County. This will be the nicest public school facility (of its size) in the County, perhaps in the entire State. The original build cost was around $100M (excluding $15+M in other improvements). If the FCPS tried to build something similar (they wouldn’t have, it’s too nice), I suspect it would have cost us taxpayers closer to $200M.

Arlington’s Wakefield was more expensive (adjusting for inflation), and likely has the nicest gym and pool of any public or private high school in the state. But yes, KAA sets the bar much higher for FCPS. I certainly hope future facilities will be constructed to the same level in terms of design and amenities. For a wealthy area taxpayers deserve better facilities. Just go to any other nice suburb outside of Philly, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, etc. They are leagues ahead of what FCPS typically builds.

there is a reason for that. kaa students and staff and faculty took care of the building. because it was loved.

Oh, nonsense. How ridiculous.

Please show me any other kid who feels a sense of ownership over their school building, even after they graduate. these kaa kids were stewards over their building treating it with alot of love and care. if you get over your negativity, you may actually agree. its in excellent condition because it was always treated with immense care. no graffiti, no wear and tear. you are hard pressed to find that anywhere else in public schools. I'm sorry its the truth. that building was so loved by a very large community.

I don't question that it was loved. But, the community was not that large. This is not the fault of the new students. Let it go.

+100
It’s not anyone else’s fault that the Saudi government decided not to continue funding this school. Why are former KAA parents chiming in at all?

One of them thought FCPS should buy it and just...let them use it for their private religious school.

As if.

[Anonymous]

Geez it’s not hard. Fox Mill, Floris, Coates, Crossfield, McNair, and Oak Hill would be ~2500 kids across four grades. It’s very appropriate size for a school, and plenty of room for every elementary school. In case capacity is not there at new HS, they can kick out AAP from Carson and backfill in some ninth graders from Coates/McNair to Carson for a time being.

It’s just that Westfield/South Lakes would all lose some of their best students. And to a lesser extent for Oakton/Chantilly.

FARMS rate for Chantilly/Oakton would be like 20% and Westfield/South Lakes would be around 40%

New HS ~15%. Parents would fight to get these lines drawn. Both closer and higher quality of students. It would probably be the fourth best HS in the county after TJ, McLean, and Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geez it’s not hard. Fox Mill, Floris, Coates, Crossfield, McNair, and Oak Hill would be ~2500 kids across four grades. It’s very appropriate size for a school, and plenty of room for every elementary school. In case capacity is not there at new HS, they can kick out AAP from Carson and backfill in some ninth graders from Coates/McNair to Carson for a time being.

It’s just that Westfield/South Lakes would all lose some of their best students. And to a lesser extent for Oakton/Chantilly.

FARMS rate for Chantilly/Oakton would be like 20% and Westfield/South Lakes would be around 40%

New HS ~15%. Parents would fight to get these lines drawn. Both closer and higher quality of students. It would probably be the fourth best HS in the county after TJ, McLean, and Langley.

It’s unclear this school has capacity for 2500 kids and it’s certainly not likely they will send 9th graders to Carson. There’s a good chance it could just end up with just four of five feeders, not six, and that the FARMS rate will be well over 15%.

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Anonymous wrote:I’m thrilled about this. We are in Fox Mill/Carson and the transition from Carson to SLHS where our neighborhood kids are a minority is awful. I am hoping very much that our neighborhood along with RCMS area will go to this new school.

It’s going to very interesting to see what they do if they make this a general HS. Fox Mill is a big neighborhood. They may not want to pull it out of SLHS. There is also the reducing transportation time vs. reducing split feeder issue. I don’t see how they solve both because the new HS won’t have room for everyone. Look at
who people think should attend this new school… Fox Mill, Emerald Chase, Franklin Farm, Chantilly Highlands, who else? There’s isn’t room for everyone so someone is either keeping their long commute to Oakton or staying at Westfield or South Lakes

Fox Mill used to go to Oakton and South Lakes was just fine without it.

Actually it wasn’t; hence, the large boundary change in 2008.

And then South Lakes got expanded after that outside the renovation queue.

Fox Mill isn’t that far from South Lakes and should stay there. If anything they should look to adjust the boundaries so it goes to Hughes as well.

The last thing anyone should be implying is that we need to build an addition to KAA before the sale has even closed.

Why? The Western HS was proposed to relieve SLHS, Oakton, Westfield, and Chantilly. Basically Caron is going to feed the new school instead of three or four way split.

South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, no one travels as far to South Lakes as Crossfield travels to Oakton, and capacity at the new school may be limited. So, nice try (again), but I wouldn't assume that everyone currently zoned to Carson will feed to this school. Boundaries may change, and they may conclude they still need some split feeders, even if they can reduce the three-way split at Carson.

LOL, I'm not trying anything difficult. Read past CIPs to understand why the new high school was proposed. Check how close Carson MS is to the new HS.

Don't overcomplicate it.

It's complicated by the fact that Carson has a large capacity for a MS and the new school would appear to have a small capacity for a HS.

Also, reducing student commutes to Oakton may take priority over sending everyone now at Carson to the new HS.

Sorry if reality bites.

No worries, it won’t bite.

Carson MS will be a feeder school for the new HS, just like Herndon MS to Herndon HS, Hughes MS to South Lakes HS, Johnson MS to Fairfax HS, and Cooper MS to Langley HS.

If you lack common sense, just wait and see.

Or it could remain a split feeder like it has been, and like Franklin, Thoreau, Holmes, Poe, and Kilmer have been.

You're the one making assumptions that at this point are premature.

Nice spin.

You are the one making a claim that Fox Mill should stay in SLHS. I am just pointing out that’s very unlikely. Hopefully, you are not too dumb to understand this.

How close are the middle schools you listed to the nearest high school? Do you know the distance between Carson Middle School and the new high school?

It is 0.5 miles.

Given that South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, and the distance from Fox Mill to South Lakes is much shorter than the distance from Crossfield to Oakton, it's quite likely. Sorry.

Here you go.

So the bottomline is you just don’t want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school.

Wait and see.

It's not that I don't want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school. It's that making sure Oak Hill goes there to address overcrowding at Chantilly and Crossfield goes there to shorten the long commute to Oakton should be higher priorities.

You, on the other hand, are trying to get assurances now that everyone currently at Carson will go there. That is simply premature.

Again, I'm sorry you dislike South Lakes so much.

Don't be ridiculous.

When did I say I dislike SLHS? I personally like the IB program at SLHS.

But, it makes far more sense for current Carson kids to attend the new school than your absurd idea.

Look at the map. Why should Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS? Do you really think that makes sense?

Stop being sorry and get some common sense.

It clearly makes sense to send Oak Hill and Crossfield kids there and if necessary keep Fox Mill kids at South Lakes since the priorities should be reducing overcrowding at Chantilly and reducing long commutes to Oakton.

It appears you didn't bother to listen to what the School Board members voting in favor of this purchase had to say. That's what they were focusing on, not changing the SLHS boundaries. It's sad we've invested so much in South Lakes over the years only for people to try and avoid it when it's nearby and not overcrowded.

Oak Hill doesn’t even go to Carson, and the school board is already working on reducing the overload at Chantilly.

Crossfield is closer to SLHS and farther from the new high school compared to Fox Mill. If anything, they should send Crossfield to SLHS instead of Fox Mill. Isn’t that obvious?

You lose all credibility by insisting Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS. I don’t see it happening.

You sound like you don’t live here or don’t understand that Crossfield is much further away from Oakton than Fox Mill is from South Lakes. Why would they disrupt two entire communities to make this change instead of one, dummy?

DP. I DO live in the area and am familiar with all these neighborhoods and all these schools. Sounds like you are not.

1. None of us know how this would end up, but several posters are leaving out some details:
McNair and Coates will likely attend this school
2. All of Floris will likely attend this school. Remember McNair, Coates, and Floris send kids to Westfield. Westfield is isolated from the community neighborhoods by commercial and industrial areas--along with Dulles Airport. The commute is also not an easy one during rush hour. 28 is a nightmare.
3. Oak Hill (which, by the way is the closest elementary school and neighborhood to the Carson/KAA site) currently attends Chantilly. THRU plans to split this neighborhood and send a good portion of it to Oakton. The Oak Hill community is not happy about this. It splits the neighborhood and sends a good portion of it thirty minutes away--going from a short commute to a thirty minute commtute. KAA is basically across the street.
4. Discovery Square--which attends Floris--is also right by the KAA site.
5. PP--who claims that Crossfield is further away than Fox Mill--is stretching the issue because most of Crossfield's attendance zone is just as close to KAA as Fox Mill. If she really were familiar with the area, she would realize that Franklin Farm on the other side of 286 would likely go down Franklin Farm Rd to Centreville. They could turn on Wall or McLearen to get there. They would be driving through neighborhoods that likely will also attend the KAA site.

Again, none of us know how this will play out. I could see Emerald Chase once again going to Oak Hill and Carson and KAA, but I don't know. And, neither do any of us.

I don't see Fox Mill being at the top of the list. But, I may be wrong. South Lakes does not appear to need relief at this time and Fox Mill is equidistant to South Lakes and Carson--though some neighborhoods are closer to Carson. Neither is far.

If I were the School Board, my first goal would be to eliminate the long bus ride to Oakton and the bus ride/isolation to Westfield. Overcrowding at Chantilly has repeatedly been given a priority and I THINK it is very likely Oak Hill will attend KAA.

This creates a contiguous boundary. It eliminates split neighborhoods and split feeder elementary schools.

Fox Mill to new HS: 3.3 miles
Crossfield to new HS: 5.3 miles

AGAIN - not talking about the actual schools, talking about where kids live now compared to current high school.

Of course. In general Fox Mill kids live closer than Crossfield kids. Look at the map. The traffic is also easy for Fox Mill kids thanks to Pinecrest rd.

It is a wash. Some Fox Mill live closer than some Crossfield kids and some Crossfield kids live closer than some Fox Mill kids.
The question is: will they move Crossfield from Oakton? If so, Crossfield goes to KAA. That seems likely to me, but I don't live in Crossfield boundary or Fox Mill. And, I am not on the School Board--which is what counts.

It's not really a wash.

Yes, some Crossfield kids live close to KAA, but many, if not most, Crossfield kids live east of Lawyers Road. If I remember correctly, none of the Fox Mill boundary is east of Lawyers Road, meaning they don’t have to cross Lawyers or 286.

But you’re right. We are not the decision-makers. Meren may let Fox Mill stay in South Lakes. Some parents at Crossfield may lobby hard against the boundary change. Fox Mill probably has a slightly better chance.

Um, no, you clearly have no affiliation with Crossfield. Most Crossfield kids live in Franklin Farm or off of West Ox between West Ox and Fairfax County Parkway. Only the kids in Folkstone and Fox Mill Woods and one or two random streets off of Fox Mill live on the other side of West Ox/Lawyers.

There are still significant number of kids east of Lawyers (around 25-33%)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’m thrilled about this. We are in Fox Mill/Carson and the transition from Carson to SLHS where our neighborhood kids are a minority is awful. I am hoping very much that our neighborhood along with RCMS area will go to this new school.

It’s going to very interesting to see what they do if they make this a general HS. Fox Mill is a big neighborhood. They may not want to pull it out of SLHS. There is also the reducing transportation time vs. reducing split feeder issue. I don’t see how they solve both because the new HS won’t have room for everyone. Look at
who people think should attend this new school… Fox Mill, Emerald Chase, Franklin Farm, Chantilly Highlands, who else? There’s isn’t room for everyone so someone is either keeping their long commute to Oakton or staying at Westfield or South Lakes

Fox Mill used to go to Oakton and South Lakes was just fine without it.

Actually it wasn’t; hence, the large boundary change in 2008.

And then South Lakes got expanded after that outside the renovation queue.

Fox Mill isn’t that far from South Lakes and should stay there. If anything they should look to adjust the boundaries so it goes to Hughes as well.

The last thing anyone should be implying is that we need to build an addition to KAA before the sale has even closed.

Why? The Western HS was proposed to relieve SLHS, Oakton, Westfield, and Chantilly. Basically Caron is going to feed the new school instead of three or four way split.

South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, no one travels as far to South Lakes as Crossfield travels to Oakton, and capacity at the new school may be limited. So, nice try (again), but I wouldn't assume that everyone currently zoned to Carson will feed to this school. Boundaries may change, and they may conclude they still need some split feeders, even if they can reduce the three-way split at Carson.

LOL, I'm not trying anything difficult. Read past CIPs to understand why the new high school was proposed. Check how close Carson MS is to the new HS.

Don't overcomplicate it.

It's complicated by the fact that Carson has a large capacity for a MS and the new school would appear to have a small capacity for a HS.

Also, reducing student commutes to Oakton may take priority over sending everyone now at Carson to the new HS.

Sorry if reality bites.

No worries, it won’t bite.

Carson MS will be a feeder school for the new HS, just like Herndon MS to Herndon HS, Hughes MS to South Lakes HS, Johnson MS to Fairfax HS, and Cooper MS to Langley HS.

If you lack common sense, just wait and see.

Or it could remain a split feeder like it has been, and like Franklin, Thoreau, Holmes, Poe, and Kilmer have been.

You're the one making assumptions that at this point are premature.

Nice spin.

You are the one making a claim that Fox Mill should stay in SLHS. I am just pointing out that’s very unlikely. Hopefully, you are not too dumb to understand this.

How close are the middle schools you listed to the nearest high school? Do you know the distance between Carson Middle School and the new high school?

It is 0.5 miles.

Given that South Lakes isn't overcrowded like Chantilly, and the distance from Fox Mill to South Lakes is much shorter than the distance from Crossfield to Oakton, it's quite likely. Sorry.

Here you go.

So the bottomline is you just don’t want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school.

Wait and see.

It's not that I don't want Fox Mill to be assigned to the new school. It's that making sure Oak Hill goes there to address overcrowding at Chantilly and Crossfield goes there to shorten the long commute to Oakton should be higher priorities.

You, on the other hand, are trying to get assurances now that everyone currently at Carson will go there. That is simply premature.

Again, I'm sorry you dislike South Lakes so much.

Don't be ridiculous.

When did I say I dislike SLHS? I personally like the IB program at SLHS.

But, it makes far more sense for current Carson kids to attend the new school than your absurd idea.

Look at the map. Why should Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS? Do you really think that makes sense?

Stop being sorry and get some common sense.

It clearly makes sense to send Oak Hill and Crossfield kids there and if necessary keep Fox Mill kids at South Lakes since the priorities should be reducing overcrowding at Chantilly and reducing long commutes to Oakton.

It appears you didn't bother to listen to what the School Board members voting in favor of this purchase had to say. That's what they were focusing on, not changing the SLHS boundaries. It's sad we've invested so much in South Lakes over the years only for people to try and avoid it when it's nearby and not overcrowded.

Oak Hill doesn’t even go to Carson, and the school board is already working on reducing the overload at Chantilly.

Crossfield is closer to SLHS and farther from the new high school compared to Fox Mill. If anything, they should send Crossfield to SLHS instead of Fox Mill. Isn’t that obvious?

You lose all credibility by insisting Oak Hill and Crossfield kids go to the new school while Fox Mill kids stay at SLHS. I don’t see it happening.

You sound like you don’t live here or don’t understand that Crossfield is much further away from Oakton than Fox Mill is from South Lakes. Why would they disrupt two entire communities to make this change instead of one, dummy?

DP. I DO live in the area and am familiar with all these neighborhoods and all these schools. Sounds like you are not.

1. None of us know how this would end up, but several posters are leaving out some details:
McNair and Coates will likely attend this school
2. All of Floris will likely attend this school. Remember McNair, Coates, and Floris send kids to Westfield. Westfield is isolated from the community neighborhoods by commercial and industrial areas--along with Dulles Airport. The commute is also not an easy one during rush hour. 28 is a nightmare.
3. Oak Hill (which, by the way is the closest elementary school and neighborhood to the Carson/KAA site) currently attends Chantilly. THRU plans to split this neighborhood and send a good portion of it to Oakton. The Oak Hill community is not happy about this. It splits the neighborhood and sends a good portion of it thirty minutes away--going from a short commute to a thirty minute commtute. KAA is basically across the street.
4. Discovery Square--which attends Floris--is also right by the KAA site.
5. PP--who claims that Crossfield is further away than Fox Mill--is stretching the issue because most of Crossfield's attendance zone is just as close to KAA as Fox Mill. If she really were familiar with the area, she would realize that Franklin Farm on the other side of 286 would likely go down Franklin Farm Rd to Centreville. They could turn on Wall or McLearen to get there. They would be driving through neighborhoods that likely will also attend the KAA site.

Again, none of us know how this will play out. I could see Emerald Chase once again going to Oak Hill and Carson and KAA, but I don't know. And, neither do any of us.

I don't see Fox Mill being at the top of the list. But, I may be wrong. South Lakes does not appear to need relief at this time and Fox Mill is equidistant to South Lakes and Carson--though some neighborhoods are closer to Carson. Neither is far.

If I were the School Board, my first goal would be to eliminate the long bus ride to Oakton and the bus ride/isolation to Westfield. Overcrowding at Chantilly has repeatedly been given a priority and I THINK it is very likely Oak Hill will attend KAA.

This creates a contiguous boundary. It eliminates split neighborhoods and split feeder elementary schools.

Fox Mill to new HS: 3.3 miles
Crossfield to new HS: 5.3 miles

AGAIN - not talking about the actual schools, talking about where kids live now compared to current high school.

Of course. In general Fox Mill kids live closer than Crossfield kids. Look at the map. The traffic is also easy for Fox Mill kids thanks to Pinecrest rd.

It is a wash. Some Fox Mill live closer than some Crossfield kids and some Crossfield kids live closer than some Fox Mill kids.
The question is: will they move Crossfield from Oakton? If so, Crossfield goes to KAA. That seems likely to me, but I don't live in Crossfield boundary or Fox Mill. And, I am not on the School Board--which is what counts.

It's not really a wash.

Yes, some Crossfield kids live close to KAA, but many, if not most, Crossfield kids live east of Lawyers Road. If I remember correctly, none of the Fox Mill boundary is east of Lawyers Road, meaning they don’t have to cross Lawyers or 286.

But you’re right. We are not the decision-makers. Meren may let Fox Mill stay in South Lakes. Some parents at Crossfield may lobby hard against the boundary change. Fox Mill probably has a slightly better chance.

Um, no, you clearly have no affiliation with Crossfield. Most Crossfield kids live in Franklin Farm or off of West Ox between West Ox and Fairfax County Parkway. Only the kids in Folkstone and Fox Mill Woods and one or two random streets off of Fox Mill live on the other side of West Ox/Lawyers.

There are still significant number of kids east of Lawyers (around 25-33%)

As long as we're just making up numbers then when I eyeball the map it looks like the homes to the west of Lawyers are much more densely packed and have more buildable land due to Little Difficult Run Stream Valley Park being on the east side. I'd put it at more like 20% east of Lawyers.

As for which one would go to the new school (if any), that would probably be very political between school board members and decided without the public knowing the real reason. Could be neither right away if the new school isn't ready to accept the full capacity of kids in time for the 2026 school year.

[Anonymous]

There is simply no way the SB would let the new HS be so wealthy compared to neighboring schools---unless their own kids are zoned for it!

However they draw the boundaries they will be some illogical way that ensures the new HS has at least 30% farms.

[Anonymous]

^^The optics of a luxurious new school building--way nicer than any other fcps school-- being filled almost entirely with wealthy kids is not their vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geez it’s not hard. Fox Mill, Floris, Coates, Crossfield, McNair, and Oak Hill would be ~2500 kids across four grades. It’s very appropriate size for a school, and plenty of room for every elementary school. In case capacity is not there at new HS, they can kick out AAP from Carson and backfill in some ninth graders from Coates/McNair to Carson for a time being.

It’s just that Westfield/South Lakes would all lose some of their best students. And to a lesser extent for Oakton/Chantilly.

FARMS rate for Chantilly/Oakton would be like 20% and Westfield/South Lakes would be around 40%

New HS ~15%. Parents would fight to get these lines drawn. Both closer and higher quality of students. It would probably be the fourth best HS in the county after TJ, McLean, and Langley.

It’s unclear this school has capacity for 2500 kids and it’s certainly not likely they will send 9th graders to Carson. There’s a good chance it could just end up with just four of five feeders, not six, and that the FARMS rate will be well over 15%.

They can always bring in a module., ala McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Westfield is already 40% low income kids with the current boundaries.

FCPS updated the school profiles recently. Many schools, including Westfield, reported a significant decline in the percentage of FARMS kids in 2024-25. We could speculate as to the reasons why. Westfield was down to 31% FARMS last year.

I estimate that, assuming Floris, Coates, and McNair switch to the new HS and all of Cub Run ends up at Westfield, Westfield will end up somewhere around 37% FARMS.

I think they are either undercounting kids or overcounted in the past. The school population is the same and coming from the same neighborhoods. 9 percent drop in one year at a school with almost 3000 kids is a LOT of kids.

Agree. Nothing has changed with the school
populations. Something changed with the counting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^The optics of a luxurious new school building--way nicer than any other fcps school-- being filled almost entirely with wealthy kids is not their vibe.

School board members often talk the talk, but then don’t follow through in the end. It appears MCPS will end up with new hs boundaries that worsen the socioeconomic divide, over options that balance demographics. Similarly, past boundary moves in APS have worsened the demographic have and have nots. Alexandria’s redistricting will likely increase wealthy students at an already wealthy elementary school. FCPS’ own history here has also typically moved wealthy neighborhoods into adjacent wealthier schools—with the notable exception of the South Lakes a number of years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^The optics of a luxurious new school building--way nicer than any other fcps school-- being filled almost entirely with wealthy kids is not their vibe.

School board members often talk the talk, but then don’t follow through in the end. It appears MCPS will end up with new hs boundaries that worsen the socioeconomic divide, over options that balance demographics. Similarly, past boundary moves in APS have worsened the demographic have and have nots. Alexandria’s redistricting will likely increase wealthy students at an already wealthy elementary school. FCPS’ own history here has also typically moved wealthy neighborhoods into adjacent wealthier schools—with the notable exception of the South Lakes a number of years ago.

Democrats’ default position needs to be keeping as many UMC kids/families in the public school system. These other school boards that didn’t upset the apple cart in the name of equity are to be lauded for not attacking UMC households with an equity-based thought exercise experiment that can’t be reversed.

Good for them, let’s hope our sb likewise understands that equity-based moves play into its opponents’ hands.

[Anonymous]

I don't see the issue with drawing the new HS boundaries in a way that is fair as far as economically balanced. The new school Should have similar Farms rates to nearby schools like South Lakes, Westfield and Herndon.