North Arlington vs. South Arlington Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

Hi! We are considering moving to Arlington. I have a couple of friends who insist that we MUST move to North Arlington, because the schools are much better than in South Arlington. They also said that Jamestown, Nottingham, and Tuckahoe were the best in Arlington.

I would love feedback from a broader group on Arlington elementary schools:

- Is there really a difference between North and South Arlington
- What are the really great schools - by great I mean, passionate teachers, involved parents, happy children, good test scores
- Are there any schools that are "bad"
- Any feedback from your own experience with Arlington elementary schools?

I really appreciate the feedback! With the housing market like it is, we really hope to move once and be happy until DD is in high school!

[Anonymous]

There is a huge difference between South and North Arlington. North Arlington is much more affluent and the schools reflect that. Its a sad reality that the wealthiest school districts have the best public schools even though the opposite would perhaps be more beneficial to society. It is because the parents are usually better educated aqnd usually have more time and inclination to be involved and the money to pay for additional resources and supports. We used to live in North Arlington and the pubic schools are REALLY GOOD. The ones your friends named are some but not all. For instance, some would say that the very best is Taylor. Others love Key (Spanish immersion), Science Focus, and Arlington Traditional (application-only). You probably can not go wrong with any of the North Arlington public elementary schools although they are all public schools and therefore "teach to the test." In some areas you have the option of a few schools so look around and ask lots of questions. When your children get older, H-B Woodlawn is amazing. It starts in 6th grade and is not for everyone (not a traditional school) but if your child is a good fit (self motivating), it is fantastic. Kids are chosen by lottery.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a huge difference between South and North Arlington. North Arlington is much more affluent and the schools reflect that. Its a sad reality that the wealthiest school districts have the best public schools even though the opposite would perhaps be more beneficial to society. It is because the parents are usually better educated aqnd usually have more time and inclination to be involved and the money to pay for additional resources and supports. We used to live in North Arlington and the pubic schools are REALLY GOOD. The ones your friends named are some but not all. For instance, some would say that the very best is Taylor. Others love Key (Spanish immersion), Science Focus, and Arlington Traditional (application-only). You probably can not go wrong with any of the North Arlington public elementary schools although they are all public schools and therefore "teach to the test." In some areas you have the option of a few schools so look around and ask lots of questions. When your children get older, H-B Woodlawn is amazing. It starts in 6th grade and is not for everyone (not a traditional school) but if your child is a good fit (self motivating), it is fantastic. Kids are chosen by lottery.

Hope this helps a bit.

This is NOT true!!! I live in South Arlington (by choice) and am so sick and tired of people putting down our schools, our neighborhoods and the level of education of the people that live over here. My husband's graduate degree is from Harvard and mine is from UVA. Our neighbors are mostly professionals and care deeply about their children and the education they receive and they are involved and supportive. As far as affluence is concerned, you know the story of the quiet millionaire next door or across the street? Well we've got them all over here, but the difference is that people have enough class to not go showing it off. Before going out and making gross generalizations about all of South Arlington I urge you to educate yourself so you can make some truly informed comments.

Are there parents in South Arlington that did not have the same educational opportunities as I did? Yes. The same for North Arlington? Yes. Does that make them uninformed or uncaring parents. No way. I know plenty of affluent and well educated people that don't have the time to be involved in their kids lives. It's not a socioeconomic thing.

I am not usually one of those "flamer" people on this website. I just have to stick up for myself, my hood and our schools.

[Anonymous]

Parents in Arlington are generally very loyal to their schools, and very happy with them.

The biggest difference between N and S Arlington is that the further North you go, the more affluent the families, and the fewer students of color. You also find fewer LEP students as you move North of Wilson Blvd. That simple fact goes a long way toward explaining the differences in test scores that you see on the county website, so be careful about taking the test scores to mean that one school is better than another.

I am friends with other parents throughout the county. By and large, we have the same complaints and praises about the schools our kids attend.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Thanks for the feedback. Do either of the second two posters have feedback on particular schools that your children went to? I used to live in South Arlington back a few years ago (before DH and DD!), but I was not focused on schools then Even with the housing market the way it is, there are still a lot of houses on the market, so we are trying to focus our search around schools and neighborhoods that have great schools, friendly community, lots of other kids to play with, and (if we were REALLY lucky) somewhat walkable!

I really appreciate the feedback and insights! I didn't realize I would hit on such a hot topic!

[Anonymous]

Walkable as in sidewalks, or walkable as in sidewalks leading to commercial areas? Arlington is pretty good about having sidewalks most places (yes! even in South Arlington!), but if you want to be able to walk to the store or Metro, that will limit you more.

You may also want to consider what sort of school you want for your DC -- Barcroft is a nice neighborhood, but Barcroft Elementary is year-round. Children can attend another Arlington school, but if you want your child's school to be walkable, you want to make sure that's a school you want your child attending.

Do you have strong feelings about single-family house vs townhouse vs high-rise? Do you need a big backyard or would you rather take your kids to the park anyway?

[Anonymous]

Hi-

My oldest is not yet 3, so we have not had specific experience with schools yet. However, we live in the N. Arlington neighborhood of Waverly Hills and students there go to Glebe Elementary. The school is new and from my somewhat limited research, it looks like a good school. More diverse than some of the other schools in N. Arlington, but to me that is a good thing. Test scores are still good and people in my neighborhood rave about it. My neighborhood is very family friendly - we recently had a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and there were probably 100 kids there of all ages. There is a playground within walking distance as well as shops (Lee Heights) which have a toy store, bakery, a couple of casual restaurants, wine store, and the most recent addition - a Starbucks! We can walk to Ballston if we want, but our neighborhood is still quiet and peaceful. We sort of lucked out on finding our house, but are very pleased that we did. I agree that most if not all of the elementary schools are good in Arlington - I know more about N. Arlington because that is where I have lived for the past 10 years, but I know there are S. Arlington schools that are good, too. My nieces go to Barrett (Arlington Forest neighborhood) and I have heard good things about that school, too. I really don't think you can go wrong with any school in Arlington - it is more what you are looking for and what type of neighborhood feels right to you.

[Anonymous]

Agree - you really cannot go wrong with Arlington Schools - N or S. My son is in Ashlawn - a fantastic, small school. Many of the kids in his pre-school go to other area schools - Claremont (Spanish Immersion), Taylor (much bigger than Ashlawn, but excellent), and Sci Focus - all rave about their school. We are walking distance to Ballston (Mall, Metro, skating rink, and all that comes with that) - but not walking distance to the school. Many of my son's friends walk to school; parents are active and there are lots of extracurriculars (sports, scouts, etc.). Happy house hunting!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Arlington, live here now, and have several close family members/friends involved in the public school system.

I think the only difference between any of the elementary schools in Arlington is the composition of the student body from school to school. I think they all have highly qualified and motivated teachers and staff, and the facilities are mostly new and/or being renovated. Some schools will have higher test scores - these are schools where children come from more affluent and highly educated (native English speaking) homes.

I attended Taylor as a child. It was and is a great school.
We bought a house in Arlington Forest and our daughter will attend Barrett. I'm really thrilled about it. Our neighbors sent their daughters to Ashlawn - they loved it also. Barcroft is another that usually gets high reviews, Campbell is a brand new school, and I think Claremont will also have a Spanish immersion program.

I really don't think you can go wrong with elementary schools in Arlington County - or any of the public schools for that matter.

A lot of the neighborhoods in S. Arlington are also very charming - I've wondered for a long time about the N/S Arlington bias/snobbery. I grew up in N Arlington but we live now in Central Arlington (right near Rt. 50) and spend a lot of time all over the county and it's just silly. There are so many nice neighborhoods I never even knew about growing up!

[Anonymous]

OP here again! Really appreciate more feedback on specific schools and on neighborhoods! We are at a minimum hoping to have sidewalks (live in Fairfax County now and have no sidewalks), but walking to Starbucks would make my husband think he had died and gone to heaven!

Market is still a bit daunting, but it is good to know that we may be able to expand our search!

Any other feedback is welcome! I think we will be searching for a while!

[Anonymous]

I think the poster who talked about her neighborhood in N Arlington that feeds into Glebe Elementary is on to something -- we currently live in a walk-to-Metro neighborhood in a house that we could not afford if we were buying today. But a lot of what we like about our 'hood would be there for us if we moved to Lee Heights or thereabouts, especially the walking-to-stuff and the easy access to DC (where we both work). Although we couldn't walk to Metro, there is a bus that runs down Lee Highway to Farragut Square.

And being able to walk to Arrowine, Randolph's, Crisy and Juicy, Treetop Kids, and the fish store (and, OK, Sbx)? I just hope I'd be able to handle that responsibly!

[Anonymous]

Waverly Hills poster here again. OP-we just got sidewalks put on our street a few months ago! Most of the houses in our neighborhood are older and on the smaller side although that is changing - the house next door to us is actually under renovation and the owner plans to sell it for over $1 million. But there have been a few places on the market recently in the $550,000-650,000 range - not huge and probably need some work, but worth it for the neighborhood and location in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

OP: How much can you guys spend on a house and how many bedrooms do you need? Without some simple $$ info, we can all rave about our schools forever and it won't help inform your decision.

[Anonymous]

OP here - prefer to spend no more than the 800 range, but could maybe stretch up to 900 (but that is pushing it and requires us selling two properties). Need a minimum of 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, but prefer 4+ bedrooms. We hope to move once and stay there for 10-15 years! Fingers crossed!

[Anonymous]

Try Maywood and Cherrydale in North Arlington. You have your pick of several elementary schools (four, I think) for some reason in those neighborhoods. They have beautiful houses, lots of sidewalks, great parks, great sense of community, walkable shops, on the bike path, and you can still get a house for under 1 million. They are in a great location for public elementary schools.