New Home Choice: Is Oakton High Really Better than Chantilly?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, we will welcome you with open arms at Chantilly. It's a very tight knit community and the boundaries are compact, so kids often spend alot of time with their peers. We have a fantastic administration as well. No matter the type of kid you have they WILL find a niche at the school, just due to the sheer amount of student groups.

When people say Chantilly is over-crowded does that mean kids are in portable classrooms, and what are the plans to address the over-crowding? I saw someone mentioning expanding Centreville. Does that mean Chantilly kids will be forced to attend Centreville? I am looking for housing in the Chantilly area (going through a divorce). Thanks!

Yes, the most likely scenario is that once Centreville is renovated and expanded to 3000 seats several hundred Chantilly kids will get moved. They could either get moved directly to Centreville or they could get moved to Westfield with part of Westfield moved to Centreville. There are no plans to renovate or expand Chantilly any time soon.

Our school community will do everything that is possible to make sure we are on the 2024 or 2025 bond. We are willing to go to great legnths to fight for the renovation. We cant let a renovation queue and staff dictate this anymore

What might be feasible is to push the School Board to get staff to issue a new renovation queue sooner rather than later. The instinct of staff is no need to rush because it's going to take years to finish renovating schools on the queue developed in 2008. But if they could put out a new queue it would at least give people comfort that FCPS isn't completely unconcerned about the schools that need renovation or expansion, and that something will happen eventually.

What's not going to happen is Chantilly getting on a bond in 2025 (there won't be a school bond this fall) for a renovation, much less getting a full renovation. Kids from Chantilly will get moved to Centreville first.

We were last renovated in 88. We almost had our roof collapse the week before school started. Newer schools have no business getting renovated before. And a centreville chantilly boundary change isnt as realistic as those who dont live in that area suggest( the parts of chantilly closer to centreville do not have that many students)

Sorry lady, if kids in Herndon are being bussed to Oakton, kids in Chantilly can surely be sent to Centerville. Your wish is not going to happen.

Lmao im a student but okay. Do you even know what tilly's boundaries look like? Draw the part of the attendance zone on the map you think will be rezoned to centreville and how many students you think live there. btw, nobody thinks oakton's boundaries are ok or should be permanent.

DP. So you're a kid. That might explain why you think your needs come first or you'll always get your way. Sadly, FCPS isn't mommy or daddy.

Yep, our building is definetely sustainable until the 2030s. Why dont you come out here and take a look yourself? The only 4 high schools that should be renovated before us are mclean, lewis, hayfield, and mt vernon. If you think its selfish to have a building that isnt falling apart, then so be it.

What happens is that FCPS has its formal renovation queue for when schools get major, comprehensive renovations/expansions. Chantilly is not in this queue, so it's not going to get a full rehab any time soon.

The queue dates back to 2008 and there are still schools on that queue waiting to get renovated. At various times through 2017, the School Board deviated from the queue and authorized expansions (not renovations) of schools that weren't otherwise in the queue - including South Lakes, West Potomac, Madison, and Justice. If the School Board were still doing that, schools like Chantilly and McLean might get expanded, but at some point the School Board appears to have decided it's not going to keep expanding schools outside the queue if they can redistrict.

However, apart from the formal renovation queue, there's a budget for critical infrastructure needs. FCPS taps into that budget to do things like keep the roof from Chantilly from collapsing, replace broken tiles at McLean, etc. Because that budget is smaller than the budget for major projects, it can do this with less scrutiny about who's getting what and when.

It may seem unsatisfactory if you're at Chantilly and you see the very nice Oakton renovation, but that's how things play out. You have to wait your turn, and then some, and if you get fed up and pull out of FCPS they won't lose any sleep over it.

My kids would be in their mid to late 20s by the time either McLean or Chantilly are renovated if the current queue sticks. Many parents on this board would be in their 70s or 80s. Unless FCPS creates a new queue, and hires an architect / engineer to reevaluate all the county schools. There is a new facilities superintendent so things could change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we will welcome you with open arms at Chantilly. It's a very tight knit community and the boundaries are compact, so kids often spend alot of time with their peers. We have a fantastic administration as well. No matter the type of kid you have they WILL find a niche at the school, just due to the sheer amount of student groups.

When people say Chantilly is over-crowded does that mean kids are in portable classrooms, and what are the plans to address the over-crowding? I saw someone mentioning expanding Centreville. Does that mean Chantilly kids will be forced to attend Centreville? I am looking for housing in the Chantilly area (going through a divorce). Thanks!

Yes, the most likely scenario is that once Centreville is renovated and expanded to 3000 seats several hundred Chantilly kids will get moved. They could either get moved directly to Centreville or they could get moved to Westfield with part of Westfield moved to Centreville. There are no plans to renovate or expand Chantilly any time soon.

Our school community will do everything that is possible to make sure we are on the 2024 or 2025 bond. We are willing to go to great legnths to fight for the renovation. We cant let a renovation queue and staff dictate this anymore

What might be feasible is to push the School Board to get staff to issue a new renovation queue sooner rather than later. The instinct of staff is no need to rush because it's going to take years to finish renovating schools on the queue developed in 2008. But if they could put out a new queue it would at least give people comfort that FCPS isn't completely unconcerned about the schools that need renovation or expansion, and that something will happen eventually.

What's not going to happen is Chantilly getting on a bond in 2025 (there won't be a school bond this fall) for a renovation, much less getting a full renovation. Kids from Chantilly will get moved to Centreville first.

We were last renovated in 88. We almost had our roof collapse the week before school started. Newer schools have no business getting renovated before. And a centreville chantilly boundary change isnt as realistic as those who dont live in that area suggest( the parts of chantilly closer to centreville do not have that many students)

There is a separate fund for things like roof repair - our ES is not in the renovation queue at all, but had the roof replaced last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we will welcome you with open arms at Chantilly. It's a very tight knit community and the boundaries are compact, so kids often spend alot of time with their peers. We have a fantastic administration as well. No matter the type of kid you have they WILL find a niche at the school, just due to the sheer amount of student groups.

When people say Chantilly is over-crowded does that mean kids are in portable classrooms, and what are the plans to address the over-crowding? I saw someone mentioning expanding Centreville. Does that mean Chantilly kids will be forced to attend Centreville? I am looking for housing in the Chantilly area (going through a divorce). Thanks!

Yes, the most likely scenario is that once Centreville is renovated and expanded to 3000 seats several hundred Chantilly kids will get moved. They could either get moved directly to Centreville or they could get moved to Westfield with part of Westfield moved to Centreville. There are no plans to renovate or expand Chantilly any time soon.

Our school community will do everything that is possible to make sure we are on the 2024 or 2025 bond. We are willing to go to great legnths to fight for the renovation. We cant let a renovation queue and staff dictate this anymore

What might be feasible is to push the School Board to get staff to issue a new renovation queue sooner rather than later. The instinct of staff is no need to rush because it's going to take years to finish renovating schools on the queue developed in 2008. But if they could put out a new queue it would at least give people comfort that FCPS isn't completely unconcerned about the schools that need renovation or expansion, and that something will happen eventually.

What's not going to happen is Chantilly getting on a bond in 2025 (there won't be a school bond this fall) for a renovation, much less getting a full renovation. Kids from Chantilly will get moved to Centreville first.

We were last renovated in 88. We almost had our roof collapse the week before school started. Newer schools have no business getting renovated before. And a centreville chantilly boundary change isnt as realistic as those who dont live in that area suggest( the parts of chantilly closer to centreville do not have that many students)

There are a lot crazier boundaries than kids from Chantilly being shifted to Centreville HS and Westfield HS, both of which are less than 5 miles/10 minutes away from Chantilly HS.

Take a look at the boundaries for Langley, Oakton, Robinson, South County, and Lake Braddock. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/SY2022-23HighSchoolBoundaries.pdf

[Anonymous]

Chantilly and West Springfield often speak of the their tight boundaries as untouchable because they serve as models for ideal boundaries. True in an ideal world. News flash: they're able to have such tight boundaries currently at the expense of surrounding schools having some very wonky boundaries. So when the time comes to make necessary changes based on new expansions I don't think anyone is invulnerable.

[Anonymous]

It’s a shame FCPS isn’t taking the $80M getting wasted on Dunn Loring ES to build additions to Chantilly HS and McLean HS. But since there’s no sign of that happening it appears part of Chantilly will get moved to Centreville in a few years. Whether Chantilly’s boundaries are “compact” won’t matter one bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a shame FCPS isn’t taking the $80M getting wasted on Dunn Loring ES to build additions to Chantilly HS and McLean HS. But since there’s no sign of that happening it appears part of Chantilly will get moved to Centreville in a few years. Whether Chantilly’s boundaries are “compact” won’t matter one bit.

Nope. At best they should use some of that money on expanding Shrevewood, which WILL be overcrowded again in the future, despite the principal's best attempts at getting rid of tiger mommas!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a shame FCPS isn’t taking the $80M getting wasted on Dunn Loring ES to build additions to Chantilly HS and McLean HS. But since there’s no sign of that happening it appears part of Chantilly will get moved to Centreville in a few years. Whether Chantilly’s boundaries are “compact” won’t matter one bit.

Nope. At best they should use some of that money on expanding Shrevewood, which WILL be overcrowded again in the future, despite the principal's best attempts at getting rid of tiger mommas!

That won’t happen, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a shame FCPS isn’t taking the $80M getting wasted on Dunn Loring ES to build additions to Chantilly HS and McLean HS. But since there’s no sign of that happening it appears part of Chantilly will get moved to Centreville in a few years. Whether Chantilly’s boundaries are “compact” won’t matter one bit.

Nope. At best they should use some of that money on expanding Shrevewood, which WILL be overcrowded again in the future, despite the principal's best attempts at getting rid of tiger mommas!

That money on the Dunn Loring Elementary should go back to Fairfax/Oakton. They are approving a massive development on the AT&T site in Oakton and office building across from Oakmarr Rec Center are being torn down and townhouses built. The school is needed where the voters originally approved the bond for, I know the Blake Lane Park, formerly Blake Lane School site is out thanks to Mr. Frisch, but there should be other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a shame FCPS isn’t taking the $80M getting wasted on Dunn Loring ES to build additions to Chantilly HS and McLean HS. But since there’s no sign of that happening it appears part of Chantilly will get moved to Centreville in a few years. Whether Chantilly’s boundaries are “compact” won’t matter one bit.

Nope. At best they should use some of that money on expanding Shrevewood, which WILL be overcrowded again in the future, despite the principal's best attempts at getting rid of tiger mommas!

That money on the Dunn Loring Elementary should go back to Fairfax/Oakton. They are approving a massive development on the AT&T site in Oakton and office building across from Oakmarr Rec Center are being torn down and townhouses built. The school is needed where the voters originally approved the bond for, I know the Blake Lane Park, formerly Blake Lane School site is out thanks to Mr. Frisch, but there should be other options.

It looks like that development would feed into Oakton ES/Thoreau MS/Oakton HS. Oakton ES is close to full capacity now.

But, too bad. Frisch has made sure it will be decades before any new ES gets discussed again in the Fairfax/Oakton area. Dunn Loring is too far along (in terms of planning and publicity, though not construction) to pull back now. When it opens it will force major and unnecessary boundary changes in the eastern Vienna area so that Frisch - who by then will be running for some other office - won't look like a total idiot. But it won't do anything for schools further west.