Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The weird irrational fear of Wakefield is hopefully becoming a thing of the past. We can't afford it in this county. With the number of students swelling, it looks better and better.

Why is it weird and irrational to avoid a school that has poor scores and almost never has a National Merit Semifinalist? Before any neighborhood is moved there, the burden should be on APS to demonstrate Wakefield can foster an atmosphere of achievement off a basketball court.

With great teachers my kid can achieve anywhere.

But other kids who have gone there haven't, so the teachers must not be so great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The weird irrational fear of Wakefield is hopefully becoming a thing of the past. We can't afford it in this county. With the number of students swelling, it looks better and better.

Why is it weird and irrational to avoid a school that has poor scores and almost never has a National Merit Semifinalist? Before any neighborhood is moved there, the burden should be on APS to demonstrate Wakefield can foster an atmosphere of achievement off a basketball court.

With great teachers my kid can achieve anywhere.

But other kids who have gone there haven't, so the teachers must not be so great.

Wakefield students have gotten into top colleges. Stop trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The weird irrational fear of Wakefield is hopefully becoming a thing of the past. We can't afford it in this county. With the number of students swelling, it looks better and better.

Why is it weird and irrational to avoid a school that has poor scores and almost never has a National Merit Semifinalist? Before any neighborhood is moved there, the burden should be on APS to demonstrate Wakefield can foster an atmosphere of achievement off a basketball court.

With great teachers my kid can achieve anywhere.

But other kids who have gone there haven't, so the teachers must not be so great.

Wakefield students have gotten into top colleges. Stop trolling.

A three-year average of SAT scores provided on another thread shows:

All Students:

Wakefield 1449 (lowest in Arlington, only Mount Vernon is lower in Fairfax)

White Students:

Wakefield 1633 (lowest in Arlington, only Edison, Mount Vernon and Lee are lower in Fairfax)

Asian Students:

Wakefield 1477 (lowest in Arlington and lower than any school in Fairfax)

Black Students:

Wakefield 1334 (lowest in Arlington and lower than any school in Fairfax)

Hispanic Students:

Wakefield 1404 (lowest in Arlington, only Lee is lower in Fairfax)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?

Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?

No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.

I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...

I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.

Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.

Oh, c'mon. Lyon Village is commonly known as a fantastic place to live. Nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread because my 8th grader has been accepted to the IB program at Washington-Lee. We are zoned for Yorktown and have a child there. Our Yorktown kid is not real studious and is still making mostly A's with a few B's. Our 8th grader is a more ambitious student who likes learning, wants to be challenged, etc. so we thought the IB program would be good for him. But now I'm hearing from people who live in the W-L district how overcrowded it is, it's difficult to get the classes you want, and they say we should stay at Yorktown. Any current W-L parents who can comment?

I'm a current W-L parent who lives in Yorktown district. We are thrilled with W-L. My child is in the IB program (which really doesn't fully start until junior year) and has never had an issue getting into his desired classes.

Our second child just got into HB, and may attend there, rather than Yorktown.

Living in Yorktown district, we know plenty of people there, and most have been happy. Not as happy as the W-L parents/students that we know, though. Two of my child's colleagues are transferring to w-l from Yorktown next year, and one did last year.

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How long is the daily commute? What do you do for sports? Seems like a lot of traveling around. What is driving you to Wakefield over Yorktown? Better Ivy #s?

Well for us, my child is IB so APS provides transportation to W/L from YT district. He plays 3 sports for w/l. One per season. There's a late and a sports bus, although I generally just pick him up every day after practice. He also plays travel/club sports, so he often has to go straight to those.

You get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

In my child's case, it is because they didn't like the social environment at YT. Too much pressure to be an "attractive, rich white kid". Boys felt like they have to be the sports superstar who wears vineyard vines and girls have to wear makeup and cute uggs. Not so much based on the academics. But this has happened to multiple kids I know. I know of 4 kids that transferred in the past year, just out of our small group of friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

In my child's case, it is because they didn't like the social environment at YT. Too much pressure to be an "attractive, rich white kid". Boys felt like they have to be the sports superstar who wears vineyard vines and girls have to wear makeup and cute uggs. Not so much based on the academics. But this has happened to multiple kids I know. I know of 4 kids that transferred in the past year, just out of our small group of friends.

This. The place is kind of cold. Don't want my kid starting becoming an adult life like this. The other two schools have better environments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

In my child's case, it is because they didn't like the social environment at YT. Too much pressure to be an "attractive, rich white kid". Boys felt like they have to be the sports superstar who wears vineyard vines and girls have to wear makeup and cute uggs. Not so much based on the academics. But this has happened to multiple kids I know. I know of 4 kids that transferred in the past year, just out of our small group of friends.

This. The place is kind of cold. Don't want my kid starting becoming an adult life like this. The other two schools have better environments.

Yep. My co worker's daughter got caught up in all that crap. They pulled her out.

[Anonymous]

I dislike the W-L parents I've met so much that I could never envision the school as a good social environment. Parents at both Yorktown and Wakefield are much friendlier and don't act like they have as much to prove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

In my child's case, it is because they didn't like the social environment at YT. Too much pressure to be an "attractive, rich white kid". Boys felt like they have to be the sports superstar who wears vineyard vines and girls have to wear makeup and cute uggs. Not so much based on the academics. But this has happened to multiple kids I know. I know of 4 kids that transferred in the past year, just out of our small group of friends.

This. The place is kind of cold. Don't want my kid starting becoming an adult life like this. The other two schools have better environments.

How would you say this compares to Langley? That's our other option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dislike the W-L parents I've met so much that I could never envision the school as a good social environment. Parents at both Yorktown and Wakefield are much friendlier and don't act like they have as much to prove.

The YHS parents are the most insufferable out there. They constantly talk about how dangerous Wakefield is and how many minorities go to W-L. Nice try again Yorktown troll. You never cease to amaze me, but we all know you've never met a Wakefield parent in your life...in your bubble in lily-white land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know specifically why these kids are transferring from Yorktown to W-L?

In my child's case, it is because they didn't like the social environment at YT. Too much pressure to be an "attractive, rich white kid". Boys felt like they have to be the sports superstar who wears vineyard vines and girls have to wear makeup and cute uggs. Not so much based on the academics. But this has happened to multiple kids I know. I know of 4 kids that transferred in the past year, just out of our small group of friends.

This. The place is kind of cold. Don't want my kid starting becoming an adult life like this. The other two schools have better environments.

Yep. My co worker's daughter got caught up in all that crap. They pulled her out.

I've heard the mean girl and Bro culture is very strong there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dislike the W-L parents I've met so much that I could never envision the school as a good social environment. Parents at both Yorktown and Wakefield are much friendlier and don't act like they have as much to prove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dislike the W-L parents I've met so much that I could never envision the school as a good social environment. Parents at both Yorktown and Wakefield are much friendlier and don't act like they have as much to prove.

The YHS parents are the most insufferable out there. They constantly talk about how dangerous Wakefield is and how many minorities go to W-L. Nice try again Yorktown troll. You never cease to amaze me, but we all know you've never met a Wakefield parent in your life...in your bubble in lily-white land.

Exactly. Yorktown parents are an overly demanding and overbearing bunch--some well respected coaches at Yorktown have been forced out over the past few years by the parents who demand teams that win with consistency. A conference win every few years doesn't cut it.

That does not happen at Arlington's other high schools.