cunningham elementary in vienna

[Anonymous]

we bought a house in 2019 and thought cunningham was gonna be fine even though it had a low ranking (I went to FCPS rated even lower in Springfield VA and still was able to make something of myself). now the wifey is having second thoughts wanting to send the kids to vienna elementary. What do parents that actually send their kids to cunningham think?

if we have to, how do we get about sending the kids to vienna elementary even though we are not zoned for it, literarily across the street is vienna and our side is cunningham so there are no commute issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we bought a house in 2019 and thought cunningham was gonna be fine even though it had a low ranking (I went to FCPS rated even lower in Springfield VA and still was able to make something of myself). now the wifey is having second thoughts wanting to send the kids to vienna elementary. What do parents that actually send their kids to cunningham think?

if we have to, how do we get about sending the kids to vienna elementary even though we are not zoned for it, literarily across the street is vienna and our side is cunningham so there are no commute issues.

You are not likely going to be allowed to move to Vienna. FCPS is pretty strict about attendance zones. If they let you switch just because you want to, they’d have to do it for everyone. There is always private school if you don’t like Cunningham.

[Anonymous]

CPES is fine with great teachers. The principal is way eccentric and odd, but it is a nice community overall. My child went there k-6 and I don't really have a bad thing to say.

[Anonymous]

Totally acceptable FCPS school. What's the concern?

[Anonymous]

Cunningham is not our home school but a small part of our subdivision is within the Cunningham boundaries.

All parents I have spoken to really like it.

I personally knew a bus driver and a special ed assistant who worked there and loved the community.

Really you're not going to go wrong with any school in Vienna.

[Anonymous]

It’s good school in a great neighborhood. Both Cunningham ES and Freedom Hill ES are Vienna schools that get dinged because they have a higher proportion of ESL students who don’t test well. They get dinged for that and for the difference in achievement gaps. If your child is in AAP, they can transfer to Louise Archer down the street. Cunningham and Vienna also end up in the same MS and HS FYI.

[Anonymous]

Why does your wife prefer VES?

[Anonymous]

They are right near each other. Why such a strong preference? We are at a different Vienna elementary but the kids have friends at Cunningham Park and I know someone that works there. I have not heard any complaints from the parents or staff. One of our friends moved from our school to there because they liked the house better. All of us are zoned for Madison anyway. You can’t go wrong with any of the Vienna schools.

[Anonymous]

CPES is fine, strong community. With that said, VES is the smallest school in the county and with Covid they had something like a 19% decrease in students. Getting into VES shouldn't be an issue but you will have to document the hardship. Daycare is one such "hardship".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CPES is fine, strong community. With that said, VES is the smallest school in the county and with Covid they had something like a 19% decrease in students. Getting into VES shouldn't be an issue but you will have to document the hardship. Daycare is one such "hardship".

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CPES is fine, strong community. With that said, VES is the smallest school in the county and with Covid they had something like a 19% decrease in students. Getting into VES shouldn't be an issue but you will have to document the hardship. Daycare is one such "hardship".

Can you elaborate?

PP us referring to these reasons but I don’t know how you could document you have daycare if your kid attends VES but not Cunningham Park. It would be for reasons if you had a SACC spot at one school but not the other. Or if you found before or afterschool cafe that is walking distance to VES and that was your only option. https://www.fcps.edu/registration/student-transfer-information

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are right near each other. Why such a strong preference? We are at a different Vienna elementary but the kids have friends at Cunningham Park and I know someone that works there. I have not heard any complaints from the parents or staff. One of our friends moved from our school to there because they liked the house better. All of us are zoned for Madison anyway. You can’t go wrong with any of the Vienna schools.

Some of Cunningham Park goes to Marshall, not Madison, including some areas that border the Vienna ES boundary. But if you're in the Town of Vienna you'd go to Madison either way.

[Anonymous]

The schools teach the same curriculum, mostly feed into the same middle and high school, and are fine schools. It would be strange for your kid to attend Vienna, if he/she is not zoned for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CPES is fine, strong community. With that said, VES is the smallest school in the county and with Covid they had something like a 19% decrease in students. Getting into VES shouldn't be an issue but you will have to document the hardship. Daycare is one such "hardship".

Armstrong, Bucknell, Garfield, Little Run, Mount Eagle, Olde Creek, and Sherman ES all currently have lower enrollments than VES, so VES is not the smallest school in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The schools teach the same curriculum, mostly feed into the same middle and high school, and are fine schools. It would be strange for your kid to attend Vienna, if he/she is not zoned for it.

Agree with PP. How much better for Vienna be?