which HS (Oakton, Madison, Mclean) our family should choose

[Anonymous]

We need some insights about high school district choice. which HS (Oakton, Madison, Mclean or other schools) we should choose?

We are an Asian family and moving from a southern state(like GA and NC). We finally decided to move to DC area to seek better public school and a bigger metro area because we can mostly work from home(just need to travel to the office once a quarter or something like that). We used to live in the NYC suburb for about 4 years but never wanted to go back to NYC area again. We have 4 kids: one 8th grader, one 5th grader and the other two still in preschool and kindergarten. Our family combined income is around $420k and it is likely this is what we can make for next few years. I work in the accounting consulting area and my wife works for a bank.

My 8th grader son will pursue the STEM especially the computer science related. He is not very social and needs some time to ramp up in the new school so we hope there are a diversified group he can easily fit in. He does swimming and tennis for sports. I am not too worried for my other three kids since they are very social and can very easily make new friends.

We excluded Langley since we don't feel comfortable putting my kids in such a wealthy area. We are just average professionals earning wages. We still consider Mclean since we feel like the diversity seems better. I also heard Oakton is a wealthy district too but not sure what "Wealthy" means? We probably just want to spend 850-900K on the future house(we will rent for the first year).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We are just average professionals earning wages.

$420K/year is nowhere near average; I would not exclude private school.

McLean is probably the best of the ones you listed, but it suffers from the generic FCPS issues.

[Anonymous]

You may be shocked by the lack of investment in some of the older school buildings in Fairfax County, which have received minimal maintenance over the decades. But otherwise the public schools you are considering in Northern Virginia are all excellent. Your 8th grade son may want to apply to TJHSST, the Science & Tech Governor’s magnet school.

Madison and McLean are nice since they are walkable to the surrounding neighborhoods. Oakton was recently renovated and is a stunning facility that sets a high bar for future school renovation projects. The school however is not all that walkable.

I would not get caught up in which district is “wealthy” as all three of the schools you mention are in affluent areas.

[Anonymous]

Go to Chantilly. Lots of Asians and stem focus there. More reasonable prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to Chantilly. Lots of Asians and stem focus there. More reasonable prices.

Or Woodson

[Anonymous]

1. Please realize that for that budget in this area, you will be priced out of nicer homes. But you could increase your budget with that HHI.
2. If STEM is important and you want more bang for your buck, consider Chantilly.
3. Of the 3 you mentioned-McLean probably has the strongest STEM.
4. 420k is not average
5. Of course your Asian son will pursue STEM
6. What does “wealthy” mean?
Given numbers 4-6, you sound like a DCUMer already.

[Anonymous]

+1 McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to Chantilly. Lots of Asians and stem focus there. More reasonable prices.

Or Woodson

A lot of Woodson feeders have swim and tennis. Also Little Rocky Run which feeds to Westfields which allows an extra period like Tj. At Woodson you are still close to TJ. For Chantilly and Westfields I wouldn’t do the commute. West Springfield might be another place to consider. Pick the swim and tennis club you like along with the pool and check the waitlists

[Anonymous]

Meant to say along with the school. Not pool

[Anonymous]

There are beautiful homes in Mantua, which is zoned to Woodson HS. As others a have mentioned Woodson is an excellent school with highly motivated students and proactive parents.

Mantua is an attractive, leafy, hidden gem of a neighborhood. It’s close to the Mosaic District, a nice neighborhood with shops, cafes, and a movie theater. Nice trendy Asian eateries nearby as well. A popular Japanese izakaya opened up at Fairfax Circle just a couple months ago.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. OP here.
Not trying to get into too much on the income or Wealth. I was just trying to say we have tight budget since we have 4 kids.

Anonymous wrote:1. Please realize that for that budget in this area, you will be priced out of nicer homes. But you could increase your budget with that HHI.
2. If STEM is important and you want more bang for your buck, consider Chantilly.
3. Of the 3 you mentioned-McLean probably has the strongest STEM.
4. 420k is not average
5. Of course your Asian son will pursue STEM
6. What does “wealthy” mean?
Given numbers 4-6, you sound like a DCUMer already.

[Anonymous]

Look into private schools.

[Anonymous]

I heard McLean is going to be overcrowded due to TJ's new admissions policy.

Private schools aren't going to be affordable - 4 kids comes to 200k per year, which is likely all or nearly all of their after tax income

[Anonymous]

McLean hits all your buttons except there won’t be a ton of desirable houses in the $850-900K range. Very strong academically and tennis is one of their stronger sports. It’s overcrowded but it’s an excellent school and Asian kids there do really well.

[Anonymous]

Don’t rule out Langley, but you might need to increase your home budget.