Changing school pyramids in Middle School
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mimtiaz
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Hello,
My husband and I are considering buying in North Arlington, and then moving to somewhere in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system once our kids are in middle school. We understand that APS has good elementary schools, but that FCPS has better options for high school. If we are interested in our kids attending FCPS schools in the long term, does it make sense to start them in APS? Is it unusual for families to change pyramids, or is it relatively common? Appreciate your insight! |
Anonymous
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If you’re not fully invested in APS then just move to Fairfax County. McLean is Arlington adjacent and the schools are plenty good. Since kids form friendships in ES which often carry over into MS and HS, why even move to Arlington if you plan to move for MS.
That said APS is strengthening the gifted program for middle schools and the high schools are plenty rigorous. So if you wanted to be in Arlington because you like the community or a specific neighborhood then you should be fine from ES through high school. |
Anonymous
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OP your premise is wrong. North Arlington middle and high schools are easily on par with the best of what Fairfax has to offer. Yes, they’re not as affluent at the very top end - Langley, I mean - but that doesn’t mean anything at all.
But if you’re wedded to your premise, wrong as it is, then I’d do what other posters recommend and start out in Fairfax and skip Arlington altogether. It’s not like Arlington elementary schools are better than Fairfax anyway. |
Anonymous
| Move to Fairfax. What a weird post. Why even bother with Arlington at all if Fairfax schools are what you want? |
Anonymous
Yorktown is not as good as at least: Langley, McLean, Oakton, Woodson, Madison, Marshall, and Chantilly. |
Anonymous
Citation needed |
Anonymous
Of course it is. And so is Washington-Liberty. You’re splitting hairs and thinking only of minor differences in overall test scores that merely reflect demographic differences. I have never once heard of anyone who has moved from Arlington to Fairfax after elementary school for the middle and high schools. Doing that would be the epitome of silly. |
Anonymous
DP. PP probably based this on US News rankings. Those schools and also West Springfield in Fairfax are all rated higher than Yorktown. |
Anonymous
+1 if there are testing differences it is due to demographic differences that in my opinion ADD to the school rather than detract (more income diversity). OP if there is a reason you want to be in fairfax, just move there. APS schools are good and if you want to be in Arlington, buy here and plan to live here. It isn't good for kids to move during middle school. It is one of the hardest times developmentally for a child to move and should only be done if necessary or a very compelling reason, moving to a school with a slightly higher income bracket of kids (or less variability) should not be one of them |
Anonymous
| To your question op, i would say no it is not common for kids to move pyramids unless a parent was renting and then decided to buy and needs to buy in Fairfax due to better prices, or the family is moving for other reasons away from the area. It would not be typical at all to move from APS to FCPS. And one of the great benefits of APS or FCPS school is that your kids get to go to neighborhood schools. It is wonderful and quite the gift - to become friends with your neighbors and grow up together, move onto middle school together, then high school. I grew up in this area and am still close with my friends I made in elementary school. Dear friends. For most kids, it will be best to be able to stay within the same system especially when transitioning to middle school which is already awkward. So I would just figure out what feels like the best fit for your family, Arlington or Fairfx. Both are great. |
Anonymous
And those rankings change every year. |
Anonymous
| If you were asking about ACPS for elementary and then FCPS for middle maybe. We had to do that. But I wish we had just started in Fairfax to begin with (we could only ever afford south Arlington not north). |
Anonymous
| Its going to be hard to move your kids at that age because not only will they have friends, but you will have a “community” by then. You will have met a lot of other parents and neighbors and such. Your kids could also be in activities that are location-specific (scouts, swim, etc) and they would have to switch teams/troops/whatever. |
Anonymous
Yes, moving ACPS to FCPS for middle is not uncommon. |
Anonymous
Take your pick: SAT scores, US News, national merit semi finalists, college placement. Consistently year after year. |