Culture and values at FCPS Middle Schools

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We are looking to relocate to Fairfax County and would like ask about values of student body in middle schools there. We are muslim and socially conservative. That being said, we would like our daughter to attend a middle school where is there is less of boyfriend/girlfriend culture and more focus on academics. We respect everyones culture and choices, but our culture and religion requires that we refrain from sexuality before getting married. That being said, we would like to pick a middle school with less of that going on. We realize that all schools will have that to an extent, but we would like to choose a school with less of that. We also realized that we play important role in teaching our values to her. She is very good at math. Which one of the middle schools is a better fit for us? P.S. If you have different opinions about dating/sexuality before marriage we respect your choices and do no want to debate about that here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

We are looking to relocate to Fairfax County and would like ask about values of student body in middle schools there. We are muslim and socially conservative. That being said, we would like our daughter to attend a middle school where is there is less of boyfriend/girlfriend culture and more focus on academics. We respect everyones culture and choices, but our culture and religion requires that we refrain from sexuality before getting married. That being said, we would like to pick a middle school with less of that going on. We realize that all schools will have that to an extent, but we would like to choose a school with less of that. We also realized that we play important role in teaching our values to her. She is very good at math. Which one of the middle schools is a better fit for us? P.S. If you have different opinions about dating/sexuality before marriage we respect your choices and do no want to debate about that here.

No one here can adequately answer your question. This site is made up of parents who have a very narrow slice of what the social/dating scene might be like. The best people to answer this would be teachers at the school, and there are not enough of them here.

You might be better off finding a private religious school that meets your family’s needs.

[Anonymous]

I would be surprised if any school was "known" as the one with more dating or less dating. These are huge, diverse schools.

[Anonymous]

I think you will be more happy with a private religious school or homeschooling. You could also move to a more conservative country, but then your daughter would not be allowed an education.

[Anonymous]

It's a good question. Find out where your friends are sending their kids. That way, at least they'll have a Muslim social group.

[Anonymous]

Catholic school.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you should figure out where you'll be worshipping and call that institution and ask to be connected to some parents who are active in the institution.

For this kind of situation you need advice from within your community.

Regarding cultural mixing, I would say that children are usually strongly and profoundly influenced by parental values. And rebellious kids will rebel anyway. Usually troublemakers don't seek out the prudes and the people with obviously different norms. They are looking for fellow troublemakers if that makes any sense.

[Anonymous]

Private religious school for sure. All our friends who care about these same things (Catholics) have chosen private school for this reason. You have to surround your kid with likeminded kids and you’re not going to get that in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private religious school for sure. All our friends who care about these same things (Catholics) have chosen private school for this reason. You have to surround your kid with likeminded kids and you’re not going to get that in FCPS.

As someone who attended Catholic school my whole life, this cracks me up. Like sorry-Catholic kids are having sex as well. OP-it’s not about the school in FCPS, it’s about the peer group within the school. Pretty much every FCPS school has a group of kids focused on academics. But if you want socially conservative (i.e., anti pre-marital sex, anti LBGTQA) then maybe private is best.

[Anonymous]

The Catholic school recommendations make zero sense. PP’s think those kids are not sexually active??? What a joke.

OP I suggest you figure out where other Muslims are sending their kids to schools as it sounds like you don’t want your kids to integrate and become too Western.

Take a look at King Abdullah Academy. It may be what you’re looking for.

[Anonymous]

The MSs in FCPS large with a huge variety of kids, none of them are going to meet your standards. All of them will have academically minded kids and kids who are dating and there will be a good number of academically minded kids dating.

Check with the mosques in the area and see where the kids go to school. You might need to look at private but many of those schools will have kids dating.

Good luck in your search.

[Anonymous]

Look at the middle schools where there are more nerds. Maybe identify middle schools who send a good number of kids to TJ High School: Longfellow, Carson, and maybe some other middle schools. There may be significant body of kids in such schools that are academic oriented and less of fashion, make up, dating oriented girls. This is just a guess.

If you are looking for privates that are not religious oriented, then check out Basis Independent McLean and Nysmith.

I don't have kids in any of the schools I mentioned. My kids are still young. I am aware of the culture among middle school girls due to my friends who have kids that age. They say more nerdy the girls are, the less they talk about fashion, make up stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at the middle schools where there are more nerds. Maybe identify middle schools who send a good number of kids to TJ High School: Longfellow, Carson, and maybe some other middle schools. There may be significant body of kids in such schools that are academic oriented and less of fashion, make up, dating oriented girls. This is just a guess.

If you are looking for privates that are not religious oriented, then check out Basis Independent McLean and Nysmith.

I don't have kids in any of the schools I mentioned. My kids are still young. I am aware of the culture among middle school girls due to my friends who have kids that age. They say more nerdy the girls are, the less they talk about fashion, make up stuff.

Nerds date. Nerds have sex, even at a young age. Nerds attend school with non-nerds who discuss fashion, sex, and other similar topics. Nerds play video games, many of which over sexualize girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the middle schools where there are more nerds. Maybe identify middle schools who send a good number of kids to TJ High School: Longfellow, Carson, and maybe some other middle schools. There may be significant body of kids in such schools that are academic oriented and less of fashion, make up, dating oriented girls. This is just a guess.

If you are looking for privates that are not religious oriented, then check out Basis Independent McLean and Nysmith.

I don't have kids in any of the schools I mentioned. My kids are still young. I am aware of the culture among middle school girls due to my friends who have kids that age. They say more nerdy the girls are, the less they talk about fashion, make up stuff.

Nerds date. Nerds have sex, even at a young age. Nerds attend school with non-nerds who discuss fashion, sex, and other similar topics. Nerds play video games, many of which over sexualize girls.

Maybe, but I agree with the first PP. The high performing schools are more likely to have some social groups focused on academics more than dating. That doesn’t mean that none of those kids will date, though. Your DD will probably find some like-minded friends at almost any middle school.

[Anonymous]

We aren't Muslim or very socially conservative but DC went through the AAP Program at Rocky Run and that would probably fit the bill. There were a lot of very studious kids whose families did not allow dating and had very high expectations for behavior and academics.