Which are the top 2 school clusters in NoVA?

[Anonymous]

Langley and George Mason? Then McLean and Madison.

[Anonymous]

...and no one is including Yorktown, or was this just an FCPS self flagellation exercise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...and no one is including Yorktown, or was this just an FCPS self flagellation exercise?

If you want all of the wealthy entitlement of Langley, but feel like your children might need to be a little more bigoted, terrible, AND underperform on the SAT -there is always Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ has been proven. There is a threshold for poverty. Small percentage, all kids do well. Overwhelmingly poor? All kids do worse.
Yet, they concentrate poverty into the same areas and those schools are overwhelmed.
Then you get to hear McLean and Langley posters gloat. Aren't they just so proud...

I don't recall any McLean or Langley posters gloating. That chip on your shoulder might be convincing you otherwise, however.

Oh no. Not at all... just so long as everyone knows you are the best, and people move to Langley and McLean because they truly value education.

FWIW, I never said anything of the sort. And actually, I think the posters saying Langley and McLean are two of the best school pyramids don't actually have kids who go there. I think they were just pointing out stats and other evidence that points to that being true. There are plenty of great school pyramids in NoVA though, and we all know that.

Absolutely. But OP asked which pyramids in NoVa are considered the top two, and the consensus answer to that question is Langley and McLean.

clearly there is no consensus.

Excluding TJ, the top five in FCPS: Madison, Oakton, Woodson, McLean, and Langley are statistically indistinguishable from each other in terms of student performance. There are different cultures at the schools, but the end results in ranking -- by any metric -- will place those schools real close to each other year after year.

So, what is more important is other factors: If you want a school with no economic diversity, try Langley or McLean. Sports: Madison or Oakton (mostly, Vienna has good youth sports programs). Academic Pressure Cooker: Woodson. If your kid lives for Band, Madison.

[Anonymous]

...and interestingly McLean, Madison, Oakton and Langley all have strong girls athletic programs (if anyone cares about sports)...

McLean (gymnastics)
Madison (softball and volleyball)
Oakton (basketball)
Langley (volleyball and basketball)
Yorktown (gymnastics)

and, yes, Madison Band is something else...McLean uniforms are cooler. Don't know much about Chorus for the schools, but all of them send a lot of kids to district and all state chorus too.

[Anonymous]

If we are talking about sports in general- none of these schools are really the big sports programs. Athough Oakton and Woodson can hang.

Westfield high school seems to be dominant.

Lake Braddock, Robinson... maybe West Springfield

[Anonymous]

Ehhh... depends on which sports...if your talking football then, yes...Westfield is dominiate. Track, Lake Braddock cleaned up at the indoor events. But the "small" sports the schools mentioned in this "best" list are pretty darn good. (Also, Madison girls and boys swim/dive is really strong... just read in the WP they were state champ and state runner up resepectively)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ehhh... depends on which sports...if your talking football then, yes...Westfield is dominiate. Track, Lake Braddock cleaned up at the indoor events. But the "small" sports the schools mentioned in this "best" list are pretty darn good. (Also, Madison girls and boys swim/dive is really strong... just read in the WP they were state champ and state runner up resepectively)

Madison Crew, LAX, Softball, Baseball...and emerging is Boys Basketball; new coach is good. Football lost in the regional finals to the state champion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ has been proven. There is a threshold for poverty. Small percentage, all kids do well. Overwhelmingly poor? All kids do worse.
Yet, they concentrate poverty into the same areas and those schools are overwhelmed.
Then you get to hear McLean and Langley posters gloat. Aren't they just so proud...

I don't recall any McLean or Langley posters gloating. That chip on your shoulder might be convincing you otherwise, however.

Oh no. Not at all... just so long as everyone knows you are the best, and people move to Langley and McLean because they truly value education.

FWIW, I never said anything of the sort. And actually, I think the posters saying Langley and McLean are two of the best school pyramids don't actually have kids who go there. I think they were just pointing out stats and other evidence that points to that being true. There are plenty of great school pyramids in NoVA though, and we all know that.

Absolutely. But OP asked which pyramids in NoVa are considered the top two, and the consensus answer to that question is Langley and McLean.

clearly there is no consensus.

Excluding TJ, the top five in FCPS: Madison, Oakton, Woodson, McLean, and Langley are statistically indistinguishable from each other in terms of student performance. There are different cultures at the schools, but the end results in ranking -- by any metric -- will place those schools real close to each other year after year.

So, what is more important is other factors: If you want a school with no economic diversity, try Langley or McLean. Sports: Madison or Oakton (mostly, Vienna has good youth sports programs). Academic Pressure Cooker: Woodson. If your kid lives for Band, Madison.

I see this as an obvious Madison spin, by labeling Woodson a pressure-cooker and claiming McLean (less white than Madison) has no SES diversity), while highlighting Madison sports and band.

Even so, Langley and McLean are generally considered the best clusters in NoVa. Madison might be #3, although George Mason and Oakton might disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ has been proven. There is a threshold for poverty. Small percentage, all kids do well. Overwhelmingly poor? All kids do worse.
Yet, they concentrate poverty into the same areas and those schools are overwhelmed.
Then you get to hear McLean and Langley posters gloat. Aren't they just so proud...

I don't recall any McLean or Langley posters gloating. That chip on your shoulder might be convincing you otherwise, however.

Oh no. Not at all... just so long as everyone knows you are the best, and people move to Langley and McLean because they truly value education.

FWIW, I never said anything of the sort. And actually, I think the posters saying Langley and McLean are two of the best school pyramids don't actually have kids who go there. I think they were just pointing out stats and other evidence that points to that being true. There are plenty of great school pyramids in NoVA though, and we all know that.

Absolutely. But OP asked which pyramids in NoVa are considered the top two, and the consensus answer to that question is Langley and McLean.

clearly there is no consensus.

Excluding TJ, the top five in FCPS: Madison, Oakton, Woodson, McLean, and Langley are statistically indistinguishable from each other in terms of student performance. There are different cultures at the schools, but the end results in ranking -- by any metric -- will place those schools real close to each other year after year.

So, what is more important is other factors: If you want a school with no economic diversity, try Langley or McLean. Sports: Madison or Oakton (mostly, Vienna has good youth sports programs). Academic Pressure Cooker: Woodson. If your kid lives for Band, Madison.

If your kids live for Band there is Madison AND McLean (and many other HS in the area). Plus, Madison and McLean are nearly identical wrt SES diversity.

[Anonymous]

I was about to mention we're talking too much about sports...and a little too much about Madison as a result...

I think it's interesting the top five here all have strong women's athletic programs and strong academics.

Hey, Langley volleyball last year state runner up ( can't say against who now...) basketball are conference champs. McLean gymnastics...OMG...dynasty! ! ! They put up huge individual and team scores at conferences, regionals and states! And pressed at all three by Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was about to mention we're talking too much about sports...and a little too much about Madison as a result...

I think it's interesting the top five here all have strong women's athletic programs and strong academics.

Hey, Langley volleyball last year state runner up ( can't say against who now...) basketball are conference champs. McLean gymnastics...OMG...dynasty! ! ! They put up huge individual and team scores at conferences, regionals and states! And pressed at all three by Yorktown.

Not surprising at all. It's the land of the soft white boy.

Oh, and unless your kid is Simone Biles- no one gives a s#it about gymnastics.

[Anonymous]

...sounds like one of those Westfield football parents on Fairfax Underground...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ has been proven. There is a threshold for poverty. Small percentage, all kids do well. Overwhelmingly poor? All kids do worse.
Yet, they concentrate poverty into the same areas and those schools are overwhelmed.
Then you get to hear McLean and Langley posters gloat. Aren't they just so proud...

I don't recall any McLean or Langley posters gloating. That chip on your shoulder might be convincing you otherwise, however.

Oh no. Not at all... just so long as everyone knows you are the best, and people move to Langley and McLean because they truly value education.

FWIW, I never said anything of the sort. And actually, I think the posters saying Langley and McLean are two of the best school pyramids don't actually have kids who go there. I think they were just pointing out stats and other evidence that points to that being true. There are plenty of great school pyramids in NoVA though, and we all know that.

Absolutely. But OP asked which pyramids in NoVa are considered the top two, and the consensus answer to that question is Langley and McLean.

clearly there is no consensus.

Excluding TJ, the top five in FCPS: Madison, Oakton, Woodson, McLean, and Langley are statistically indistinguishable from each other in terms of student performance. There are different cultures at the schools, but the end results in ranking -- by any metric -- will place those schools real close to each other year after year.

So, what is more important is other factors: If you want a school with no economic diversity, try Langley or McLean. Sports: Madison or Oakton (mostly, Vienna has good youth sports programs). Academic Pressure Cooker: Woodson. If your kid lives for Band, Madison.

I see this as an obvious Madison spin, by labeling Woodson a pressure-cooker and claiming McLean (less white than Madison) has no SES diversity), while highlighting Madison sports and band.

Even so, Langley and McLean are generally considered the best clusters in NoVa. Madison might be #3, although George Mason and Oakton might disagree.

It is a madison spin; that is where I live and that is where my child goes.

I can comment freely about the madison activities first hand. My DD is in the band, so I followed the competition. Looking at the competition history, it seems that McLean is mostly in USBands whereas Madison is in Bands of America. I am not sure of the difference. Madison is usually the top band from VA in the competitions. But, Mclean and Madison do not compete.

Again, it depends on the criteria. There is no statistically significant differentiation between the top 5 (fcps) or 6 (NOVA).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...sounds like one of those Westfield football parents on Fairfax Underground...

Ha! No, and I'm actually in APS. Grew up in a huge sports family in Fairfax. DCUM doesn't tend to skew very sports oriented. STEM or bust around here. It's funny.