Innovation elementary - Arlington

[Anonymous]

Hi, I just moved to rosslyn and we are zoned for innovation elementary school. Wanted to hear any reviews of the school and whether it has a strong advanced academic program? Should I try for Arlington Traditional or Science Focus?

[Anonymous]

None of the schools have a strong advanced academic program because that’s not the APS model. You’re too late for ATS for the upcoming year and science focus is a zoned school so you won’t get in.

[Anonymous]

Innovation is a perfectly fine school. Know of many happy families there. As for Advanced Academics Program, it gets as good as how AAP is handled in APS; peer clustering, a couple of extra activities etc. Some might find it insufficient but that is just how it is in APS, not a specific problem of one school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Innovation is a perfectly fine school. Know of many happy families there. As for Advanced Academics Program, it gets as good as how AAP is handled in APS; peer clustering, a couple of extra activities etc. Some might find it insufficient but that is just how it is in APS, not a specific problem of one school.

Staff turnover is huge and there are behavioral issues, not a parent but an APS employee with friends there (and some who have left)

[Anonymous]

On the cusp of being a Title 1 school, which is the worst. Basically all the challenges of an under resourced population; but not the additional funding and help of being actually Title 1.

Decent building. Great playground.

Advanced academics in APS is a joke in general.

At a school with a high risk population? Your kid is spending a lot of time on their own with the iPad while teacher focuses on kids who are behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Innovation is a perfectly fine school. Know of many happy families there. As for Advanced Academics Program, it gets as good as how AAP is handled in APS; peer clustering, a couple of extra activities etc. Some might find it insufficient but that is just how it is in APS, not a specific problem of one school.

Staff turnover is huge and there are behavioral issues, not a parent but an APS employee with friends there (and some who have left)

Is the staff turnover larger than other APS elementary schools? I thought staffing was an issue across the board right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of the schools have a strong advanced academic program because that’s not the APS model. You’re too late for ATS for the upcoming year and science focus is a zoned school so you won’t get in.

You won't be able to transfer into science focus without a super good reason for doing so. Science Focus has ballooned back up again to being overcrowded with all the new apartment buildings in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of the schools have a strong advanced academic program because that’s not the APS model. You’re too late for ATS for the upcoming year and science focus is a zoned school so you won’t get in.

You won't be able to transfer into science focus without a super good reason for doing so. Science Focus has ballooned back up again to being overcrowded with all the new apartment buildings in the area.

I would be shocked if any transfers were allowed because Innovation is still under capacity. The past few years they did allow transfers from Science Focus TO Innovation, but as far as I know it was only offered to certain students who lived in the Innovation walk zone but were zoned to Science Focus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of the schools have a strong advanced academic program because that’s not the APS model. You’re too late for ATS for the upcoming year and science focus is a zoned school so you won’t get in.

You won't be able to transfer into science focus without a super good reason for doing so. Science Focus has ballooned back up again to being overcrowded with all the new apartment buildings in the area.

I would be shocked if any transfers were allowed because Innovation is still under capacity. The past few years they did allow transfers from Science Focus TO Innovation, but as far as I know it was only offered to certain students who lived in the Innovation walk zone but were zoned to Science Focus.

Yup, they rezoned families very close to Innovation, to ASFS the first year Innovation existed. Then they were practically begging those families to transfer back to under capacity Innov.

[Anonymous]

We've been at Innovation since the first year it opened and have been happy there. It's a truly diverse school with all income levels and many different ethnicities represented. There isn't much of a gifted program, but I blame the APS push in model for that vs the school itself. You missed to deadline for Fall 25 option programs, so if you are enrolling a kid this year you probably don't have another choice for public school.

[Anonymous]

We have a third grader and are happy with the quality of the teachers and the diversity of the student population. The majority of our daughter's close friends have come from other countries and cultures, and all of her friends' parents are highly educated, interesting people. The gifted cluster classroom seems fine as far as these things go in APS. A couple of her friends have left for private school, but I'm not seeing $30K per year worth of value in switching at this point.

[Anonymous]

Yes you should try for something besides innovation. Too late for the lotteries, I believe. Maybe St. Ann's or St. Thomas Moore?

[Anonymous]

Another happy family at Innovation here. DD learning a lot in the gifted cluster classroom. Her cohorts are great and we are generally impressed with the teachers and staffs.

[Anonymous]

Huge problem with the school being right on the cusp for title I - lots of students and families with needs but none of the extra funding/support. Definitely a much higher staff turnover rate. Know one teacher that left a school she was very unhappy at to join innovation and after a year she went back to her previous school. Many of the specials teachers left the same year - they see all of the students and have a sense of the school as a whole. I am sure really good teachers and staff there; it’s a systemic problem/equity problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been at Innovation since the first year it opened and have been happy there. It's a truly diverse school with all income levels and many different ethnicities represented. There isn't much of a gifted program, but I blame the APS push in model for that vs the school itself. You missed to deadline for Fall 25 option programs, so if you are enrolling a kid this year you probably don't have another choice for public school.

APS pull out gifted was great for our oldest. I guess cancelled for equity or something?