Tel me about Langley

[Anonymous]

We are thinking about moving to Langley from private school. Much of the information that is available on private school websites is not available on Langley's (and probably not any public school's, I know). For example, what is the average class size? Do kids get to know teachers well? Are most classes lecture format or discussion? What is college placement like? How much homework are kids doing who take honors and AP classes? Does anyone know whether the school will let prospective students visit for a day the way privates do? (I suppose I can call the office for that last question.) I'd also love to hear from anyone who has made this move and how your child transitioned from a small private environment to a big school. My child has not participated in local sports so will not have a built in social network. We have had close relationships with teachers and administrators who are very responsive on an individual level, and I wonder how different a big public school will be. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Langley is an excellent school! Don't worry...your child will be challenged. My son who graduated last year said that Langley was more challenging than his current college classes. You should definitely set up a visit for your child, so that he can get a feel for it. Some kids have a rough time because it is bigger, and the curriculum is demanding. For the most part, kids are accepting of new faces. We live in a transient area, so it is not uncommon for kids to come and go. If you already live in the zone, your child should at least know some kids. If you do make the change, the key is to get your child involved in clubs, sports, whatever.

[Anonymous]

If you are not happy at Langley, I don't think any public school on Earth could make you happy.

[Anonymous]

TJHSST?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for positive feedback to far. TJ is not a very attractive option because DC is not particularly math/science focused. I did read somewhere that some admissions officers feel that TJ takes the "cream" from Fairfax schools, so the more selective colleges don't look seriously at kids from schools such as Langley. That's why I'd like to get some feedback about college placement. Also wondering if staying in the private sphere would be better because the teachers really get to know the kids and can vouch for them (you know, big fish in small pond). Thanks.

[Anonymous]

If a kid otherwise has the right credentials, schools will look at him if he attended a non-TJ school. Schools like Langley send plenty of kids to top schools.

I think the Georgetown Director of Admissions did make a snotty comment about not being interested in NoVa kids who didn't attend TJ a number of years ago. I don't know if the same guy is still there, but it seemed like an awfully insecure comment to make on his part. I imagine that most kids in the area, if they have the option to attend an expensive private university, want to get away from home rather than attend Georgetown anyway. I always thought of it as primarily for kids from NY and NJ (or Arkansas).

[Anonymous]

You can take them with a big grain of salt, since they're anonymous, but there are some really negative comments about cliques and drugs at Langley HS on the GreatSchools site. Of course, they may just be repeated posts from 1-2 people who didn't fit in.

[Anonymous]

There are cliques and drugs in every high school...even the privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are cliques and drugs in every high school...even the privates.

No doubt, but given all the social-climbing and money that is sloshing around Langley, they might exist in larger quantities there. That certainly seems to be the school's reputation, deserved or not.

[Anonymous]

The old joke about Langley is that the student parking lot has nicer cars than the teacher parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that you say "If you're not happy at Langley you won't be happy anywhere." I used to teach there, so I feel like I can answer the OP's questions with authority, but I'm not sure everyone would be happy there. I mean, no one is going to get beaten up in the hallway, that's for sure, but there are other factors to feeling comfortable in a school.

The school is large-- 2200 kids. Class sizes are smaller for SOL classes (math, English, sciences, history), larger in other "electives" (foreign language, art, etc.) You're looking at a cap of 24 in in SOL classes. I had as many as 30 in some of my "elective" courses.

Yes, the students get to know the teachers well because the classes are long blocks of 90+ minutes (more like 100 minutes when I was there, but that has changed). Plennnntttyyy of opportunity to get to know students. A schedule like that allows lots of class time for teacher interaction with the students. And as far as "lecture" goes, I'd venture to say that's not as common in high schools as it is at universities, simply because kids that age do not have the attention span for such a style. You'll find classes to be a mix of lecture teaching, practicing of the item du jour, group activities, hands-on activities, lab work, etc. In my classes, we switched up the activity about every 15 minutes. (An old adage in teaching is that kids have an attention span the same # of minutes as they are years old, so that's about how it goes with HS students.)

Guidance counselors and administrators are very responsive to parent / students concerns, especially via email (they all have Blackberries, ha ha)-- that's because at a school like Langley, I feel like the parents might be a bigger concern than the students. The kids are pretty easygoing- the parents, eh, not so much.

Don't worry about a non-athlete fitting in. I actually didn't find my students to be particularly "cliquey" at all-- they seemed to support one another's achievements across the board. They were equally impressed by good musicians and artists as they were by good athletes. But many of them did go to the same elementary school, so they've known each other for years...

And yes, students can visit, though I've only ever seen them visit with their parents. I never had a prospective student shadow a current student, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

And yes, the kids' cars are nicer than the teachers. Not an old joke, an old reality.