Schools In Burke

[Anonymous]

My husband and I are thinking of buying a home in Burke. I work from home but do go into DC for various meetings etc... My husband works on Capitol Hill so convenient commuter route and transit are important to us. However, most important are the schools. We currently live in Alexandria and are not at all happy with the schools and do not want to live in a dump in Arlington, Bethesda, Mclean etc... just for good schools. So we decided to research the Burke area. We have friends that live and love it there. Our children are below 3 so we have a few years before school starts. Your honest opinions and thoughts are very helpful to our family.

[Anonymous]

Burke is not very convenient to commuting into DC. There are other locations in NoVA that are easier for getting downtown that are not as pricey as McLean or Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Any suggestions on areas because I don't see anything that is close in that offers a competitive school system besides the Mclean, Arlington, Bethesda schools.

[Anonymous]

Burke is convenient if you take the VRE, but I wouldn't want to drive to DC from there on a regular basis.

What's your house budget?

[Anonymous]

Any suggestions on areas because I don't see anything that is close in that offers a competitive school system besides the Mclean, Arlington, Bethesda schools.

Well, the Vienna schools are generally better than Burke - the commute can still be a hike depending on where you are in Vienna, but at least you are not limited to VRE for getting downtown. Also Falls Church City would be worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

If your husband has a regular work schedule (a predictable 8-4 or 9-5 job), the VRE from Burke is certainly an option, and Burke is indeed a pleasant suburban area. However, if one or both of you expect to travel frequently to DC at odd hours, you'll probably find the commute from Burke to be very draining, particularly if you're used to commuting from Alexandria.

While not inexpensive, both Vienna and West Falls Church (22043) are less expensive than Arlington, Bethesda or McLean, and have very good schools. The schools in the Burke/West Springfield area are solid, but have slipped compared to the schools in the Vienna/West Falls Church area over the 10-15 years. You should also know that Lake Braddock and Robinson SS are huge, and that there will be a major redistricting that affects schools in the Robinson pyramid over the next 2-3 years.

[Anonymous]

I would also look at the neighborhoods off of Little River Turnpike that feed to the Frost/Woodson pyramid or at the neighborhoods in Vienna near the Dunn Loring and Vienna metro stations. They feed into the Oakton, Madison or Marshall pyramids depending on where you live.

[Anonymous]

We absolutely love Burke and the schools here are excellent. The community is very family-friendly, close-knit, and amenities are plentiful and convenient. Highly highly recommend it. Both DH and I commute into DC every day, we've done the gamut of options. Right now we drive in and pick up slugs, average time varies but usually a 45-minute door-to-door commute is typical. Bad weather or accident = longer commute, but that's the case anywhere (including from Alexandria, where we also lived prior to moving here four years ago). I've also done the VRE regularly, and that's worked out great as well, though that commute (which has to include a bus ride once I'm in DC) is about an hour, sometimes 1:15. Springfield metro is 20 minutes away, so count on that as another 1 to 1:15 commute.

Schools in Burke....there's another posting here in this Forum which ranks Fairfax County schools, and you can easily do a search for Burke-specific rankings on Fairfax County's website. Cherry Run is probably the best elementary school in the area, and it feeds into Lake Braddock (another excellent school). Terra Centre, Fairview, Bonnie Brae, Oak View, Laurel Ridge - they're all top-notch (they also feed into Robinson, also top tiered school).

Good luck in your decision!

[Anonymous]

Falls Church City (22046) is still pretty expensive (I know because I lived there!). You can get a lot more for your money out in Burke or just slightly outside of the Beltway. You might also check out the West Springfield area (VRE is close, and it's also closer to 95, and you can pick up slugs) and or the Oakton area. I saw some really beautiful homes in the low 600s in Oakton this spring (4 beds, 3 baths---as opposed to an older 3 bed 2 bath you would get in FCC). The commutes aren't as great, but Burke/West Springfield are great family areas. I grew up there and have really fond memories of my childhood neighborhood. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We absolutely love Burke and the schools here are excellent. The community is very family-friendly, close-knit, and amenities are plentiful and convenient. Highly highly recommend it. Both DH and I commute into DC every day, we've done the gamut of options. Right now we drive in and pick up slugs, average time varies but usually a 45-minute door-to-door commute is typical. Bad weather or accident = longer commute, but that's the case anywhere (including from Alexandria, where we also lived prior to moving here four years ago). I've also done the VRE regularly, and that's worked out great as well, though that commute (which has to include a bus ride once I'm in DC) is about an hour, sometimes 1:15. Springfield metro is 20 minutes away, so count on that as another 1 to 1:15 commute.

Schools in Burke....there's another posting here in this Forum which ranks Fairfax County schools, and you can easily do a search for Burke-specific rankings on Fairfax County's website. Cherry Run is probably the best elementary school in the area, and it feeds into Lake Braddock (another excellent school). Terra Centre, Fairview, Bonnie Brae, Oak View, Laurel Ridge - they're all top-notch (they also feed into Robinson, also top tiered school).

Good luck in your decision!

Hi I am the original poster and I thank you for the response it was very helpful. I am getting excited about the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Falls Church City (22046) is still pretty expensive (I know because I lived there!). You can get a lot more for your money out in Burke or just slightly outside of the Beltway. You might also check out the West Springfield area (VRE is close, and it's also closer to 95, and you can pick up slugs) and or the Oakton area. I saw some really beautiful homes in the low 600s in Oakton this spring (4 beds, 3 baths---as opposed to an older 3 bed 2 bath you would get in FCC). The commutes aren't as great, but Burke/West Springfield are great family areas. I grew up there and have really fond memories of my childhood neighborhood. Good luck!

I am the original poster and just wanted to say thanks for your post.

[Anonymous]

I agree that Cherry Run is an excellent elementary school. My son went there and loved it.

[Anonymous]

Burke offers an Express Bus to downtown and Pentagon

[Anonymous]

Would help to know what you are looking for in terms of house size (# of bedrooms) and your price range. I don't think you necessarily have to assume you'd be living in a "dump" in Arlington, McLean, etc. It's hard to beat good schools and a good commute....even if you end up with a little less house.

It's true you'll get more for you money outside the Beltway, you just have to decide how far out you're willing to go. My personal favorite areas further out are Great Falls (which sometimes has reasonably priced properties) and Mantua in Fairfax (feeds into Woodson).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would help to know what you are looking for in terms of house size (# of bedrooms) and your price range. I don't think you necessarily have to assume you'd be living in a "dump" in Arlington, McLean, etc. It's hard to beat good schools and a good commute....even if you end up with a little less house.

It's true you'll get more for you money outside the Beltway, you just have to decide how far out you're willing to go. My personal favorite areas further out are Great Falls (which sometimes has reasonably priced properties) and Mantua in Fairfax (feeds into Woodson).

I'm not the original poster but I am also thinking about Burke and West Springfield. Our budget is 475k-500k, and we need 3 beds/ 2baths minimum (4 beds would be ideal.) Please correct me if I am wrong but that seems impossible for Arlington, Falls Church, McLean, etc?