Lewis HS: Is it really that bad?

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent of an elementary school kid at Springfield Estates. I'm been somewhat following the boundary review posts to see how things will potentially change at Lewis HS. I know that Lewis is ranked poorly and is considered a bad school. But I'd like a better understanding of what makes it/why is it a bad school? Are the teachers bad? Does it not offer many advanced courses? Does it not offer enough clubs/sports? I went to a high school in Prince William County that was considered "not the best" due to the large minority populations at the school and I thought my high school experience was fine -> I did all the clubs/sports I wanted to and took a ton of AP classes.

I've seen comments on this site that even at least one school board member has said that WSHS is much better than Lewis.

So, for people with actual experience, what makes Lewis so bad?

And if Lewis is not a good school, is Key Middle School just as bad? (And why?).

We are thinking long term if we should just move/get out now or wait to see if things improve and if not, then try and get our kids transferred into better schools.

[Anonymous]

Bad is subjective. It's far more mixed demographically than the school you're comparing it to. Not nearly as many affluent families. I attended Key and ended up in the same pyramid when it was time for my kid to go. She loved her time at Key. I had the idea that Lake Braddock would be better and we moved after 7th grade. She absolutely hated it. Had a horrible transition from a cozy much smaller school with many close friends to a behemoth where she was completely lost in the crowd. Never found "her people". I don't exactly regret it since eventually it worked out but I was completely wrong about it being better.

[Anonymous]

We have kids at a different HS that is often bashed here, and I can say without reservation that our school is great. I love it. My kids are thriving in IB, have become great critical thinkers, and have had a myriad of opportunities to round out their HS years. I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience for them. People are afraid of poverty. They act like it’s a contagious disease. IME my children have made friends across economic lines and their friendships are driven mostly by shared sports/activities and shared classes. I was worried that our own affluence would be uncomfortable for our kids, but it’s a non issue. I will say, that there is some self segregation at school based on language. English language learners tend to hang out with each other and less with native speakers. Some sports like soccer and baseball help bridge that divide. Call up the school and ask for a tour. I know our principal and admin gives them to prospective families.

[Anonymous]

The only thing I can contribute here, because it is not directly relevant, is that based on experience, good teachers/bad teachers are at every school. So-called "good" schools have plenty of terrible teachers. What seems to make a difference is that these schools generally are more affluent/have very involved parents who will do whatever it takes to help their kids, as a result of which, the academics appear better than they would be if the only source of teaching were the teachers.

[Anonymous]

NP. The recent responses here seem to be addressed to the 14:41 poster, not OP.

Would you have reacted the same way if someone who had claimed to be middle class and unable to afford expensive cars, clothes and vacations had said they'd worried about their kid fitting it at Langley, only to find it worked out fine?

I expect you'd have liked such a post. It's only a post that suggests more affluent kids can thrive at a higher ESOL/FARMS school that elicits such mean-spirited and mocking responses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only thing I can contribute here, because it is not directly relevant, is that based on experience, good teachers/bad teachers are at every school. So-called "good" schools have plenty of terrible teachers. What seems to make a difference is that these schools generally are more affluent/have very involved parents who will do whatever it takes to help their kids, as a result of which, the academics appear better than they would be if the only source of teaching were the teachers.

Are you anti helping your kid succeed? I agree that good teachers and bad teachers can be found everywhere, but I also think it is part of parenting to help your kid with school work as necessary. I”m pretty hands off with my high schooler, but I do ask if he has homework and if he does what is his plan to help him do it. That should be part of having a kid, not “extra.”

[Anonymous]

The problem is a combination of three factors: high poverty, high ESL, and low enrollment (relative to other FCPS high schools).

The offerings of advanced courses can be reduced - both variety and instances of those classes. This can impact scheduling.

And there have been issues maintaining some mainstream activities. I believe a few years ago baseball did not field a team, but I think they resolved that.

The continuing decline in enrollment will only make these problems worse. FCPS is not doing anything to fix the situation.

[Anonymous]

We are at an elementary school that split feeds to Lewis, but my kids don't go there.

What I have heard is that at Key there is a lot of bullying/fights. I know several kids who pupil placed out because of bullying.

For Lewis, most of the best students place out to Edison's stem program - they call it getting out of juvy. Not kidding. There are lots of behavior issues at Lewis and just not enough others to make up for it.

Positives: My friends whose kids do the IB program there, though, love it. I think they have a decent arts program for both theater and band, and not as much competition to participate. There are some AP classes offered there, but not many.
You can walk on to literally any sports team you want except soccer. They didn't even have a varsity baseball team til last year and I think they lost every game. So you can play, but it's not very satisfying.

I think you can make the school work for you if you're involved and have kids who are self-motivated and on the right track. But I don't think it's as good of an FCPS experience as others get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is a combination of three factors: high poverty, high ESL, and low enrollment (relative to other FCPS high schools).

The offerings of advanced courses can be reduced - both variety and instances of those classes. This can impact scheduling.

And there have been issues maintaining some mainstream activities. I believe a few years ago baseball did not field a team, but I think they resolved that.

The continuing decline in enrollment will only make these problems worse. FCPS is not doing anything to fix the situation.

Lewis is one of 8 high schools in FCPS that offers the International Baccalaureate program. The other 17 high schools have Advanced Placement courses.

The AP schools do not offer IB courses. None of the IB schools offer a full menu of AP courses, but Lewis is among the IB schools where FCPS has been adding more AP courses in recent years.

So they are doing some things to try and make Lewis more attractive, but they've resisted redistricting families from other pyramids into Lewis. In fact, one School Board member seems to be behind a recent proposal to move more kids out of Lewis to West Springfield, which is surprising given the already low enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of an elementary school kid at Springfield Estates. I'm been somewhat following the boundary review posts to see how things will potentially change at Lewis HS. I know that Lewis is ranked poorly and is considered a bad school. But I'd like a better understanding of what makes it/why is it a bad school? Are the teachers bad? Does it not offer many advanced courses? Does it not offer enough clubs/sports? I went to a high school in Prince William County that was considered "not the best" due to the large minority populations at the school and I thought my high school experience was fine -> I did all the clubs/sports I wanted to and took a ton of AP classes.

I've seen comments on this site that even at least one school board member has said that WSHS is much better than Lewis.

So, for people with actual experience, what makes Lewis so bad?

And if Lewis is not a good school, is Key Middle School just as bad? (And why?).

We are thinking long term if we should just move/get out now or wait to see if things improve and if not, then try and get our kids transferred into better schools.

Look at Lewis attendance as an opportunity. The average SAT score at Lewis is 1002, the lowest in FCPS. So even if your kid gets a 1350 they are 3 standard deviation above the average.

Downside is very few AP courses offered, so you would have to buy into what passes for IB in FCPS.

So your kid could really stand out in comparison to their peers which would help in the college admissions race.

[Anonymous]

Also you won't be able to take field trips to DC because they have too many Hispanic kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also you won't be able to take field trips to DC because they have too many Hispanic kids.

Careful before the mod deletes your post 🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have kids at a different HS that is often bashed here, and I can say without reservation that our school is great. I love it. My kids are thriving in IB, have become great critical thinkers, and have had a myriad of opportunities to round out their HS years. I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience for them. People are afraid of poverty. They act like it’s a contagious disease. IME my children have made friends across economic lines and their friendships are driven mostly by shared sports/activities and shared classes. I was worried that our own affluence would be uncomfortable for our kids, but it’s a non issue. I will say, that there is some self segregation at school based on language. English language learners tend to hang out with each other and less with native speakers. Some sports like soccer and baseball help bridge that divide. Call up the school and ask for a tour. I know our principal and admin gives them to prospective families.

You’re a real wuss for reporting posts that call you out for your hypocrisy.

[Anonymous]

I taught at SEES for years before moving to a new school closer to home, so I know that it is a great school. With that in mind, I would never send my DD to Key or Lewis. I heard stories from previous families about fighting, bullying, low standards, and slow pacing of material. It just doesn't seem worth it.

[Anonymous]

Yes.