Alexandria Magnet or Charter Schools

[Anonymous]

I posted this in another forum.

Are there any? I can find a plethora of information on private schools, but what about public charter and/or magnet schools? I know that Alexandria is broad, but are there any schools in or near the Old Town area?

I ask because I'm struggling with the idea of paying 30k + for private school and the though of sending my son to G.W. Middle School is scary.

[Anonymous]

No, Alexandria City has no magnet or charter schools.

non-public Middle School options directly in the city include a few Cathlic schools, Alexandria Country Day, Immanuel Luthern. Located in Fairfax County portion of Alexandria are Burgundy Farm and Browne Academy.

[Anonymous]

PP failed to list the biggest non-public option: Saint Stephen's & St. Agnes.

[Anonymous]

Middle schoolers in city of alexandria can now go to Jefferson-Houston, which has a new IB program, instead of going to GW. Check it out.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Thanks to you all for the info and suggestions. I am a fairly recent transplant to the DC area and still cannot believe that there is only one public high school in Alexandria. ONE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here! Thanks to you all for the info and suggestions. I am a fairly recent transplant to the DC area and still cannot believe that there is only one public high school in Alexandria. ONE.

There is actually two, one is for all freshmen and the other, TC Williams is for 10th through 12th. There used to be two separate 9th through 12th high schools in the City, but they were closed or converted to middle schools to create TC Williams.

Why? Nearly a century of segregation and poor funding of education for schools that catered to the black community. After many lawsuits, the school just decided to make a single high school and poured its resources in making it the best they could. So it is a state of the art facility, mega high school. They made a Hollywood movie about it and its first football team to win a state title. It's called Remember the Titans, staring Denzel Washington.

Against that background and Alexandria's sizable poor populations that live in public housing or are recent immigrants, it's highly unlikely they would go back to separate high schools without revisting past battles for equality. If Alexandria's student population grows, they'll probably just build a 9th and 10th grade building, but keep students for all areas of Alexandria together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here! Thanks to you all for the info and suggestions. I am a fairly recent transplant to the DC area and still cannot believe that there is only one public high school in Alexandria. ONE.

Yes and it sucks as a school. Hopefully it will improve in the next 10 years.

It is only one school - it is split into two campuses because even though TC Williams is mega-huge it wasn't large enough to hold all the students.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with the last poster. TC has its problems, primarily in providing catch-up services for either very poor students or students who've just arrived to this country and speak little to no English. For those of you on DCUM who have motivated kids who can thrive in a large, diverse school, it can be a very rewarding experience, in all sorts of ways.

[Anonymous]

Race relations/history and education has been an issue for many a city throughout the country and some have managed to do better with regard to this. Alexandria's decision to have only one public high school was a poor one...a very poor one. Alexandria has to do better.

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering what you base your opinion on. Do you have a student at TC? Now that we are there, the reality is far different from the rumors that I heard before becoming involved in the school community.