Only 400k to spend: don't mind small but want nice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

I wish more people understood this. My high school has a greatschools rank of 9 and I assure you it's awful. There are no "minorities" to drag down test averages, but there are no opportunities for those at the top either -- no IB, no AP, etc.

I wouldn't hestitate to send my children to lower "ranked" schools that had such opportunities.

Not to mention that Graham Road Elementary is NOT the high school (it is not even the elementary school this house is zoned for). And Falls Church High is not the elementary school. The Elementary is Timber Lane. Clearly the awesome school PP went to leaves quite a lot to be desired...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

I wish more people understood this. My high school has a greatschools rank of 9 and I assure you it's awful. There are no "minorities" to drag down test averages, but there are no opportunities for those at the top either -- no IB, no AP, etc.

I wouldn't hestitate to send my children to lower "ranked" schools that had such opportunities.

Not to mention that Graham Road Elementary is NOT the high school (it is not even the elementary school this house is zoned for). And Falls Church High is not the elementary school. The Elementary is Timber Lane. Clearly the awesome school PP went to leaves quite a lot to be desired...

HA!

[Anonymous]

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?sea...pe=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...Graham-Road-Elementary-School/


High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?sea...DDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

[Anonymous]

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?sea...pe=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/539-Jackson-Middle-School/

timber lane 7 rating (it's ok)
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/578-Timber-Lane-Elementary-School/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

Can you provide another metric or measure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

Can you provide another metric or measure?

How about looking at the kinds of programming offered and talking to parents, teachers and principals? The parents in my neighborhood say almost universally positive things about our neighborhood elementary school but the test scores are never going to compare to schools in a place like Great Falls because the demographics are totally different. That doesn't make it a "horrid" school.

If you're determined to use test scores as a metric, you should be assessing the scores at schools with similar populations (ESL, FARMS, etc). It's still an imperfect measure but will tell you a lot more about the truly important factors like quality of teaching than trying to compare someplace like Falls Church HS against Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

Can you provide another metric or measure?

How about looking at the kinds of programming offered and talking to parents, teachers and principals? The parents in my neighborhood say almost universally positive things about our neighborhood elementary school but the test scores are never going to compare to schools in a place like Great Falls because the demographics are totally different. That doesn't make it a "horrid" school.

If you're determined to use test scores as a metric, you should be assessing the scores at schools with similar populations (ESL, FARMS, etc). It's still an imperfect measure but will tell you a lot more about the truly important factors like quality of teaching than trying to compare someplace like Falls Church HS against Langley.

Quality of teaching is measured by student test scores not what how betty sue feels about her neighborhood's new tulip bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully these buyers do private school or didn't get taken because they didn't look up the horrid schools of 22041 and 22042

The 22042 house is zoned for great schools.

http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/454-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/496-Graham-Road-Elementary-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?search_type=0&q=+JACKSON+MIDDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

There's a lot more to school quality than test score averages.

+1

Can you provide another metric or measure?

How about looking at the kinds of programming offered and talking to parents, teachers and principals? The parents in my neighborhood say almost universally positive things about our neighborhood elementary school but the test scores are never going to compare to schools in a place like Great Falls because the demographics are totally different. That doesn't make it a "horrid" school.

If you're determined to use test scores as a metric, you should be assessing the scores at schools with similar populations (ESL, FARMS, etc). It's still an imperfect measure but will tell you a lot more about the truly important factors like quality of teaching than trying to compare someplace like Falls Church HS against Langley.

Quality of teaching is measured by student test scores not what how betty sue feels about her neighborhood's new tulip bed.

OK, then how would you like to control for demographic differences? Because GreatSchools definitely doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?sea...pe=0&q=22042&state=VA&c=school

The elementary schools get a 4-6 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...-Beech-Tree-Elementary-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/...Graham-Road-Elementary-School/


High school gets a 5 rating
http://www.greatschools.org/virginia/falls-church/481-Falls-Church-High-School/

The middle school is ok at 8 rating.
http://www.greatschools.org/search/search.page?sea...DDLE+SCHOOL.&state=VA&c=school

Very interesting. When you look at the grade breakdown for Pine Spring Elementary (first link), this is what you get:
Grade 3=2 Grade 4=5 Grade 5=5 Grade 6=7 Grade 7=8

The reason it's interesting is because PS is K-6, yet there is a rating for 7th grade. So I'm not sure these scores have much credibility or value.

But assuming they do, the steady increase of scores in each grade only tells me that lots of kids struggle in the lower grades, when most of them get to the school (and considering the ESOL and FARMS population of this school I would be suprised if that were not the case), but by the end of their elementary years, these kids have made huge academic improvement. If that does not speak to the quality of education, I don't know what does.