Feedback on Washington & Liberty High School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And - any perspective on whether the academics at W&L (which seems to be less prestigious than Yorktown?) better than you can get in DCPS?

I think it is a misconception that WL is less prestigious than Yorktown . Yorktown was traditionally that; but WL has surpassed Yorktown in popularity and is just as "prestigious" as Yorktown academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bump. We are considering moving from DC to Arlington (to stay close in) and W-L would be a high school option. Kid (boy) tends to be sensitive and need a bit of hand holding. Sounds like it might not be a great school for that?

If you want hand-holding and less pressure-cooker environment, Wakefield is your school.

[Anonymous]

W-L is generally viewed as more diverse and academically focused than Yorktown. Yorktown is white, preppy, and academically rather average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W-L is generally viewed as more diverse and academically focused than Yorktown. Yorktown is white, preppy, and academically rather average.

There are some wealthy families at W-L, but the poshest neighborhoods were rezoned to Yorktown about 4 years ago. W-L is decently diverse, with a good cross section of the county represented. The new addition is state of the art with classrooms, common areas, fitness studios, etc. The school has a solid reputation academically and that should not diminish. Sports are average to strong, with the school competitive against schools in its league in most sports. W-L also won a few regional and state titles over the past few years but not as many as Yorktown which is more sports oriented, and is one of the strongest for athletics in the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

If some of the angst in APS is over the failure to summon the will to build a fourth comprehensive high school, it's not like FCPS is a model of good planning, either.

McLean has over 2400 kids this year. Marshall has over 2100 and stopped accepting pupil placements into its IB program to avoid overcrowding. And FCPS projects that over 1000 more kids could feed into Marshall and McLean if all the housing approved for Tysons gets built.

In response, FCPS has stuck its head in the sand and the local School Board member - who lives in the Langley district - responded by making sure that Langley isn't affected by any of the Tysons growth. It could not have been a more crass display of self-interest and indifference to other schools.

So if you want a smaller close-in school in FCPS, Langley is your only bet, but then you have to put up with the sense of entitlement that comes with a school that only draws from wealthy areas and where the parents expect that local politicians will cater to them.

Is APS looking better now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W-L is generally viewed as more diverse and academically focused than Yorktown. Yorktown is white, preppy, and academically rather average.

Spoken like a true WL-er. I agree WL is not just viewed as, but IS much more diverse than Yorktown. I disagree that it is "more" academically focused. Yorktown is very white and very wealthy, seems to have more kids with greater sense of "entitlement," but not sub-par to WL academically. WL just has the IB program and therefore students have access to more academic options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

Uh...that's what happened with WL with the IB program and WL-zoned families refusing to be rezoned elsewhere. Thus, the continual increase in size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

Uh...that's what happened with WL with the IB program and WL-zoned families refusing to be rezoned elsewhere. Thus, the continual increase in size.

Haha, IB is no where comparable to the magnet program first off.

Second families have plenty of other high performing high schools in MCPS that are not super sized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

Uh...that's what happened with WL with the IB program and WL-zoned families refusing to be rezoned elsewhere. Thus, the continual increase in size.

Haha, IB is no where comparable to the magnet program first off.

Second families have plenty of other high performing high schools in MCPS that are not super sized.

And that supports your point how? If WL parents won't "let" the SB reduce its boundaries and MontCo SB is willing to make the decisions it needs to in order to keep enrollment down, what's your point? Comparability of programs is irrelevant, given the supbar IB program is less enticing to the magnet program and the school enrollment continues to grow anyway, including by expanding the # of transfers into the IB program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a smaller more hand holding environment, I think you need to go to Falls Church City. Con of falls church city is that those kids have been together since elementary so it may be a bit harder for your kid to break in socially.

Other high schools in inner burbs are pretty big. But it is a good chance for kids to learn to advocate for themselves if you think your kid is up for it.

We moved from DC to Arlington and are happy with middle school. Don't have experience with high school yet but we are so happy we moved.

For the inner burbs, WL will be the largest by at least 800 (36% more students)

36% bigger than what? Alexandria's high school has 4,000 students. Montgomery Blair is 3,100.

Oh yes, we aspire to be as good as TCW…. Blair is only so large because they boosted its status by adding a magnet to a neighborhood school.

McLean, the W schools, Langley, Marshall, all way smaller.

Uh...that's what happened with WL with the IB program and WL-zoned families refusing to be rezoned elsewhere. Thus, the continual increase in size.

Haha, IB is no where comparable to the magnet program first off.

Second families have plenty of other high performing high schools in MCPS that are not super sized.

And that supports your point how? If WL parents won't "let" the SB reduce its boundaries and MontCo SB is willing to make the decisions it needs to in order to keep enrollment down, what's your point? Comparability of programs is irrelevant, given the supbar IB program is less enticing to the magnet program and the school enrollment continues to grow anyway, including by expanding the # of transfers into the IB program.

My point is that MCPS Is wisely not overcrowding their best performing schools (Ws), where APS is shoving into many students into too few schools and is unwilling to build the needed 4th high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the No cut sports, just cross country??

Swim, Crew, Ice Hockey, Track, Freshman Football, Wrestling, Ultimate, and Cross Country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W-L is generally viewed as more diverse and academically focused than Yorktown. Yorktown is white, preppy, and academically rather average.

Spoken like a true WL-er. I agree WL is not just viewed as, but IS much more diverse than Yorktown. I disagree that it is "more" academically focused. Yorktown is very white and very wealthy, seems to have more kids with greater sense of "entitlement," but not sub-par to WL academically. WL just has the IB program and therefore students have access to more academic options.

IB is, on the whole, more academically rigorous than AP or DE (there are studies showing IB diplomates are more successful in college), and kids not zoned for W-L have to meet cretain standards to transfer in. So W-L is siphoning off some of the other schools' higher-achieving students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W-L is generally viewed as more diverse and academically focused than Yorktown. Yorktown is white, preppy, and academically rather average.

Spoken like a true WL-er. I agree WL is not just viewed as, but IS much more diverse than Yorktown. I disagree that it is "more" academically focused. Yorktown is very white and very wealthy, seems to have more kids with greater sense of "entitlement," but not sub-par to WL academically. WL just has the IB program and therefore students have access to more academic options.

IB is, on the whole, more academically rigorous than AP or DE (there are studies showing IB diplomates are more successful in college), and kids not zoned for W-L have to meet cretain standards to transfer in. So W-L is siphoning off some of the other schools' higher-achieving students

It’s good for IB but odd how APS decided a brain drain to W-L from Yorktown and Wakefield was a good idea. If they were trying to remedy economic gaps it should be Wakefield that alone gets both programs.