Can you tell me about the middle schools in Arlington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The bottom line is that every middle school in Arlington is miserable except possibly for HB which is a lottery school. But middle school everywhere is miserable and kids just have to get through it.

Source of this information? Have you had a kid at each one?

I've had kids at three -- WMS, Swanson, and HB. But my point was more general: middle school sucks no matter where you go. You just get through it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HB

Not helpful to OP. HB is a lottery-only program, and it wouldn't matter where the family lived since it's all about whether they get the lucky number.

OP, I can't help you. We only have experience at one MS. You also said budget is an issue, did you mean NOT an issue?

This is OP. No, I meant budget is an issue. So if there is one middle school that would be the best fit but it’s the one zoned for country club hills and Yorktown and rock spring, for example, then that won’t work! (Yorktown the neighborhood. Not the high school.)

[Anonymous]

It’s middle school.

Someone once told me you can pay for it to suck or let taxpayers pay for it to suck.

We are at Swanson and have a very high functioning kid (executive function wise). He’s doing well. Lots of friends. Not a rich kid crowd if you care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Hamm might be the smallest by numbers.

Williamsburg is the smallest. It has almost 100 students less than Hamm. Gunston is the largest by far.

APS is planning to adjust boundaries to relieve the crowding at Gunston.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is OP. No, I meant budget is an issue. So if there is one middle school that would be the best fit but it’s the one zoned for country club hills and Yorktown and rock spring, for example, then that won’t work! (Yorktown the neighborhood. Not the high school.)

In that case, start with your budget. If Williamsburg and Hamm are both under-enrolled you could potential try to do a transfer. Williamsburg draws almost exclusively from the richest and least diverse parts of the county. Not a judgment, just a fact since you mentioned Country Club Hills and Rock Spring as examples of neighborhoods you can't afford. Hamm has their share of wealthy kids too. Swanson runs more middle to upper middle class by Arlington standards. Jefferson, Kenmore and Gunston are all far more diverse and the FRL rates indicate that as well from an economic perspective.

Middle school in general sucks because middle schoolers in general are a rough age on so many levels. APS middle schools have no GT support for kids who are academically advanced until at least 2023 other than accelerated math.

I've heard issues at every single school this year, from fights to a pregnant 8th grader to inappropriate phone/social media usage to school threats. None are what you would consider a small school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking to move within Arlington County. We can rent or buy. Budget is an issue. My daughter will be coming from Campbell Elementary (an option school). She has anxiety and ADHD. Slower to warm up socially. The small size of Campbell has been really good for her. I think all of the middle schools are huge. Is any one of them better than another for a child like my daughter?

Middle school is middle school. A potentially main issue is the level of wealth and the social culture that comes with it.
If your child is familiar with a lot of Campbell kids, then most of them are likely to go to Kenmore or TJ. Kenmore has a highly praised arts program and TJ has IB. You can also put in for the HB lottery and move to the middle school zone you prefer in case your daughter doesn't get in.
However, OP, since there really isn't much difference in those middle schools (and in case you don't get into HB), you might want to consider where you want your child to be for high school - if you're planning to still be here for that. There are significant differences between the high schools. Many of her classmates from Campbell and Kenmore or TJ will go to Wakefield. Wakefield is the most crowded right now; but in my experience, it doesn't feel as crowded as WL - which is, and will remain a very large school. Yorktown is a rather different "feel" with a lot of very affluent (vast majority relatively quite wealthy) families. WL has a mix representative of the district as a whole; but it can evoke a lot of pressure and stress. Wakefield has its weaknesses; but the academics still produce graduates going to top colleges and universities. Lots of people look at the numbers of students going to various universities; but they don't consider the fact that Wakefield has a larger %age of students who aren't likely to attend 4-year colleges for financial and other non-academic reasons to draw from.

Regardless of which school she goes to, the best way for any kid to find a social foothold is to join a club or activity of interest where they can meet others with the same interest(s). Just having a few, even one, good friend makes all the difference no matter where she is. If they separate moving into high school, then there are still clubs and activities in high school for freshmen to meet others with similar interests....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s middle school.

Someone once told me you can pay for it to suck or let taxpayers pay for it to suck.

We are at Swanson and have a very high functioning kid (executive function wise). He’s doing well. Lots of friends. Not a rich kid crowd if you care about that.

We went private and our DD had an amazing middle school experience. I mean she is still a surly teen, but at least she’s not a despondently bored surly teen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at WMS and think it is fine. However a family friend has ADHD and is getting minimal support. It’s been a real struggle for them. Basically they’re expected to be able to afford outside services. Very little executive functioning assistance from the school.

This is true it seems in all of the NW Arlington schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking to move within Arlington County. We can rent or buy. Budget is an issue. My daughter will be coming from Campbell Elementary (an option school). She has anxiety and ADHD. Slower to warm up socially. The small size of Campbell has been really good for her. I think all of the middle schools are huge. Is any one of them better than another for a child like my daughter?

Middle school is middle school. A potentially main issue is the level of wealth and the social culture that comes with it.
If your child is familiar with a lot of Campbell kids, then most of them are likely to go to Kenmore or TJ. Kenmore has a highly praised arts program and TJ has IB. You can also put in for the HB lottery and move to the middle school zone you prefer in case your daughter doesn't get in.
However, OP, since there really isn't much difference in those middle schools (and in case you don't get into HB), you might want to consider where you want your child to be for high school - if you're planning to still be here for that. There are significant differences between the high schools. Many of her classmates from Campbell and Kenmore or TJ will go to Wakefield. Wakefield is the most crowded right now; but in my experience, it doesn't feel as crowded as WL - which is, and will remain a very large school. Yorktown is a rather different "feel" with a lot of very affluent (vast majority relatively quite wealthy) families. WL has a mix representative of the district as a whole; but it can evoke a lot of pressure and stress. Wakefield has its weaknesses; but the academics still produce graduates going to top colleges and universities. Lots of people look at the numbers of students going to various universities; but they don't consider the fact that Wakefield has a larger %age of students who aren't likely to attend 4-year colleges for financial and other non-academic reasons to draw from.

Regardless of which school she goes to, the best way for any kid to find a social foothold is to join a club or activity of interest where they can meet others with the same interest(s). Just having a few, even one, good friend makes all the difference no matter where she is. If they separate moving into high school, then there are still clubs and activities in high school for freshmen to meet others with similar interests....

Also though WL is a great school, the SB has turned it into the warehouse for overcrowding and adding at least 600 kids to the 2000 student school in the next 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at WMS and think it is fine. However a family friend has ADHD and is getting minimal support. It’s been a real struggle for them. Basically they’re expected to be able to afford outside services. Very little executive functioning assistance from the school.

This is true it seems in all of the NW Arlington schools.

This is why many of the elementary/middle school kids in this area left for private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s middle school.

Someone once told me you can pay for it to suck or let taxpayers pay for it to suck.

We are at Swanson and have a very high functioning kid (executive function wise). He’s doing well. Lots of friends. Not a rich kid crowd if you care about that.

We went private and our DD had an amazing middle school experience. I mean she is still a surly teen, but at least she’s not a despondently bored surly teen

Yep. This is what we did too and it was worth it. Still have a surly teen though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s middle school.

Someone once told me you can pay for it to suck or let taxpayers pay for it to suck.

We are at Swanson and have a very high functioning kid (executive function wise). He’s doing well. Lots of friends. Not a rich kid crowd if you care about that.

We went private and our DD had an amazing middle school experience. I mean she is still a surly teen, but at least she’s not a despondently bored surly teen

Not all public school middle schoolers are despondently bored.

I think the previous person probably meant it's a tough age socially and emotionally no matter what. If your child got through the puberty years and it was all amazing, bottle that up and sell it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at WMS and think it is fine. However a family friend has ADHD and is getting minimal support. It’s been a real struggle for them. Basically they’re expected to be able to afford outside services. Very little executive functioning assistance from the school.

This is true it seems in all of the NW Arlington schools.

This is why many of the elementary/middle school kids in this area left for private.

Agree a lot of the ADHD kids and kids with trouble executive functioning left. Particularly because virtual schooling left them further behind than a lot of peers . They don't hold your hand in public middle school but a typical kid is going to be fine and in fact, it's good for them.

[Anonymous]

Does your child have a 504 for adhd/anxiety? If not and you are looking to go that route, avoid WMS. They were pretty awful to us in that process for the same thing, with a full private neuropsychological report, plus a psychiatrist letter. And I am also a special education teacher in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does your child have a 504 for adhd/anxiety? If not and you are looking to go that route, avoid WMS. They were pretty awful to us in that process for the same thing, with a full private neuropsychological report, plus a psychiatrist letter. And I am also a special education teacher in FCPS.

NP. Are you willing to share more about this? DC will be there next year with a 504.