How exactly do Arlington's cluster schools work - Key/SF/Taylor/Jamestown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So do people buy in Key "planning" to go to Taylor. Or buy in Taylor "planning" to go to Jamestown?

I doubt it. If you really want a particular school, you'd be insane to buy outside the area, or even on the border, because transfer options can change. But Arlington has very good schools; the transferring is about getting the best possible fit, not about getting a good school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do people buy in Key "planning" to go to Taylor. Or buy in Taylor "planning" to go to Jamestown?

I doubt it. If you really want a particular school, you'd be insane to buy outside the area, or even on the border, because transfer options can change. But Arlington has very good schools; the transferring is about getting the best possible fit, not about getting a good school.

I doubt it, too. The issue with Key is that its boundaries are in the Clarendon/Courthouse area which a lot of people like because it is more urban than other parts of Arlington and very convenient to metro. But, some people don't want a bilingual school for their child for whatever reason, so they then transfer to a more "traditional" school like Taylor or Jamestown. But like many have said, this may be getting more difficult as time goes on and Taylor gets more crowded. I agree that you really can't go wrong with the Arlington schools...it is really a matter of finding a neighborhood you like. Some neighborhoods in Arlington are very suburban and you have to drive everywhere, some are more walkable and urban... but they all have good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do people buy in Key "planning" to go to Taylor. Or buy in Taylor "planning" to go to Jamestown?

I doubt it. If you really want a particular school, you'd be insane to buy outside the area, or even on the border, because transfer options can change. But Arlington has very good schools; the transferring is about getting the best possible fit, not about getting a good school.

I doubt it, too. The issue with Key is that its boundaries are in the Clarendon/Courthouse area which a lot of people like because it is more urban than other parts of Arlington and very convenient to metro. But, some people don't want a bilingual school for their child for whatever reason, so they then transfer to a more "traditional" school like Taylor or Jamestown. But like many have said, this may be getting more difficult as time goes on and Taylor gets more crowded. I agree that you really can't go wrong with the Arlington schools...it is really a matter of finding a neighborhood you like. Some neighborhoods in Arlington are very suburban and you have to drive everywhere, some are more walkable and urban... but they all have good schools.

Do you think this is true about South Arlington too?

- Signed A DC resident considering Arlington, but SHOCKED by the prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do people buy in Key "planning" to go to Taylor. Or buy in Taylor "planning" to go to Jamestown?

I doubt it. If you really want a particular school, you'd be insane to buy outside the area, or even on the border, because transfer options can change. But Arlington has very good schools; the transferring is about getting the best possible fit, not about getting a good school.

I doubt it, too. The issue with Key is that its boundaries are in the Clarendon/Courthouse area which a lot of people like because it is more urban than other parts of Arlington and very convenient to metro. But, some people don't want a bilingual school for their child for whatever reason, so they then transfer to a more "traditional" school like Taylor or Jamestown. But like many have said, this may be getting more difficult as time goes on and Taylor gets more crowded. I agree that you really can't go wrong with the Arlington schools...it is really a matter of finding a neighborhood you like. Some neighborhoods in Arlington are very suburban and you have to drive everywhere, some are more walkable and urban... but they all have good schools.

Do you think this is true about South Arlington too?

- Signed A DC resident considering Arlington, but SHOCKED by the prices.

I am not as familiar with the S. Arlington schools since I live in N. Arlington, but I have heard that the S. Arlington schools are very good as well. They are more diverse and most have more non-native English speakers, so their test scores might be lower, but they are still good schools with the same curriculum as N. Arlington. One benefit of the S. Arlington schools is they are not as crowded as the N. Arlington schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Do you think this is true about South Arlington too?

- Signed A DC resident considering Arlington, but SHOCKED by the prices.

I am not as familiar with the S. Arlington schools since I live in N. Arlington, but I have heard that the S. Arlington schools are very good as well. They are more diverse and most have more non-native English speakers, so their test scores might be lower, but they are still good schools with the same curriculum as N. Arlington. One benefit of the S. Arlington schools is they are not as crowded as the N. Arlington schools.

Housing prices in S. Arlington tend to be lower than in N. Arlington. I think there are a lot of very nice neighborhoods in S. Arlington but people tend to stay in "North" Arlington because it is indisputable the test scores are higher and people (from DCUM at least) seem to be looking for populations that are "like them". Lower test scores in S. Arlington are not a reflection on the quality of the schools or teachers; it's a by-product of diversity, more children who don't speak English as a first language, and more socioeconomic diversity (read: more parents who may not be white and may not have gone to college).

I love Glencarlyn, Arlington Forest (south side), Alcova Heights, and Barcroft neighborhoods. Other people seem to like Arlington Heights and Douglas Park (don't know those as well). Claremont is also nice. If you are comfortable with a more diverse public school situation for your child, you may be a good fit for S. Arlington. We've heard lots of good things about Barcroft ES, Campbell ES, Patrick Henry ES, Claremont ES all of which are in S. Arlington. A lot of the kids in S. Arlington from these neighborhoods go to Kenmore and Thomas Jefferson MS which are both (in my opinion) just fine although don't score as highly as Williamsburg and Swanson. Almost all kids in S. Arlington go to Wakefield HS which is very diverse but still a great school (see link below) although a handful (Glencarlyn maybe?) are still in Washington-Lee district, and possibility (albeit slim) does exist to transfer to HB Woodlawn for MS/HS or Washington-Lee HS for its IB program.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121200442.html
(I think all the Arlington high schools, including Wakefield, may have been on the Newsweek top public high schools list but can't find the link; new list comes out next week apparently)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...I love Glencarlyn, Arlington Forest (south side), Alcova Heights, and Barcroft neighborhoods. Other people seem to like Arlington Heights and Douglas Park (don't know those as well). Claremont is also nice...

you like white majority neighborhoods; other people like the opposite.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty sure that you can only ride the bus to elementary in Arlington if you live 1 mile or more away from the school.

All of the north Arlington elementary schools are very crowded. Our neighbor said that Glebe had 20 more kindergarteners show up this fall than they expected-they had to scramble for another teacher. I have heard that Nottingham is only a few more kids close to needing to hire another K teacher for the fall based on the registration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am pretty sure that you can only ride the bus to elementary in Arlington if you live 1 mile or more away from the school.

All of the north Arlington elementary schools are very crowded. Our neighbor said that Glebe had 20 more kindergarteners show up this fall than they expected-they had to scramble for another teacher. I have heard that Nottingham is only a few more kids close to needing to hire another K teacher for the fall based on the registration.

Nottingham did add a new class this year I was told, and ended up with only 19 kids each. Great 'problem' to have if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

Right, you want *just enough* kids in each grade to add a new class.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- based on what I read in the link that someone posted, the Key/Jamestown/ASFS/Taylor cluster is unique in their more flexible transfer policies, and possibly also in their transportation policy (although I'm not certain about that one, I do know that a PP in key district with child in Taylor confirmed that the bus does pick up and go to all 4 schools). So those PPs that live in other clusters -- the rules may be different.

[Anonymous]

Do you think this is true about South Arlington too?

- Signed A DC resident considering Arlington, but SHOCKED by the prices.

Isn't north arlington more affordable than the "good" school districts in NW?

[Anonymous]

OP: Yes, the "team" is a bit unique with their more flexible transfer policies, but you should know that things are so crowded there right now that there is no guarantee you will get what you want.

You will not be forced into Spanish immersion if you don't want it, and I don't think science focus is so "sciency" that an ordinary kid would be put out. There will probably be rule changes between now and when you need this school, and I think you will be fine regardless. If you like the house, buy it.

There are other sorta-clusters around, but you aren't looking there. The clustering that you talk about makes it harder for families like mine to gain access to Spanish immersion. (Long Branch, thus "zoned" for Key as our immersion option, but our waiting list doesn't begin until after the Team families have taken all the spots they want.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...I love Glencarlyn, Arlington Forest (south side), Alcova Heights, and Barcroft neighborhoods. Other people seem to like Arlington Heights and Douglas Park (don't know those as well). Claremont is also nice...

you like white majority neighborhoods; other people like the opposite.

I like neighborhoods that have cute houses, affordable prices, great community feel and good schools. I don't know where you come up with "white majority" -- I'm trying to give suggestions for South Arlington neighborhoods that someone might find appealing and these are neighborhoods I'm familiar with and would recommend.

If you can name another neighborhood that is more racially mixed in Arlington AND has cute houses, good sense of community, and good schools, then maybe you should recommend it to the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Before you buy a house in one school's district with the hope that your child can automatically transfer to another school in the cluster, call the principals of the schools you're interested in and find out if they're taking transfers. I know that last year both Taylor and Jamestown were closed to any transfers from outside their attendance areas, including children who lived within the cluster boundaries (that's the first time ever Jamestown had closed itself to cluster transfers - it used to be pretty much automatic).

I don't know about Taylor, but so far Jamestown's kindergarten numbers for next year are way down so they might be open to transfers again - don't know for sure.

[Anonymous]

re: "Nottingham did add a new class this year I was told, and ended up with only 19 kids each. Great 'problem' to have if you ask me. "

yes - this did happen this year (2009-2010) but unless more kids register for next year Nottingham is back down to four K classes instead of five. We were in the "new" class last year (with only 18 students! Nice!) but because Nottingham just barely had enough to get the fifth class, and because numbers aren't quite where they need to be for the upcoming school year, the school has dropped back to four classes.

So if you happen to know anyone who is in the district and hasn't registered yet for K - get them signed up! I'm sure all the rising K parents would like to go back to more smaller classes!