Best middle school in arlington

[fran83]

Thank you everyone for your replies.We are very grateful

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:We are not in the US yet. We have been looking at ratings, gradings, reviews, videos on youtube...The school system in our country is different. It's kind of hard to choose at a distance. We have chosen Arlington mostly based on its closeness to DC. We also looked at Mclean and Vienna. Looks like the schools are better there?

Honestly, it's all basically the same. These are affluent schools and neighborhoods with many resources. PP is right in the sense that what matters is what's best for your child. You're looking at meaningless metrics/rankings.

Progrmmatically, it's better to look at the high schools. Yorktown most closely matches the county's demographics from a diversity standpoint but not the school population's -- so it's predominately white. It's historically considered the "best" HS in the county on a metrics perspective but W-L has its fans, IB and more recently better success in elite college matriculations (not that any of these schools matriculate a whole lot to the ivies, etc -- you need to go to private schools in DC for that path).

One thing to consider is it can be harder to get into Virginia's better universities (UVA, William and Mary) since they tend to prioritize school ranking and Arlington schools are populated by over-achievers in general. So, the competition for limited spots is more fierce.


I just wouldn’t let schools drive your decision. There are other more important criteria: Commute, access to Metro, housing stock, etc.

Mind you, there are people who will bicker over whether some of the Fairfax HSs are “better” than Arlington’s but it’s all just nuance. As a pp noted, these schools are filled with privileged and affluent kids who will succeed in life.

Thank you for the info. So we don't have to reconsider our choice regarding staying in Arlington then?

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

I would not worry about bullying. Try to join a swim program now if you can. There’s york and NCAP. All of the high schools have pools. What’s your budget?

She will be joining middle school. We will see regarding swimming when we are in ghe US then. You said not to worry about bullying. This is not really a problem then? We have read several reviews and we were quite concerned about that.

Bullying is generally not a problem. The nice thing about the large size of these schools is that everyone can find their crowd and there are so many students that they generally mind their own business.

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

I would not worry about bullying. Try to join a swim program now if you can. There’s york and NCAP. All of the high schools have pools. What’s your budget?

She will be joining middle school. We will see regarding swimming when we are in ghe US then. You said not to worry about bullying. This is not really a problem then? We have read several reviews and we were quite concerned about that.

Does your child have social issues now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

The IB program is at WL, but you have to apply. Maybe look for an area zoned for WL

You don’t have to apply for IB if you are at WL (assuming you meet criteria).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

I would not worry about bullying. Try to join a swim program now if you can. There’s york and NCAP. All of the high schools have pools. What’s your budget?

The MSs all have swim teams too.

[fran83]

Does your child have social issues now?

No.

What got us worried are:

1)the reviews

2)the fact that she will be joining during the year. In our country she has been growing with the same school friends so we are worried about integration. We live in a region where people are quite familiar so bullying is not really an issue here.

3)one estate agent told us that bullying is present in all schools...

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:We are not in the US yet. We have been looking at ratings, gradings, reviews, videos on youtube...The school system in our country is different. It's kind of hard to choose at a distance. We have chosen Arlington mostly based on its closeness to DC. We also looked at Mclean and Vienna. Looks like the schools are better there?

Honestly, it's all basically the same. These are affluent schools and neighborhoods with many resources. PP is right in the sense that what matters is what's best for your child. You're looking at meaningless metrics/rankings.

Progrmmatically, it's better to look at the high schools. Yorktown most closely matches the county's demographics from a diversity standpoint but not the school population's -- so it's predominately white. It's historically considered the "best" HS in the county on a metrics perspective but W-L has its fans, IB and more recently better success in elite college matriculations (not that any of these schools matriculate a whole lot to the ivies, etc -- you need to go to private schools in DC for that path).

One thing to consider is it can be harder to get into Virginia's better universities (UVA, William and Mary) since they tend to prioritize school ranking and Arlington schools are populated by over-achievers in general. So, the competition for limited spots is more fierce.

Thank you for the info. So we don't have to reconsider our choice regarding staying in Arlington then?

Schools shouldn't drive your decision about where to live in the areas you cite. There will be a few people who jump in and try to argue Fairfax County high schools in the area are "better" than Arlington's but it's all just noise. The reality is all of these schools are populated by privileged kids who will succeed in life. They've all been born on third -- just try to avoid the ones who think they actually hit a triple.

I would let other considerations like commute, housing stock, neighborhood feel, access to amenities drive your decision. You seem a little too focused on the concept of "best".

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

If leaning towards IB, I’d go for a home in the boundaries for Hamm/Washington-Liberty.

Hamm has a nice environment for kids - less toxic than Swanson. No significant bullying.

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

One thing to remember about reviews is generally speaking, only people with axes to grind and other malcontents tend to post them. Or, on the other extreme, you get ridiculous boosters who are trying to prop up a school and drown out any dissent or genuine complaints about whatever flaws it may have.

No school is perfect. But generally speaking, the areas you're looking at are going to be remarkably similar and more than adequate.

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:
Does your child have social issues now?

No.

What got us worried are:

1)the reviews

2)the fact that she will be joining during the year. In our country she has been growing with the same school friends so we are worried about integration. We live in a region where people are quite familiar so bullying is not really an issue here.

3)one estate agent told us that bullying is present in all schools...



It’s a very transient area (state dept) so kids come and go all of the time. If she has decent social skills she will be fine.

You could ask the principal/homeroom teacher if a nice kid in her homeroom could help her get acquainted with classmates/have a seat with them at lunch.

[fran83]

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

If leaning towards IB, I’d go for a home in the boundaries for Hamm/Washington-Liberty.

Hamm has a nice environment for kids - less toxic than Swanson. No significant bullying.


Thank you. We are reassured. Do you have any suggestion for such a region please. Ideally near the metro for commuting to DC?Thank you

[fran83]

It’s a very transient area (state dept) so kids come and go all of the time. If she has decent social skills she will be fine.

You could ask the principal/homeroom teacher if a nice kid in her homeroom could help her get acquainted with classmates/have a seat with them at lunch.



Thank you so much for your time and invaluable information and advice.🙂

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. We are looking for good academic records, conducive environment for learning, diversity, good discipline, extracurricular activities(swimming would be a plus), 'friendly' educators/teachers. We have been looking at ratings on several platforms and some reviews are concerning. We are worried about bullying since she will be joining in March. So a school with welcoming students will be great. Now, someone mentioned IB, this would be a plus since she has been studying in a british style framework.

If leaning towards IB, I’d go for a home in the boundaries for Hamm/Washington-Liberty.

Hamm has a nice environment for kids - less toxic than Swanson. No significant bullying.

Thank you. We are reassured. Do you have any suggestion for such a region please. Ideally near the metro for commuting to DC?Thank you

Are you looking for apartment, townhouse, or house?

Maps at bottom of this page:
https://www.apsva.us/boundary-locator/

Closer to Clarendon, VA Square, Courthouse, and Ballston metro stops would be ideal. Check specific location though because boundaries are close.

Where is work location approx located?

[Anonymous]

fran83 wrote:

It’s a very transient area (state dept) so kids come and go all of the time. If she has decent social skills she will be fine.

You could ask the principal/homeroom teacher if a nice kid in her homeroom could help her get acquainted with classmates/have a seat with them at lunch.

Thank you so much for your time and invaluable information and advice.🙂

Most people here are nice in real life. Don’t judge off of DCUM - it attracts crazies. LOL