Tell me about South Lakes

[Anonymous]

The admin is awful. The SpEd department is worse. If your child is high preforming and won’t need to interact with either, then maybe you’ll be ok. Hugh drug issues, but that’s all over fcps now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from South Lakes, did the full IB Diploma, and went to University of Virginia regular decision. It is a good school with solid teachers and the IB program is amazing and I think prepared me for college more than some of my counterparts who did the AP program.

Here we go again with the insecure IB posters claiming it’s better preparation. They just can’t help themselves.

I'm a prof and I think the IB students are better prepared. They have at least written one extensive research paper which few high school students otherwise do.

If they do the full IB diploma program, and some AP courses also require longer papers.

Chantilly and Oakton kids have higher test scores and are at least as well prepared.

What are Chantilly and Oakton’s FARMs and ESL rates? I am guessing lower then South Lakes. South Lakes test scores are lower because they have more kids who are not native English Speakers and who come from poor backgrounds. The SLHS kids who come from MC and UMC families tend to do very well on the standardized tests, which is why SLHS is one of the stronger IB programs in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does a middle of the road student do in an IB school? Are there still Honors classes if a student wants to do more than general ed but not IB?

Yes there are honors classes. Several of my friends kids are in them with no intention of taking anything IB related.

[Anonymous]

There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

[Anonymous]

Not an IB fan- think Oakton would be better. AP Pupil placement is most likely Herndon. There are some parts within the boundary that could be Madison or Oakton. Closest school to your address.

[Anonymous]

We would want AP but would not want to end up at Herndon HS at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

Families decide whether they want to live in an IB district and families and kids decide whether they want to participate in an IB program or pupil place. The IB schools and programs attract fewer of the county's top students and that's been the case for years.

It's your suggestion (not "implication") that the parents of higher-achieving kids intentionally send them to schools that are less rigorous, all evidence to the contrary, that is ridiculous.

Think about it. South Lakes has almost 650 seniors this year and not one National Merit Semifinalist. That's just embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

What the PP, the one quoted about the lack of National Merit Scholars, is getting at is that parents who are more focused on test scores and the like are not choosing SLHS. There are plenty of kids from SLHS being accepted at UVA, VT, and other sought after schools but there are not as many kids scoring in the top scores on the PSAT, complete a bunch of extra volunteer hours, write an essay, and the like. It is a reasonable amount of extra work for a slim shot at not much money. If you are focused on the Ivies or are one of the folks who really wants to earn a special label, then it might be worth the work but I can see why a good number of kids might decide it isn't worth the time.

For the record, I have 3 family members who were National Merit Scholars. I love them dearly but it really has not done much to change their lives. It was a special presentation at graduation and yes, two of the three went to highly sought after schools. I wouldn't say that it made them any happier in the long run. My kid is in ES so who knows if he will have to decide if he wants to go through the process but if it does, it will be his choice. It is not something that we are focused on for him.

We did not worry about the number of National merit Scholars at the school when we bought a house here.

The kids in our neighborhood seem to be pretty happy. I see them out with friends, their parents discuss regular teen issues but no one seems to be overly worked up about issues at school or discussing mental health issues with their kids. I hear about kids enjoying the orchestra, drama, and sports. I see kids involved in Scouts and JR ROTC. The kids I know who have gone to college are attend schools that they are happy at. I know kids who are at UVA and VT and others attending places like Michigan. I also know kids who took a gap year or choose to attend SLAC.

Those are the measures that I find more important. The Teens seem to be happy and are doing well in school. They feel supported at school and many are being accepted at colleges that they are happy to attend. There is nothing about the school that makes me think anything other then my kid will have a good experience at SLHS, will have the opportunity to take challenging classes, and will be able to join extra curricular activities that he is interested in.

I am sure that there are kids not happy at SLHS, I am sure that there are kids unhappy at every HS in the country regardless of how many NMS there are or how elite a private school it is, or how highly ranked the HS is. In my UMC neighborhood there is not a rush to send kids to private high school or move out of the neighborhood to avoid SLHS. It is a good school that has good to excellent opportunity for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

Families decide whether they want to live in an IB district and families and kids decide whether they want to participate in an IB program or pupil place. The IB schools and programs attract fewer of the county's top students and that's been the case for years.

It's your suggestion (not "implication") that the parents of higher-achieving kids intentionally send them to schools that are less rigorous, all evidence to the contrary, that is ridiculous.

Think about it. South Lakes has almost 650 seniors this year and not one National Merit Semifinalist. That's just embarrassing.

Not really. It just means that they are not worked up about a high PSAT and SAT Score in order to earn a small scholarship and special recognition at graduation. I find it a bit more embarrassing that other parents put such emphasis on these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

What the PP, the one quoted about the lack of National Merit Scholars, is getting at is that parents who are more focused on test scores and the like are not choosing SLHS. There are plenty of kids from SLHS being accepted at UVA, VT, and other sought after schools but there are not as many kids scoring in the top scores on the PSAT, complete a bunch of extra volunteer hours, write an essay, and the like. It is a reasonable amount of extra work for a slim shot at not much money. If you are focused on the Ivies or are one of the folks who really wants to earn a special label, then it might be worth the work but I can see why a good number of kids might decide it isn't worth the time.

For the record, I have 3 family members who were National Merit Scholars. I love them dearly but it really has not done much to change their lives. It was a special presentation at graduation and yes, two of the three went to highly sought after schools. I wouldn't say that it made them any happier in the long run. My kid is in ES so who knows if he will have to decide if he wants to go through the process but if it does, it will be his choice. It is not something that we are focused on for him.

We did not worry about the number of National merit Scholars at the school when we bought a house here.

The kids in our neighborhood seem to be pretty happy. I see them out with friends, their parents discuss regular teen issues but no one seems to be overly worked up about issues at school or discussing mental health issues with their kids. I hear about kids enjoying the orchestra, drama, and sports. I see kids involved in Scouts and JR ROTC. The kids I know who have gone to college are attend schools that they are happy at. I know kids who are at UVA and VT and others attending places like Michigan. I also know kids who took a gap year or choose to attend SLAC.

Those are the measures that I find more important. The Teens seem to be happy and are doing well in school. They feel supported at school and many are being accepted at colleges that they are happy to attend. There is nothing about the school that makes me think anything other then my kid will have a good experience at SLHS, will have the opportunity to take challenging classes, and will be able to join extra curricular activities that he is interested in.

I am sure that there are kids not happy at SLHS, I am sure that there are kids unhappy at every HS in the country regardless of how many NMS there are or how elite a private school it is, or how highly ranked the HS is. In my UMC neighborhood there is not a rush to send kids to private high school or move out of the neighborhood to avoid SLHS. It is a good school that has good to excellent opportunity for kids.

You're confusing being a National Merit Semifinalist with being a National Merit Finalist.

SLHS doesn't have any kids this year who made even the initial cut of being a NMSF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

Families decide whether they want to live in an IB district and families and kids decide whether they want to participate in an IB program or pupil place. The IB schools and programs attract fewer of the county's top students and that's been the case for years.

It's your suggestion (not "implication") that the parents of higher-achieving kids intentionally send them to schools that are less rigorous, all evidence to the contrary, that is ridiculous.

Think about it. South Lakes has almost 650 seniors this year and not one National Merit Semifinalist. That's just embarrassing.

Not really. It just means that they are not worked up about a high PSAT and SAT Score in order to earn a small scholarship and special recognition at graduation. I find it a bit more embarrassing that other parents put such emphasis on these things.

It's the kids who take the tests, not the parents. And no South Lakes senior is in the top 1% nationally, while Chantilly has 10 and Oakton 11 seniors in this category, as well as higher average SATs.

You can try to portray the school's mediocrity as virtue, but it's not very convincing.

[Anonymous]

Why does every thread that mentions IB or even school with IB end ups being a IB vs. AP discussion? Like if someone asked about a random AP school, are people going to start fighting over IB vs. AP? Here is the truth---it doesn't matter. If you have a motivated kid--they will do well in either program. Parental wealth and SES will have more impact on your kid's educational and life trajectory vs. AP/IB. OP-I've heard South Lakes is a solid school, has a group of academically focused kids. DCUM (a couple of posters in particular) are very anti-IB. It's weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

What the PP, the one quoted about the lack of National Merit Scholars, is getting at is that parents who are more focused on test scores and the like are not choosing SLHS. There are plenty of kids from SLHS being accepted at UVA, VT, and other sought after schools but there are not as many kids scoring in the top scores on the PSAT, complete a bunch of extra volunteer hours, write an essay, and the like. It is a reasonable amount of extra work for a slim shot at not much money. If you are focused on the Ivies or are one of the folks who really wants to earn a special label, then it might be worth the work but I can see why a good number of kids might decide it isn't worth the time.

For the record, I have 3 family members who were National Merit Scholars. I love them dearly but it really has not done much to change their lives. It was a special presentation at graduation and yes, two of the three went to highly sought after schools. I wouldn't say that it made them any happier in the long run. My kid is in ES so who knows if he will have to decide if he wants to go through the process but if it does, it will be his choice. It is not something that we are focused on for him.

We did not worry about the number of National merit Scholars at the school when we bought a house here.

The kids in our neighborhood seem to be pretty happy. I see them out with friends, their parents discuss regular teen issues but no one seems to be overly worked up about issues at school or discussing mental health issues with their kids. I hear about kids enjoying the orchestra, drama, and sports. I see kids involved in Scouts and JR ROTC. The kids I know who have gone to college are attend schools that they are happy at. I know kids who are at UVA and VT and others attending places like Michigan. I also know kids who took a gap year or choose to attend SLAC.

Those are the measures that I find more important. The Teens seem to be happy and are doing well in school. They feel supported at school and many are being accepted at colleges that they are happy to attend. There is nothing about the school that makes me think anything other then my kid will have a good experience at SLHS, will have the opportunity to take challenging classes, and will be able to join extra curricular activities that he is interested in.

I am sure that there are kids not happy at SLHS, I am sure that there are kids unhappy at every HS in the country regardless of how many NMS there are or how elite a private school it is, or how highly ranked the HS is. In my UMC neighborhood there is not a rush to send kids to private high school or move out of the neighborhood to avoid SLHS. It is a good school that has good to excellent opportunity for kids.

You're confusing being a National Merit Semifinalist with being a National Merit Finalist.

SLHS doesn't have any kids this year who made even the initial cut of being a NMSF.

I still don't care. The kids I know from SLHS are going to good colleges and are happy. Heck, the kids I know at Herndon High School are doing well after HS. I have friends whose kids went to Penn State and UVA and VT out of Herndon HS. They have the normal teen angst but they are doing well. I have seen neighborhood kids graduate from SLHS who are now graduated from college and starting their careers. The lack of NMS hasn't held them back from starting their adult lives on a good fit. In the long run, that is what I care about.

I would rather my kid attend a school that produces kids who are happy and doing well in school and after they graduate that isn't a pressure cooker then attend a school were people are worried about AAP and TJ and how many NMS that there are. It seems like a far healthier environment to me.

I am sure that the vast majority of kids at Chantilly and Oakton are doing well as well, even the ones who have not earned NMSF or Finalist. Seriously, it is not that large of a scholarship and it means little to nothing as an adult. I am sure it helps get accepted at the uber selective colleges but there are a good number of people who understand that attending an Ivy is not the end all and be all in life.

Maybe SLHS parents are just more chill about these things, I would guess that there are families who see that as a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There wasn’t a single National Merit Semifinalist from South Lakes in the Class of 2023, and it’s a big high school. Between them Chantilly and Oakton had 21. The IB program isn’t attracting the brightest kids.

What? That doesn't make any sense. High schools aren't selective colleges that "attract" bright kids. Very few kids outside the TJ crowd are involved enough to tell their parents which high school program they want to attend. You think kids have the initiative to research the details of AP and IB and then autonomously decide that they prefer one over the other? No, that's not happening.

You can say IB doesn't attract wealthy families for a multitude of reasons, but your implication that IB students or programs are less "intelligent" is ridiculous. It's purely about ease of college credit and less writing for AP.

Families decide whether they want to live in an IB district and families and kids decide whether they want to participate in an IB program or pupil place. The IB schools and programs attract fewer of the county's top students and that's been the case for years.

It's your suggestion (not "implication") that the parents of higher-achieving kids intentionally send them to schools that are less rigorous, all evidence to the contrary, that is ridiculous.

Think about it. South Lakes has almost 650 seniors this year and not one National Merit Semifinalist. That's just embarrassing.

Isn't it the opposite. That IB was placed in poorer areas. And nowadays, aren't most students electing to stay put in IB because the AP choices around IB schools are poorer performing (e.g., Marshall to Falls Church, South Lakes to Herndon)?