Arlington Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The world needs plumbers, and plumbers make good money. Career Center is one of the best programs APS has.

I like plumbers too. But stop
Reducing arl tech to trades only . Loads of kids are going to good colleges from Tech. Good STEM prep.

Yes. See first response to OP.
Nobody seems to have read that. See the colleges AT students are applying to and getting accepted to. Students in the CTE classes generally aren't applying to 4-year colleges, and certainly are not taking a bunch of dual enrollment courses and graduating with 30 potential college credits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What types of students tend to enroll here as opposed to HB Woodlawn? Just wondering how rigorous the school and what kind of reputation it has. Thanks for any insights.

Kids enroll at AT instead of HBW because they didn't get a spot in the HBW lottery. You probably have a better chance of getting hit by a Metro bus than getting your kid a spot at HBW, especially coming from the North Arlington schools. If you have a kid who really needs a smaller high school -- and you didn't get a spot at HBW -- then Arlington Tech is your next best bet. Otherwise, you are going to a 2,000 student high school. The college admits out of AT seem comparable to HBW, so it seems the school must be equally rigorous. The building is super ugly though, although going to be renovated soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What types of students tend to enroll here as opposed to HB Woodlawn? Just wondering how rigorous the school and what kind of reputation it has. Thanks for any insights.

Kids enroll at AT instead of HBW because they didn't get a spot in the HBW lottery. You probably have a better chance of getting hit by a Metro bus than getting your kid a spot at HBW, especially coming from the North Arlington schools. If you have a kid who really needs a smaller high school -- and you didn't get a spot at HBW -- then Arlington Tech is your next best bet. Otherwise, you are going to a 2,000 student high school. The college admits out of AT seem comparable to HBW, so it seems the school must be equally rigorous. The building is super ugly though, although going to be renovated soon.

Perhaps some. Far from all. Believe it or not, a lot of kids are genuinely interested in the AT program. Parents continue to be the biggest obstacle, not understanding the AT program and not believing it's a "real" program because it's at the Career Center. They don't want their kids going to an "unproven" school. There have been enough graduating classes now that it should be well enough "proven."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is there. My impression is that there are a lot of kids there that choose it because if the tech classes. There is also a contingent that’s there because it’s a much smaller environment. Because it’s DE not AP or IB, I think there are fewer super-competitive parents.

+1 I know a couple kids who graduated last year. One went to UVA and the other to Embry-Riddle (she already has her pilot's license). It is a rigorous, college prep program with a focus on tech and project-based learning. I would have liked my kids to consider it but the lack of music programs made it not an option (they are both in band).

One parent told me they thought it had a higher % of special ed students than other schools, which is not surprising since those families might be more inclined to choose a smaller environment.

Here's their list of where students were accepted for college: https://careercenter.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Arlington-Tech-Brag-Sheets-2023-1.pdf

[Anonymous]

No one, literally NO ONE, is going to Arlington tech over HB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is there. My impression is that there are a lot of kids there that choose it because if the tech classes. There is also a contingent that’s there because it’s a much smaller environment. Because it’s DE not AP or IB, I think there are fewer super-competitive parents.

+1 I know a couple kids who graduated last year. One went to UVA and the other to Embry-Riddle (she already has her pilot's license). It is a rigorous, college prep program with a focus on tech and project-based learning. I would have liked my kids to consider it but the lack of music programs made it not an option (they are both in band).

One parent told me they thought it had a higher % of special ed students than other schools, which is not surprising since those families might be more inclined to choose a smaller environment.

Here's their list of where students were accepted for college: https://careercenter.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2023/07/Arlington-Tech-Brag-Sheets-2023-1.pdf

I could see the higher sped being true, likely because of the project based hands on learning. That works well for some kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one, literally NO ONE, is going to Arlington tech over HB

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why we are comparing it to HB? I really doubt that there is a case of a rising ninth grader who seems cut out for Arlington Tech getting accepted to HBW. For most people this will not be an issue. If your kid is very into STEM and doesn't care about not being able to do sports easily and wants a small school, it's probably a good fit. If they want a more traditional high school experience and more options for different electives, it's probably not a good fit.

I have a sixth grader and in the highly unlikely event that he gets into both AT and HB for high school, it would honestly be hard to choose, even though I have another child at HB. AT seems like the perfect fit for him.

[Anonymous]

11:16 here.

Maybe the reason OP is asking is because she has a middle schooler at HBW who seems really cut out for Arlington Tech? If that's the case there are other considerations besides the quality of the school. I wouldn't remove my adolescent child from a school they liked if they would get a better education elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why we are comparing it to HB? I really doubt that there is a case of a rising ninth grader who seems cut out for Arlington Tech getting accepted to HBW. For most people this will not be an issue. If your kid is very into STEM and doesn't care about not being able to do sports easily and wants a small school, it's probably a good fit. If they want a more traditional high school experience and more options for different electives, it's probably not a good fit.

I have a sixth grader and in the highly unlikely event that he gets into both AT and HB for high school, it would honestly be hard to choose, even though I have another child at HB. AT seems like the perfect fit for him.

My neighbor’s kid got accepted to both

[Anonymous]

ArlNow had a nice article about the AT robotics team fundraising by doing yard work. Sounds like a nice group of kids. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/08/11/meet-the-arlington-tech-robotics-team-that-funds-itself-through-yard-work/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one, literally NO ONE, is going to Arlington tech over HB

I definitely know kids who applied to Arlington Tech and not to HB.

[Anonymous]

Definitely not for everyone, but good for kids with interests in its specific programs and kids who need a smaller schools (lots of kids who seem mildly on the spectrum or who have ADHD). Surprisingly, most of the kids seem to come from North Arlington in general and the Yorktown zone in particular. I thought it would be more kids whose parents didn't want Wakefield, especially since it's in the Wakefield zone. So I think if they are getting kids who are turning down Yorktown and schlepping from North arlington to the school, they must be doing something right.

[Anonymous]

Dual-enrollment can help with college admissions, if the specific courses are well chosen. It can do this by demonstrating the student took advanced/rigorous coursework. Arlington Tech seems like a good option for a student who already knows they want a STEM ugrad degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dual-enrollment can help with college admissions, if the specific courses are well chosen. It can do this by demonstrating the student took advanced/rigorous coursework. Arlington Tech seems like a good option for a student who already knows they want a STEM ugrad degree.

A neighbor’s kid got an associates degree that has been recognized by their VA college. Huge college saving for this family thanks to APS.