Risky to buy in a pyramid with split feeder schools? (Crossfield elementary)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's risky to buy in Fairfax County right now, period. You will have literally no idea which schools your kids will attend a year from now, two years from now, etc. Even if you buy right next door to a "good" school, the makeup of that school can and almost assuredly will be changed to be more "average" - and when 40% of the county is FARMS, there won't be any good schools left, just mediocre schools.

You can guarantee you won’t be redistricted by buying in City of Fairfax. The city owns the schools and pays FCPS to administer. Our kids will always go Providence/Daniel Run - KJMS - Fairfax.

But you can’t guarantee the county won’t stop sending the county kids at Willow Springs and Powell who prop up the Fairfax HS test scores to FHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not know much about that specific school pyramid. But, my child is in a split-feeder elementary and it feels hard as she gets ready to go on to MS. Half the friends will go to different schools.

This was the bigger issue for us at a different split feeder. The kids were all at the same middle school and then split for high school. It was good and bad. There was so much drama in middle school with one kid we were glad for the fresh start.

Our other child said it was okay but not the same going to a different high school than most kids he knew. He started feeling like the new kid where everyone else knew each other. They didn’t but that was his perspective.

[Anonymous]

8:55 again and I don’t want to derail this thread, but you never know what will happen in a school anyway. Our kids didn’t change schools and ended up at Madison, the school we knew they would go to. This is NOT remotely like the HS academically that it was when we purchased the house. It’s still a great school but you can research the posts on their grading changes to see what I mean. So even if you buy in a district with no chance of rezoning you don’t know what you will get in a few years. I would not have sent my kids to HS here now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not know much about that specific school pyramid. But, my child is in a split-feeder elementary and it feels hard as she gets ready to go on to MS. Half the friends will go to different schools.

This was the bigger issue for us at a different split feeder. The kids were all at the same middle school and then split for high school. It was good and bad. There was so much drama in middle school with one kid we were glad for the fresh start.

Our other child said it was okay but not the same going to a different high school than most kids he knew. He started feeling like the new kid where everyone else knew each other. They didn’t but that was his perspective.

They've suggested they are going to make an effort to eliminate split feeders and attendance islands, and consolidate feeder patterns (ES to MS to HS). But for various reasons it's less likely they'll be able to make either Carson or Franklin straight feeders to a single HS. It would be easier to do, if they were so inclined, at some other MS that are currently split feeders like Kilmer and Thoreau.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I wouldn't buy in FC again after getting a better understanding of how they run schools here. Between the potential boundary changes, grading policy and lack of phonics instruction for early grades, it's not a great system. You might be better off moving further out and dealing with a longer commute.

[Anonymous]

I think the schools the feed a lot of MS or HS are going to be a target for redistricting. I expect that the Fox Mill kids that go to SLHS will be moved from Carson to Hughes. Fox Mill is closer to Hughes then Carson and Hughes is right across the parking lot from SLHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I wouldn't buy in FC again after getting a better understanding of how they run schools here. Between the potential boundary changes, grading policy and lack of phonics instruction for early grades, it's not a great system. You might be better off moving further out and dealing with a longer commute.

Agree but we would never have relocated to NOVA or bought in City of Falls Church - clean budget. It's IB but a 1 HS divison so it's not duplicating costs with outsourcing. Also FX is rife with politcal BS on programs, budgets, and bond referendums and is flagrantly run by 2 of the Magisterial Districts- Franconia [ex Lee] and Mount Vernon. From messed up Bpard of Supervisor bond projects to inequitable special tax districts ...bbut the clincher on regret was the slimy move by FX to offload what shuld have been the site of the future Western HS to the Saudis while MV/FR got a no special tax district community center site [Old Mount Vernon HS].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger issue is that FCPS is getting ready to embark on what it terms a "holistic" review of school boundaries at every level (elementary, middle, and high schools).

There are certain parts of western Fairfax (Oak Hill/Floris/Crossfield/Navy) that have tended to see a lot of boundaries changes in the past (one area in particular bounced from Oakton to Westfield to South Lakes), so these areas might be particularly likely to be affected again.

They are claiming that their goals include eliminating split feeders and attendance islands, but it's too early to tell how it will shake out. If you really want Oakton as opposed to South Lakes and Chantilly (and Chantilly is great) you probably should be looking closer to Oakton HS itself.

Is there really a remote chance that houses in Franklin farm could be rezoned to South Lakes high?

If you look at the boundary maps you will see that some already are. Although others will think I'm completely delusional or lying, I will say that my DC attends SLHS and is doing well. It's an IB school and some people prefer AP. That's a valid reason to not want to attend the school. All the fearmongering about FARMs and other nonsense is exactly that, nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger issue is that FCPS is getting ready to embark on what it terms a "holistic" review of school boundaries at every level (elementary, middle, and high schools).

There are certain parts of western Fairfax (Oak Hill/Floris/Crossfield/Navy) that have tended to see a lot of boundaries changes in the past (one area in particular bounced from Oakton to Westfield to South Lakes), so these areas might be particularly likely to be affected again.

They are claiming that their goals include eliminating split feeders and attendance islands, but it's too early to tell how it will shake out. If you really want Oakton as opposed to South Lakes and Chantilly (and Chantilly is great) you probably should be looking closer to Oakton HS itself.

Is there really a remote chance that houses in Franklin farm could be rezoned to South Lakes high?

If you look at the boundary maps you will see that some already are. Although others will think I'm completely delusional or lying, I will say that my DC attends SLHS and is doing well. It's an IB school and some people prefer AP. That's a valid reason to not want to attend the school. All the fearmongering about FARMs and other nonsense is exactly that, nonsense.

Bull. I bet your kid is in the IB program, so is relatively sheltered from the actual problem kids. For kids not in the IB problem, the population is rough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The bigger issue is that FCPS is getting ready to embark on what it terms a "holistic" review of school boundaries at every level (elementary, middle, and high schools).

There are certain parts of western Fairfax (Oak Hill/Floris/Crossfield/Navy) that have tended to see a lot of boundaries changes in the past (one area in particular bounced from Oakton to Westfield to South Lakes), so these areas might be particularly likely to be affected again.

They are claiming that their goals include eliminating split feeders and attendance islands, but it's too early to tell how it will shake out. If you really want Oakton as opposed to South Lakes and Chantilly (and Chantilly is great) you probably should be looking closer to Oakton HS itself.

Is there really a remote chance that houses in Franklin farm could be rezoned to South Lakes high?

If you look at the boundary maps you will see that some already are. Although others will think I'm completely delusional or lying, I will say that my DC attends SLHS and is doing well. It's an IB school and some people prefer AP. That's a valid reason to not want to attend the school. All the fearmongering about FARMs and other nonsense is exactly that, nonsense.

Bull. I bet your kid is in the IB program, so is relatively sheltered from the actual problem kids. For kids not in the IB problem, the population is rough.

My kid will attend SLHS and we know plenty of kids at the school. Most of the kids in Honors classes or above seem to have a very good experiene at the school. We had a friend whose kid was in a non-Honors class and asked to move to honors because the pace was too slow and it was clear that most of the kids could care less about school. The Honors classes were rough for the kid academically and they will be taking non-honors next year but most likely they will be classes that others who are not interested in college will take. The kid didn't feel threatened or anything along those lines, they could simply tell that the kids in the class had no interest in being there and that the class was going to be slow.

Most of the kids from MC and UMC ES are going to end up on the honors track in HS so it is not going to be an issue for them. It is problematic that there is a school within the school but that is what it is. I have friens whose kids are at Herndon HS and have had no issues there. the honors/AP cohort is its own little school. I am sure that you can say the same thing about Annandale, Lewis, Mount Vernon and other schools with a high FARMs rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the schools the feed a lot of MS or HS are going to be a target for redistricting. I expect that the Fox Mill kids that go to SLHS will be moved from Carson to Hughes. Fox Mill is closer to Hughes then Carson and Hughes is right across the parking lot from SLHS.

Yes why doesn't this happen? It is like 5 minutes up the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the schools the feed a lot of MS or HS are going to be a target for redistricting. I expect that the Fox Mill kids that go to SLHS will be moved from Carson to Hughes. Fox Mill is closer to Hughes then Carson and Hughes is right across the parking lot from SLHS.

Yes why doesn't this happen? It is like 5 minutes up the road.

Probably because everyone at the school was upset about being moved from Oakton to SLHS, if they have moved the kids from Carson to Hughes at the same time there would have been even more anger. Carson is one of the best MS in the county, moving from a strong HS to a well under performing high school and from AP to IB was already being fought, toss in moving form one of the stronger MS to a weak MS and you have an even uglier fight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bigger issue is that FCPS is getting ready to embark on what it terms a "holistic" review of school boundaries at every level (elementary, middle, and high schools).

There are certain parts of western Fairfax (Oak Hill/Floris/Crossfield/Navy) that have tended to see a lot of boundaries changes in the past (one area in particular bounced from Oakton to Westfield to South Lakes), so these areas might be particularly likely to be affected again.

They are claiming that their goals include eliminating split feeders and attendance islands, but it's too early to tell how it will shake out. If you really want Oakton as opposed to South Lakes and Chantilly (and Chantilly is great) you probably should be looking closer to Oakton HS itself.

The funny thing to me is that people think this will have any impact in the near future. FCPS will cave to whoever yells loudest in the media as usual, regarldess of what their "holistic" review says (even if the holistic review somehow manages to be a fount of wisdom instead of a load of poo).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8:55 again and I don’t want to derail this thread, but you never know what will happen in a school anyway. Our kids didn’t change schools and ended up at Madison, the school we knew they would go to. This is NOT remotely like the HS academically that it was when we purchased the house. It’s still a great school but you can research the posts on their grading changes to see what I mean. So even if you buy in a district with no chance of rezoning you don’t know what you will get in a few years. I would not have sent my kids to HS here now.

Same experience, different school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8:55 again and I don’t want to derail this thread, but you never know what will happen in a school anyway. Our kids didn’t change schools and ended up at Madison, the school we knew they would go to. This is NOT remotely like the HS academically that it was when we purchased the house. It’s still a great school but you can research the posts on their grading changes to see what I mean. So even if you buy in a district with no chance of rezoning you don’t know what you will get in a few years. I would not have sent my kids to HS here now.

What is the TL;DR version of the grading changes issue? Aren't all FCPS schools going lenient with grading and putting smilies instead of grades? What does it actually matter? Did the cohort of kids your kids are with actually change for the worse?