FCPS School Pyramid Recommendations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

A very valid point, but restritcting the home serach to only those pyramids in Fairfax County with around 30% or more African-American students would exclude a HUGE portion of the county.

The black population in Fairfax County has been growing, but far less rapidly than the Asian and Hispanic populations, so PP is correct that you aren't going to find many 30% AA schools in this county. There are only two: Lorton Station ES (32%) and Riverside ES (31%).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

And what school in Farifax County has only 15% caucasion? In Fairfax County??? Even Bailey's has 20% caucasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

A very valid point, but restritcting the home serach to only those pyramids in Fairfax County with around 30% or more African-American students would exclude a HUGE portion of the county.

The black population in Fairfax County has been growing, but far less rapidly than the Asian and Hispanic populations, so PP is correct that you aren't going to find many 30% AA schools in this county. There are only two: Lorton Station ES (32%) and Riverside ES (31%).

Yes, and if you check out school statistics the % has grown steadily each year even for those schools with 7-9%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for advice on FCPS pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are an AA family and buying a home
($750 - 800k range) in Fairfax County early next year. We would like to have a solid understanding of the various school options prior to making a purchase. Our realtor suggested Oakton/Vienna and Mantua and would like your opinion on the schools and recommend others. I understand that assessing school quality is somewhat subjective... Our son will be 4 in the fall....we are looking for culturally diverse schools, focus on culture of respect, academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable but I'm looking for schools where my now 3 year old son won't be the only AA child in his kindergarten class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Statistics will not tell you everything. If you are looking for professional class college educated AA families in FCPS, you will have to look at more than just % of AA students. There are fewer AA in FCPS and the majority are not from a middle class college educated background. This is due to the racist past of the county and there were large areas that were restricted. Generally, the schools with large % of AA students, the AA population is poorer and less educated and you will see a corresponding higher % of children receiving free/reduce price meals. If you are are coming from a professional college educated background and expect your children to be in the higher level classes, you will find the chances of your child not being the lonely only in his classroom (especially beyond 2nd grade) to be better in those schools that have 4-7% AA populations and very low % of children receiving free/reduced price meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking for advice on FCPS pyramids, particularly elementary schools. We are an AA family and buying a home
($750 - 800k range) in Fairfax County early next year. We would like to have a solid understanding of the various school options prior to making a purchase. Our realtor suggested Oakton/Vienna and Mantua and would like your opinion on the schools and recommend others. I understand that assessing school quality is somewhat subjective... Our son will be 4 in the fall....we are looking for culturally diverse schools, focus on culture of respect, academic enrichment, enthusiastic teachers and extracurricular activities. I understand this may make some people uncomfortable but I'm looking for schools where my now 3 year old son won't be the only AA child in his kindergarten class. I experienced that for 11 years in Catholic Schools and would like him to have a different experience. I don't want to turn this into a race debate and appreciate your honest feedback.

Statistics will not tell you everything. If you are looking for professional class college educated AA families in FCPS, you will have to look at more than just % of AA students. There are fewer AA in FCPS and the majority are not from a middle class college educated background. This is due to the racist past of the county and there were large areas that were restricted. Generally, the schools with large % of AA students, the AA population is poorer and less educated and you will see a corresponding higher % of children receiving free/reduce price meals. If you are are coming from a professional college educated background and expect your children to be in the higher level classes, you will find the chances of your child not being the lonely only in his classroom (especially beyond 2nd grade) to be better in those schools that have 4-7% AA populations and very low % of children receiving free/reduced price meals.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not super close to DC if that's what you need but have you thought about Laurel Hill/South County in Lorton?

South County is not a great school and I assume OP is looking for a great school. If the question were just diversity, everyone would just look at the most diverse school and enroll their children there

Spoken like someone who has absolutely zero personal experience with the school. What a joke.

Statistics are a joke? Okay. I wouldn't want my child at that school. Granted, it is better than Lee HS but the OP is probably a high income earner/highly educated and I would think they would want a good performing shcool. You didn't indicate that the school was high performing. I don't have experience with the school but I can read and have read the statistics on the school. The school does not perform AS WELL as other schools in Fairfax. It may perform very well compare to some other school districts but not in comparision to schools in Fairfax.

No, opinions based on average test scores alone with no personal experience are a joke.

[Anonymous]

First, I just hate these comments about "low performing schools." It's not like the schools being referred to are using some kind of low-level curriculum -- every kid in every FCPS HS has access to high level classes. These so-called "low performing schools" are just schools that have a mixture of kids -- higher income, lower income, English speaker, non-English, parents with degrees/professional jobs, parents with no jobs, parents with hourly jobs, etc.

As long as (1) you are academically oriented at home (as the parent), and (2) there is a segment of kids who are high achievers at the school, and (3) your child is physically safe -- then your child has all he/she needs for success -- doesn't matter if that school has 8% FARMS/ESOL with a mostly white/asian population, or 35+% FARMS/ESOL with a plurality of brown/white/asian/black.

Don't forget to look at the (economic + racial mix). I'm not talking just about the FARMs rate -- I mean, look for a school where there aren't clear lines about WHO is lower income. That's something I really like about our neighborhood school and the AAP center -- it's not a situation where all the brown kids are the low-income kids . There is no subtle distinction that kids or adults can detect about who gets FARMs and who doesn't. My white kids have had best friends from year who are black, hispanic, asian, white, whatever. Largely, it's the housing in the area (type, cost, number of apartments, etc.) that drives the economics of the school population.

Look beyond the usual list of "best schools" in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not super close to DC if that's what you need but have you thought about Laurel Hill/South County in Lorton?

South County is not a great school and I assume OP is looking for a great school. If the question were just diversity, everyone would just look at the most diverse school and enroll their children there

Spoken like someone who has absolutely zero personal experience with the school. What a joke.

Statistics are a joke? Okay. I wouldn't want my child at that school. Granted, it is better than Lee HS but the OP is probably a high income earner/highly educated and I would think they would want a good performing shcool. You didn't indicate that the school was high performing. I don't have experience with the school but I can read and have read the statistics on the school. The school does not perform AS WELL as other schools in Fairfax. It may perform very well compare to some other school districts but not in comparision to schools in Fairfax.

No, opinions based on average test scores alone with no personal experience are a joke.

Well, I never attended since I am not fromt his area but I do know a few people that have gone and even though they were native speakers with American born parents, they were funneled into ESOL. That alone is enough for me. And mya I ask, are you even a member of a minority group? Because if you are not, and you pretend to know what the experience of a minority from a higher income household would experience, then you are a joke and uninformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, I just hate these comments about "low performing schools." It's not like the schools being referred to are using some kind of low-level curriculum -- every kid in every FCPS HS has access to high level classes. These so-called "low performing schools" are just schools that have a mixture of kids -- higher income, lower income, English speaker, non-English, parents with degrees/professional jobs, parents with no jobs, parents with hourly jobs, etc.

As long as (1) you are academically oriented at home (as the parent), and (2) there is a segment of kids who are high achievers at the school, and (3) your child is physically safe -- then your child has all he/she needs for success -- doesn't matter if that school has 8% FARMS/ESOL with a mostly white/asian population, or 35+% FARMS/ESOL with a plurality of brown/white/asian/black.

Don't forget to look at the (economic + racial mix). I'm not talking just about the FARMs rate -- I mean, look for a school where there aren't clear lines about WHO is lower income. That's something I really like about our neighborhood school and the AAP center -- it's not a situation where all the brown kids are the low-income kids . There is no subtle distinction that kids or adults can detect about who gets FARMs and who doesn't. My white kids have had best friends from year who are black, hispanic, asian, white, whatever. Largely, it's the housing in the area (type, cost, number of apartments, etc.) that drives the economics of the school population.


Look beyond the usual list of "best schools" in FCPS.

But that is not actually true because if you are a minority around other minrity students from lower SES and who are not academically oriented there is peer pressure to also be low performing. There is not that peer pressure for caucasion students. But you are right that you have to look at where the students come from and if the minorities are no low -income )or brown as you put it) then there is a less of a chance that that wierd peer pressure to be low performing does not exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, I just hate these comments about "low performing schools." It's not like the schools being referred to are using some kind of low-level curriculum -- every kid in every FCPS HS has access to high level classes. These so-called "low performing schools" are just schools that have a mixture of kids -- higher income, lower income, English speaker, non-English, parents with degrees/professional jobs, parents with no jobs, parents with hourly jobs, etc.

As long as (1) you are academically oriented at home (as the parent), and (2) there is a segment of kids who are high achievers at the school, and (3) your child is physically safe -- then your child has all he/she needs for success -- doesn't matter if that school has 8% FARMS/ESOL with a mostly white/asian population, or 35+% FARMS/ESOL with a plurality of brown/white/asian/black.

Don't forget to look at the (economic + racial mix). I'm not talking just about the FARMs rate -- I mean, look for a school where there aren't clear lines about WHO is lower income. That's something I really like about our neighborhood school and the AAP center -- it's not a situation where all the brown kids are the low-income kids . There is no subtle distinction that kids or adults can detect about who gets FARMs and who doesn't. My white kids have had best friends from year who are black, hispanic, asian, white, whatever. Largely, it's the housing in the area (type, cost, number of apartments, etc.) that drives the economics of the school population.


Look beyond the usual list of "best schools" in FCPS.

But that is not actually true because if you are a minority around other minrity students from lower SES and who are not academically oriented there is peer pressure to also be low performing. There is not that peer pressure for caucasion students. But you are right that you have to look at where the students come from and if the minorities are no low -income )or brown as you put it) then there is a less of a chance that that wierd peer pressure to be low performing does not exist.

There are certainly peer pressures from Caucasian students who are also low performing. Many schools around this country have that phenomena.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

And what school in Farifax County has only 15% caucasion? In Fairfax County??? Even Bailey's has 20% caucasion.

Statistics are misleading. Many think of Caucasian as white Americans. These numbers include the immigrants from the Middle East. I'm not saying they shouldn't be included. I am saying that many do not consider them the same race as their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

And what school in Farifax County has only 15% caucasion? In Fairfax County??? Even Bailey's has 20% caucasion.

Statistics are misleading. Many think of Caucasian as white Americans. These numbers include the immigrants from the Middle East. I'm not saying they shouldn't be included. I am saying that many do not consider them the same race as their children.

The Middle East is mostly in Asia.

[Anonymous]

Wow...thank you so much for your honest feedback. I know that this can be a touchy subject for some but at the end of the day - its important to be honest. Yes, we are an AA family that are highly educated and want our son to blossom and be surrounded by (hopefully) other like-minded parents. Race/ethnicity is definitely not the only factor - obviously we are looking for enthusiastic teachers, high performing school, etc. but I'm just not comfortable with my son being the only AA in a class. However, I hate to say it but a lot of the predominantly AA schools are also low performing - so its a catch 22. I just want my little fella to be comfortable interacting with all walks of life and not feel out of place because he doesn't see anyone that looks like him in his class.

[Anonymous]

Island Creek and Hayfield elementaries are in a diverse area and are good schools, and your housing budget would go far there. Hayfield Secondary doesn't perform as well as some would like and draws more lower-income students but it's still not a bad school. But honestly most middle/upper middle class AA's in the DC area live in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those suggesting schools with 7-9% are fooling themselves. Just as a point of comparison, my children attend a school where the caucasian population is around 15%. In K and 1, my daughter was one of 2 caucasian children in her class. This year, she is the only one. My son is in 3rd, and has had a similar experience. Now, I will say, our school is large, so in the lower grades, there are sometimes 7 classes per grade. OP, honestly I would look at schools of at least 30% if your child having racial peers is that important to you. For us, in the lower grades it has been fine.

And what school in Farifax County has only 15% caucasion? In Fairfax County??? Even Bailey's has 20% caucasion.

Parklawn and Weyanoke Elementary have less, I believe.