Lower rated schools in Falls Church and Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, a lot of the questions you raise are pretty personal. I doubt anyone can answer for you how important elementary is to you and how it factors in with all the other decisions about your life you have to weigh, including commute, house size, budget, etc. For me personally, we bought a spacious new build in South Arlington and our zoned school was a 4 when we bought and remains a 4 now. My oldest child is not yet 5 but she is already attending the Montessori preschool at Drew. We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it instead of stretching, we wanted to be close in, we are ambivalent about how gentrified North Arlington is, and we don't think a Great Schools ranking of 4, particularly for elementary, is a big deal. So, that's how we made our decision to live where we live.

The things to understand about South Arlington schools (I assume you know that basically any North Arl school is regarded as "good" or better) is that there is going to be a big re-zoning in 2019 or so that will change things, and you should familiarize yourself with the concept of neighborhood schools and choice. Many Arl schools offer choice programs that you can lottery into. That's why we did Montessori preschool, so that we'd have that as a choice option instead of our home school if we want it. From there, I might suggest digging around on this forum for info (long thread here, if you can parse through the side convos on "diversity" - http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/565685.page) Lots of schools have fairly well known reputations and things that make them unique. E.g., Oakridge is supposed to be a great school, but it's huge (800 or so) and I know that puts many off. Hoffman-Boston has a STEM focus that some seem to think well of. Patrick Henry is a blue ribbon school and maybe has hit the magic number of just about one-third FARMS kids, as opposed to other schools that are struggling with higher percentages. Etc.

In terms of how Arlington is changing, I can tell you anecdotally that there are a lot of young families moving in. You can probably see that yourself based on the new builds on tiny lots popping up everywhere. There are also ongoing issues with affordable housing, specifically how a lot of it is located on the west end of Columbia Pike and elsewhere in South Arl, and there are proposals for more. Housing policy affects school policy, which isn't something I thought about before I had kids and bought a house. Both of those elements push and pull in different directions and will likely change things significantly. Whether that will be before my kids or yours are out of elementary, I don't know.

"We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it"
you chose material things over your child , good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really shouldn't consult GreatSchools. It's not a reliable arbiter of school quality.

Wrong. Great schools has been extremely accurate about every school my kid has gone to.

That's probably confirmation bias. GreatSchools thinks my kid's school is a 10, and let me tell you -- it's not.

People generally don't view GreatSchools as credible.

How do you know it's not a 10? Maybe you haven't been in a lower school to compare? Maybe you just don't know how bad it is below 10, get our of your bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are new parents, you should be able to buy a smaller house with better schools and only move later if you have to.

I personally would not buy in the most poorly ranked school areas in Arlington simply to get a huge house. YMMV.

If she has a time machine. I don't know OP's budget, but I would bet that she is priced out of "good" school zones in Arlington and FCC, even tiny tear downs. That's why she's looking in other areas, not because she wants a McMansion, but because she can only afford a modest home in the areas with "bad" schools. It's that or move out to Ashburn, and many of us would rather be present in our kids' lives rather than spending hours commuting just so our kids can attend homogenous schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, a lot of the questions you raise are pretty personal. I doubt anyone can answer for you how important elementary is to you and how it factors in with all the other decisions about your life you have to weigh, including commute, house size, budget, etc. For me personally, we bought a spacious new build in South Arlington and our zoned school was a 4 when we bought and remains a 4 now. My oldest child is not yet 5 but she is already attending the Montessori preschool at Drew. We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it instead of stretching, we wanted to be close in, we are ambivalent about how gentrified North Arlington is, and we don't think a Great Schools ranking of 4, particularly for elementary, is a big deal. So, that's how we made our decision to live where we live.

The things to understand about South Arlington schools (I assume you know that basically any North Arl school is regarded as "good" or better) is that there is going to be a big re-zoning in 2019 or so that will change things, and you should familiarize yourself with the concept of neighborhood schools and choice. Many Arl schools offer choice programs that you can lottery into. That's why we did Montessori preschool, so that we'd have that as a choice option instead of our home school if we want it. From there, I might suggest digging around on this forum for info (long thread here, if you can parse through the side convos on "diversity" - http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/565685.page) Lots of schools have fairly well known reputations and things that make them unique. E.g., Oakridge is supposed to be a great school, but it's huge (800 or so) and I know that puts many off. Hoffman-Boston has a STEM focus that some seem to think well of. Patrick Henry is a blue ribbon school and maybe has hit the magic number of just about one-third FARMS kids, as opposed to other schools that are struggling with higher percentages. Etc.

In terms of how Arlington is changing, I can tell you anecdotally that there are a lot of young families moving in. You can probably see that yourself based on the new builds on tiny lots popping up everywhere. There are also ongoing issues with affordable housing, specifically how a lot of it is located on the west end of Columbia Pike and elsewhere in South Arl, and there are proposals for more. Housing policy affects school policy, which isn't something I thought about before I had kids and bought a house. Both of those elements push and pull in different directions and will likely change things significantly. Whether that will be before my kids or yours are out of elementary, I don't know.

"We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it"
you chose material things over your child , good for you.

You don't sound like a happy person, PP. Are you just miserable or do you at least have a financial agenda (like unloading unsold new homes elsewhere)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, a lot of the questions you raise are pretty personal. I doubt anyone can answer for you how important elementary is to you and how it factors in with all the other decisions about your life you have to weigh, including commute, house size, budget, etc. For me personally, we bought a spacious new build in South Arlington and our zoned school was a 4 when we bought and remains a 4 now. My oldest child is not yet 5 but she is already attending the Montessori preschool at Drew. We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it instead of stretching, we wanted to be close in, we are ambivalent about how gentrified North Arlington is, and we don't think a Great Schools ranking of 4, particularly for elementary, is a big deal. So, that's how we made our decision to live where we live.

The things to understand about South Arlington schools (I assume you know that basically any North Arl school is regarded as "good" or better) is that there is going to be a big re-zoning in 2019 or so that will change things, and you should familiarize yourself with the concept of neighborhood schools and choice. Many Arl schools offer choice programs that you can lottery into. That's why we did Montessori preschool, so that we'd have that as a choice option instead of our home school if we want it. From there, I might suggest digging around on this forum for info (long thread here, if you can parse through the side convos on "diversity" - http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/565685.page) Lots of schools have fairly well known reputations and things that make them unique. E.g., Oakridge is supposed to be a great school, but it's huge (800 or so) and I know that puts many off. Hoffman-Boston has a STEM focus that some seem to think well of. Patrick Henry is a blue ribbon school and maybe has hit the magic number of just about one-third FARMS kids, as opposed to other schools that are struggling with higher percentages. Etc.

In terms of how Arlington is changing, I can tell you anecdotally that there are a lot of young families moving in. You can probably see that yourself based on the new builds on tiny lots popping up everywhere. There are also ongoing issues with affordable housing, specifically how a lot of it is located on the west end of Columbia Pike and elsewhere in South Arl, and there are proposals for more. Housing policy affects school policy, which isn't something I thought about before I had kids and bought a house. Both of those elements push and pull in different directions and will likely change things significantly. Whether that will be before my kids or yours are out of elementary, I don't know.

"We wanted a nice house, we wanted to feel that we could afford it"
you chose material things over your child , good for you.

You don't sound like a happy person, PP. Are you just miserable or do you at least have a financial agenda (like unloading unsold new homes elsewhere)?

The previous poster is rationalizing her decision and clearly stated she wanted a big giant new house rather than an education for her kids... sorry nothing unhappy here.

[Anonymous]

The idea that attending a school with some economic diversity might irreparably harm your child is ridiculous. I get it, you require a more palatable way to justify your fear and racism. Massive Resistance is so gauche. PP, you are unhinged. You must be the dummy who bought the tiny old house we passed on in a "good" school zone that was in a terrible location, on a busy street near environmental hazards, for full ask. Sorry you can't unload that dump to the next sucker.

[Anonymous]

Look at Pimmit Hills (some is zoned for Lemon Rd E.S. and Marshall High), or around Idylwood, or Merrifield (it straddles Vienna, Fairfax, maybe Falls Church).

[Anonymous]

What is your budget and we will find a home for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your budget and we will find a home for you.

What is your commission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea that attending a school with some economic diversity might irreparably harm your child is ridiculous. I get it, you require a more palatable way to justify your fear and racism. Massive Resistance is so gauche. PP, you are unhinged. You must be the dummy who bought the tiny old house we passed on in a "good" school zone that was in a terrible location, on a busy street near environmental hazards, for full ask. Sorry you can't unload that dump to the next sucker.

NP. Buying a house in n Arlington is never a losing bet.

[Anonymous]

this one has an elementary thats a 7

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2730-Pioneer-Ln-22043/home/9542531

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your budget and we will find a home for you.

What is your commission?

lol. zero. i just know we have sleuths on here who will help.

[Anonymous]

There can be "rich" people moving into an area like south Arlington but if the "poor" people do not move out then the school test scores will not improve. This is such the case with affordable housing.

So don't assume the neighborhood will get better.

If you look at the Marshall pyramid what happened was rich people bought the dinky houses poor people were living in and built big homes on the land. This is why Marshall is doing well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this one has an elementary thats a 7

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Falls-Church/2730-Pioneer-Ln-22043/home/9542531

it is kind of close to the highway though. something to check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There can be "rich" people moving into an area like south Arlington but if the "poor" people do not move out then the school test scores will not improve. This is such the case with affordable housing.

So don't assume the neighborhood will get better.

If you look at the Marshall pyramid what happened was rich people bought the dinky houses poor people were living in and built big homes on the land. This is why Marshall is doing well.

This doesn't take into account that "rich" people in south Arlington are sending their kids to school along side poor children. You will find the kind of people you want your kids to grow up to be in an area like south Arlington. Your kids will get a solid education, because APS is good. They will also be raised with compassion, empathy, and patience. You'll like your neighbors, and you'll love your commute. We did this, and really couldn't be happier. It such a wonderful place to raise a family.