Moving soon - looking for advice on AAP center schools

[Anonymous]

Just find the place that you can afford, has a decent commute and works for your family in terms of size & amenities.

Where the AAP center is located is waaaaaay down the list of priorities here.

[Anonymous]

McNair can be a really great school - lots of great teachers and involved parents and very diverse.

Oak Hill is far less diverse but a very good school - mostly white and Indian families who move to the zone for the AAP program.

Both schools have neighboring schools that are GREAT, zoned for Carson, and bus to the AAP schools or do pull out (level III?) in school. Floris, Fox Mill, Crossfield are all great. Lees Corners goes to Franklin but that’s also a good MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just find the place that you can afford, has a decent commute and works for your family in terms of size & amenities.

Where the AAP center is located is waaaaaay down the list of priorities here.

+1

You'll find that in most schools in this area, the kids are coming from parents that have college and advanced degrees. First priority is finding what you can afford and what you like to live in (i..e both inside quality of home and outside the home amenities), then commute (pick a location that is reasonable for where you are going -- I haven't heard you mention anything about where the job(s) are located), and then pick a good school. Sounds like your child will qualify for AAP. If you get a rental contract now and then submit the previous test scores to FCPS right away this summer, they can give you an answer on AAP and your child can start in the right school from the first day of class (thus avoiding a mid year change or change after one year).

You are really over thinking this. I know it's hard to believe, but kids who don't do AAP are fully prepared to rock-it in high school and get scholarships (even full ride) for college. Seriously, AAP is nice, but it is not the end all be all.

[Anonymous]

where are you commuting to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP

06:12 - My understanding is that if DC does not qualify for AAP, they would be in the Gen Ed class at the center. Is this incorrect? Can we not register at the AAP center as a base school?

06:28 - yes.

07:49- The class size was 18. The selected kids had to get 98% in 1 nationally normed IQ test + 98% in 1 national Achievement test to directly qualify. Or get 95% or above each in 2 IQ tests+ 1 Achievement test.

08:13 - I don’t 100% know DC would get selected for AAP but I think there is a good chance. I thought a center will have more similarly minded peers. I also don’t want to change schools if selected for AAP. There are so many ES choices it is confusing what to do

Your child could be in Gen Ed at the center, but usually there are even fewer academic opportunities than there would be for a bright Gen Ed kid at a Local Level IV school. One example: Many base schools offer Gen Ed advanced math starting in 3rd. My child's AAP center school doesn't offer advanced math to gen ed students until 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just find the place that you can afford, has a decent commute and works for your family in terms of size & amenities.

Where the AAP center is located is waaaaaay down the list of priorities here.

Agree 100%. Also be prepared for much bigger class sizes. 25-30 is the norm for 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

OP
Thank you to everyone to posted. Yes, I am overthinking and struggling to make a decision. I don’t know if DC will qualify for AAP, so that is adding to my confusion about what to do.

My priorities have been in this order..
1) ES school with good results, also zoned to one of the top 3 MS. (DC has a strong interest in STEM)
2) affordability (<$2000 rent)
3) Total commute < 1 hr
4) Amenities

DC’s 4th grade class if we continue staying here would have been 27-29 kids and in a trailer.

Apart from Floris, Fox Mill, Crossfield mentioned above, would appreciate if posters can help with names of other good Level IV schools that are zoned to Carson or Rocky Run or Longfellow.

[Anonymous]

Commute to where?

[Anonymous]

Rocky Run will have far fewer AAP students next year as they are getting transferred to Lanier.

[Anonymous]

Housing budget of less than $2000 is very low. Just pick an apartment that you can afford.

[Anonymous]

You might be able to get two bedrooms with $2000

[Anonymous]

Where is the commute to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Housing budget of less than $2000 is very low. Just pick an apartment that you can afford.

It's especially low for Carson or Longfellow districts. Perhaps Rocky Run would be possible on a $2000 budget, but I'm not even sure about that.

[Anonymous]

Not true. There are a lot of 2 Bed apartments zoned to Carson for less than $2000. OP has only 1 kid. Maybe ok with 2 Bed.

[Anonymous]

We love Fox Mill but it does not ahve a local level IV program and your daughter is probably too old to join the Japanese Immersion program. I know a bunch of kids who have the level III math pull outs and are very happy with them but it it is not a level IV program. AAP kids at Fox Mill are bussed to Oak Hill. Fox Mill will also start major construction some time next year.

we’d be happy to add to the Fox Mill family but I don’t think it matches with what OP is looking for.