Where to buy home to be "guaranteed" best school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langley school district is rated tops in the country (higher than any other public district in VA, MD or DC I beleive). If you want a guarantee on public school, move to 22101 and the Langley district. It's about as close as you can get to a guarantee based on current rankings! Of course, there is never a full guarantee but all the real estate agents push the Langley district because they know its a selling point.

While I am sure there are great teachers at Langley, I think this has more to do with the demographics of the students. The majority of the students at Langley come from very wealthy backgrounds with well educated parents who can afford tutors, private lessons, etc. This doesn't mean that Langley students aren't smart and the teachers aren't good, but they are already at an advantage because of their wealth. If the OP fits this mold and likes this type of environment, I agree that their children will probably do quite well there. I also think N. Arlington offers pretty much the same thing with a slightly more diverse student body (at least in HS). Of course this all depends on the actual student - some students are more academically oriented than others and will thrive wherever they are, other may need more of a push to do well.

[Anonymous]

And yet I bet there are tons of families in the Langley district who think the school isn't up to par and opt to send their kids to private school instead. There is no "best" school --- no one size fits all --- because every child is different, every parent is different (different values/goals), every situation is different.

[Anonymous]

Davidsonville, Maryland...McLean or Great Falls, Va...NW DC west of the park, until you get to high school, and then you move...Arnold, MD (north of Annapolis between Severn & magothy Rivers) Montgomery County Seven Locks in-boundary. The crappiest houses start at 800K, so "money not being an issue" isn't really a realistic way to approach it. You might get a partial scholarship to a DC private school if your income is under $110,000/couple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:c) Arlington, depending on your priorities N. (higher test scores, less diversity) or S. (many ESL students, more diversity, still great schools but test scores are lower b/c of this)

Ditto this. The schools are very good, you also have options of team schools/immersion/county-wide/special programs if you are not in love with your neighborhood assignment. Plus it totally meets your location/commute requirement.