Arlington Public Schools

[Anonymous]

Living in Arlington and planning on stay, DD just starting preschool- what are you views on PSs.....How do Arlington Public Schools at all levels compare with the "best" public schools in the DC metro area-(side note- does the greater SES diversity create any issues)? Could any of the best Arlington Public Schools be said to be AT PAR with the best metro area private schools (GDS, Sidwell, Potomac etc.)? Do you think overcrowding is going to affect the overall quality of Arlington public schools in the coming years?

[Anonymous]

Wow.

I think that there are trade-offs to public, and to private. I know for us, the cost in time and isolation from driving to the privates you list would be huge. Neighborhood friendships have proven to be important for my son, and good for his academics (since he sometimes does his homework with his buddies).

I don't think overcrowding in particular will affect the quality, but I do think Arlington will face the same budget woes as everywhere else, and that will affect some of the opportunities that are available.

As for the "greater SES diversity creating any issues" -- in my experience it has been the pushy overeducated parents that are creating the issues. If you are worried about "too much diversity," there are plenty of schools in Arlington for you. If you are worried about too little, there are plenty of schools for you, as well. For example: Tuckahoe and Campbell are both beloved by their student populations and their families, and they have very little in common in terms of diversity.

[Anonymous]

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/78001/obama-said-sidwell-friends-better-dc-public-schools-well-duh

[Anonymous]

I think that public schools are great, but the fact remains that no matter what public school, they still have to do standardized testing out the wazoo. Couple that with budget cuts, larger class sizes, etc, I don't think any public school can really compete with area independents.

Also, in our Arlington 'hood, every child on the block goes to a different school anyway--the kids are great friends after school and on weekends, but they don't see each other at school. Going to an independent school doesn't change that dynamic at all.

[Anonymous]

I don't believe overcrowding will affect the quality of education at Arlington's schools. Arlington Public
Schools has always made small class sizes a priority, and Arlington was named Parenting Magazine's best city for families in 2010 due in part to the schools' small class sizes. School capacity, however, will definitely increase and the county may reopen a closed elementary school or two. Both W-L and Yorktown will likely require additions to their brand-new facilities as the overcrowding is largely confined to the single family home neighborhoods of North Arlington. W-L is projected to reach 2,500 in a few years (with Yorktown close behind), which is still not as large as W-L was a few decades ago. Overcrowding is not predicted at Wakefield, but with gentrification in South Arlington, that may change.

Arlington's schools have a great reputation that goes back many decades. W-L and New Trier HS (in suburban Chicago) had the one and two spots in Time Magazine's High School rankings back in the 60s. Both W-L and Yorktown have won the Dept of Ed's Blue Ribbon Award for academic excellence, and they both rank among the top ten public schools in Northern Virginia in terms of last year's SAT scores. Although not a perfect comparison, I've often heard that Yorktown and Montgomery county's Whitman are similar while W-L more closely resembles B-CC. Wakefield HS has also won numerous awards (from the College Board, the state dept of ed, and others), even though it serves a much poorer student population. And H-B Woodlawn or "Hippie High" is in some ways similar to GDS and DC's School Without Walls.

Some Arlington families opt for private school (StA, GDS, Sidwell etc) for one child and public for the other. And so many families find the quality of education in the local public schools competitive with the area's best independent schools. Over the years, quite a few Arlington middle school students have applied and been accepted at schools like St. Albans, GDS, and Sidwell for 9th grade entry.

In terms of diversity, North Arlington elementary and secondary schools are actually becoming much less diverse, and more uniformly upper-middle class. South Arlington is home to professionals as well as many recent immigrants who are attracted to the area's very affordable rents, and its schools closely reflect that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe overcrowding will affect the quality of education at Arlington's schools. Arlington Public
Schools has always made small class sizes a priority, and Arlington was named Parenting Magazine's best city for families in 2010 due in part to the schools' small class sizes. School capacity, however, will definitely increase and the county may reopen a closed elementary school or two. Both W-L and Yorktown will likely require additions to their brand-new facilities as the overcrowding is largely confined to the single family home neighborhoods of North Arlington. W-L is projected to reach 2,500 in a few years (with Yorktown close behind), which is still not as large as W-L was a few decades ago. Overcrowding is not predicted at Wakefield, but with gentrification in South Arlington, that may change.

Arlington's schools have a great reputation that goes back many decades. W-L and New Trier HS (in suburban Chicago) had the one and two spots in Time Magazine's High School rankings back in the 60s. Both W-L and Yorktown have won the Dept of Ed's Blue Ribbon Award for academic excellence, and they both rank among the top ten public schools in Northern Virginia in terms of last year's SAT scores. Although not a perfect comparison, I've often heard that Yorktown and Montgomery county's Whitman are similar while W-L more closely resembles B-CC. Wakefield HS has also won numerous awards (from the College Board, the state dept of ed, and others), even though it serves a much poorer student population. And H-B Woodlawn or "Hippie High" is in some ways similar to GDS and DC's School Without Walls.

Some Arlington families opt for private school (StA, GDS, Sidwell etc) for one child and public for the other. And so many families find the quality of education in the local public schools competitive with the area's best independent schools. Over the years, quite a few Arlington middle school students have applied and been accepted at schools like St. Albans, GDS, and Sidwell for 9th grade entry.

In terms of diversity, North Arlington elementary and secondary schools are actually becoming much less diverse, and more uniformly upper-middle class. South Arlington is home to professionals as well as many recent immigrants who are attracted to the area's very affordable rents, and its schools closely reflect that.

No one confuses Yorktown with Whitman, W-L with BCC, or Woodlawn with GDS. I

f there's overcrowding at Yorktown or W-L, the obvious solution is to move students to Wakefield, which has a low enrollment but is getting a new building shortly.

I'm not saying Arlington schools aren't good publics, but it sounds like a reality check is in order.

[Anonymous]

If you're looking at SATs alone, Yorktown is up there with some of the best schools in Fairfax and Falls Church. (Langley, McLean, Woodson, Madison and Mason.) Washington-Lee falls in with the midrange Fairfax schools - Oakton, Robinson, Marshall and Chantilly were all close. (I'd give W-L the advantage for being a better commute to DC.) Wakefield scores and demographics are similar to the bottom-tier Fairfax schools. My friends with kids in Arlington schools are happy. In some neighborhoods, a lot of kids end up at Bishop O'Connell catholic school, though I imagine it's tougher to get in if you're not a member of the Arlington diocese.

I don't know enough about the Montgomery County schools to compare them, but I've always heard that Fairfax and Montgomery were pretty comparable systems. And I don't know people who crossed the river to go from one to the other.

[Anonymous]

Many of the elementary Arlington schools are top-notch---equivalent or better than top-notch area private schools.

Science-Focus, Taylor, Tuckahoe, Jamestown, Key (for dual-immersion), etc., etc.,

I was a product of Fairfax Co. Public Schools and I actively sought out Arlington our are move from the District...1) for the schools and the smaller County-size, and 2) for the urban lifestyle.

While we could have prob swung private tuition...saving over $60k/per year (two kids) for the 13 years leading up to college is quite a savings. I don't feel they are sacrificing education and I like that they won't be around the 'elitist' private school vibe....particulary because they are boys. We also picked a HS which is more diverse (economically and racially)--but academically very strong. I think this is very important.

In my public HS graduating class we had several kids end up at an IVy and many, many more to public Ivies like Duke, Hopkins, etc..

Most of the kids in our neighborhood do attend the same elementary, middle, HS unlike another poster so it is a tight knit group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of the elementary Arlington schools are top-notch---equivalent or better than top-notch area private schools.

Science-Focus, Taylor, Tuckahoe, Jamestown, Key (for dual-immersion), etc., etc.,

I was a product of Fairfax Co. Public Schools and I actively sought out Arlington our are move from the District...1) for the schools and the smaller County-size, and 2) for the urban lifestyle.

While we could have prob swung private tuition...saving over $60k/per year (two kids) for the 13 years leading up to college is quite a savings. I don't feel they are sacrificing education and I like that they won't be around the 'elitist' private school vibe....particulary because they are boys. We also picked a HS which is more diverse (economically and racially)--but academically very strong. I think this is very important.

In my public HS graduating class we had several kids end up at an IVy and many, many more to public Ivies like Duke, Hopkins, etc..

Most of the kids in our neighborhood do attend the same elementary, middle, HS unlike another poster so it is a tight knit group.

The fact that you are calling Duke, Hopkins- longstanding elite private schools that are not part of the Ivy League- "public ivies" may show just how attuned you are to elite college admissions...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of the elementary Arlington schools are top-notch---equivalent or better than top-notch area private schools.

As other PP posts clearly evince, Arlington public schools may be 'solid' but they just don't compare with the absolute top tier in the metro area- private or public....

[Anonymous]

Simple answer: No. Never have been and never will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of the elementary Arlington schools are top-notch---equivalent or better than top-notch area private schools.

Science-Focus, Taylor, Tuckahoe, Jamestown, Key (for dual-immersion), etc., etc.,

I was a product of Fairfax Co. Public Schools and I actively sought out Arlington our are move from the District...1) for the schools and the smaller County-size, and 2) for the urban lifestyle.

While we could have prob swung private tuition...saving over $60k/per year (two kids) for the 13 years leading up to college is quite a savings. I don't feel they are sacrificing education and I like that they won't be around the 'elitist' private school vibe....particulary because they are boys. We also picked a HS which is more diverse (economically and racially)--but academically very strong. I think this is very important.

In my public HS graduating class we had several kids end up at an IVy and many, many more to public Ivies like Duke, Hopkins, etc..

Most of the kids in our neighborhood do attend the same elementary, middle, HS unlike another poster so it is a tight knit group.

The fact that you are calling Duke, Hopkins- longstanding elite private schools that are not part of the Ivy League- "public ivies" may show just how attuned you are to elite college admissions...

oh go blow me. Yes it is a mistake/quick typing error.

[Anonymous]

Mckinley elementary school in northwest Arlington was recently ('08 or '09) ranked #1 by the Washington Post in Northern Virginia in terms of the number of students who reached the advanced level of performance in reading and math. Arlington Traditional and Science Focus also made the Post list and were in the top 20.