Arlington Science Focus and Haycock
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Anonymous
| How would you compare these two schools and their pyramids? Which would you pick? |
Anonymous
I'd probably go with Haycock, because the Arlington middle schools aren't as strong as Longfellow. Williamsburg, in particular, has had some major issues in recent years. McLean HS and Yorktown HS are similar. |
Anonymous
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I would definitely pick Haycock.
Haycock is very overcrowded (the entire 5th and 6th grades are in modular buildings) and overdue for a renovation, but the teachers are absolutely amazing and I couldn't be happier with the education my kids are receiving. |
Anonymous
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It depends what you want in terms of school pedagogy, neighborhood, diversity, academic achievement, etc. So the decision is multifaceted. I know more about the Arlington pyramids, and I hope others can provide details on the McLean schools.
Science Focus likely figures more prominently than Haycock in terms of recent academic accolades, but I'm sure both are not far apart in terms of academic achievement. The neighborhoods immediately surrounding Haycock, while pricey, are more affordable than those that feed into Sci-Focus. The Key/Science Focus boundary splits into three middle schools and two high schools. Based on attendance patterns, the majority of in-boundary students at Science Focus are from Lyon Village east of Fillmore St and would attend Swanson for middle school and Washington-Lee for high school. Those students from the high rise neighborhoods of Courthouse and Rosslyn would attend Williamsburg for middle school and Yorktown for high school. The SFH neighborhoods south of Clarendon Blvd feed into TJ for middle school and W-L for hs. These neighborhoods along the Orange Line are very pricey and are popular among families who want a suburban house, town house, or condo close to DC with good schools, and within walking distance of shops, restaurants and transit. There are also a few apartment buildings that have escaped gentrification which have more affordable rents. Swanson and Williamsburg are both very good middle schools in terms of overall academic achievement due to the largely upper-middle class demographic of their student bodies. Administrative problems at Williamsburg should be resolved by next year, and the controversy surrounding the principal a couple months ago was an unfortunate diversion. TJ has had a mixed reputation over the years, largely due to its demographic make-up, defined by a section of pricey North Arlington neighborhoods south of Clarendon as well as areas of apartments in South Arlington that are home to many recent immigrants and low-income students. With a very popular principal, the IB middle years program, and the recent North Arlington baby boom, test scores and the reputation of the TJ are quickly improving. Arlington middle schools also offer after-school, competitive sports. While Fairfax county middle schools do not offer sports, I believe they offer after-school recreational activities. If you look at previous posts in this forum, both Yorktown and Washington-Lee high schools are regarded as solid schools in terms of overall academic performance, and have excellent reputations within the communities they serve. Among college-bound students, SAT scores for McLean, Yorktown, and W-L ranked among the top ten for Northern Va public schools in 2010. McLean ranked 4th, Yorktown 5th, W-L 10th, followed by Robinson. In terms of ethnic and socio-econimic diversity, McLean is less diverse than Yorktown, which is less diverse than W-L. With the influx of young, wealthy families into North Arlington, and the decreasing availability of affordable apartments both Yorktown and W-L are actually becoming less diverse. If I had to pick, I would choose the Sci-Focus pyramids, because of the solid schools at all levels, the proximity to the city, walkability, and diversity. But if I was choosing based on the high school with the highest overall academic scores then I'd choose the McLean pyramid. That said, North Arlington and McLean schools are all very good, which is why young families are flocking to the area. |
Anonymous
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The last post, while very helpful, underscores one of the big advantages of the Haycock pyramid. All the kids who have Haycock as their base school are assigned to Longfellow MS and then McLean HS, whereas the Science Focus kids get split among multiple middle schools and high schools. From my perspective, that's less than ideal.
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Anonymous
It depends - for some people, that's not a big deal at all. Arlington offers a lot of excellent county-wide or semi-county wide options (like Science Focus) and the kids do indeed go on to different middle and high schools. In some ways, it's refreshing -- it enables some kids to get a "fresh start" socially etc. |
Anonymous
To each her own, I guess. I do like the idea of a school pyramid where the kids stay together. Having to repeatedly "get a fresh start" socially can be rough on kids. |
Anonymous
I picked Science Focus. but it wasn't solely the schools. I wanted to live in a 'city/urban' environment after leaving DC. Buying in boundary for Key/Science Focus means we don't even use our cars. IMO-- they are both excellent schools. I really don't think you can go wrong in North Arlingon. The kids will get an excellent education in either pyramid. Swanson is our middle school and W-L HS and I am very happy with them too. |
Anonymous
The middle schools--- Williamsburg and Swanson do their school dances together. They don't totally lose contact with each other. Many of these kids will then end up again at the same HS. My Fairfax Co. HS fed from two different middle schools and it was refreshing to get a new group of students to mingle with (and some good looking new boys to look at). I think the opposite is true....it's good for kids not to be pigeon-holed at one school. It also prepares the kids for life later on where they will have new beginnings, fresh start at college, etc. |
Anonymous
If you live in the Haycock district, you can be within walking distance of both the West Falls Church metro and the City of Falls Church, and not use your car(s) if you don't want to. Plus you get the McLean schools, which have an edge over the schools in Arlington. However, if you don't care if your kids can't attend middle and high school with their elementary school friends, one pyramid is probably just about as good as the other. |
Anonymous
Not sure how big the district is, but I know where Haycock is and the notion that houses near Haycock are "walking distance" to Falls Church City amenities is pretty far-fetched. It could be done, but it's not nearly as close to amenities as those who live close to Science Focus are. Even in elementary school in an Arlington "choice school," our son has friends from different phases of his life who he sees with regularity. The idea of staying with the same group of friends sounds almost incestuous, LOL, considering that kids' interests and friends may well change over time. |
Anonymous
I didn't want to go there-but now that somebody else did. A block from Clarendon metro and all that that area has to offer...not to mention procimity to DC is a big plus to the ASF district. |
Anonymous
If you lived next door to Haycock, you might not be within walking distance of WFC Metro and FCC, but you can live in the Haycock district and have those options. There is a difference. There's nothing "incestuous" about having a school pyramid where kids stay together for elementary, middle and high school. That's how schools are organized in most communitites, and it's one of the things that attracted us to Haycock. That's MUCH more personal than splitting up the kids again and again IMHO. I do suppose living in Arlington has its advantages, if you want to be next door to DC, are OK with W-L, and don't mind all the post-college fraternity boys and sorority girls who literally seem to have taken over Arlington. |
Anonymous
Wow. People live in Arlington and McLean for different reasons. Fraternity boys and sorority girls have hardly "taken over Arlington". There has always been a post-college crowd living near the Orange Line in Arlington. That's been going on for at least a decade. OP, I think what you can get out of this discussion is that both the Arlington Science Focus parents and the Haycock parents are fiercely loyal! 
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Anonymous
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Just couple of words from someone who had the same dillema..... I too love proximity to DC, and was hoping to settle somewhere in Arlington (ideally near Science Focus). However, the housing prices in Arlington are ridiculous, and we decided to go to Haycock are, bought and old house which we are taring down and building a new one --- all for the price of 1950 house in Arlington that would need serious renovation. Practically, you get more for the money in Haycock area, which after all is not that far from DC and the liveliness of Clarendon, Courhouse and similar neighborhoods
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