S. Arlington Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

Can anyone explain to me how it all works? We are about to purchase a house within the Drew boundaries and unsure of what all of our options are. We are happy with our current daycare/pre-school, but do we need to make decisions soon about transferring into an elementary-school-specific pre-school if we decide that's ultimately the school for us? Can we go anywhere if our only boundary is Drew? If so, what would other S. Arlington moms recommend? Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to the page that lists the Arlington elementary choices by neighborhood:
http://www.apsva.us/154010811517240/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=54218

Drew is a very small neighborhood, and your elementary options will be Drew (traditional classroom or apply for Montessori - this school is split), Hoffman-Boston (regular school), Claremont (Spanish Immersion), Campbell, and Arlington Traditional.

Your options for public Montessori preschool are just Drew and Hoffman-Boston. If you want Montessori at Drew, I do recommend applying for preschool. That info is here:
http://www.apsva.us/154010811517240/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=54217

If you qualify financially for the VPI Pre-K program (this year under $82,000 household income), your options are Claremont, Drew, Hoffman-Boston, and Arlington Traditional. (The list is on the back of the VPI application.) I would recommend applying if you qualify because if you get into the Pre-K program at the school you want, you don't have to reapply to Kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention that the application period is over for this year. It's usually February 1st to April 15th.

[Anonymous]

Of your choices, all are decent except Hoffman-Boston (currently a failing school). Drew is good for Montessori, but I have no opinion about the traditional classrooms. Campbell is a good diverse school - check out its description. And Claremont is a fantastic school for Spanish Immersion.

Of course, Arlington Traditional is considered the best elementary, so there is always a big lottery for spots there. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

How difficult is it to apply into Drew for K? Or is it the equivalent of 1st? (# slots vs. # applicants)

Is prior Montessori experienced required? Or strongly preferenced?

[Anonymous]

Is Montessori in elementary school intended to be equivalent to an arts focus?

[Anonymous]

Of course, Arlington Traditional is considered the best elementary, so there is always a big lottery for spots there. Good luck!

That's an oversimplification. ATS has passionate boosters, but there are plenty of people who are neutral or less enthusiastic. The lottery for ATS is jammed, and moving to Arlington because you want to get into a countywide program is a bad idea. But Arlington parents tend to be very, very happy with their schools (maybe, from the statement above, Hoffman-Boston is an exception).

OP, are you looking to get into preschool now? Or are you planning for next year?

[Anonymous]

OP here. We are in a daycare that is also a pre-school, and we are very happy there. I was just concerned that we might HAVE to make a switch to one of the county programs if it fed into the elementary school that we wanted. From the way I read the APS website, if you are in the Drew boundaries, you might as well apply to any of the county-wide programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How difficult is it to apply into Drew for K? Or is it the equivalent of 1st? (# slots vs. # applicants)

Is prior Montessori experienced required? Or strongly preferenced?

All the admission info is here: http://www.apsva.us/aps/lib/aps/_shared/School%20Board%20Policies/25-Student/25-2.2-enroll-trans.pdf

Short answer: Yes, Montessori experience is preferred, but not required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are in a daycare that is also a pre-school, and we are very happy there. I was just concerned that we might HAVE to make a switch to one of the county programs if it fed into the elementary school that we wanted. From the way I read the APS website, if you are in the Drew boundaries, you might as well apply to any of the county-wide programs.

It is nice that Arlington has so many options, so you should check them all out and see what you would prefer. Visiting the schools helps. Ultimately, you will have the best idea of which will be a good fit for your child/ren.