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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Transfer Options/Requirements (stratford Landing/Alexandria)
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Anonymous
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Hi moms, dads, all,
I'm curious about the transfer rules for Fairfax County public schools. I'm moving to Alexandria in about two weeks and we fall inside Fairfax County. However, I'm not pleased with the school our new home is zoned to, based on what I've found out about it. I'm thinking about transferring to another school within Fairfax county but I'm not sure what the rules are or how easy/difficult it is to do that. Stratford Landing Elementary is a few minutes away and a better school. How flexible are they with the transfer requests? Is there something I need to do ahead of time. Do I need some sort of justification and is it difficult to get it approved? Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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I don't think that you have any options. You go to the school that your neighborhood is zoned to. Probably should have looked at the school before you decided to move there.
The good news is that it is Fairfax County, and even the bad schools are better than most schools elsewhere. |
Anonymous
Not that I would wish anything bad on anyone else, but honestly I would fee really naive and duped if you were able to just transfer to whatever school you preferred to wihtin FFX. We moved to another neighborhood and paid a lot more for a house than I think it reasonable mainly to be in the school district that we preferred within FFX. The commutes and location were obviously a huge factor, but we bought up so that we could be in the exact neighborhood for the schools that we liked. I don't know the rules exactly, but I don't believe you have a choice either. You go to the school you are zoned for. |
Anonymous
1. Stratford Landing is closed to transfers, per the County's "Dashboard": http://www.fcps.edu/fts/dashboard/10-11dashboard.html 2. The rules for Pupil Placement do not include "I'm not pleased with the school our new home is zoned to". The Rules are in Regulation 2230.11: http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/8DAKQA51B3E8/$file/R2230.pdf 3. The student transfer season is closed except for families new to FCPS and/or new FCPS employee assignment. http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/StudentRegistration/student-transfer/index.htm |
Anonymous
| Can I ask where you are zone for? I live in the area and will have children entering school next year. |
Anonymous
| You have no experience with the school but you've already decided you don't like it? Any idea what I say to my kids when they tell me they don't like a food they've never tried? |
Anonymous
A. Shut the hell up and eat your broccoli. B. Don't knock it till you've tried it. C. You know the number for Domino's, don't you? |
Anonymous
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I would say that your options are very limited. There are some schools, that had opt-out options due to not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress as set forth by the NCLB legislation. 4 years ago, when my oldest started school, we exercised this option for ds. He is allowed to remain at his current school through Elementary School. That being said, this option is no longer available starting this fall for our neighborhood school, as they met AYP for the last two years, and are no longer under sanction. Our oldest ds will remain at his current school, but we had already made the choice to send our middle ds to our neighborhood school due to much smaller class size and his special needs. This decision was also made easier this time as though we felt very alone when our oldest ds started (not many neighbors his age) this is no longer the case (lots of children the ages of my younger two). Try to consider the possible social ramifications for a child attending a non-neighborhood school.
So, if your neighborhood school is under sanction for not meeting AYP for 2 years in a row, that is one option. If it is, you are given a choice of two nearby schools that are not under sanction. You may or may not get your first choice. I think your only other option would be if you had after school care in the neighborhood of your new school. Either a home care provider, or a daycare center that does pickup at the school of your choice and not at your neighborhood school. They are very strict about pupil placement, and you have to reapply each school year, unlike the NCLB option. I will say, our family made a decision as best we could based on a combination of factors, and chose not to send our first to a "poor performing" school, we have come to learn that sometimes the schools with a more homogeneous population tend to teach to the middle, and do not always differentiate as much as schools with more disparity. |
Anonymous
| I am also interested in knowing which school is your neighborhood school, OP. Those of us living in the area may be able to debunk rumors that you've heard. |
Anonymous
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Zoning is a factor, unless....your child is tested (starts in 2nd grade) and found eligible for AAP level --gifted talented program, or have disabilities. Stratford Landing would be the closest to you as is one in the area that offers special programs.
We were at Waynewood for 2 years got to the AAP, and the siblings are ellegible for Stratford because of that too 
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Anonymous
Only if there is room at Stratford, which there is not (currently). |