Please tell me how you like the Key school in Arlington

[Anonymous]

We're about to start looking to buy a house in NoVA, and are trying to decide based on schools (we want very good schools, with Spanish immersion) and commutes to our jobs in Fairfax and Crystal City. I would like to know our now 2 year old DC can go to the school of our choice, so prefer to live where all kids in the district can go to the local school, rather than having to do a lottery. If I understand correctly, all Fairfax County schools are lottery, no matter where you live, so we're leaning towards Arlington.

So to get to my question - how do you like the Key school and the subsequent middle and high schools? Do the kids really learn Spanish to a fluent level? Is the school good outside of language acquisition? Any downsides to Key and the middle and high schools? How is the social scene for kids? Is there much diversity? Is everyone in the school rich? Is the high school too compeititive (ie you are a failure if you don't go to an Ivy League school)? Overall, are you unhappy, satisfied, happy, or overjoyed about your child's education there?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Don't know since my kids don't go there, but Claremont is the other school in Arlington that has Spanish immersion.

I will say that overall I don't find the "you area failure if you don't get into and Ivy" vibe here in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

You might check out this site:

http://www.apsva.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1116

Shows that Key is 49% Hispanic and 32% white last year and about 4% each Asian and African-American. I do not think everyone in the school is rich by any means. And the high school (W-L) is also pretty diverse and pulls from a wide variety of backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

Claremont parent here. The program is very well designed but the degree of fluency depends on a variety of factors: 1) previous knowledge of Spanish; 2) whether Spanish is reinforced outside of school (there are lots of activities for kids in the DC area in Spanish, like kids theater); and 3) a child's language aptitude.

To get the full benefit of the program, your child really needs to stick with it through middle school. At the end of elementary school, the proficiency levels range from advanced beginner through intermediate level (if I recall correctly), but by the end of middle school, the proficiency level increases substantially.

We're very happy with the decision to send our child to Arlington's immersion program. Suerte, OP!

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure where you heard that all Fairfax county schools are lottery. Just not true. I live in FFC you go to the school that is in your neighborhood zone. No lottery!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure where you heard that all Fairfax county schools are lottery. Just not true. I live in FFC you go to the school that is in your neighborhood zone. No lottery!

The immersion schools are by lottery

[Anonymous]

dumb question from an arlington parent. (daughter's still a couple years away from K and we'll probably send her to the neighborhood school, which is not Key.) Where do spanish immersion kids go to continue the immersion in middle school? high school?

[Anonymous]

For middle school, Guston. At the high school level, only Wakefield has an immersion program, but it really is just a very advanced Spanish course. All the high schools have advanced Spanish classes and I believe that W-L and Wakefield have "Spanish for Native-Speakers" (or immersion program graduates) students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're about to start looking to buy a house in NoVA, and are trying to decide based on schools (we want very good schools, with Spanish immersion) and commutes to our jobs in Fairfax and Crystal City. I would like to know our now 2 year old DC can go to the school of our choice, so prefer to live where all kids in the district can go to the local school, rather than having to do a lottery. If I understand correctly, all Fairfax County schools are lottery, no matter where you live, so we're leaning towards Arlington.

So to get to my question - how do you like the Key school and the subsequent middle and high schools? Do the kids really learn Spanish to a fluent level? Is the school good outside of language acquisition? Any downsides to Key and the middle and high schools? How is the social scene for kids? Is there much diversity? Is everyone in the school rich? Is the high school too compeititive (ie you are a failure if you don't go to an Ivy League school)? Overall, are you unhappy, satisfied, happy, or overjoyed about your child's education there?

Thanks.

these questions rub me the wrong way for some reason. why would you even assume such things?