questions about arlington public schools. help a new mom in nova

[Anonymous]

We live in Arlington and there is a public pre-school program. if we aren't poor, what are the chances that we'll get into them? can we even apply?
(I should mention that I don't mind paying for pre-school but i'm not a fan of wait lists and visiting schools with no room, ect).

We live within walking distance of two schools. One is Arlington Traditional and the other is not in our tier so we can't apply to get into it. Why can't we send our child to neighborhood schools? I'll try the ATS lottery b/c the school is 2 blocks away but I'm puzzled why I can't apply for the other that is in our 'hood and not on a lottery system.

ALso, our child is spanish-english bilingual and Key is close to us too. It's really convenient for our morning commute too. But given where we live the Spanish-English school is on S. Arlington thus much further away than Key. Why?

I find this all illogical and would appreciate some insight.

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Arlington and there is a public pre-school program. if we aren't poor, what are the chances that we'll get into them? can we even apply?
(I should mention that I don't mind paying for pre-school but i'm not a fan of wait lists and visiting schools with no room, ect).

We live within walking distance of two schools. One is Arlington Traditional and the other is not in our tier so we can't apply to get into it. Why can't we send our child to neighborhood schools? I'll try the ATS lottery b/c the school is 2 blocks away but I'm puzzled why I can't apply for the other that is in our 'hood and not on a lottery system.

ALso, our child is spanish-english bilingual and Key is close to us too. It's really convenient for our morning commute too. But given where we live the Spanish-English school is on S. Arlington thus much further away than Key. Why?

I find this all illogical and would appreciate some insight.

Thanks in advance.

You can apply to the preschool program even if you are not poor, but the chances of getting in are smaller -- that said, we know well-off families who did get in. It's all done by lottery.

As for how school boundaries are drawn, yes it can be frustrating but there is some logic. You probably are on the "wrong side" of a significant street or other landmark and are zoned for a different neighborhood school, even though it's farther.

As for Key vs. Claremont, Key would be more convenient for us as well, but Claremont is actually very easy to get to. The immersion programs at both schools are exceptional.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Arlington has two preschool programs. VPI is specifically for those under a certain income, 80% of the current median income, so it fluctuates slightly each year. Montessori reserves 2/3 of its spots for those under that same income, so you have a shot at the 1/3 spots available to everyone else. It's worth applying to all the Montessori programs you are eligible for, which you can see at http://www.apsva.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=3025. You need to know your neighborhood school for that list to help.

Not all schools have the Montessori preschool program. Arlington Traditional does not, and your neighborhood school might not either. Mine does not have it, but does have one VPI classroom.

The boundaries may seem illogical, but I have to echo the PP that there really is some logic behind it. If you look at the entire boundary map, it starts to make more sense. Not so much if you just focus on your own neighborhood.