what is the difference between Madison HS, Oakton, and Reston high schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just ran the rough numbers:

Delta of kids transferring out of IB schools: -1025
Now I didn't do a deep dive and some may be transferring from IB to IB, but the number is pretty telling.

I also realize there are other reasons. However, the delta speaks for itself.

The only schools with a positive delta are Edison-at 57 and South Lakes at 42.

Of course, there are other reasons kids transfer, but this sure gives an excuse to leave a lower performing school. And, ironically, those schools might be just fine if the kids stayed.

Losing over 1000 kids from IB schools is kind of telling.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just ran the rough numbers:

Delta of kids transferring out of IB schools: -1025
Now I didn't do a deep dive and some may be transferring from IB to IB, but the number is pretty telling.

I also realize there are other reasons. However, the delta speaks for itself.

The only schools with a positive delta are Edison-at 57 and South Lakes at 42.

Of course, there are other reasons kids transfer, but this sure gives an excuse to leave a lower performing school. And, ironically, those schools might be just fine if the kids stayed.

Losing over 1000 kids from IB schools is kind of telling.

+1.

Do those transfer numbers include students attending TJ that FCPS treats as transfers out of base schools?

If so, the 1025 number may not give an accurate picture.

Overall, IB pyramids send far fewer kids to TJ than the top AP pyramids, but the Marshall pyramid sends more kids to TJ than the Madison pyramid, so there are exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just ran the rough numbers:

Delta of kids transferring out of IB schools: -1025
Now I didn't do a deep dive and some may be transferring from IB to IB, but the number is pretty telling.

I also realize there are other reasons. However, the delta speaks for itself.

The only schools with a positive delta are Edison-at 57 and South Lakes at 42.

Of course, there are other reasons kids transfer, but this sure gives an excuse to leave a lower performing school. And, ironically, those schools might be just fine if the kids stayed.

Losing over 1000 kids from IB schools is kind of telling.

+1.

Do those transfer numbers include students attending TJ that FCPS treats as transfers out of base schools?

If so, the 1025 number may not give an accurate picture.

Overall, IB pyramids send far fewer kids to TJ than the top AP pyramids, but the Marshall pyramid sends more kids to TJ than the Madison pyramid, so there are exceptions.

No, I just did a quick review of the delta at each of those IB schools. It wouldn't take long to check the TJ stats, though, and I suspect there are not near as many from those schools, so the delta would likely be worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The school board keeps IB at the schools that it does, mainly schools with high FARMs rates, thinking that it will entice MC and UMC kids to attend those schools to get this specialty diploma.

What they actually think is not that IB will draw good students, but that IB will provide an advanced academic option for the minority students.

The only school that sees a large influx of kids for IB is SLHS from Herndon HS and that is because parents see SLHS as a better alternative then Herndon HS, not because they love IB.

Herndon offers AP. The AP is not enough to keep kids at Herndon, which should tell you it isn't as great as you think it is.

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I had a kid at Hughes who went to SL. Hughes was not "focused" at all on MYP. I was barely aware of its existence. The basic attitude at Highes was "oh yeah you can do that at SL in 9th and 10th grade if you want, but it won't affect any classes you take here." And for that matter not much happened at SL in 9th grade that I can remember... all the MYP stuff happened in 10th grade.

If you are in the SL pyramid you are not "told that IB is superior". You are not, so to speak, given a choice between AP and IB where you are told the pros and cons of each. You're just told that the stronger students do IB and that's how they get into more competitive colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just ran the rough numbers:

Delta of kids transferring out of IB schools: -1025
Now I didn't do a deep dive and some may be transferring from IB to IB, but the number is pretty telling.

I also realize there are other reasons. However, the delta speaks for itself.

The only schools with a positive delta are Edison-at 57 and South Lakes at 42.

Of course, there are other reasons kids transfer, but this sure gives an excuse to leave a lower performing school. And, ironically, those schools might be just fine if the kids stayed.

Losing over 1000 kids from IB schools is kind of telling.

+1.

Do those transfer numbers include students attending TJ that FCPS treats as transfers out of base schools?

If so, the 1025 number may not give an accurate picture.

Overall, IB pyramids send far fewer kids to TJ than the top AP pyramids

But... you don't do any IB work before high school.

The fact that middle schools in IB pyramids don't send many kids to TJ says nothing about the strength of IB, because you take no IB classes until you are in high school.

(Yes, yes, I know the IB MYP exists, but it does not involve class work, and most kids don't do the personal project or service hours until high school.)

[Anonymous]

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

Yup, I confuse Madison and Marshall. Marshall transfers out 195 kids and transfers in 64. Marshall sends 84 kids to TJ. So, 111 kids transfer out of Marshall to schools that are not TJ.
Annandale has 56 kids at TJ. It transfers out 294 kids with 50 transferring in. I don't think that is because parents are moving to the area to attend TJ.

The point is that the number of kids transferring out of the IB schools is far higher than the number of kids transferring in for IB, South Lakes seems to be the exception to that rule. I suspect that the 164 kids transferring from Herndon to SLHS are AAP kids with friends at SLHS whose parents would prefer them at a different school then Herndon.

I understand that some folks really like the IB program but I think they are in the minority. The people who are taking IB ala carte would take the same type of AP classes. They probably don't care if it is IB or AP.

[Anonymous]

The transfers to south lakes are probably for sports…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just ran the rough numbers:

Delta of kids transferring out of IB schools: -1025
Now I didn't do a deep dive and some may be transferring from IB to IB, but the number is pretty telling.

I also realize there are other reasons. However, the delta speaks for itself.

The only schools with a positive delta are Edison-at 57 and South Lakes at 42.

Of course, there are other reasons kids transfer, but this sure gives an excuse to leave a lower performing school. And, ironically, those schools might be just fine if the kids stayed.

Losing over 1000 kids from IB schools is kind of telling.

+1.

Do those transfer numbers include students attending TJ that FCPS treats as transfers out of base schools?

If so, the 1025 number may not give an accurate picture.

Overall, IB pyramids send far fewer kids to TJ than the top AP pyramids

But... you don't do any IB work before high school.

The fact that middle schools in IB pyramids don't send many kids to TJ says nothing about the strength of IB, because you take no IB classes until you are in high school.

(Yes, yes, I know the IB MYP exists, but it does not involve class work, and most kids don't do the personal project or service hours until high school.)

The MS that feed into the IB schools are some of the weakest in the County, which is why the IB HS don't send many kids to TJ. I would guess that a good number of the SLHS kids going to TJ are coming out of Floris and Fox Mill and attended Carson for MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

Yup, I confuse Madison and Marshall. Marshall transfers out 195 kids and transfers in 64. Marshall sends 84 kids to TJ. So, 111 kids transfer out of Marshall to schools that are not TJ.
Annandale has 56 kids at TJ. It transfers out 294 kids with 50 transferring in. I don't think that is because parents are moving to the area to attend TJ.

The point is that the number of kids transferring out of the IB schools is far higher than the number of kids transferring in for IB, South Lakes seems to be the exception to that rule. I suspect that the 164 kids transferring from Herndon to SLHS are AAP kids with friends at SLHS whose parents would prefer them at a different school then Herndon.

I understand that some folks really like the IB program but I think they are in the minority. The people who are taking IB ala carte would take the same type of AP classes. They probably don't care if it is IB or AP.

If the TJ students reside in the Annandale district, then the 294 "transfers out" this past year include the 56 kids living within the Annandale boundaries at TJ. Of the remaining 238, 144 can be accounted for by transfers of 10 or more kids to these schools:

Lake Braddock: 87
Woodson: 23
Edison: 14
Bryant Alternative: 10
Falls Church: 10

That leaves 94 unaccounted for, although Annandale had fewer than 10 transfers to Fairfax, Justice, Langley, Lewis, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Robinson, West Potomac, and West Springfield. I suspect some of the transfers were also to other alternative programs for which FCPS doesn't provide more details.

[Anonymous]

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes.

There is no evidence for this. Transferring from an IB school to an AP school does not tell you that they took AP classes, so you cannot say they made the move "in favor of AP classes".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

Yup, I confuse Madison and Marshall. Marshall transfers out 195 kids and transfers in 64. Marshall sends 84 kids to TJ. So, 111 kids transfer out of Marshall to schools that are not TJ.
Annandale has 56 kids at TJ. It transfers out 294 kids with 50 transferring in. I don't think that is because parents are moving to the area to attend TJ.

The point is that the number of kids transferring out of the IB schools is far higher than the number of kids transferring in for IB, South Lakes seems to be the exception to that rule. I suspect that the 164 kids transferring from Herndon to SLHS are AAP kids with friends at SLHS whose parents would prefer them at a different school then Herndon.

I understand that some folks really like the IB program but I think they are in the minority. The people who are taking IB ala carte would take the same type of AP classes. They probably don't care if it is IB or AP.

If the TJ students reside in the Annandale district, then the 294 "transfers out" this past year include the 56 kids living within the Annandale boundaries at TJ. Of the remaining 238, 144 can be accounted for by transfers of 10 or more kids to these schools:

Lake Braddock: 87
Woodson: 23
Edison: 14
Bryant Alternative: 10
Falls Church: 10

That leaves 94 unaccounted for, although Annandale had fewer than 10 transfers to Fairfax, Justice, Langley, Lewis, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Robinson, West Potomac, and West Springfield. I suspect some of the transfers were also to other alternative programs for which FCPS doesn't provide more details.

This talk about transfers is pointless and misleading because you don't know whether these were IB kids at the origin school or that they took any AP classes when they got to the destination school.

It could easily be that the IB kids are staying at the IB schools. You just don't have the information to conclude that these transfers "say anything" about IB vs AP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

Yup, I confuse Madison and Marshall. Marshall transfers out 195 kids and transfers in 64. Marshall sends 84 kids to TJ. So, 111 kids transfer out of Marshall to schools that are not TJ.
Annandale has 56 kids at TJ. It transfers out 294 kids with 50 transferring in. I don't think that is because parents are moving to the area to attend TJ.

The point is that the number of kids transferring out of the IB schools is far higher than the number of kids transferring in for IB, South Lakes seems to be the exception to that rule. I suspect that the 164 kids transferring from Herndon to SLHS are AAP kids with friends at SLHS whose parents would prefer them at a different school then Herndon.

I understand that some folks really like the IB program but I think they are in the minority. The people who are taking IB ala carte would take the same type of AP classes. They probably don't care if it is IB or AP.

If the TJ students reside in the Annandale district, then the 294 "transfers out" this past year include the 56 kids living within the Annandale boundaries at TJ. Of the remaining 238, 144 can be accounted for by transfers of 10 or more kids to these schools:

Lake Braddock: 87
Woodson: 23
Edison: 14
Bryant Alternative: 10
Falls Church: 10

That leaves 94 unaccounted for, although Annandale had fewer than 10 transfers to Fairfax, Justice, Langley, Lewis, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Robinson, West Potomac, and West Springfield. I suspect some of the transfers were also to other alternative programs for which FCPS doesn't provide more details.

This talk about transfers is pointless and misleading because you don't know whether these were IB kids at the origin school or that they took any AP classes when they got to the destination school.

It could easily be that the IB kids are staying at the IB schools. You just don't have the information to conclude that these transfers "say anything" about IB vs AP.

I think we all know that if Lewis were AP it would not have so many pupil placements and such an anemic enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No. You have to look at the other schools. There are a lot more kids Pupil placing out of IB schools than AP Schools. [This is totally meaningless unless you know that the kids were in the IB program. In reality, very few of them at all were likely in IB.]

Here is another reason Herndon kids may be pupil placing into South Lakes:

The AAP kids go to Hughes from Herndon Middle School. Hughes shares a campus with South Lakes. The kids are accustomed to going there.
It has the Middle Years IB Program and I am confident that the focus is to get the kids into IB in high school.

Until FCPS eliminates the IB program, this is likely to consider. The students are being told, I am sure, that IB is superior.

I doubt that kids at Hughes are being hard sold on IB, otherwise you would have more then 50 kids completing the IB diploma each year. The AAP kids at Hughes have friends there and are probably chosing to stay with their friends, not that they want to complete the IB program.

Kids are transferring out of IB school before they can take IB classes in favor of AP classes. They are required to take AP classes at the HS that they are pupil placed in. If they don't take AP classes, they have to return to your base school. Do you think that a student taking an AP class as a freshman is not likely to take IB classes as a Junior, when most IB classes become available to students? So yes, those kids who transferred to AP schools and are taking AP classes would have been taking IB classes.

We hope to be pupil placing our son out of an IB school into an AP school. He will have had 2 years of a foreign language at MS, just in case he says he wants to stay at the IB school, so he can take the IB Diploma. If he chooses to stay at the IB program, he will work the IB diploma because it is the most rigorous path at an IB school. If he goes to the AP school, I figure he will take some where in the neighborhood of 10 APs, maybe more.

And yes, there are kids from IB schools that end up at TJ but that is a relatively small number of kids.

SLHS sends 33 kids to TJ
Robinson sends 50
Justice sends 26
Mount Vernon sends 24
Lewis sends 39
Madison sends 66

Someone has a real problem keeping Madison and Marshall straight on these threads.

The statistics for how many kids Annandale "sends' to TJ are distorted because TJ is located within the Annandale district and some families move into that area after their kids get into TJ for convenience.

Yup, I confuse Madison and Marshall. Marshall transfers out 195 kids and transfers in 64. Marshall sends 84 kids to TJ. So, 111 kids transfer out of Marshall to schools that are not TJ.
Annandale has 56 kids at TJ. It transfers out 294 kids with 50 transferring in. I don't think that is because parents are moving to the area to attend TJ.

The point is that the number of kids transferring out of the IB schools is far higher than the number of kids transferring in for IB, South Lakes seems to be the exception to that rule. I suspect that the 164 kids transferring from Herndon to SLHS are AAP kids with friends at SLHS whose parents would prefer them at a different school then Herndon.

I understand that some folks really like the IB program but I think they are in the minority. The people who are taking IB ala carte would take the same type of AP classes. They probably don't care if it is IB or AP.

If the TJ students reside in the Annandale district, then the 294 "transfers out" this past year include the 56 kids living within the Annandale boundaries at TJ. Of the remaining 238, 144 can be accounted for by transfers of 10 or more kids to these schools:

Lake Braddock: 87
Woodson: 23
Edison: 14
Bryant Alternative: 10
Falls Church: 10

That leaves 94 unaccounted for, although Annandale had fewer than 10 transfers to Fairfax, Justice, Langley, Lewis, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Robinson, West Potomac, and West Springfield. I suspect some of the transfers were also to other alternative programs for which FCPS doesn't provide more details.

This talk about transfers is pointless and misleading because you don't know whether these were IB kids at the origin school or that they took any AP classes when they got to the destination school.

It could easily be that the IB kids are staying at the IB schools. You just don't have the information to conclude that these transfers "say anything" about IB vs AP.

Pupil placement requires that you take the classes that you used as your reason for leaving your base school. If you leave IB to pupil place at an AP school, you have to take an AP class each year. If you don’t you, you return to your IB base school. If you pupil place for a language, you have to take said language. If you don’t you are returned to your base school. If you transfer for AP and a language, you have to take AP classes and the language, otherwise you return to your base.

So, students who leave an IB school to pupil place at an AP school have to take AP classes. That is how it works.