Possible move to Langley pyramid
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Anonymous
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We live in the outer NoVa suburbs and are thinking of moving closer in to DC so my commute will improve (work downtown DC). We have three kids b/w 5 and 12, and our priorities are good public schools and decent commute. It looks like North Arlington and McLean are two of the best combos for being close in and having good schools. My oldest loves lacrosse and is pretty good, so he likes the idea of going to Langley in a few years (supposed to have a very strong program for a public school). It looks like you can be on the eastern border of the Langley pyramid and still be pretty accessible to DC.
So, getting to my question...What is Langley like? Specifically, what is it like to go there if you are not from a ton of money? I know from living in the area that most of Great Falls is wealthy. We are far from poor - but we would be looking at buying/renting in the more reasonable areas that feed into Langley. My kids do well in school, are good at sports, are well adjusted, etc., and I just have this concern that changing to an area/school where so many people are so wealthy could somehow have a negative impact on them. It shouldn't of course, and maybe the concern is overblown. I am looking to hear thoughtful responses from people with relevant experience. Ideally, someone who has kids who have gone to this school (and the feeder schools) and who was not from a family making a half million dollars a year. If you are inclined to trash the school or area, please provide good alternatives. I don't know that it is relevant, but I am the dad. |
Anonymous
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I went to Langley HS 20 years ago. I would only move there if you feel that you and your family would be about the middle income or higher for that area. (Actually, I would give that advice for any area.) It's probably a LOT wealthier of an area now due to the much higher cost of housing now.
I have never in my life met as many stressed out people as I did at Langley, and they were teenagers. About a third of the kids there you just had to ignore because they ignored others because they were so snobby. You are supposed to "keep up" with your clothes, etc. I could count on one hand the number of overweight people in the school. You are always competing with the best of the best, which can be tough on your grades and view of how smart/good you are at schoolwork. On the plus side, I was friends with people whose parents lived there just for the education benefits, the school is very good (but I don't have anything to compare it to). Another plus side is that it just becomes ingrained in you to succeed at school/work. That can also be a negative, though, because the standards for yourself become too high and you end up not being as happy as others outside of Langley. After Langley, I'll be honest, I had been in too much of a "bubble" of wealth and competitiveness and I didn't do as well spending time with normal people. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Personally, I wouldn't live there. We could afford it but we would be one of the "poorer" wealthy people. I think it's better to grow up in a less snobby, more normal money-wise area. |
Anonymous
| I appreciate the reply. That is the type of perspective I am looking for. Of course it is just one person's experience and opinion, and I would like to hear others. |
Anonymous
| Gee, I wonder if anything's changed in 20 years? It's a competitive, nationally-ranked public school. Its lacrosse has been to the state finals several times in the last few years (and won at least 1 state title). Teen boys seem better able to ignore the high school drama and not get caught up on parents' worth. |
Anonymous
| Thanks PP. You speaking from first hand experience? Agree more recent experience is more relevant. I graduated from a MD school in 1991 and have no idea what that school is like these days. |
Anonymous
DS graduated from Langley 2 years ago with zero drama and all good reports and relationships. DD goes to a Catholic high school. Langley is best for self motivated kids who can stay focused. I think the $$$ issues are drummed up for DCUM fun. |
Anonymous
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Just from reading your post and the responses, you might be happier in the Madison pyramid. It's a longer commute to DC than the eastern half of the Langley district, but the income levels are not as uniformly high and the lacrosse team is decent (though not as good as Langley's). McLean and Yorktown HS are also close to DC, and more economically diverse than Langley, but I don't think they are particularly strong at lacrosse. Baseball is the top spring sport for boys at McLean, and crew is very big at Yorktown.
Have you thought about moving to Maryland, and sending your oldest to a private school with a strong lacrosse team? Lacrosse is getting more popular in NoVa, but it's not as big a sport here as it in Maryland (or, for that matter, Long Island). In any event, it'll be easier if you move before your oldest starts high school. |
Anonymous
| Agree I want to move prior to HS. He is in 6th now, and for a variety of reasons, the best time would be next summer. The problem with MD is it has far fewer good public universities, so I would really like to stay in VA. Thanks, I'll look into Madison. |
Anonymous
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We live in Langley. Can't speak to the high school just yet (kids still slightly too young). But I can tell you that with a 5000 sq ft, $1.4m house, it's the smallest/cheapest of my DS' friend's homes. That may be coincidence, and on the plus side, nobody cares. But since that was a concern you mentioned, that has been our experience.
Not sure if that would matter more or less to boys vs. girls in HS/MS. Most of the kids I know are nice, articulate, well mannered--not the spoiled stereotype that people like to think of. BUt I'm sure those are out there as well. Even with the good public school, most of the kids in the neighborhood (mine included) go to private. Go figure. |
Anonymous
| PP, is your DS in private? We live in churchill/cooper/langley and not everyone lives in a 1.5 million + home here. The area around churchill elementary has a big mix. Lots of houses in the 700-950K range. I'm surprised that your home is the smallest of your DS's friends. FWIW, we're a 2 lawyer family and live in this school district in a 2400 s ft house. Under 1 million. |
Anonymous
| We live in a large neighborhood of 40+ year old homes (2500 sqftish), in the Spring Hill/Cooper/Langley pyramid. Vast majority of the tons of kids in the neighborhood go to public. My kids go Catholic. The poster who lives in the "smallest" house of DS's friends at 5000 sqft, I say the friend must all live far out and mostly in Great Falls. To OP, I'd continue to check out neighborhoods in Langley (and McLean HS) school districts. We know people who send their kids to Marshall HS for the IB program. |
Anonymous
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Thanks. 1:37 - what's the reason for private even though the public's are so good? Incrementally better academics, sports, or other (religious, where their friends go)?
Last two posters -thanks, it sounds like your neighborhood is the type I'd be looking for. On a related note, can anyone provide info on the commute to downtown from these areas? I am assuming it isn't too bad, but I'm not familiar with local traffic patterns (I come in from 95/395 now) and wonder if I am wrong about that. |
Anonymous
Depends on your commuting schedule. During rush hour, you're probably looking at about an hour to get downtown from these areas. During non-rush hour, it's about 20-30 minutes. None of these areas are close to Metro, though some will be close to the new Silver Line stations when they open. |
Anonymous
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It depends on where you're going in DC - Northwest? Downtown? Navy Yard?
GW Parkway South is a wall of traffic from 123 to Roosevelt Bridge in the morning 66 is HOV-2 but it's great if you can do 2 people (afternoon is a different story) Chain Bridge is a mess inbound and then you get the Canal Road/Georgetown bottleneck Those are the only ways I know but anything's probably better than 95/395! |
Anonymous
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Some people who live in the Langley district and commute to DC take Old Dominion to Lee Highway. Some days that is better than the GW Parkway, and some days it's worse. Summer is significantly better than other times of the year, and traffic is obviously heavier during rush hour than at other times. I'd still prefer it to heading in to DC from 95/395.
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