Barcroft Elementary School?

[Anonymous]

Hello: We are looking at a house in the Barcroft neighborhood of arlington but I am concerned about the low rating the school has received. Parent blogs seem happy with the school none the less. Does anyone have children that attend that would be willing to connect or provide additional info about their experience?

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

Excellent school, very well-regarded. I have friends in North Arlington who send their kids there out-of boundary, though that may not be possible anymore at current capacity.

Arlington schools are very good across the board, and any differences in test scores are usually more due to demographics than actual disparities in teaching quality or resources. In Barcroft's case, the district does include a strip of high-rises and lower-income housing along Columbia Pike, which have a sizable immigrant population, and for reasons of langauge alone that is going to drag down the scores compared to some of the N. Arl districts that are more culturally and economically homogenous.

[Anonymous]

very helpful - thanks!

[Anonymous]

Don't know if you're aware, but Barcroft is a year-round school. They start the first week of August and have 2 week breaks throughout the year. They don't follow the traditional Sept-June calendar. That may be the source of some negative reviews.

[Anonymous]

Only gets a 4 on GreatSchools and is full of low income students who don't speak English.

If you want a Spanish immersion program, this school may be worth a look. Otherwise you get what you pay for.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine taught there and she said it was a terrific school with a very involved principal. The year-round school thing would give me pause, though - it could be hard to find camps for some of the non-traditional off periods.

It is pretty significantly hispanic, and there is a pretty high FARMS %age, if that concerns you.

If it doesn't, look in Alcova Heights, too - nice houses that mostly feed into Barcroft. If it does, look at houses in Penrose, which is similarly located but most houses feed into Patrick Henry, which is more truly diverse. (i.e. fewer hispanic, more white/black/asian kids.)