McKinley Elementary (Arlington)

[Anonymous]

We're looking at a house that feeds to McKinley/Swanson/Yorktown. I don't see McKinley mentioned as much on these boards, but from what I can tell the "stats" are on par with Jamestown, Nottingham, etc. Does anyone have any firsthand insight? What are class sizes like? How is the community?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We are in the McKinley boundary although in truth we attend ATS. I will say that I have many friends and neighbors at the school and they really like it. Great principal and great parents. Many people walk and there is a friendly atmosphere at the playground at pickup (I have gone with my friend on occasion to pick up the kids). You can't go wrong with the school.

[Anonymous]

We love McKinley. Great school. My son has 20 classmates; some classes are a bit smaller, most are a bit larger. My son made lots of friends quickly in his first year, and I'd be comfortable having any of his classmates and their parents over to our house. His teacher is awesome, and I haven't spoken to any parents who are unhappy with their child's teacher. We love the after school enrichment activities, opportunities to participate in special projects (Odyssey of the Mind, art and science fairs, etc), and general school spirit. Plus it's a very walkable area, which is great.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Tuckahoe district but are in a neighborhood that could easily be moved to McKinley with a potential boundary shift. Just from talking to neighbors, people seem very happy with McKinley. We have heard great things about the principal.

[Anonymous]

We are in McKinley and we like it very much. The teachers and the support staff are amazing, the classes are inclusive to the needs of all children (we have an autistic child, and his classmates don't even realize it when the special ed teacher is assisting), and while the population has picked up substantially in the six years we've been here, the class sizes are still manageable. The fifth-graders are currently in a four-trailer building, and the teachers have done an admirable job of making sure they stay included in all things going on with the main building. There are a lot of opportunities for volunteering, which is great.

I realize I could be describing just about any school in Arlington, but we believe we've been really lucky with McKinley.