How is Langston Hughes middle school in Reston?

[Anonymous]

Is it fairly easy to make friends or do the groups carry over from elementary? What are the parents like for typical, average students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it fairly easy to make friends or do the groups carry over from elementary? What are the parents like for typical, average students?

Not a Hughes parent, but you will find that in any middle school it all depends. My DD found a niche group and really only one friend from elementary was in the group.
DS expanded his group quite a big while keeping elementary friends.

I think the interests kind of drive it at this age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:7th grade parent my daughter is happy at Hughes, we're pleasantly surprised. She's in some advanced classes but also PE, home ec, art are fine. Not sure what problems people have we don't hear much from her and assume that's a positive, lol.

I hate when people say this. Those classes really aren’t where you are going to see the problem kids rear their ugly heads. They aren’t taking art.

Wow you sound really racist and classist. All kids at Hughes are mixed for all electives. Yes, even "problem kids" can be artistic. You sound horrible.

Kids are going to behave better in the classes that they like and are interested in. So the kid who is acting up in the core classes can be perfectly well behaved in the art class.

We know that there is a strong correlation between SES and parents educational achievement and success in school, mainly because kids who come from lower SES families are more likely to have parents who do not have degrees, including a high school degree, and have not introduced their kids to reading and math as toddlers, reading to them and playing games that use numbers, and that they cannot help their kids in ES and MS. This is why lower SES schools have more kids who are behind in class, struggle in classes, and are more likely to have behavioral problems at school. That is not classist, that is basic stats and years of research and publications studying these issues.

+1 Exactly!

[Anonymous]

I think Hughes is fine for sporty or artsy kids, the key is parent involvement to get them onto teams or activities outside of school since middle school activities are weak. That's the case at all FCPS middle schools. If they meet people in sports or activities who also go to the school, it helps a lot. Also make sure your kid meets and has a relationship with their counselor. FCPS middle schools are huge and impersonal (esp if your kid ends up not in classes with friends from ES, like mine did) but counselors will help those kids who ask, good ally to have.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Had daughter and son go through Hughes, didn’t have any issues, both took AA classes and both did band. All of their teachers were incredible, especially the band director, she is amazing. As well as orchestra and choir, I have good nothing but great things. The AA/Honors classes seem to have kids who actually want to learn and not cause trouble.

That is the key. If your kid is in AAP classes, they will be ok. But if your kid is in regular, it’ll be a sh@t show.

+1

Can any kid sign up for AP classes or do they need to be in AAP from elementary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had daughter and son go through Hughes, didn’t have any issues, both took AA classes and both did band. All of their teachers were incredible, especially the band director, she is amazing. As well as orchestra and choir, I have good nothing but great things. The AA/Honors classes seem to have kids who actually want to learn and not cause trouble.

That is the key. If your kid is in AAP classes, they will be ok. But if your kid is in regular, it’ll be a sh@t show.

+1

Can any kid sign up for AP classes or do they need to be in AAP from elementary?

Yes. Any student can take AP. In the past, I think it had to be approved, but for some years I think anyone can sign up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had daughter and son go through Hughes, didn’t have any issues, both took AA classes and both did band. All of their teachers were incredible, especially the band director, she is amazing. As well as orchestra and choir, I have good nothing but great things. The AA/Honors classes seem to have kids who actually want to learn and not cause trouble.

That is the key. If your kid is in AAP classes, they will be ok. But if your kid is in regular, it’ll be a sh@t show.

+1

Can any kid sign up for AP classes or do they need to be in AAP from elementary?

Hughes is a MS that has AAP classes for kids who were committee selected for the AAP program.

AP is open to anyone at the HS that have AP classes.

[Anonymous]

Hughes has a long serving after school specialist that the kids seem to love. If your kids are planning on staying after, that's another positive aspect of the school.

[Anonymous]

Your kids should be fine in Hughes MS and South Lake HS.

That being said, the schools have middling rankings in Fairfax County public schools, mainly because the attendance zone includes some diverse income neighborhood, like those in apartments. It's the Reson's urban design philosophy that it is built for diverse population.

So compare to neighboring schools fed by more concentrated single family homes (and higher household income), it's not top tier. But the school can absolutely meet your child's needs since they'll find challenging curriculums as it is planned and funded county-wide.

And they are not the worst (or ghetto) schools in the county either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had daughter and son go through Hughes, didn’t have any issues, both took AA classes and both did band. All of their teachers were incredible, especially the band director, she is amazing. As well as orchestra and choir, I have good nothing but great things. The AA/Honors classes seem to have kids who actually want to learn and not cause trouble.

That is the key. If your kid is in AAP classes, they will be ok. But if your kid is in regular, it’ll be a sh@t show.

+1

Can any kid sign up for AP classes or do they need to be in AAP from elementary?

Hughes is a MS that has AAP classes for kids who were committee selected for the AAP program.

AP is open to anyone at the HS that have AP classes.

Hughes is a MS, advanced courses in MS is called Honor class.

Advanced Placement (AP) is not available in South Lake HS, where most Hughes student go. SLHS is an IB program school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had daughter and son go through Hughes, didn’t have any issues, both took AA classes and both did band. All of their teachers were incredible, especially the band director, she is amazing. As well as orchestra and choir, I have good nothing but great things. The AA/Honors classes seem to have kids who actually want to learn and not cause trouble.

That is the key. If your kid is in AAP classes, they will be ok. But if your kid is in regular, it’ll be a sh@t show.

+1

Can any kid sign up for AP classes or do they need to be in AAP from elementary?

Hughes is a MS that has AAP classes for kids who were committee selected for the AAP program.

AP is open to anyone at the HS that have AP classes.

Hughes is a MS, advanced courses in MS is called Honor class.

Advanced Placement (AP) is not available in South Lake HS, where most Hughes student go. SLHS is an IB program school.

Hughes is an AAP Center that has AAP classes, which are similar to honors but only kids placed in AAP can take.

And yes, SLHS has IB classes. I am guessing that the original question confused AAP, a grade 3-8 program, with APA, the HS program.

[Anonymous]

To the OP, I"d try to move into the area in/near Reston that may go to the new western HS. You can then avoid SLHS and IB, plus if you're savvy go to Carson or Robinson for MS? I'm not clear on the MSs and how best to be in Reston (if that's where you need to move for work) but avoid Hughes. My neighbor taught there until last year and said she definitely would not want her own kids to go there, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the OP, I"d try to move into the area in/near Reston that may go to the new western HS. You can then avoid SLHS and IB, plus if you're savvy go to Carson or Robinson for MS? I'm not clear on the MSs and how best to be in Reston (if that's where you need to move for work) but avoid Hughes. My neighbor taught there until last year and said she definitely would not want her own kids to go there, FWIW.

Robinson?? What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

My son went to Hughes prior to the new principal. The mix of cultures can lead to in-fighting within the same culture. He is at South Lakes now and the same drama with the same grouping of kids exist. You just add in the more well off Carson kids, who come with their own set of problems, and mix that with a new principal who isn't good, you have more issues with double the amount of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son went to Hughes prior to the new principal. The mix of cultures can lead to in-fighting within the same culture. He is at South Lakes now and the same drama with the same grouping of kids exist. You just add in the more well off Carson kids, who come with their own set of problems, and mix that with a new principal who isn't good, you have more issues with double the amount of students.

Besides spelling errors that someone above mentioned, how is principal not good? What is happening or not happening to say that?