Yorktown vs WL — Ranking vs word on street

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - Please don't assume your child will get accepted to IB. This year there is a long waitlist. If more kids apply than there are seats, it is simply a lottery. There is a 60 person waitlist this year. (that is for 9th grade, it looks like if you are willing to transfer later there is no waitlist for 10th or 11th)

There is also neighborhood transfer, this year it was only 20 or 30 seats for 9th grade (I think it was 20 and another 30 seats were for the other 3 grades). There is a long waitlist there too. 0 of the many, many kids I know who applied were able to get transfers from YT to W-L. My son knows of 1. APS did state there was a Wakefield preference for neighborhood transfers due to overcrowding. But I honestly have no idea who the other 19 seats were allocated.

OP, Your kid will do well at either school, or frankly any school in APS. As long are your student applies herself, you are supportive of her, and she able to advocate for herself, YT or W-L will serve her well.

Have your child apply for IB and if that doesn't work, try the neighborhood transfer. If neither work, she'll do great at YT. Much of this is beyond your control, unless you plan to move inbound for W-L so don't stress too much OP.



And for the person who implied zoned kids can just get in to IB, it is not true. All students still need to meet the requirements (I don't remember them all but I know starting a language and 7th and keeping the same one through Sr year is one, and being at least in Algebra 1 in 8th grade is another). Plus they strongly encourage 3 intensified classes Freshman year if the student is considering the IB track. So the prerequisites are the same whether zoned or a transfer.

All W-L students may not be qualified to get the full IB diploma but they can take any IB classes they want. Mix of AP and IB. That's what the PP was referencing was the broader set of choices they have. PP was suggesting policy change such that IB is a program. To that end, I'd love that they change the policy for HB and Tech too. If you go to HB, you go to HB. None of this being allowed to go back to the other schools for classes. It's the best of both worlds piece that is so annoying.

I'm the commenter whose comments you're clarifying - thank you! And I agree with you about the other option programs. These are "CHOICE" programs and that means "choices" have to be made. It's a good lesson for kids to learn, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - Please don't assume your child will get accepted to IB. This year there is a long waitlist. If more kids apply than there are seats, it is simply a lottery. There is a 60 person waitlist this year. (that is for 9th grade, it looks like if you are willing to transfer later there is no waitlist for 10th or 11th)

There is also neighborhood transfer, this year it was only 20 or 30 seats for 9th grade (I think it was 20 and another 30 seats were for the other 3 grades). There is a long waitlist there too. 0 of the many, many kids I know who applied were able to get transfers from YT to W-L. My son knows of 1. APS did state there was a Wakefield preference for neighborhood transfers due to overcrowding. But I honestly have no idea who the other 19 seats were allocated.

OP, Your kid will do well at either school, or frankly any school in APS. As long are your student applies herself, you are supportive of her, and she able to advocate for herself, YT or W-L will serve her well.

Have your child apply for IB and if that doesn't work, try the neighborhood transfer. If neither work, she'll do great at YT. Much of this is beyond your control, unless you plan to move inbound for W-L so don't stress too much OP.



And for the person who implied zoned kids can just get in to IB, it is not true. All students still need to meet the requirements (I don't remember them all but I know starting a language and 7th and keeping the same one through Sr year is one, and being at least in Algebra 1 in 8th grade is another). Plus they strongly encourage 3 intensified classes Freshman year if the student is considering the IB track. So the prerequisites are the same whether zoned or a transfer.

All W-L students may not be qualified to get the full IB diploma but they can take any IB classes they want. Mix of AP and IB. That's what the PP was referencing was the broader set of choices they have. PP was suggesting policy change such that IB is a program. To that end, I'd love that they change the policy for HB and Tech too. If you go to HB, you go to HB. None of this being allowed to go back to the other schools for classes. It's the best of both worlds piece that is so annoying.

Arlington’s “programs” are not technically schools because they don’t qualify under state law. As a by product of that distinction, students in the county’s programs, where they apply through a lottery, tend to have more flexibility, classes or sports at the home high school. If IB were to become a “program” within W-L, it would be more like Richard Montgomery HS in Montgomery County. Note that the RM IB students go through a rigorous merit based application. Few make the cut.

Sounds good to me.
IB is SUPPOSED to be rigorous. Unless all APS kids can mix their AP and IB classes as they want, IB should be a specific program just like HB, AT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - Please don't assume your child will get accepted to IB. This year there is a long waitlist. If more kids apply than there are seats, it is simply a lottery. There is a 60 person waitlist this year. (that is for 9th grade, it looks like if you are willing to transfer later there is no waitlist for 10th or 11th)

There is also neighborhood transfer, this year it was only 20 or 30 seats for 9th grade (I think it was 20 and another 30 seats were for the other 3 grades). There is a long waitlist there too. 0 of the many, many kids I know who applied were able to get transfers from YT to W-L. My son knows of 1. APS did state there was a Wakefield preference for neighborhood transfers due to overcrowding. But I honestly have no idea who the other 19 seats were allocated.

OP, Your kid will do well at either school, or frankly any school in APS. As long are your student applies herself, you are supportive of her, and she able to advocate for herself, YT or W-L will serve her well.

Have your child apply for IB and if that doesn't work, try the neighborhood transfer. If neither work, she'll do great at YT. Much of this is beyond your control, unless you plan to move inbound for W-L so don't stress too much OP.



And for the person who implied zoned kids can just get in to IB, it is not true. All students still need to meet the requirements (I don't remember them all but I know starting a language and 7th and keeping the same one through Sr year is one, and being at least in Algebra 1 in 8th grade is another). Plus they strongly encourage 3 intensified classes Freshman year if the student is considering the IB track. So the prerequisites are the same whether zoned or a transfer.

All W-L students may not be qualified to get the full IB diploma but they can take any IB classes they want. Mix of AP and IB. That's what the PP was referencing was the broader set of choices they have. PP was suggesting policy change such that IB is a program. To that end, I'd love that they change the policy for HB and Tech too. If you go to HB, you go to HB. None of this being allowed to go back to the other schools for classes. It's the best of both worlds piece that is so annoying.

Aren't all HS kids allowed to take classes at Arlington Tech? I really need to look into this whole HS business more.

No. Arlington Tech is an alternative high school program. It is separate from the traditional Career Center programs. The CTE classes that are offered at the Career Center are theoretically open to all high school students. Unfortunately, they are not easy to get into due to limited availability. The Arlington Tech program is located at the Career Center and does not have its own menu of electives; so those students tend to have priority access to the CTE classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is important to remember: transferring into IB (supposedly) requires you to take full IB. No picky-choosey like kids zoned for WL. This is a policy, IMO, APS needs to change.

NP whose Yorktown-zoned child wants to apply for IB next year. How would you change it? Either let the YT/Wakefield kids stay even if they don't do full IB, or make it so W-L kids can't dabble in IB, they either do it or not?

Why don’t they have IB at YHS?

All the weird program quirks in APS were one reason we moved to Fairfax. It always felt like there was a small group in power deciding behind the scenes how to tip the scales in favor of one school or program or another.

It’s nothing unusual. Neighboring school districts have various programs (and qualifications for entry) at the different high schools. Including FCPS.

IB is expensive. It requires specific certification and yearly "fee" to the IB program to be a certified IB school. Teachers also have to meet specific IB qualifications to teach IB classes. APS purposely chose to locate the program at WL.

All the program quirks you refer to probably were all the various elementary school focus programs. Those were ridiculous and with few exceptions, substantively meaningless distinctions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - Please don't assume your child will get accepted to IB. This year there is a long waitlist. If more kids apply than there are seats, it is simply a lottery. There is a 60 person waitlist this year. (that is for 9th grade, it looks like if you are willing to transfer later there is no waitlist for 10th or 11th)

There is also neighborhood transfer, this year it was only 20 or 30 seats for 9th grade (I think it was 20 and another 30 seats were for the other 3 grades). There is a long waitlist there too. 0 of the many, many kids I know who applied were able to get transfers from YT to W-L. My son knows of 1. APS did state there was a Wakefield preference for neighborhood transfers due to overcrowding. But I honestly have no idea who the other 19 seats were allocated.

OP, Your kid will do well at either school, or frankly any school in APS. As long are your student applies herself, you are supportive of her, and she able to advocate for herself, YT or W-L will serve her well.

Have your child apply for IB and if that doesn't work, try the neighborhood transfer. If neither work, she'll do great at YT. Much of this is beyond your control, unless you plan to move inbound for W-L so don't stress too much OP.



And for the person who implied zoned kids can just get in to IB, it is not true. All students still need to meet the requirements (I don't remember them all but I know starting a language and 7th and keeping the same one through Sr year is one, and being at least in Algebra 1 in 8th grade is another). Plus they strongly encourage 3 intensified classes Freshman year if the student is considering the IB track. So the prerequisites are the same whether zoned or a transfer.

All W-L students may not be qualified to get the full IB diploma but they can take any IB classes they want. Mix of AP and IB. That's what the PP was referencing was the broader set of choices they have. PP was suggesting policy change such that IB is a program. To that end, I'd love that they change the policy for HB and Tech too. If you go to HB, you go to HB. None of this being allowed to go back to the other schools for classes. It's the best of both worlds piece that is so annoying.

Aren't all HS kids allowed to take classes at Arlington Tech? I really need to look into this whole HS business more.

No. Arlington Tech is an alternative high school program. It is separate from the traditional Career Center programs. The CTE classes that are offered at the Career Center are theoretically open to all high school students. Unfortunately, they are not easy to get into due to limited availability. The Arlington Tech program is located at the Career Center and does not have its own menu of electives; so those students tend to have priority access to the CTE classes.

I didn’t know this. So that’s why it might be harder for a student from the neighborhood high schools to take a specific or popular career center class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is important to remember: transferring into IB (supposedly) requires you to take full IB. No picky-choosey like kids zoned for WL. This is a policy, IMO, APS needs to change.

NP whose Yorktown-zoned child wants to apply for IB next year. How would you change it? Either let the YT/Wakefield kids stay even if they don't do full IB, or make it so W-L kids can't dabble in IB, they either do it or not?

Why don’t they have IB at YHS?

All the weird program quirks in APS were one reason we moved to Fairfax. It always felt like there was a small group in power deciding behind the scenes how to tip the scales in favor of one school or program or another.

It’s nothing unusual. Neighboring school districts have various programs (and qualifications for entry) at the different high schools. Including FCPS.

But it is unusual. FCPS has AP schools and IB schools. They don’t stack the deck to favor one neighborhood HS and encourage a brain drain from one to another (putting aside TJ). Anyway we found it weird. Maybe you don’t or are just defensive about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is important to remember: transferring into IB (supposedly) requires you to take full IB. No picky-choosey like kids zoned for WL. This is a policy, IMO, APS needs to change.

NP whose Yorktown-zoned child wants to apply for IB next year. How would you change it? Either let the YT/Wakefield kids stay even if they don't do full IB, or make it so W-L kids can't dabble in IB, they either do it or not?

Why don’t they have IB at YHS?

All the weird program quirks in APS were one reason we moved to Fairfax. It always felt like there was a small group in power deciding behind the scenes how to tip the scales in favor of one school or program or another.

It’s nothing unusual. Neighboring school districts have various programs (and qualifications for entry) at the different high schools. Including FCPS.

But it is unusual. FCPS has AP schools and IB schools. They don’t stack the deck to favor one neighborhood HS and encourage a brain drain from one to another (putting aside TJ). Anyway we found it weird. Maybe you don’t or are just defensive about it.

MCPS has schools like B-CC HS that offer both a full IB and AP curriculums to its neighborhood zoned students. It’s closed to transfers however. The IB magnet program at Richard Montgomery is the only MCPS IB program open to students from other zoned schools, with an admissions process similar to Montgomery Blair, Poolesville, TJ (FCPS), etc. If you’re accepted, you’re among the smartest and most motivated in all of MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Would neighbors accept moving to Yorktown?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Would neighbors accept moving to Yorktown?

Grudgingly I suppose. W-L zoned neighborhoods that supported increasing W-L’s capacity ended up being redistricted to Yorktown anyways. Some are still upset. The problem is that the current Yorktown boundary is now so close to W-L. Any remaining W-L zoned North Arlington neighborhoods that border the Yorktown zone like Lyon Village or those west of N Glebe Rd may put up a fight to stay at W-L.

But the problem is the uneven growth across the county. South Arlington schools are the ones that are growing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Would neighbors accept moving to Yorktown?

I’m in Cherrydale, and live close enough to WL to hear the marching band practice and the PA system during athletic events at the stadium. Hell yes I’d put up a fight if my neighborhood was redistricted to Yorktown so that some kids who live 3 miles away can be bused to WL. If Arlington gets to that point, just get rid of zoned HS and make it all lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Ok but to be clear we’re talking about the AP Capstone program. Not that they need to focus on reducing transfers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Would neighbors accept moving to Yorktown?

I’m in Cherrydale, and live close enough to WL to hear the marching band practice and the PA system during athletic events at the stadium. Hell yes I’d put up a fight if my neighborhood was redistricted to Yorktown so that some kids who live 3 miles away can be bused to WL. If Arlington gets to that point, just get rid of zoned HS and make it all lottery.

About 1/4 of Cherrydale is already zoned to Yorktown and has been since the 90s when Yorktown was under enrolled. (This is the part of Cherrydale near Dorothy Hamm MS.) The part of Cherrydale adjacent to W-L was also in a number of boundary scenarios where it moved to Yorktown in the last boundary change public engagement process 5 years ago. The school board eventually decided on keeping Cherrydale and Waverly Hills at W-L while moving neighborhoods further north and west to Yorktown.

Re PP’s comment, the kids who live “three miles away” from W-L provide the socio economic diversity. Those kids are not moving back to overcrowded Wakefield.

Maybe the future Arlington Tech school building will solve the South Arlington overcrowding once and for all, but the new building is at least 5-6 years away from completion. I’m cautiously optimistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Capstone is to bolster Yorktown and reduce transfer to WL. They need more seats at WL to accommodate flow from Wakefield.

Yes, or many more W-L neighborhoods along the Yorktown border would likely have to be redistricted to Yorktown like Cherrydale, Waycroft Woodlawn, etc. Population growth is in South Arlington and not in the B
North. So makes sense to reduce transfers from Yorktown to W-L and encourage transfers from
Wakefield into W-L

Would neighbors accept moving to Yorktown?

I’m in Cherrydale, and live close enough to WL to hear the marching band practice and the PA system during athletic events at the stadium. Hell yes I’d put up a fight if my neighborhood was redistricted to Yorktown so that some kids who live 3 miles away can be bused to WL. If Arlington gets to that point, just get rid of zoned HS and make it all lottery.

Sorry, Woodmont, Maywood, and Cherrydale are the WL neighborhoods closest to Yorktown -- so it makes sense to move them. It would also make Yorktown contiguous. It just happens Yorktown and WL are not that far apart.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/HSZones_Lg.pdf