APS: Washington Liberty will be minimum 2700 students by 2025
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Anonymous
DP I don't know the specific answer; but Wakefield offers and runs the basic AP courses like those you cited each year. I think the other schools likely have wider offerings in various AP history and perhaps AP English/literature type courses. But that's my "guess." You can look at the course catalogues; but they won't accurately reflect what actually is offered/conducted each year. I think WL and YHS may offer some other electives that don't get offered at Wakefield or don't get enough enrollment to actually hold or hold regularly. |
Anonymous
I agree with you. But curious, if you had to pick, which would you choose? |
Anonymous
Yeah I am curious about this. What is the difference in AP classes offered at Wakefield vs WL vs Yorktown. Wakefield website says they offers 30 of the 38 classes authorized by the college board. But maybe they don't offer all at once. The exam schedule from the two schools don't look that different except maybe in language |
Anonymous
I think it's hard to answer because it depends on how many students enroll in a given course any given semester/year. Course might be offered on the books, but if not a minimum # of students registered, it gets canceled (AP or not). This is a consequence of imbalanced socioeconomics. But YHS and WL people don't care because it doesn't impact them and they're afraid if they have a few more poor people, it will. WL should be the model for APS - pretty balanced diversity AND full academic offerings. But, no.... |
Anonymous
Actually, I am the previous poster whose kid is happy with the expansion and my kid still has a couple more years there. Yeah, it's not great being so big and making the sports teams/participating in clubs may become more of an issue as the seats are filled, although I'd be surprised if the teams become as competitive to make as Yorktown. My kid plays a travel sport and has many teammates who go to Yorktown so i can see the difference. I just wanted to give a different perspective that so far I think the expansion has been handled well and the space in the annex is really nice and well thought out. |
Anonymous
The new academic building that opened last year has spacious, state-of-the-art common spaces on each floor with plenty of natural light. The largest is on the first level and can be used for larger gatherings. These spaces have moveable furniture for any number of activities. There are also fitness and weight rooms in the new building. The auditorium and gym (opened about 15 years ago) are the largest of the APS high schools. They were designed based on old specs created for the former W-L building (now demolished) that originally housed about 3000 plus students. Students can spend lunch period throughout the campus (except on the football field), and both the new and old buildings have outdoor terraces with furniture. Seniors have open campus privileges and can leave campus for lunch. Some walk to fast food options in nearby Ballston, others drive to grab food, some walk home and back. |
Anonymous
I agree with everything you said, especially the last paragraph. I’m so sick of everyone- including APS- pretending that the educational opportunities aren’t impacted by concentrating poverty. Yes, we should meet the needs for other services in our schools, but the primary purpose of a school is to educate the children in our county. All the kids should have the same course offerings- I don’t care if it’s one student at Wakefield signed up (and that’s not our zoned school, FWIW). |
Anonymous
| I think Wakefield “offers” the courses but they often don’t run because they don’t get minimal enrollment. That’s what distinguishes it from the other two schools. |
Anonymous
Which courses? Do you have a student at Wakefield? Because this is generally not what I’m hearing from Wakefield families I know. |
Anonymous
| A fine education means that you’ll have a decent selection of advanced and specialized courses. But not as many as the other schools because there are MORE advanced/highly motivated kids enrolling in those courses at WL and Yorktown. That’s not implying anything about anyone at Wakefield. That’s just a fact. Plenty of very smart motivated kids of all backgrounds at Wakefield. But fewer than the other two schools. Because of poverty and more recent immigration and also just the more chill perspective of parents who chose to live in S. Arl. That’s just reality. I agree it’s and product of Arlington’s housing policies. |
Anonymous
Oh my. What "advanced and specialized courses" are offered at other APS high schools that aren't offered at Wakefield? Or do you mean there aren't as many sections of AP classes at Wakefield? I'm genuinely curious. I am a Wakefield parent and am aware of only one AP class within the past few years that didn't make minimum enrollment. It was Physics C, which I believe is Calculus-based versus the other AP Physics class. Students were offered a dual enrollment option instead of the AP class running at Wakefield. The suggestion here that Wakefield doesn't provide similar AP classes offerings to other APS high schools doesn't match our students' experience at all. The AP Capstone program and the Spanish immersion program mean that a Wakefield student's AP experiences may differ slightly than students at other APS high schools. We aren't aware of any AP classes that "often don't run" at Wakefield. My students are on track to graduate with 10-12 AP classes, and that's typical for their peers and the other Wakefield students we know. |
Anonymous
Thank you! It is helpful to hear from a Wakefield parent vs other people speculating. |
Anonymous
You missed my point. My point is that kids who aren't taking a bunch of AP courses and getting 5.0 GPAs are not necessarily less highly-motivated. You would be more accurate to say that there are more students taking more advanced classes and getting 5.0 GPAs. I'm asking you - and others - to please leave out the "more motivated" part.....unless you want to include the stipulation that "more motivated" means "eagle-eye-focused on ivy league or doom with parents pushing and parents apoplectic about SAT scores and admission to the universities of THEIR preferences." 'cause that and the "more chill perspective" of Wakefield parents, I'll agree with. |
Anonymous
Ditto the thank you. I'm a WHS parent of two. One who is what the PPP would consider not highly-motivated, despite being very bright and highly capable - just not "scholarly"; and the other who is what I will presume the PPP would consider merely "a motivated good student" getting almost straight A's taking intensified and selective AP courses according to their interests, personal goals, and self-determined desired level of stress and time management, while devoting a lot of time and energy to leadership roles and extracurricular opportunities in their chosen activities. One will pursue what PPP might classify as an inferior - or less ambitious/less motivated - college pathway. The other will probably end up applying to a number of what PPP might classify as "fine" middle ground colleges, not being even interested in excessively expensive ivies or other 'elite' institutions. I think people have different visions and definitions of "highly motivated." I would differentiate ambition from motivation. Of course, ambition can be relative to individual situations, too. BTW, YHS is to begin offering the AP Capstone program that has been in place at Wakefield for years. |
Anonymous
I'll also note that some of those "more motivated" Wakefield students end up at WL because that's where the IB program is. Since WL offers AP and IB and therefore has more offerings, I would expect there to be a proportionate number of students there wanting to take them. Then again, there really aren't that many students actually graduating with an IB diploma; so maybe the difference in motivation isn't quite as stark as it may seem. |