2024/25 Boundary Map APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary and middle, I’ve found some info on the middle school proposals but nothing on elementary, nor on the grandfathering policy.

In the past I think they've let 5th graders stay put for their last year.

But that makes no sense because the kids would move as a group together.

In most boundary changes, there are only 50-70 kids moving period— equates out to about ten kids per grade. As a fifth grader that is very tough socially, especially since the middle school boundaries aren’t necessarily aligned. You could end up essentially switching friend groups twice in a two year period. That sucks.

I find it completely baffling that APS splits elementary schools between middle schools, AND splits middle schools between high schools. That is really rough on the kids and seems like poor planning on APS' side.

Not to be snark, but are you new to the area or school system? This is age old...you could have read about it here on DCUM a decade ago. It's a function of fixed infrastructure, i.e., school buildings and roads, and wildly swinging demographics that shifted dramatically in both directions this century already. This ain't Loudoun where the frontier of civilization keeps expanding and you just plop down a new building when needed.

I'm not new to the area but I've only been in the school system about 5 years. That said, every other school system a family member is in, and the ones I grew up in, all fed multiple ES' to one MS, multiple MS' to one HS. Lots of places besides Louden can figure this out.

It’s the density here. They could only align better if they valued other factors less.

Arlington isn’t the only high density school district. Arlington really isn’t that hat special, it’s just not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this constant redrawing makes planning for future fairly difficult in my view. Currently we are districted for Taylor but very close to the border to Glebe, ASFS (kind of) and to a much much lesser extent Discovery. Kids not at that age yet but would be very much ok with either Taylor or Glebe (at least based on current ratings) but very much hoping it won't be either ASFS or Discovery.

Middle School too far away to even think about seriously but currently 5m walk from Hamm so would hope that whatever they have planned now (semms like they want to move kids who are for Hamm elsewhere) wouldn't affect our case but who knows.

HS none seem particularly great (Washington Liberty doesn't) but who knows how good/bad the HS schools in area will be in the next 15-20 years. Some suggestions I have seen seems to state that Taylor and Hamm for ES/MS is good to go but then Private for HS.

Welcome to Arlington. Our planning unit was in nearly every boundary change proposal from elem through HS. It's never ending and they can never get it right so it's always back to the drawing board. They're all in college or private now because we got tired of it.

This. The annual drama from Planning (close this, move that) sucks all the oxygen from real and more pressing educational priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elementary and middle, I’ve found some info on the middle school proposals but nothing on elementary, nor on the grandfathering policy.

In the past I think they've let 5th graders stay put for their last year.

But that makes no sense because the kids would move as a group together.

In most boundary changes, there are only 50-70 kids moving period— equates out to about ten kids per grade. As a fifth grader that is very tough socially, especially since the middle school boundaries aren’t necessarily aligned. You could end up essentially switching friend groups twice in a two year period. That sucks.

I find it completely baffling that APS splits elementary schools between middle schools, AND splits middle schools between high schools. That is really rough on the kids and seems like poor planning on APS' side.

Not to be snark, but are you new to the area or school system? This is age old...you could have read about it here on DCUM a decade ago. It's a function of fixed infrastructure, i.e., school buildings and roads, and wildly swinging demographics that shifted dramatically in both directions this century already. This ain't Loudoun where the frontier of civilization keeps expanding and you just plop down a new building when needed.

I'm not new to the area but I've only been in the school system about 5 years. That said, every other school system a family member is in, and the ones I grew up in, all fed multiple ES' to one MS, multiple MS' to one HS. Lots of places besides Louden can figure this out.

FWIW, my now-rising 9th grader went to an elementary school that split between two middle schools. A majority of DC’s friends went to one middle school; DC went to another. It wound up working well; even though DC is shy, they made plenty of new friends in middle school and even kept in touch with close friends who went to the other middle school. I know everyone is different, but I sometimes think parents make bigger deals out of these types of things than kids do.

TNP here. hat’s good to hear. Also, my sixth grader, whose elementary school does not split between different middle schools, doesn’t spend any time with the kids he was best friends with throughout elementary school. Middle school is such a transition time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this constant redrawing makes planning for future fairly difficult in my view. Currently we are districted for Taylor but very close to the border to Glebe, ASFS (kind of) and to a much much lesser extent Discovery. Kids not at that age yet but would be very much ok with either Taylor or Glebe (at least based on current ratings) but very much hoping it won't be either ASFS or Discovery.

Middle School too far away to even think about seriously but currently 5m walk from Hamm so would hope that whatever they have planned now (semms like they want to move kids who are for Hamm elsewhere) wouldn't affect our case but who knows.

HS none seem particularly great (Washington Liberty doesn't) but who knows how good/bad the HS schools in area will be in the next 15-20 years. Some suggestions I have seen seems to state that Taylor and Hamm for ES/MS is good to go but then Private for HS.

I haven’t heard anything bad about Washington-Liberty, and postings on this forum seem generally positive. College acceptance outcomes are good and AP/IB academic standards are high. The facilities are nice. Students transfer in for IB from the other high schools. Athletics teams are somewhat easier to make the cut (vs the other Arlington high schools.)

The biggest problem with WL is they are expanding it to 3000 students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this constant redrawing makes planning for future fairly difficult in my view. Currently we are districted for Taylor but very close to the border to Glebe, ASFS (kind of) and to a much much lesser extent Discovery. Kids not at that age yet but would be very much ok with either Taylor or Glebe (at least based on current ratings) but very much hoping it won't be either ASFS or Discovery.

Middle School too far away to even think about seriously but currently 5m walk from Hamm so would hope that whatever they have planned now (semms like they want to move kids who are for Hamm elsewhere) wouldn't affect our case but who knows.

HS none seem particularly great (Washington Liberty doesn't) but who knows how good/bad the HS schools in area will be in the next 15-20 years. Some suggestions I have seen seems to state that Taylor and Hamm for ES/MS is good to go but then Private for HS.

I haven’t heard anything bad about Washington-Liberty, and postings on this forum seem generally positive. College acceptance outcomes are good and AP/IB academic standards are high. The facilities are nice. Students transfer in for IB from the other high schools. Athletics teams are somewhat easier to make the cut (vs the other Arlington high schools.)

The biggest problem with WL is they are expanding it to 3000 students.

2700 students actually for W-L, and even 3000 is on par with high schools in Fairfax County Public Schools. Their CIP has been focused on expansion and school additions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this constant redrawing makes planning for future fairly difficult in my view. Currently we are districted for Taylor but very close to the border to Glebe, ASFS (kind of) and to a much much lesser extent Discovery. Kids not at that age yet but would be very much ok with either Taylor or Glebe (at least based on current ratings) but very much hoping it won't be either ASFS or Discovery.

Middle School too far away to even think about seriously but currently 5m walk from Hamm so would hope that whatever they have planned now (semms like they want to move kids who are for Hamm elsewhere) wouldn't affect our case but who knows.

HS none seem particularly great (Washington Liberty doesn't) but who knows how good/bad the HS schools in area will be in the next 15-20 years. Some suggestions I have seen seems to state that Taylor and Hamm for ES/MS is good to go but then Private for HS.

Welcome to Arlington. Our planning unit was in nearly every boundary change proposal from elem through HS. It's never ending and they can never get it right so it's always back to the drawing board. They're all in college or private now because we got tired of it.

This. The annual drama from Planning (close this, move that) sucks all the oxygen from real and more pressing educational priorities.

Yep; like fundamental education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All this constant redrawing makes planning for future fairly difficult in my view. Currently we are districted for Taylor but very close to the border to Glebe, ASFS (kind of) and to a much much lesser extent Discovery. Kids not at that age yet but would be very much ok with either Taylor or Glebe (at least based on current ratings) but very much hoping it won't be either ASFS or Discovery.

Middle School too far away to even think about seriously but currently 5m walk from Hamm so would hope that whatever they have planned now (semms like they want to move kids who are for Hamm elsewhere) wouldn't affect our case but who knows.

HS none seem particularly great (Washington Liberty doesn't) but who knows how good/bad the HS schools in area will be in the next 15-20 years. Some suggestions I have seen seems to state that Taylor and Hamm for ES/MS is good to go but then Private for HS.

Welcome to Arlington. Our planning unit was in nearly every boundary change proposal from elem through HS. It's never ending and they can never get it right so it's always back to the drawing board. They're all in college or private now because we got tired of it.

This. The annual drama from Planning (close this, move that) sucks all the oxygen from real and more pressing educational priorities.

Yep; like fundamental education.

You do realize that the planning department is not in charge of academics, right?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if they are going to pick up the middle school boundary revisions discussions again in Fall 2024? (That’s what was told last year- that they would pause on those discussions until Fall 2024- but not seeing any mention of the status on that)

[Anonymous]

Since the planning department was fired shortly after that vitriolic boundary discussion, I doubt the current non-planning staff want to take on a major boundary change. They are probably watching with horror (or maybe bemusement) at the developing controversial boundary changes that will affect every school pyramid in Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

^Re above post. Also it appears the FCPS boundary changes are equity focused and directed by school board members who want to see a more even demographic distribution among schools, especially high schools. There are no plans for that in APS.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone looked at the Sept 30 enrollment numbers as compared to the capacity? Is Gunston over 100% this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^Re above post. Also it appears the FCPS boundary changes are equity focused and directed by school board members who want to see a more even demographic distribution among schools, especially high schools. There are no plans for that in APS.

Good for them!
"Progressive Arlington" always touting how it is a leader will have nothing to do with anything like that, despite being a fraction the size of FCPS and Fairfax County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone looked at the Sept 30 enrollment numbers as compared to the capacity? Is Gunston over 100% this year?

Yes, capacity 992, enrollment 1038

[Anonymous]

There was a long thread about this recently if you search.

In summary, APS is doing nothing while Williamsburg sits under enrolled and several other middle schools are bursting. People have varying opinions about this, which you can read.

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1226847.page