FCPS High School prestige ranking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

Like I said, there are a few schools I wouldn’t want my kids going to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

You used the plural form for the word "kids" and "accounts." This is actually one child's account. Not multiple children. You shouldn't have used plural form.

What's more, you could look at other reviews of schools. Like this one from Great Schools regarding Langley: "Class of 2021 here, part of the special education system with ADHD + Dyslexia. The special education team was apathetic and disinterested at best and traumatic and ableist at worst."

Or this one, again, regarding Langley: "The principal does not have the necessary experience and the school is being managed by the assistants principals, which half of them have been too long in their jobs that only care about their pay checks. They don’t care about the students nor the community."

You can always find bad reviews. People get angry at teachers, or they don't like immigrants in their schools, and decide to write a negative review.

Doesn't mean that all students and parents at Langley (or Falls Church) feel the same. It's good to take multiple points of view into account, instead of finding the one perspective that confirms your already-existing bias.

[Anonymous]

Weird review ^^. My ADHD / dyslexic child had a tremendous experience at Langley (also class of 2021). Their SPED team was so attentive and “on it.” Child is about to graduate from a T-50 school and has a job lined up to boot. I highly doubt he could have gotten to this point without the dedication of the Langley SPED team.

[Anonymous]

The reviews on Niche are most interesting since students with first hand knowledge tend to post there. I do realize Niche may have a reputation for being unreliable, but it’s still worth a read. The highly subjective ranking posted by PPPP is likely no better or worse than what you’d read on Niche.

For Langley, most are extremely positive but there are a few eye opening ones that look into student culture:

“Langley always offered a mix of positives and challenges. While making friends wasn’t easy, I met great people with shared interests. The art programs, particularly photography, were highlights; the darkroom became a favorite place of mine. The building itself is beautiful, with halls showcasing inspiring student art. However, many students come from wealthy families, creating an exclusive atmosphere. Bullying is common, with students targeted for their looks or differences, and fights happen too often. Special education programs need improvement, as students often face neglect and bullying. Some teachers fail to engage or make subjects accessible, though Langley’s academics and electives are generally strong. Despite its flaws, the school encourages creativity and provides great opportunities. To improve, Langley should foster kindness, better support special education, and ensure teachers are engaging. My time there has been rewarding yet difficult, shaping me in meaningful ways.”

[Anonymous]

Gee. This is like reading reviews at your local nail salon. You read negative reviews that are likely from a rival salon. Don't pay any attention to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

Like I said, there are a few schools I wouldn’t want my kids going to.

Are you referring to Justice ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

Like I said, there are a few schools I wouldn’t want my kids going to.

Are you referring to Justice ?

Justice has some impressive college admissions this year. I also hear the new principal is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s important to avoid URMs in ES and MS (AAP works well here), but in most FCPS HS, you can find high achieving groups of kids. I wouldn’t want my kid to go to small number of FCPS HS but for the most part it’s not that big of a deal

There's an interesting thread on Next Door from a Marshall parent considering a pupil placement to Falls Church for AP. The thread is full of Falls Church parents talking about how good the school is, and there is only one post from a Falls Church student, which I've noted below, slightly edited for spelling:

Hello my name is R***, I am currently a student at FCHS. To be quite honest, if you have the choice to not go to Falls Church I would take it. I would highly recommend not transferring your kid. The school has been under renovation for quite some time, and will continue to be under renovation for the next couple years, we have no ceiling in the hallways and the pipes often leak causing floods. The people at FC are not a good influence, 70% of the students are immigrants and don't speak English, and there is rampant drug use all throughout the school. We are also extremely poor, our prom this year was in our cafeteria, and we rarely have money to do school things such as field trips, etc. Not to mention a good number of the staff and admin are extremely unfriendly and seem like they hate their life. I'm graduating in a year and I am glad I am almost out of this place. I would highly recommend sending your kid somewhere else.

Sure, there will always be disaffected teens, but it was a reminder that the accounts from parents, who tend to look out for their property values, are often different from the accounts of kids actually attending some of these schools.

Like I said, there are a few schools I wouldn’t want my kids going to.

Are you referring to Justice ?

Justice has some impressive college admissions this year. I also hear the new principal is good.

Justice, unlike Lewis for example, has a substantial population of wealthy country club types. So my guess is that Justice has better college stats than Falls Church, Lewis, and the rest.

That’s wonderful news about the Justice principal. For far too long leadership has changed at a high frequency. Stability would greatly benefit the school.

[Anonymous]

DS attends one of the 4th tier, low prestige schools. The school sent lots of kids to UVA, VT, W&M this year, as they do every year, plus a number get into Ivies, MIT, CMU, UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Hopkins, etc.

So your “prestige” rankings are meaningless. Or maybe they even work against you, if you believe colleges have “quotas” from each high school.

Nobody cares what high school you went to. And a few years after you graduate from college, nobody will care what college you went to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS attends one of the 4th tier, low prestige schools. The school sent lots of kids to UVA, VT, W&M this year, as they do every year, plus a number get into Ivies, MIT, CMU, UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Hopkins, etc.

So your “prestige” rankings are meaningless. Or maybe they even work against you, if you believe colleges have “quotas” from each high school.

Nobody cares what high school you went to. And a few years after you graduate from college, nobody will care what college you went to.

Great Example: Tim Cook graduated from Robertsdale High School and Auburn University.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS attends one of the 4th tier, low prestige schools. The school sent lots of kids to UVA, VT, W&M this year, as they do every year, plus a number get into Ivies, MIT, CMU, UCLA, Berkeley, Michigan, Duke, Hopkins, etc.

So your “prestige” rankings are meaningless. Or maybe they even work against you, if you believe colleges have “quotas” from each high school.

Nobody cares what high school you went to. And a few years after you graduate from college, nobody will care what college you went to.

Great Example: Tim Cook graduated from Robertsdale High School and Auburn University.

Gotta love the logical fallacy arguing by example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tier 1:
1. TJ
2. Langley
3. McLean
4. Oakton
5. Marshall

Tier 2:
6. Madison
7. Woodson
8. Chantilly
9. West Springfield
10. Robinson

Tier 3:
11. Lake Braddock
12. Centreville
13. Fairfax
14. Westfield
15. South County

Other/tier 4:
16. South Lakes
17. Hayfield
18. Annandale
19. Falls Church
20. Justice
21. Herndon
22. West Potomac
23. Lewis
24. Mount Vernon

FCPS is FCPS....some are whiter but they are all FCPS

There are only 3 FCPS high schools that are majority white. Madison, Robinson and Langley. Langley is hoovering around 50%, so in a few years only Madison and Robinson will be majority white. The rest are majority minority. Focusing on race like that is so strange given how diverse this area is and how intertwined the schools and neighborhoods are.

Langley became majority minority in October 2024 and remains so now.

Not possible. All we hear in these forums is that Langley families are “Lily White racists”. Now you’re telling us it’s a majority minority school?

Seems like the social justice warriors are full of $hit.

Well, East Asians and South Asians can be quite racist. So...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tier 1:
1. TJ
2. Langley
3. McLean
4. Oakton
5. Marshall

Tier 2:
6. Madison
7. Woodson
8. Chantilly
9. West Springfield
10. Robinson

Tier 3:
11. Lake Braddock
12. Centreville
13. Fairfax
14. Westfield
15. South County

Other/tier 4:
16. South Lakes
17. Hayfield
18. Annandale
19. Falls Church
20. Justice
21. Herndon
22. West Potomac
23. Lewis
24. Mount Vernon

FCPS is FCPS....some are whiter but they are all FCPS

There are only 3 FCPS high schools that are majority white. Madison, Robinson and Langley. Langley is hoovering around 50%, so in a few years only Madison and Robinson will be majority white. The rest are majority minority. Focusing on race like that is so strange given how diverse this area is and how intertwined the schools and neighborhoods are.

Langley became majority minority in October 2024 and remains so now.

Not possible. All we hear in these forums is that Langley families are “Lily White racists”. Now you’re telling us it’s a majority minority school?

Seems like the social justice warriors are full of $hit.

The social justice warriors are completely full of sh1+ and DEI. But sadly, the worst social justice warriors imaginable are running FCPS at the moment.

[Anonymous]

I think has to do a lot more some people trying to avoid schools with high FARMS and URM rates. This, of course, happens all over the US, and not surprisingly, in many countries in the Americas and Europe.