Considering a house in Vienna.. AA family

[Anonymous]

I am AA and have 2 kids. From your OP it's hard to tell if you have your house already picked out. You cannot easily go to a different FCPS school. I don't think the private schools have much more diversity.

When we moved from another part of nova, we were debating between Madison and Marshall pyramids. We picked Marshall and we are so thankful for it. Vienna is very white. It's also a much longer commute into dc. Not mileage wise, but traffic-wise. Where are you coming from? I will say there is the occasional overt racism in Northern Virginia, but a litany of microaggressions. The people who are on here telling you they never see racism live a different reality than you and me.

It would be good if your kid could have a diverse friend group. You are right that the top schools in FCPS all have low AA percentages. My kids have an extremely diverse friend group, mostly south Asian, East Asian, and white. My son doesn't care. My daughter wishes she had more black friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

Thanks for that random dig at Marshall. Marshall is highly competitive also. All of high income areas of NOVA are like this. Pretty sure Marshall ranks higher than Madison most years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

Further to my post above - Marshall ranked higher than Madison https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

Further to my post above - Marshall ranked higher than Madison https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings

DP. Marshall games the U.S. News ratings by pushing kids into IB English courses as juniors and seniors, unless they are English-language learners. Madison doesn’t play that game and offers regular, Honors, and AP English courses.

I prefer Madison’s approach to a system where kids end up in a course they probably shouldn’t be taking just to boost a school’s ratings. Madison still has higher SAT scores than Marshall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Vienna and am not AA but my kids have had a good childhood. I like our neighborhood and the town. If I could do it over, I would have bought in the same area but in a neighborhood a few blocks over and sent them to Marshall. So many of their friends ended up going there instead of Madison and it’s slightly more diverse and down to earth. The only downside is it’s IB instead of AP.

But Madison is fine too. There is more diversity than people lead you to believe on this forum.

+1

[Anonymous]

In the recent boundary review there were Marshall parents in Vienna who pushed successfully to move to Madison. Conversely, when FCPS proposed to move an area in Vienna at Madison to Marshall, the parents fought it off. That tells you what people in Vienna prefer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

Further to my post above - Marshall ranked higher than Madison https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings

DP. Marshall games the U.S. News ratings by pushing kids into IB English courses as juniors and seniors, unless they are English-language learners. Madison doesn’t play that game and offers regular, Honors, and AP English courses.

I prefer Madison’s approach to a system where kids end up in a course they probably shouldn’t be taking just to boost a school’s ratings. Madison still has higher SAT scores than Marshall.

This is an important distinguishing factor between the two schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Vienna community is not at all relaxed. It is hyper competitive on youth sports, academics, wealth, popularity and pretty much anything else people can be competitive about.

OP Here; That actually sounds amazing

DP and it is true but can be a little extreme. Your kid will have opportunities in every area. I didn’t grow up in this area and it’s unbelievable how competitive it is. DC doesn’t mind it. But sometimes DH and I do and this is why we wonder if we should have sent them to Marshall.

But you Vienna a great town for kids. If they play any sports, are in band or theater and are VERY competitive, you will like Madison.

Thanks for that random dig at Marshall. Marshall is highly competitive also. All of high income areas of NOVA are like this. Pretty sure Marshall ranks higher than Madison most years.

Take my comment as you want but we regret that we didn’t buy a house where our kids could go to Marshall. I was being honest. My kids are and were okay at Madison. Both said they would have been happier at Marshall. I have posted that before. People have come on here and been rude, told me how I’m the minority and how I could have pupil placed them. All of that is true. We were not willing to provide our own transportation for all of high school.

Look, both schools are great. Your kids will likely have friends at both. My kids ended up having more friends at Marshall because of their ECs and because they attended Kilmer. I understand the new boundaries are taking care of the middle school split for the future.

I’m not sure what you mean by ranking, but it is easier to make teams at Marshall than Madison. Much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am AA and have 2 kids. From your OP it's hard to tell if you have your house already picked out. You cannot easily go to a different FCPS school. I don't think the private schools have much more diversity.

When we moved from another part of nova, we were debating between Madison and Marshall pyramids. We picked Marshall and we are so thankful for it. Vienna is very white. It's also a much longer commute into dc. Not mileage wise, but traffic-wise. Where are you coming from? I will say there is the occasional overt racism in Northern Virginia, but a litany of microaggressions. The people who are on here telling you they never see racism live a different reality than you and me.

It would be good if your kid could have a diverse friend group. You are right that the top schools in FCPS all have low AA percentages. My kids have an extremely diverse friend group, mostly south Asian, East Asian, and white. My son doesn't care. My daughter wishes she had more black friends.

Agree, and agree on the choice of Marshall over Madison. -POC mom

[Anonymous]

Marshall may be more diverse, but I'd send a kid to Madison over Marshall in a heartbeat unless I was certain my kid would do the full IB diploma program at Marshall.

- Former Marshall parent

[Anonymous]

We did a deep dive and ended up at west Springfield

[Anonymous]

Black Enrollments at FCPS High Schools Fall 2025-26 (additional information on AP/IB status and latest Great Schools rating).

Hayfield 26.19% (AP) - GS 6
South County 21.32% (AP) - GS 7
Mount Vernon 20.91% (IB) - GS 2
Edison 18.99% (IB) - GS 4
West Potomac 15.67% (AP) - GS 5
Westfield 13.94% (AP) - GS 6
West Springfield 12.78% (AP) - GS 9
South Lakes 12.47% (IB) - GS 6
Annandale 12.10% (IB) - GS 3
Justice 10.54% (IB) - GS 2
Lewis 9.16% (IB) - GS 4
Lake Braddock 9.12% (AP) - GS 8
Fairfax 8.36% (AP) - GS 6
Centreville 7.73% (AP) - GS 5
Robinson 6.85% (IB) - GS 7
Chantilly 6.58% (AP) - GS 8
Marshall 6.36% (IB) - GS 7
Oakton 6.05% (AP)- GS 8
Herndon 5.93% (AP) - GS 3
Woodson 5.76% (AP) - GS 9
Falls Church 5.16% (AP) - GS 2
TJHSST 4.89% (AP/magnet) - GS 10
McLean 3.82% (AP) - GS 9
Langley 2.56% (AP) - GS 9
Madison 2.09% (AP) - GS 8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Black Enrollments at FCPS High Schools Fall 2025-26 (additional information on AP/IB status and latest Great Schools rating).

Hayfield 26.19% (AP) - GS 6
South County 21.32% (AP) - GS 7
Mount Vernon 20.91% (IB) - GS 2
Edison 18.99% (IB) - GS 4
West Potomac 15.67% (AP) - GS 5
Westfield 13.94% (AP) - GS 6
West Springfield 12.78% (AP) - GS 9
South Lakes 12.47% (IB) - GS 6
Annandale 12.10% (IB) - GS 3
Justice 10.54% (IB) - GS 2
Lewis 9.16% (IB) - GS 4
Lake Braddock 9.12% (AP) - GS 8
Fairfax 8.36% (AP) - GS 6
Centreville 7.73% (AP) - GS 5
Robinson 6.85% (IB) - GS 7
Chantilly 6.58% (AP) - GS 8
Marshall 6.36% (IB) - GS 7
Oakton 6.05% (AP)- GS 8
Herndon 5.93% (AP) - GS 3
Woodson 5.76% (AP) - GS 9
Falls Church 5.16% (AP) - GS 2
TJHSST 4.89% (AP/magnet) - GS 10
McLean 3.82% (AP) - GS 9
Langley 2.56% (AP) - GS 9
Madison 2.09% (AP) - GS 8

Is there a breakdown of AA (as in, African Americans/what some are calling FBA) vs. foreigners and children of foreigners anywhere? Some people who want a school with more black children are interested in the former. The latter, while it provides a diversity, isn't the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black Enrollments at FCPS High Schools Fall 2025-26 (additional information on AP/IB status and latest Great Schools rating).

Hayfield 26.19% (AP) - GS 6
South County 21.32% (AP) - GS 7
Mount Vernon 20.91% (IB) - GS 2
Edison 18.99% (IB) - GS 4
West Potomac 15.67% (AP) - GS 5
Westfield 13.94% (AP) - GS 6
West Springfield 12.78% (AP) - GS 9
South Lakes 12.47% (IB) - GS 6
Annandale 12.10% (IB) - GS 3
Justice 10.54% (IB) - GS 2
Lewis 9.16% (IB) - GS 4
Lake Braddock 9.12% (AP) - GS 8
Fairfax 8.36% (AP) - GS 6
Centreville 7.73% (AP) - GS 5
Robinson 6.85% (IB) - GS 7
Chantilly 6.58% (AP) - GS 8
Marshall 6.36% (IB) - GS 7
Oakton 6.05% (AP)- GS 8
Herndon 5.93% (AP) - GS 3
Woodson 5.76% (AP) - GS 9
Falls Church 5.16% (AP) - GS 2
TJHSST 4.89% (AP/magnet) - GS 10
McLean 3.82% (AP) - GS 9
Langley 2.56% (AP) - GS 9
Madison 2.09% (AP) - GS 8

Is there a breakdown of AA (as in, African Americans/what some are calling FBA) vs. foreigners and children of foreigners anywhere? Some people who want a school with more black children are interested in the former. The latter, while it provides a diversity, isn't the same.

There isn’t such a breakdown by FCPS. The category is technically “Black (Not of Hispanic Origin).” I think it is based on federal reporting requirements that date back many years.