Be honest, would you be okay with this middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

OP here. My concern is the FARMS. There is a large low income neighborhood that feeds into this MS/HS, along with 2 high end neighborhoods and several in between. Among the Hispanic group in HS, a full 30% drop out and never graduate. THAT concerns me. It has to affect the dynamic of thhe school. The problem is, we really like one of the mid-level neighborhoods and the neighborhood elementary is excellent.

I am just hung up on the MS/HS, but my DH thinks they are fine and we want to stay put through HS in whatever house we buy next.

If your kids are high(er) achieving, what does that have to do with the lower motivated ones who do not pass?

I went to a large public high school on the West Coast. It is located in a predominantly WASP-y area but there were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, a few blacks), at school, both high achieving and low achieving. I never had an opportunity to socialize with the lower achieving ones because we never had the same classes. It is not guaranteed that children of the rich are highly motivated and that children of the poor are slackers. The lower family wealth can also drive the poorer students. It's up to you provide the guidance and your children to be motivated to achieve high standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

OP here. My concern is the FARMS. There is a large low income neighborhood that feeds into this MS/HS, along with 2 high end neighborhoods and several in between. Among the Hispanic group in HS, a full 30% drop out and never graduate. THAT concerns me. It has to affect the dynamic of thhe school. The problem is, we really like one of the mid-level neighborhoods and the neighborhood elementary is excellent.

I am just hung up on the MS/HS, but my DH thinks they are fine and we want to stay put through HS in whatever house we buy next.

If your kids are high(er) achieving, what does that have to do with the lower motivated ones who do not pass?

I went to a large public high school on the West Coast. It is located in a predominantly WASP-y area but there were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, a few blacks), at school, both high achieving and low achieving. I never had an opportunity to socialize with the lower achieving ones because we never had the same classes. It is not guaranteed that children of the rich are highly motivated and that children of the poor are slackers. The lower family wealth can also drive the poorer students. It's up to you provide the guidance and your children to be motivated to achieve high standards.

Totally agree with PP. My public high school was diverse, in the southwest with a wide range of incomes and large Hispanic population. Aside from a few required classes like PE and drivers ed the kids who were low achievers and potential drop outs never crossed my path. I was in honors classes and foreign languages and participating in college application activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

OP here. My concern is the FARMS. There is a large low income neighborhood that feeds into this MS/HS, along with 2 high end neighborhoods and several in between. Among the Hispanic group in HS, a full 30% drop out and never graduate. THAT concerns me. It has to affect the dynamic of thhe school. The problem is, we really like one of the mid-level neighborhoods and the neighborhood elementary is excellent.

I am just hung up on the MS/HS, but my DH thinks they are fine and we want to stay put through HS in whatever house we buy next.

If your kids are high(er) achieving, what does that have to do with the lower motivated ones who do not pass?

I went to a large public high school on the West Coast. It is located in a predominantly WASP-y area but there were minorities (Hispanic, Asian, a few blacks), at school, both high achieving and low achieving. I never had an opportunity to socialize with the lower achieving ones because we never had the same classes. It is not guaranteed that children of the rich are highly motivated and that children of the poor are slackers. The lower family wealth can also drive the poorer students. It's up to you provide the guidance and your children to be motivated to achieve high standards.

Totally agree with PP. My public high school was diverse, in the southwest with a wide range of incomes and large Hispanic population. Aside from a few required classes like PE and drivers ed the kids who were low achievers and potential drop outs never crossed my path. I was in honors classes and foreign languages and participating in college application activities.

I teach ESOL at a high school in FCPS and I agree with this, too. There are some of my students who never even get into the mainstream classes their entire high school career. As an ESOL teacher, I think 90% of the rest of the school has no idea who I am! The high achieving students go into AP/IB classes and most of their friends are there, too. We have plenty ESOL kids who are also high achievers, but those who are not rarely even associate with the kids who are good students, unless it is in PE.

[Anonymous]

Asian kids get a GS rating of 9 and the White kids get a GS rating of 8. Non-economically disadvantaged kids get a 7.

Compare to Park View, where Asian and White students get a 4, and non-economically disadvantaged students get a 3. At Sterling MS, Asians get a 6, Whites a 5, and the non-poors a 6. BUT the FARMS is over 40% there.

FWIW, Sterling MS/Park View is the only MS/HS in Loudoun I'd avoid.

[Anonymous]

Where do you get these GS ratings by race for each school? What does GS stand for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you get these GS ratings by race for each school? What does GS stand for?

GS = Greatschools. The scores are broken down by race and other factors.

[Anonymous]

"Seneca Ridge MS. The HS is Dominion"

Just make sure Dominion offers the sports you want at the level you want. It's all about the sports out here, unlike Ffx where it's all about the academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

This is what I am wondering. My children are second generation Indian-Americans. Are you trying to avoid having your children attend school with children like mine? Do you want your children to only be friends with other white children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

This is what I am wondering. My children are second generation Indian-Americans. Are you trying to avoid having your children attend school with children like mine? Do you want your children to only be friends with other white children?

The minority kids self-segregate anyway, especially in middle and high school, so it hardly matters. Plus, many of them talk poorly of the white students so there is a double-standard in the oh-so-desired "diversity" of the area, and I want no part of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

This is what I am wondering. My children are second generation Indian-Americans. Are you trying to avoid having your children attend school with children like mine? Do you want your children to only be friends with other white children?

The minority kids self-segregate anyway, especially in middle and high school, so it hardly matters. Plus, many of them talk poorly of the white students so there is a double-standard in the oh-so-desired "diversity" of the area, and I want no part of that.

What do you want no part of - the diversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

This is what I am wondering. My children are second generation Indian-Americans. Are you trying to avoid having your children attend school with children like mine? Do you want your children to only be friends with other white children?

The minority kids self-segregate anyway, especially in middle and high school, so it hardly matters. Plus, many of them talk poorly of the white students so there is a double-standard in the oh-so-desired "diversity" of the area, and I want no part of that.

What do you want no part of - the diversity?

OP here. The above reply was not from me. I want my kids around other conscientious college-bound kids. Kids who spend a lot of their free time studying and doing homework, volunteering, participating in music, etc. I don't care about color. I'm also concerned about the class divide at the school - looking at the boundary, it's very much haves and have-nots - not much "middle".

[Anonymous]

I'd be ok with this; it looks like the middle school we were slated for in Fairfax. (we moved to Arlington before that point.) We looked at Arlington houses with schools that were 20% white and 50% FARMS and I wasn't ok with that. A 20ish % of FARMS doesn't concern me much. Those are pretty good SOL scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. The above reply was not from me. I want my kids around other conscientious college-bound kids. Kids who spend a lot of their free time studying and doing homework, volunteering, participating in music, etc. I don't care about color. I'm also concerned about the class divide at the school - looking at the boundary, it's very much haves and have-nots - not much "middle".

OP - I am sorry, but you do sound elitist. And also very naive.

How exactly do you reconcile wanting diversity with not wanting a "class divide"? I suspect you really don't give a shit about diversity and (if you could actually afford it) would send your child to an all-white school, where everybody was wealthy. Your kids sound like they would fit right in at the likes of Landon and Georgetown Prep.

Or perhaps you should just move out of this area.

If you don't realize the benefits of having your child educated in a "real world" environment, where people of difference ethnicities AND socio-economic environments attend the same school, then you really are not cut out for public school in this area (unless you reside in Great Falls or McLean).

Open your mind a little. It may actually make your kids better human beings...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the pass rates were the same as noted but the ethnic make up was 90% white would you still be asking?

This is what I am wondering. My children are second generation Indian-Americans. Are you trying to avoid having your children attend school with children like mine? Do you want your children to only be friends with other white children?

The minority kids self-segregate anyway, especially in middle and high school, so it hardly matters. Plus, many of them talk poorly of the white students so there is a double-standard in the oh-so-desired "diversity" of the area, and I want no part of that.

What do you want no part of - the diversity?

OP here. The above reply was not from me. I want my kids around other conscientious college-bound kids. Kids who spend a lot of their free time studying and doing homework, volunteering, participating in music, etc. I don't care about color. I'm also concerned about the class divide at the school - looking at the boundary, it's very much haves and have-nots - not much "middle".

LOL!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. The above reply was not from me. I want my kids around other conscientious college-bound kids. Kids who spend a lot of their free time studying and doing homework, volunteering, participating in music, etc. I don't care about color. I'm also concerned about the class divide at the school - looking at the boundary, it's very much haves and have-nots - not much "middle".

OP - I am sorry, but you do sound elitist. And also very naive.

How exactly do you reconcile wanting diversity with not wanting a "class divide"? I suspect you really don't give a shit about diversity and (if you could actually afford it) would send your child to an all-white school, where everybody was wealthy. Your kids sound like they would fit right in at the likes of Landon and Georgetown Prep.

Or perhaps you should just move out of this area.

If you don't realize the benefits of having your child educated in a "real world" environment, where people of difference ethnicities AND socio-economic environments attend the same school, then you really are not cut out for public school in this area (unless you reside in Great Falls or McLean).

Open your mind a little. It may actually make your kids better human beings...

OP again. I may be both of those things, but that does not make my concerns uncommon or unwarranted. And I am trying to open my mind, which is why I posted here. Sorry if I upset you!