Tell me about Alexandria and South Arlington Schools
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Anonymous
Nope, it means wealthier folks, exactly as written. You are injecting your own prejudices into this conversation. I'm not going to tell you where I live because you are clearly unhinged, but I can promise you the wealth moving into my neighborhood is coming packaged in many different shades, as it should. |
Anonymous
That's the best you can do? What are you, 12? The uninspiring atmosphere of the drab Fairfax suburbs seems to be infecting your brain. Like I said, get back to your provincial existence and stop posting your vapid nonsense on DCUM. I'm going to take my morning walk across the Key Bridge to Georgetown now. Bye. |
Anonymous
Arlington is the definition of bland mediocrity. It's for people who can neither handle real cities nor afford nicer suburbs. It's no surprise, then, that FCPS has far more talented students: 237 National Merit Semifinalists this year vs. eight in all of APS, and multiple schools that have more NMSF than all four high schools in APS combined. Do they teach anything in those schools other than an exaggerated sense of self-esteem? |
Anonymous
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Oh geez. It's the nmsf poster again...
They teach Arlington students to not be broken records... Why are we talking about Fairfax? Didn't the OP want a discussion about South Arlington schools and Alexandria CITY schools? They aren't interested in Fairfax. I'm guessing this thread got immediately hijacked because the usual suspects lurking on these threads don't have anything of substance to contribute. Which is a shame because I would love to hear some first hand accounts of both areas. |
Anonymous
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Hello, OP. Getting back to your original question, I'm happy to give my two cents on Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
We have one child in elementary school and one child in middle school. We have been very pleased with the quality of academic instruction at both levels. One child was identified early as "gifted" and one was not, so we have experience with the TAG program as well as the general education program. We feel that both kids have been given sufficient challenge and support as needed. In the 8 years we have had children in the schools, we have only had one teacher that we felt was not great, and she was gone the following year. (I fully admit that we may have a bit of a charmed life in this respect, but it is our experience.) For your reference, our elementary school has one of the higher FARMS rates in the system. We do not feel that it has had a negative impact on our kids. To the contrary, we like that they have friends across the socio-economic spectrum. We have been pleasantly surprised by middle school (DC is at GW). We were concerned about the transition, but the school is really well-run and the teachers DC has had are excellent. I wish my middle school experience had been as good as DC's is. We have also been pleased with the arts education. The orchestra program is well-known and well-regarded throughout the state and the region. The choir program is also very strong and well-regarded. While the recognition of those programs comes at the middle and high school levels, the elementary pipeline into them is strong. Our elementary school also has a dance integration program that augments the curriculum with dance. For example, using dance to support a lesson in the different types of cloud formations, the teachers had kids up and moving and making up dances to demonstrate the different cloud types. Programs like that vary by school, of course, but they are out there. The middle school speech and drama program is also very strong and has great community support. The national PTA "Reflections" art contest is also well-supported by the area PTAs. In fairness, the band program is not as strong as the other arts programs, but it is fine. By and large I think that the elementary schools are strong. The biggest issue facing all of the elementary schools is overcrowding due to increased enrollment. It looks like the city council will fully fund capital improvement projects aimed at relieving the overcrowding - between a new elementary school and some school modernization projects. That will help the space-squeeze. Even with overcrowding, ACPS has kept its class size caps in elementary stable: K is capped at 22; First and Second is capped at 24; Third through Fifth is capped at 26. Each school will have its own strengths and weaknesses, of course. I also think that middle school, at least at GW, is strong. I cannot speak to the high school (TC Williams), since we do not have direct experience there. I do worry about the size of the school, but there can be benefits to the size as well in the number of programs that are offered. I can say that I have been impressed by the TC students in our neighborhood, many of whom I have watched grow up. They seem to be enjoying their experience. The handful that I happen to know in our neighborhood that are now in college went to good schools (UVA, Brown, VaTech, Bryn Mawr, Cornell). We will consider private at the high school level when we get there, but we are hoping that TC will turn out to surprise us the way GW has done. ACPS has its issues, no doubt, as does every public school system. But I think that the vitriol that comes out on this board is not deserved. I think if you find a neighborhood/community that you like in Alexandria then you will be happy there and your kids will be happy in the schools. I suspect the same holds true for Arlington. Good luck, OP. |
Anonymous
Objective data is better evidence than anecdotes about 2nd graders getting IPads in APS. APS isn't anything special so you might as well look in Alexandria if you want a place with more character than ugly Arlington. |
Anonymous
| Can we all just ignore the above poster with some weird axe to grind? |
Anonymous
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South Arlington is about to go through a bit of a shake up. There is a new elementary school being built, so there will be some shifting around of student populations. There has been some speculation about that, but I don't believe anything has been set in stone.
I think there is redistricting happening in ACPS as well, so it would seem you will run into this issue whichever you pick. Both have issues with overcrowding, but that's many schools in nova. |
Anonymous
Because the OP is currently is in Fairfax, can't afford North Arlington, and is concerned about the difference in schools? |
Anonymous
They asked about the differences between south Arlington and ACPS. I assume they know what ffx is like. |
Anonymous
Agreed. Let's get back to OP's question and shed some insight about the two school systems. |
Anonymous
OP did not ask about these two areas. Can we get back on track? |
Anonymous
Assume whatever you like, but the OP is weighing the pros and cons of a move. |
Anonymous
OP, the above is roughly consistent with our ACPS experiences. Our elementary was Barrett, which is wonderful in every respect. Now at TC, which is truly impressive; the all-honors classes are better than what is promised (caution: parents demanded rigor, and rigor they got -- you should assume that a kid in the selective and self-selective special programs will have a mountain of work and reduced free time). The social environment is busy, diverse, and engaging. In 7 years so far, we have not had a single catastrophic teacher, and the blah-teachers have been outnumbered (vastly) by the really good ones. |
Anonymous
| My child is in an ACPS elementary. It has good and bad points. I think that the diversity is a good point - I like that my child has friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds. I am not a big fan of the TAG program. My child's strengths are math and science, and at least for elementary, TAG has not really been that challenging for her. |