Excellent, but not crazy competitive school districts in VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:West Springfield/Lake Braddock/Robinson pyramids.

Why? Lake Braddock and Robinson are very large secondary schools. Lots of competition going on there, even if there are some other schools with higher test scores.

West Springfield, Lake Braddock, and Robinson are all schools that are basically uniformly middle class/upper middle class. There's a bit of racial/ethnic diversity, but economically the kids are all basically normal kids.

For the secondary schools, the size works in both ways. There's plenty for kids to do and it's big enough that there's no dominant "culture." It's much more kids finding their niches. Academically all three are strong enough schools without TJ craziness (note -- even though all three are close-ish to TJ, very few kids actually go to TJ because they are perfectly happy with their home schools. It's not a pressure cooker area.

It cuts both ways. Kids aren't going to be the tippy top. It's a place where people are fine with their kids going to Tech or JMU or VCU. It's not UVA or die around here (though plenty do attend UVA).

That's quite self-serving. Kids from families with more or less money - and those schools are about 10-16% low-income - are "normal," too.

Also, a large number of kids from Lake Braddock, which has the local AAP center, apply to TJ every year. They are just admitted at substantially lower rates than at some of the other middle school feeders to TJ. Perhaps that supports the notion that it's a lower-pressure area, but surely most of the kids who took the test would have gone to TJ if they'd been admitted.

Actually that's not true. In terms of demographics AAP students at lake Braddock pass on TJ at a much higher rate than Demographically similar schools.

+1. Our DD graduated from LB and was also in AAP in ES and MS. Quite a few of her friends took the TJ tests to placate their parents and several were admitted. Very few elected to go because they preferred the environment at LB. There were also quite a few that likely would have been admitted but chose not to take the tests because they knew they didn’t want to leave LB.

She also had several AAP friends from MS who went back to their base school for HS (WS, Robo) rather than pursue TJ for those same reasons.

This might be more convincing if you could show that a substantially smaller percentage of LB AAP kids apply to TJ than the kids from other AAP centers in the county.

Otherwise, such anecdotes ("oh, we never really wanted to go there anyway") aren't very persuasive. After all, if the area was as relaxed as you claim, kids wouldn't take the TJ tests to placate their parents, because their parents would happily keep them at their base schools.

Not looking to split hairs or provide scientific data on applications to TJ.

Just trying to let OP know that LB, WS, Robo and the surrounding schools are great places to send their kids. Regardless of the number of kids who apply, don’t apply, or choose to go to TJ, the schools have strong students and involved parents. Lots of academic and extracurricular options and successful kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:West Springfield/Lake Braddock/Robinson pyramids.

Why? Lake Braddock and Robinson are very large secondary schools. Lots of competition going on there, even if there are some other schools with higher test scores.

West Springfield, Lake Braddock, and Robinson are all schools that are basically uniformly middle class/upper middle class. There's a bit of racial/ethnic diversity, but economically the kids are all basically normal kids.

For the secondary schools, the size works in both ways. There's plenty for kids to do and it's big enough that there's no dominant "culture." It's much more kids finding their niches. Academically all three are strong enough schools without TJ craziness (note -- even though all three are close-ish to TJ, very few kids actually go to TJ because they are perfectly happy with their home schools. It's not a pressure cooker area.

It cuts both ways. Kids aren't going to be the tippy top. It's a place where people are fine with their kids going to Tech or JMU or VCU. It's not UVA or die around here (though plenty do attend UVA).

That's quite self-serving. Kids from families with more or less money - and those schools are about 10-16% low-income - are "normal," too.

Also, a large number of kids from Lake Braddock, which has the local AAP center, apply to TJ every year. They are just admitted at substantially lower rates than at some of the other middle school feeders to TJ. Perhaps that supports the notion that it's a lower-pressure area, but surely most of the kids who took the test would have gone to TJ if they'd been admitted.

Actually that's not true. In terms of demographics AAP students at lake Braddock pass on TJ at a much higher rate than Demographically similar schools.

+1. Our DD graduated from LB and was also in AAP in ES and MS. Quite a few of her friends took the TJ tests to placate their parents and several were admitted. Very few elected to go because they preferred the environment at LB. There were also quite a few that likely would have been admitted but chose not to take the tests because they knew they didn’t want to leave LB.

She also had several AAP friends from MS who went back to their base school for HS (WS, Robo) rather than pursue TJ for those same reasons.

This might be more convincing if you could show that a substantially smaller percentage of LB AAP kids apply to TJ than the kids from other AAP centers in the county.

Otherwise, such anecdotes ("oh, we never really wanted to go there anyway") aren't very persuasive. After all, if the area was as relaxed as you claim, kids wouldn't take the TJ tests to placate their parents, because their parents would happily keep them at their base schools.

OP this back and forth arguing by the TJ poster is an example.of the differences in focuses between the TO crazy areas and the more laid back pyramids where TJ craziness just really is not a focus/big deal.

It is great if kids get in there but also great if their interests are elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

My kids are still young but FWIW we live in the LBSS pyramid. My oldest is currently in AAP. The LBSS kids I interact with as babysitters, coaches, etc. are so awesome IMO! To me they seem smart, kind, well rounded, friendly, etc. I do not plan to suggest any of my kids apply to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marshall Road/Mosby Woods (AAP) + THoreau + Madison/Oakton (if you are in the Mosby base zone).

Mix of kids. Thoreau will benefit from the diversity that Mosby Woods brings when it is re-zoned. It is very chill and nurturing.

No rezoning has been approved and, hopefully, the School Board will take a hard look at the impact that moving Mosby Woods to Thoreau would have on both Jackson MS and, indirectly, Falls Church HS.

Don't want to derail this thread, but based on the community mtgs (and what was offered by fcps), this IS happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are still young but FWIW we live in the LBSS pyramid. My oldest is currently in AAP. The LBSS kids I interact with as babysitters, coaches, etc. are so awesome IMO! To me they seem smart, kind, well rounded, friendly, etc. I do not plan to suggest any of my kids apply to TJ.

Edit - not to say TJ kids aren't. Just that I don't see a huge benefit to changing schools when LBSS seems great from what I hear and see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington, especially in the Yorktown pyramid. Amazing resources for kids, close to DC and families that nurture kids in a healthy environment. We do not see the competitiveness that you find nearby.

What a load of sh!t

Why do you say this? Do you feel the YTown pyramid does not have the resources or nurturing, or do you disagree that it is not competitive? Schools in the YTown pyramid are big, but not as large as the FCPS, for instance.

Listen, competitive parents who want top scores move the 3 feet over to McLean, so folks in Yorktown chose it for shorter commute and smaller county, which is more laid back choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:West Springfield/Lake Braddock/Robinson pyramids.

Why? Lake Braddock and Robinson are very large secondary schools. Lots of competition going on there, even if there are some other schools with higher test scores.

West Springfield, Lake Braddock, and Robinson are all schools that are basically uniformly middle class/upper middle class. There's a bit of racial/ethnic diversity, but economically the kids are all basically normal kids.

For the secondary schools, the size works in both ways. There's plenty for kids to do and it's big enough that there's no dominant "culture." It's much more kids finding their niches. Academically all three are strong enough schools without TJ craziness (note -- even though all three are close-ish to TJ, very few kids actually go to TJ because they are perfectly happy with their home schools. It's not a pressure cooker area.

It cuts both ways. Kids aren't going to be the tippy top. It's a place where people are fine with their kids going to Tech or JMU or VCU. It's not UVA or die around here (though plenty do attend UVA).

That's quite self-serving. Kids from families with more or less money - and those schools are about 10-16% low-income - are "normal," too.

Also, a large number of kids from Lake Braddock, which has the local AAP center, apply to TJ every year. They are just admitted at substantially lower rates than at some of the other middle school feeders to TJ. Perhaps that supports the notion that it's a lower-pressure area, but surely most of the kids who took the test would have gone to TJ if they'd been admitted.

Actually that's not true. In terms of demographics AAP students at lake Braddock pass on TJ at a much higher rate than Demographically similar schools.

+1. Our DD graduated from LB and was also in AAP in ES and MS. Quite a few of her friends took the TJ tests to placate their parents and several were admitted. Very few elected to go because they preferred the environment at LB. There were also quite a few that likely would have been admitted but chose not to take the tests because they knew they didn’t want to leave LB.

She also had several AAP friends from MS who went back to their base school for HS (WS, Robo) rather than pursue TJ for those same reasons.

This might be more convincing if you could show that a substantially smaller percentage of LB AAP kids apply to TJ than the kids from other AAP centers in the county.

Otherwise, such anecdotes ("oh, we never really wanted to go there anyway") aren't very persuasive. After all, if the area was as relaxed as you claim, kids wouldn't take the TJ tests to placate their parents, because their parents would happily keep them at their base schools.

OP this back and forth arguing by the TJ poster is an example.of the differences in focuses between the TO crazy areas and the more laid back pyramids where TJ craziness just really is not a focus/big deal.

It is great if kids get in there but also great if their interests are elsewhere.

Uh, it was a LB/Robinson/WS poster that brought up TJ in the first instance. Otherwise it wouldn't be part of the discussion.

There are plenty of other schools for OP to consider, even if the LB/Robinson/WS posters try to portray the schools with higher test scores as "pressure cookers" or pretend the schools that have more low-income kids than those three don't exist. What about Hayfield or South County?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking to move to VA from DC and not exactly sure where to look. I'd like to buy a home in an area that has really good public schools that aren't cutthroat competitive and looking for recommendations. Thanks! Also interested in gifted and talented programs.

The real answer is that, depending on your budget, any place in Fairfax (assume you want Fairfax, since it has the best advanced academic programs in Northern Virginia) will be fine. The only school that really has a reputation for being "cutthroat competitive" is TJ, which is a magnet high school, and even that reputation is probably exaggerated.

If you don't care about access to AAP in Fairfax, Arlington is fine, although you'll generally be paying more for housing.

[Anonymous]

One of the WS posters here.

Hayfield and South County are fine. Haven't really heard much either way about them. Kingstowne is great and they have Wegmans.

The thing is, the default argument for the stressed school areas seems to be "...but TJ! You aren't sending as many kids to TJ!"

And when that is your go to argument in a thread asking for laid back schools, that just emphasizes that maybe your focus is a little to high pressure to give a valuable recommendation for this thread about laid back schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the WS posters here.

Hayfield and South County are fine. Haven't really heard much either way about them. Kingstowne is great and they have Wegmans.

The thing is, the default argument for the stressed school areas seems to be "...but TJ! You aren't sending as many kids to TJ!"

And when that is your go to argument in a thread asking for laid back schools, that just emphasizes that maybe your focus is a little to high pressure to give a valuable recommendation for this thread about laid back schools.

No one has made that argument on this thread.

However, when a WS (or Lake Braddock or Robinson) poster goes out of their way to argue that their school is so great that kids from the pyramid don't want to go to TJ (arguably the best high school in the nation), it's not unfair to point out that this is likely a bit of a spin job. The reality is surely more nuanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the WS posters here.

Hayfield and South County are fine. Haven't really heard much either way about them. Kingstowne is great and they have Wegmans.

The thing is, the default argument for the stressed school areas seems to be "...but TJ! You aren't sending as many kids to TJ!"

And when that is your go to argument in a thread asking for laid back schools, that just emphasizes that maybe your focus is a little to high pressure to give a valuable recommendation for this thread about laid back schools.

Everyone ignores the Hayfield pyramid, and I'm not sure why. Snobbery, I suppose. My kids go there. It's been great! The schools aren't overcrowded, they are in good shape (no trailers!), and they have all the MS honors and AP programs. Recent HS grads have gotten into MIT and other great schools. Kingstowne is nice, the people are friendly. I hope Hayfield stays off the radar.

[Anonymous]

There are multiple posters saying Robinson, WS, LBSS.
They are by far the most popular choices for what Op has asked.
There are other perfectly fine schools, but when you say you are looking for good, but less pressure- these are the most popular choices.
I also agree with pp about the TJ quibbler- you are putting an exclamation point on why people are looking for schools like WS, LBSS, and Robinson.
I would have added Chantilly to that list, but understand there is a TJ or bust mentality in the lower grades. Not what OP is searching out.

[Anonymous]

To me this is just a thinly veiled post to weed out the high achieving schools with fewer Asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me this is just a thinly veiled post to weed out the high achieving schools with fewer Asians.

Really? To me, this a post to weed out the high SES schools (Langley, Mclean). I guess we each see what we want to see (or don't want to see).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you have lot of $$$, go to Churchill ES/Cooper MS/Langley HS enclave. Not so much money, Kent Garden ES/Long Fellow MS/Mclean HS

How much does a home cost in the Kent Garden ES zone?