What’s so special about McLean schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It lacks special Ed kids, minorities, and ESOL kids so the scores are really high. Sort or like TJ, but you don't need to apply.

Sorry, what? There are plenty of special Ed kids (multiple buses at our high school for them), minorities (Asian, Middle Eastern), and ESOL kids. ESOL can be kids from anywhere who are new to the U.S.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Lack of low-quality low-income housing in Mclean districting. Lack of apartments that allow 2, 3 illegal immigrant families to cram into the bedrooms and result in severe over-crowding in schools. Lots of parents who are professionals who are themselves intelligent which is largely a product of genetic inheritance.

Because the BOS forces these apartments into other neighborhoods while leaving Mclean/Langley mostly single family.

Yup. I'm a relative newbie. Why do they do this?

No metro, so no dense building.

There are apartments that feed into McLean and even more into Marshall. Langley has no apartments and only a few townhouse communities.

The School Board should move many of the apartments in Tysons to Langley to take advantage of the extra capacity there and add some diversity.

We're talking low quality/"affordable" apartments that is also poorly managed/deliberately managed to ignore overcrowding. If these exist in McLean, they don't exist in the large quantities that they do in other parts of FFx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It lacks special Ed kids, minorities, and ESOL kids so the scores are really high. Sort or like TJ, but you don't need to apply.

Sorry, what? There are plenty of special Ed kids (multiple buses at our high school for them), minorities (Asian, Middle Eastern), and ESOL kids. ESOL can be kids from anywhere who are new to the U.S.

Lol @ "plenty." Hey pal, come take a look at my local FFX school and I'll show you "plenty." Hence your school is a 9 and mine is a 3.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Lack of low-quality low-income housing in Mclean districting. Lack of apartments that allow 2, 3 illegal immigrant families to cram into the bedrooms and result in severe over-crowding in schools. Lots of parents who are professionals who are themselves intelligent which is largely a product of genetic inheritance.

Because the BOS forces these apartments into other neighborhoods while leaving Mclean/Langley mostly single family.

Yup. I'm a relative newbie. Why do they do this?

No metro, so no dense building.

There are apartments that feed into McLean and even more into Marshall. Langley has no apartments and only a few townhouse communities.

The School Board should move many of the apartments in Tysons to Langley to take advantage of the extra capacity there and add some diversity.

We're talking low quality/"affordable" apartments that is also poorly managed/deliberately managed to ignore overcrowding. If these exist in McLean, they don't exist in the large quantities that they do in other parts of FFx.

It would be a start to make most of Tysons part of Langley.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Lack of low-quality low-income housing in Mclean districting. Lack of apartments that allow 2, 3 illegal immigrant families to cram into the bedrooms and result in severe over-crowding in schools. Lots of parents who are professionals who are themselves intelligent which is largely a product of genetic inheritance.

Because the BOS forces these apartments into other neighborhoods while leaving Mclean/Langley mostly single family.

Yup. I'm a relative newbie. Why do they do this?

No metro, so no dense building.

The West Falls Church and Spring Hill Metro stations are both in the McLean HS district.

The Dunn Loring, McLean, Tysons and Greensboro stations are all in the Marshall HS district.

West Falls Church's immediate vicinity is Falls Church City and Rt66.

Dunn Loring is not in McLean's district and it is getting built up in the past 5 years or so.
McLean, Tyson's, Greensboro and Springhill are at the edges of McLean and are new. There are apartment buildings being built now.

Most of McLean was built up when Fairfax was still more of a rural county. That makes it more expensive for developers to build denser projects. It is easier to build where the land is cheaper.

MHS does have 8-10% free and reduced lunch recipients and some come from the areas that you mention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:26% of students in grades 9-12 in McLean (22101) go private so many parents agree there is nothing special about Mclean public schools.

It is because 26% of those kids come from upper middle class, wealthy and super wealthy families. Those families don't want their kids to hang out with kids from West Falls Church and Falls Church @Mclean HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:26% of students in grades 9-12 in McLean (22101) go private so many parents agree there is nothing special about Mclean public schools.

It is because 26% of those kids come from upper middle class, wealthy and super wealthy families. Those families don't want their kids to hang out with kids from West Falls Church and Falls Church @Mclean HS.

Some might feel that way, but most of the private school kids live in the Langley HS areas. It’s one reason why Langley’s enrollment has dropped below 2000, while the enrollment at McLean is at an all-time high.

[Anonymous]

I love how people fortunate enough to be wealthy are demonized on DCUM every day. For example, saying wealthy people "don't want their kids to hang out with kids from WFC..." If most of us parents were wealthy enough that sending our kids to a premier private school was a very easy finanical decision - most would do so. You aren't going to convince me that wouldn't be the case with your diversity this and social that. Everyone wants to give their children a strong education in a safe environment. But everyone can keep talking as though the wealthy people in this area are all evil selfish devils FWIW I live in McLean, but I send my kids to public and I am most definitely not wealthy.

[Anonymous]

There is a large private school population east of Kirby that is zoned for McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:26% of students in grades 9-12 in McLean (22101) go private so many parents agree there is nothing special about Mclean public schools.

In some neighborhoods (mine) that figure jumps to about 98%. I know only 1 family with 2 kids who go public; we're zoned for Churchill/Cooper/Langley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Students are mostly children of two college educated parents who value education, and have the means to fund extracurricular activities and enrichment. Therefore, The schools have higher test scores and more advanced students.

Bingo +1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a large private school population east of Kirby that is zoned for McLean.

Large? Some of the folks who own big houses right off Kirby or in Franklin Park send their kids to privates, but most east of Kirby go to Chesterbrook (or Haycock), Longfellow and McLean.

[Anonymous]

MHS parent here. As I've posted elsewhere, I don't think McLean schools are as special as they think they are. Their scores - and reputation - are boosted by a student body that self-selects for academic success. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I do feel MHS' administration is a bit complacent as a result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MHS parent here. As I've posted elsewhere, I don't think McLean schools are as special as they think they are. Their scores - and reputation - are boosted by a student body that self-selects for academic success. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I do feel MHS' administration is a bit complacent as a result.

We are currently in a rated 4-5 school pyramid (Alexandria/Springfield). Whites are minority here. We fear our kids won’t have a strong peer group in high school. I believe many students don’t go to college or opt for community college. I told DH our kids can be the top of the class but DH wants to move for better schools sooner than later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MHS parent here. As I've posted elsewhere, I don't think McLean schools are as special as they think they are. Their scores - and reputation - are boosted by a student body that self-selects for academic success. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I do feel MHS' administration is a bit complacent as a result.

I'm sure you are right that they are complacent although I bet Mclean parents keep them on their toes. Other schools have different problems and admin may also be tone deaf to issues of UMC kids as well.