Buying in Arlington Village (Columbia Pike) — currently Drew ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

Those are the families that never show up. Where are the stats saying those who start don't finish, or leave by 3rd grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

Those are the families that never show up. Where are the stats showing those who start don't finish, or leave by 3rd grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

Those are the families that never show up. Where are the stats showing those who start don't finish, or leave by 3rd grade?

People do give those schools a try.
Why don’t you try them out and report back to us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm going to assume your kids aren't in school yet and you don't have a lot of exposure to the current process or schools/ratings. That is totally fine. Most feedback you hear on schools will be Henry/Fleet is great (it is!), the rest in S Arlington are not. This is based more on test scores/demographics than actual experiences. Visit schools to get a feel but be aware that places like Drew will be changing significantly. Yes these things will affect your property value as well. There's no perfect answer. Arlington Village and that location on the Pike is a great place to live though, so you need to factor that into your decision making. Good luck.

This is OP. My child is 2, and I haven't looked into schools at all until now. We rent in North Arlington but can't afford to buy here so are looking to buy in South Arlington. In response to a different poster who said, essentially, "Why did you ask then, if not about housing prices?": I asked this question TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SEND MY CHILD TO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm going to assume your kids aren't in school yet and you don't have a lot of exposure to the current process or schools/ratings. That is totally fine. Most feedback you hear on schools will be Henry/Fleet is great (it is!), the rest in S Arlington are not. This is based more on test scores/demographics than actual experiences. Visit schools to get a feel but be aware that places like Drew will be changing significantly. Yes these things will affect your property value as well. There's no perfect answer. Arlington Village and that location on the Pike is a great place to live though, so you need to factor that into your decision making. Good luck.

This is OP. My child is 2, and I haven't looked into schools at all until now. We rent in North Arlington but can't afford to buy here so are looking to buy in South Arlington. In response to a different poster who said, essentially, "Why did you ask then, if not about housing prices?": I asked this question TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SEND MY CHILD TO.

You can’t afford the good schools.
Maybe look in Fairlington zoned Abingdon. That school seems to be on the upswing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm going to assume your kids aren't in school yet and you don't have a lot of exposure to the current process or schools/ratings. That is totally fine. Most feedback you hear on schools will be Henry/Fleet is great (it is!), the rest in S Arlington are not. This is based more on test scores/demographics than actual experiences. Visit schools to get a feel but be aware that places like Drew will be changing significantly. Yes these things will affect your property value as well. There's no perfect answer. Arlington Village and that location on the Pike is a great place to live though, so you need to factor that into your decision making. Good luck.

This is OP. My child is 2, and I haven't looked into schools at all until now. We rent in North Arlington but can't afford to buy here so are looking to buy in South Arlington. In response to a different poster who said, essentially, "Why did you ask then, if not about housing prices?": I asked this question TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SEND MY CHILD TO.

If you’re leery about committing to purchasing a home in S Arlington until knowing if that house will be zoned Henry (good school, safe, and known) or Drew (unknown, trying to establish itself) you might want to look outside Arlington altogether. APS can change school boundaries every 5 years. You could buy a house thinking you’re zoned for Fleet, and then a few years down the road, could be re-zoned to a less regarded school. And you wouldn’t want anyone calling you “gross” for being concerned about that, or about the fact you lost $30k in equity..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm going to assume your kids aren't in school yet and you don't have a lot of exposure to the current process or schools/ratings. That is totally fine. Most feedback you hear on schools will be Henry/Fleet is great (it is!), the rest in S Arlington are not. This is based more on test scores/demographics than actual experiences. Visit schools to get a feel but be aware that places like Drew will be changing significantly. Yes these things will affect your property value as well. There's no perfect answer. Arlington Village and that location on the Pike is a great place to live though, so you need to factor that into your decision making. Good luck.

This is OP. My child is 2, and I haven't looked into schools at all until now. We rent in North Arlington but can't afford to buy here so are looking to buy in South Arlington. In response to a different poster who said, essentially, "Why did you ask then, if not about housing prices?": I asked this question TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SEND MY CHILD TO.

OP - this is really hard b/c your kids are so little and you're prob not exactly sure what you're looking for. I am the one who posted the comment above. We bought in SA before we dreamt about having kids. We like our neighborhood and the growth we've seen on the Pike. Our school is not rated highly. It is highly F&R Lunch school. Our kids love it and are flourishing. They have great teachers and small class sizes. The kids are nice. It is not the school I would have picked if I was buying a house when I had kids b/c I would have looked at the ratings which are based on test scores which are bad. At the same time, I do believe that the educational support in Arlington is very good. I think you should buy in a place that you want to live and try it out. However, I would probably wait until the school situation is sorted out b/c you may be able to pay less in certain areas like the one you are currently looking. It's just a factor to be aware of.

[Anonymous]

No offense, OP, but I'd suggest you spend more time doing some research on these boards before posting loaded questions. You'll find thousands upon thousands of posts about the schools you're asking about, as well as the boundary process. Good luck with your home purchase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

Those are the families that never show up. Where are the stats showing those who start don't finish, or leave by 3rd grade?

People do give those schools a try.
Why don’t you try them out and report back to us.

Parent of rising third grader here. Yes, I’ll be putting my child in private school. And no I’m not willing to go from the top performing school in SA to the lowest performing school. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get an idea of what many of that underperforming schools are like, because people pull their kids out around 3rd grade. Of course that should tell you something.

I've seen this mentioned before and I think it's probably the same person each time. Where are your stats/proof?

I talk to my neighbors. You should give it a try.

So you're making an assumption for EVERYONE in SA schools based on your own small cohort. That is fine but let's make sure that we're clear about it. I haven't seen data to support this, if it exists would be good to see but I'm not sure it does to reflect either position, in which case we are left to those screaming the loudest.

Oh come on. The STATS are evident in the schools that NEVER improve. The cohort of middle class kids never grows, despite neighborhood turn over. Despite playgrounds bursting with kids. Wake up.
But no you’re right. It must be the same poster. All the time. Every time. That must be it. Couldn’t possibly be a prevailing pattern.

Those are the families that never show up. Where are the stats showing those who start don't finish, or leave by 3rd grade?

People do give those schools a try.
Why don’t you try them out and report back to us.

Parent of rising third grader here. Yes, I’ll be putting my child in private school. And no I’m not willing to go from the top performing school in SA to the lowest performing school. Sorry.

So you're admitting that you aren't giving the schools we're talking about a try. Okay. You're not proving PP's point. I think the majority of people never even enroll their kids in K at these schools. There's no magic thing that happens at 3rd grade. If the school is terrible, you'd know it well before then. And if you discover a school is terrible in K and you fail to act until third grade, is it the school's fault? Maybe your kids aren't progressing because you've abdicated the entirety of parenting to your child's school? It's not like there are a lot of secrets and Arlington parents talk a lot, and post even more online. You can easily find out what activities, clubs, filed trips, etc. are happening or not just by checking PTA websites and Twitter feeds. Hell, you can even find out many PTA budgets. Parents don't give higher poverty schools a chance. They just don't. Which is why bad boundaries are so stupid and make things a lot worse than they'd be otherwise.

[Anonymous]

There are families that give these schools a try for K maybe 1st and 2nd.
3rd is a crucial year. Everyone knows that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are families that give these schools a try for K maybe 1st and 2nd.
3rd is a crucial year. Everyone knows that.

No "everyone" doesn't. 3rd grade is crucial how? Frankly, you are a terrible parent if you let your kids languish for 1-3 years before making a move. That's why I don't believe you. There aren't that many lazy or incompetent parents in Arlington. You are making stuff up.