Help me understand public HS in Alexandria

[Anonymous]

We are moving to Alexandria in about year and I am trying to think through school options for my DD, who will be entering 9th grade when we move next summer. She has been in a small private school until now. We are considering both public and private school options for her, but I could use some help understanding the logistics of how public school works. Here is what I think I know, along with some questions. I'd be grateful for corrections/additions/thoughts from those with Alexandria experience!

-- As a 9th grader she'd be in a separate building with all the other 9th graders. Is this a completely contained 9th grade experience? What is the average class size?

-- My understanding is that there is not gifted and talented program for which students must be selected based on grades and test scores. If I am understanding this correctly, honors classes are open to all interested students. Is that right? Do they have to maintain a certain grade to stay in the honors classes? How does one go about determining which class levels would be appropriate for a child coming from a different school system?

-- For 10th to 12th, they go to TC Williams, right-- is the above also true for TC Williams, in terms of honors classes? More generally, do kids have much freedom in selecting their classes/areas of concentration, or is this basically set with little room for electives?

-- What is class size like at TC?

-- I have heard that TC is in some ways many schools within one big school. Could someone expand on that? If DD takes honors classes, is she likely to be with the same group of.... 50? 100? 200? kids in most of her classes (I don't mean in each class: I mean, is there is finite community of kids she will see throughout the day, so she can easily get to know people, or is she likely to be with a whole different batch of kids every hour?) I am wondering what it would be like for her to adapt, going from a small school where she has known the same fifty kids for a decade to a large public school. Is there much sense of community, or is TC Williams too large for kids to really get to know each other well if they don't already come in with strong friendships?

-- What is college counseling like for kids who do fairly well? And what about kids who get Bs -- where do they end up? Are there any statistics available on GPA/test scores and college destinations?

-- To what degree would you say that the curriculum "teaches to the test," versus offers creative and innovative approaches? Is there any room for personalized learning?

-- Any comments on teacher quality, overall? Can kids develop strong relationships with teachers, or is the school just too large for that?

-- What is the academic support like for kids who are overall high performers, but may struggle in a particular subject? Eg., DD struggles with math and is mildly dyslexic, though so far she has been able to get Bs and As. Would she be able to get help/support/accommodation if needed?


Sorry, a lot of questions, I know. Any answers appreciated. And yes, I do know TC Williams serves a racially and socio-economically diverse population and includes teen mothers, kids with little English, etc. For us this is a big plus, not a negative; our only concern is really about size, and whether sheer size and diversity of student backgrounds and needs makes classrooms impersonal and/or unmanageable for teachers. We would love DD to be in a more diverse school than she has been in previously -- but we also want her to feel that she's in an atmosphere in which it is possible to develop strong relationships with peers and teachers, and where she can both be challenged and can get help when needed.... Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Do you know for sure you are moving to the City of Alexandria?

The Alexandria portion of Fairfax County feeds to other schools.

The answers to your questions are simple. You will sign your rich, white* child who is basically intelligent, up for all honors and AP classes and she will be with kids who are the same as her. They will provide no support for any learning differences so be ready and willing to pay for tutors as needed.

*rich, black people avoid the City of Alexandria like the plague and I don't blame them.....

[Anonymous]

Well if it's diversity you are after, than TC is your school. TC is pretty good with kids at both ends of the academic spectrum; it's the middle where the struggle is. The school is huge. Bigger than many colleges, I would not expect a lot of small school style interaction.

Minnie Howard, or whatever they call it now, is at a different location. It is mostly self-contained except for sports and some ECs. If the nInth graders were on the main campus, it would just be too big. Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools.

[Anonymous]

" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

Good luck with that. I doubt it would happen but if it did that would be a great solution.

ACPS really needs to embrace and push for Charter schools. They could do for Alexandria what they did for DC.

OP - consider moving to Arlington - even their lowest rated High school is better than TC .

[Anonymous]

Yes! They really need three high schools. One for foreigners, one for blacks, and one for whites (each about a third of TC population).

But would that be any different than what we currently have? Except for the extra cost of having separate facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

Good luck with that. I doubt it would happen but if it did that would be a great solution.

ACPS really needs to embrace and push for Charter schools. They could do for Alexandria what they did for DC.

OP - consider moving to Arlington - even their lowest rated High school is better than TC .

Very debatable. I would take TC Williams over Wakefield in a heartbeat. TC is the only HS in Alexandria, but Wakefield is where APS sends most of the county's poor kids Yeah, they finally got a new building, but APS backed off with actually filling it with students, since they knew W-L parents would squeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

Good luck with that. I doubt it would happen but if it did that would be a great solution.

ACPS really needs to embrace and push for Charter schools. They could do for Alexandria what they did for DC.

OP - consider moving to Arlington - even their lowest rated High school is better than TC .

Never happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

Good luck with that. I doubt it would happen but if it did that would be a great solution.

ACPS really needs to embrace and push for Charter schools. They could do for Alexandria what they did for DC.

OP - consider moving to Arlington - even their lowest rated High school is better than TC .

Very debatable. I would take TC Williams over Wakefield in a heartbeat. TC is the only HS in Alexandria, but Wakefield is where APS sends most of the county's poor kids Yeah, they finally got a new building, but APS backed off with actually filling it with students, since they knew W-L parents would squeal.

TC is where all the City poor kids go. And there are lot of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:" Honestly, the City should probably have two high schools."

Given the ACPS projections (are they believable/true?), or even without them given ACPS and Alexandria, increasingly many are wondering if this is not true.

Valid question.

Good luck with that. I doubt it would happen but if it did that would be a great solution.

ACPS really needs to embrace and push for Charter schools. They could do for Alexandria what they did for DC.

OP - consider moving to Arlington - even their lowest rated High school is better than TC .

Very debatable. I would take TC Williams over Wakefield in a heartbeat. TC is the only HS in Alexandria, but Wakefield is where APS sends most of the county's poor kids Yeah, they finally got a new building, but APS backed off with actually filling it with students, since they knew W-L parents would squeal.

TC is where all the City poor kids go. And there are lot of them.

Indeed. But it's also where the middle-class and many upper-income families send their kids. You won't find as much of that over at Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Based on the stats I've seen, I don't see too much of a difference between TC and Wakefield. Seems like splitting hairs.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered buying a house in boundary for one of the schools in the Fairfax county parts of Alexandria? They are probably smaller than TCW, and while they're not among the highest ranked in Fairfax, they are still a part of a really great school district.

[Anonymous]

TC Williams? Why would you choose to go there?

[Anonymous]

OP, I would recommend you do a search for TC Williams, as you will get a number of other threads where parents of current or recently-graduated students chime in. As you can see, there are definitely folks who don't like TC Williams, and there are also many that do. (Interestingly, there are number of people who opt for private school for K-8, and then send their kid to TC Williams).
As others have posted, it is definitely a large high school, with a great deal of diversity both ethnically and economically. Some folks see this as a plus, some see it as a minus.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

A number of excellent students from our small K-8 independent will be going to Minnie Howard and on to TC next year. They will do fine, as have others from this school.

I don't have first hand experience, but I suspect kids with need of learning supports had parents pay for tutors etc. out of school. As a PP noted, the top of the lass does very very well.

Can anyone else give insight into the experience for the B students? Do they get support for college placement? I ink even the top students have to advocate pretty heavily for themselves.