Yorktown VS Washington liberty non-IB

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this has already been mentioned but something to consider - I heard certain colleges will expect you to have taken the highest level classes offered at your school. So if your child wants to do AP, but not IB, Yorktown might be the better option, if that is something that's going to be important down the line.

Is IB considered higher level than AP?

By colleges, yes.

I guess we can get into a philosophical debate about which is “higher level” but I have also heard that about colleges. I’ve also heard iit depends on the college.

I had a discussion with an admissions officer at a LAC about this. She said she expected in a particular subject that the IB class would include more research/writing while the AP was more covering a lot of facts and memorization so they preferred the preparation provided by the IB. That said, my DD has opted to do a mix of AP/IB and regular-level depending on interests rather than do the full IB program because she has ADHD and the work load of the full IB would not have been great for her mental health.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The academics are the same. The kids are different.

The kids aren’t even that different.

Yorktown is generally more rigorous. It’s racial demographics most closely match those of Arlington County overall. That said, WL is more racially diverse because it draws more students from less super-high income areas. Wakefield is probably the least diverse school in the county.

More Affluenza at Yorktown.

All schools are above average in terms of resources and curriculum. None of them are super feeders to ivies or anything like that but there are always a few acceptances, more recently from W-L.

Yorktown parents always like to tout this as if it's meaningful. Yorktown skews more white than the STUDENT population overall, which is the relevant metric.

Yorktown 65% White, 16% Hispanic, 11% low-income
W-L 44% white, 32% Hispanic, 23% low-income
Wakefield 26% white, 43% Hispanic, 19% Black, 32% low-income

Agree definitely more affluenza at Yorktown and it has a reputation of having more drug use (of course I know that goes on at all HSs)

I have no direct experience with Yorktown but went to a pretty universally high income HS myself and avoided Yorktown when we were house hunting for that reason. It contributed to a pretty toxic social culture. I like the greater SES diversity at W-L and my kids have friends across the spectrum.

Arlington doesn’t have a middle class, so it’s hardly a spectrum. It’s a tale of two cities.

Is it the same person who keeps posting this? It’s totally hilarious.

Yeah, its not like the county instituted housing study to address the missing middle.


https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Housing/Housing-Arlington/Tools/Missing-Middle
https://dcist.com/story/21/11/18/arlington-virginia-missing-middle-housing/
https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/caught-in-the-middle/

What exactly is the plan here? Teachers and firefighters and nurses want to live in SFH too, so building a lot of townhouses and condos priced for middle income will lay fallow or end up as group homes.

There are plenty of families who would prefer a SFH but end up in a townhouse or condo because that's what they can afford. They do not all sit empty or turn into group homes, come on, that is silly.

Really, rather than driving 5 miles to Fairfax and getting a SFH? Are that many middle class families commuting to DC? Townhouses are still $800k+

Uh, YES! Absolutely there are middle class families in Arlington who still commute to DC and don't want to move out to Fairfax! Where do you live that you don't know this? There are townhouses in S. Arlington you can still find in the 500s and 600s. Condo as well.

So you all have high school students?

And this thread was about two schools in N Arlington, sorry I am not up to date on S Arlington real estate.

Yes, I am in S. Arlington and zoned for W-L! Wow, you are really in your northern bubble.

So your child attends WL? It’s a reasonable mistake, only 5% of WLboundary is in South Arlington

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Map_High_School_2022_23-1.pdf

But most families with high schoolers prefer a SFH.

DP Nice of you to figure out that part of WL boundary includes a piece of S Arlington. You should also be aware that there are transfers from south Arlington into WL. Some of them might live in - gasp - apartments, even.

[Anonymous]

So if a student is zoned for Yorktown, and does not opt to transfer to Wl for IB, are they penalized by colleges for not pursuing that option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if a student is zoned for Yorktown, and does not opt to transfer to Wl for IB, are they penalized by colleges for not pursuing that option?

No

Also, there is a lottery for IB transfer. It’s not a guarantee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if a student is zoned for Yorktown, and does not opt to transfer to Wl for IB, are they penalized by colleges for not pursuing that option?

Absolutely not.

[Anonymous]

Two ok schools. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two ok schools. Nothing more, nothing less.

OP why don't you move like 500 feet and get a house zoned for McLean which blows away both WL and Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at two neighborhoods for homes, and they are zoned for these two different schools. We have looked into both, and it seems that WL is Considered more academically rigorous, but DS is not interested in pursuing an IB, but would prefer to do AP courses. How does the academics compare between the two schools when you don’t follow the IB path. DS is not sporty, really just likes school and academics, kind of a nerd. Will he be bullied at Yorktown?

Also, they seem to be planning to increase WL to 3000 students, Yorktown is 2300. Well that increase the student population affect the schools performance? It’s a big jump. Did they add more cafeteria space and field space?

I have had students at both, although my W-L student was full IB. YHS has a very bro culture, lots of entitlement; it's not for the faint of heart, or for a family that values kindness over stuff or "winning." Your student will find a space at W-L that suits him; he may not at YHS.

My understanding is that the AP offerings are the same at both schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two ok schools. Nothing more, nothing less.

OP why don't you move like 500 feet and get a house zoned for McLean which blows away both WL and Yorktown.

Why don't you create your own topic? Read the subject line. No one cares about crappy McLean and the rich wannabes and teenage headcases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at two neighborhoods for homes, and they are zoned for these two different schools. We have looked into both, and it seems that WL is Considered more academically rigorous, but DS is not interested in pursuing an IB, but would prefer to do AP courses. How does the academics compare between the two schools when you don’t follow the IB path. DS is not sporty, really just likes school and academics, kind of a nerd. Will he be bullied at Yorktown?

Also, they seem to be planning to increase WL to 3000 students, Yorktown is 2300. Well that increase the student population affect the schools performance? It’s a big jump. Did they add more cafeteria space and field space?

I have had students at both, although my W-L student was full IB. YHS has a very bro culture, lots of entitlement; it's not for the faint of heart, or for a family that values kindness over stuff or "winning." Your student will find a space at W-L that suits him; he may not at YHS.

My understanding is that the AP offerings are the same at both schools.

It’s clear to me that the WL 10 years ago was a better school for us; I’m not convinced supersized WL will be. Even the superintendent is realizing they made a mistake, but I guess there is no plan to roll back. With nearly 3000 kids, you could never see the same kids year to year in class and clubs will be huge. Finding your place got harder.

Bro culture sounds rough too, maybe we need to consider FCPS, though we commute to work and wanted to avoid the pressure cooker FCPS can be.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of bros at WL. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of bros at WL. Come on.

Now now, mommy is calling you for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of bros at WL. Come on.

Now now, mommy is calling you for dinner.

Are you trying to refute the claim of bro culture at WL… by bullying and infantilizing the PP????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of bros at WL. Come on.

Now now, mommy is calling you for dinner.

Are you trying to refute the claim of bro culture at WL… by bullying and infantilizing the PP????

It sure seems like it. Ha! Point made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at two neighborhoods for homes, and they are zoned for these two different schools. We have looked into both, and it seems that WL is Considered more academically rigorous, but DS is not interested in pursuing an IB, but would prefer to do AP courses. How does the academics compare between the two schools when you don’t follow the IB path. DS is not sporty, really just likes school and academics, kind of a nerd. Will he be bullied at Yorktown?

Also, they seem to be planning to increase WL to 3000 students, Yorktown is 2300. Well that increase the student population affect the schools performance? It’s a big jump. Did they add more cafeteria space and field space?

I have had students at both, although my W-L student was full IB. YHS has a very bro culture, lots of entitlement; it's not for the faint of heart, or for a family that values kindness over stuff or "winning." Your student will find a space at W-L that suits him; he may not at YHS.

My understanding is that the AP offerings are the same at both schools.

It’s clear to me that the WL 10 years ago was a better school for us; I’m not convinced supersized WL will be. Even the superintendent is realizing they made a mistake, but I guess there is no plan to roll back. With nearly 3000 kids, you could never see the same kids year to year in class and clubs will be huge. Finding your place got harder.

Bro culture sounds rough too, maybe we need to consider FCPS, though we commute to work and wanted to avoid the pressure cooker FCPS can be.

Or, you could consider Wakefield. There are good options other than Yorktown and WL in Arlington.