FCCPS: why does no one post about it here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 7-floor high school doesn’t sound like a great idea for so many reasons.

My kids have done summer camp there, I really don't think it's 7 floors. I think maybe some of the floors have steps up so it's really 3 floors but there are like 6 steps up to the next level.

You are wrong. It’s 7 full floors with full flights of stairs. This might not be completely accurate but it’s close.

Lowest floor: theater and music
Ground: gym and locker rooms
1. Main office, cafeteria, auditorium
2. Library
3-5. Academic floors

This is correct. Main entrance is on what PP lists as "1." It's a beautiful school. My kids primarily have classes on 3-5. They eat up there too rather than going to the cafeteria (though plenty go to the cafeteria).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero poor, few ESL, no boundary changes.

6.6% economically disadvantaged, 7.9% English language learners, and yes no boundary changes which is fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what did you mean about bring "bought in" on IB before getting there? What's there to know? Thanks

Not the PP, but it’s a small high school and almost entirely IB curriculum in upper grades, so you have to be ok with that. It’s not like the larger public schools that have both IB and AP options and more courses generally. We did not fully understand the ramifications of this until our kids got older and likely would not have moved into the district had we known. It can be limiting for some kids or not to their liking.

My kids went all the way through FCCPS and never took an IB class although they did get a quality education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 7-floor high school doesn’t sound like a great idea for so many reasons.

My kids have done summer camp there, I really don't think it's 7 floors. I think maybe some of the floors have steps up so it's really 3 floors but there are like 6 steps up to the next level.

You are wrong. It’s 7 full floors with full flights of stairs. This might not be completely accurate but it’s close.

Lowest floor: theater and music
Ground: gym and locker rooms
1. Main office, cafeteria, auditorium
2. Library
3-5. Academic floors

This is correct. Main entrance is on what PP lists as "1." It's a beautiful school. My kids primarily have classes on 3-5. They eat up there too rather than going to the cafeteria (though plenty go to the cafeteria).

I wish they had a campus instead of being trapped by towering office buildings. Parking is also a nightmare for school events.

[Anonymous]

DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

[Anonymous]

Directly to your point OP - in my many years on DCUM, with my kids attending dcps, fcps, and private - I’ve come away with the belief that if a school is not mentioned often, it’s because people are pretty happy there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

This doesn’t mean classes are smaller. A small school means fewer course options and fewer sections of each class offered. This creates schedule limitations and your kid might have to choose between class A and B because there is only one section and they are offered at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

This doesn’t mean classes are smaller. A small school means fewer course options and fewer sections of each class offered. This creates schedule limitations and your kid might have to choose between class A and B because there is only one section and they are offered at the same time.

Class sizes are about 40% less in FCCPS than FCPS based on my child's experience and friends in FCPS. The kids enrolled is about half the size of all the other high schools, so they can pull it off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

This doesn’t mean classes are smaller. A small school means fewer course options and fewer sections of each class offered. This creates schedule limitations and your kid might have to choose between class A and B because there is only one section and they are offered at the same time.

Class sizes are about 40% less in FCCPS than FCPS based on my child's experience and friends in FCPS. The kids enrolled is about half the size of all the other high schools, so they can pull it off.

Classes are not 40% smaller than FCPS at the high school, in our experiences. So to others reading, your experience can widely vary based on classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what did you mean about bring "bought in" on IB before getting there? What's there to know? Thanks

Not the PP, but it’s a small high school and almost entirely IB curriculum in upper grades, so you have to be ok with that. It’s not like the larger public schools that have both IB and AP options and more courses generally. We did not fully understand the ramifications of this until our kids got older and likely would not have moved into the district had we known. It can be limiting for some kids or not to their liking.

Most schools don't have IB AND AP. In FCPS, you do have a choice. If you're zoned to an IB school, you can go to a nearby AP school that has space.

Washington & Liberty in Arlington has both. So does BCC in Montgomery County. And larger schools just generally have more courses and more sections of each course, so it’s easier to get the courses you want.

Right. I said MOST and I was clear that I was talking about FCPS, little Miss Know It All.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

This doesn’t mean classes are smaller. A small school means fewer course options and fewer sections of each class offered. This creates schedule limitations and your kid might have to choose between class A and B because there is only one section and they are offered at the same time.

Class sizes are about 40% less in FCCPS than FCPS based on my child's experience and friends in FCPS. The kids enrolled is about half the size of all the other high schools, so they can pull it off.

I don't think that's true -- I remember when my older child started in her FCPS elementary school with a class size of 24, we were told by friends that Mt Daniel had 9 kindergarten classes that were 20 students each. Kindergartens in FCPS vary drastically. My middle child had a class that was 27 kid and my youngest's was 21.

[Anonymous]

We are in FCPS right outside FCC, so we do everything in FCC and a lot of my kids friends from preschool and from extracurriculars are in FCC schools. The parents have only had good things to say, everyone seems really happy with the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP but I'm confused about the limitations of an IB high-school. How does it being small and IB differ from being a general education small school, for example? On the surface it sounds like small classes would be a plus.

This doesn’t mean classes are smaller. A small school means fewer course options and fewer sections of each class offered. This creates schedule limitations and your kid might have to choose between class A and B because there is only one section and they are offered at the same time.

Class sizes are about 40% less in FCCPS than FCPS based on my child's experience and friends in FCPS. The kids enrolled is about half the size of all the other high schools, so they can pull it off.

I don't think that's true -- I remember when my older child started in her FCPS elementary school with a class size of 24, we were told by friends that Mt Daniel had 9 kindergarten classes that were 20 students each. Kindergartens in FCPS vary drastically. My middle child had a class that was 27 kid and my youngest's was 21.

FCCPS planning factors are 24 students for grades 5th and above, and 22 for 4th grade and under.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2J5hRFluyA_NF9aRXRCQUlCWW8/view?resourcekey=0-I8Lh5bU3_SrvkIdHW9S1kA

APS has 24 for K & 1, 26 for 2nd and 3rd, 27 for 4th and 5th grade, and does allow above 27 for 6th and above. That is different.
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2023/07/FINAL-Class-Size-Report-2022-23.pdf

40 percent smaller is an exaggeration- but FCCPS does have palpably smaller class sizes than the surrounding districts.

[Anonymous]

As of right now there are 161 kindergartners and 9 teachers which breaks down to about 18 per class and every class has a full time paraprofessional with addition special ed paras if needed and they are often in the class all day as well.

[Anonymous]

Class size overall is probably smaller but it varies a lot. My kids had some very small language classes in middle school, which was great, but some large classes (well over the benchmark) in high school.

As for the question about IB and size of school being limiting - many IB courses are two years long so, especially if a student is going for the full IB diploma, it limits the variety of courses they can fit in their schedule (plus there is an additional two-year course that is required for IB diploma students). The IB diploma path is rigorous and has many benefits but you have to be all in. It’s not like AP where you just choose the AP courses you want. For the IB diploma you are required to take IB courses across all fields. This is good for making students well-rounded but it’s a downside for some students and families.

As another PP said, the small size of the school means some core classes have only one section and sometimes they are at the same time, which makes HS scheduling difficult. At a larger school, it would be unlikely that a core class (like math or Spanish) would have only one section.