Moving to VA from MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the detailed responses. I suspect that my technology concerns won’t be solved with a move. (For the PPs who don’t think tech is a concern, that’s fine, but I am a HS teacher and think pen/paper/binders/hard textbooks are helpful for student learning.)

I guess the other issue we are trying to solve with a move to VA is college. We have saved enough to pay for in state tuition, but the VA options are much better than the MD options.

I'm a happy APS parent in the pyramid you referenced, despite definitely being a low-tech parent and would prefer as low tech as possible in school. That being said, I do think if you truly don't want ipads/computers in school you probably want to go private. No public school system these days is going that route completely. My child is in elementary, but so far I have been ok with the amount it seems to be used and how it is used. I do think the teachers seem thoughtful with it and it isn't the majority, but is used for some independent work and testing. That all being said I'm not sure APS or FCPS FCC schools are going to be lengths different from each other. They are very similar school systems generally. People will say x is better, or many will say APS sucks on this board, but generally our neighbors seem happy, we're happy, and I doubt it would be much different crossing a boundary line (husband went to Fairfax schools, my nieces and nephews go to MCPS).

For colleges - yes, VA is way better. I think you need to decide if public school is the right path for your family. Can you accept a good education that isn't perfect or everything you think is the most ideal? (so that it can serve everyone). If not, that's ok too and investing in private education may be a better fit so you feel happy.

Private education, especially parochial, isn't perfect either. No education system is perfect. Sure, there are some better than others, but as you say, it's a matter of what you are comfortable with.

As a parent of a HSer and a college student who is very high performing, it's very hard for even high performers to stand out in schools that have a lot of high performers. Colleges don't want a large number of kids from one school/area, even if they are all high performing.

Just keep that in mind.

Yeah, so definitely send your kids to crap schools.

[Anonymous]

Which school system does middle school the best? That seems like the weak link.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which school system does middle school the best? That seems like the weak link.

Some parents like school systems with the 7th through 12th grade secondary schools that offer continuity. Lake Braddock is a very highly regarded 7-12 grade school in FCPS.

FCPS also has regular middle or grade 7-8 “intermediate schools”. Many FCPS parents like how the middle schools are on the smaller side with just the two grades.

Others prefer 6-8 grade middle schools like in Arlington (APS). Dorothy Hamm (DHMS), the newest middle school, has been the most sought after post pandemic. Certain teachers at the local pyramid high school and some parents claim DHMS best prepares students for the demanding academic expectations at the high school level. But in general all the APS middle schools have pluses and minuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which school system does middle school the best? That seems like the weak link.

7th grade at our highly regarded FCPS middle school seems like mostly a continuation of our elementary school. Not a ton of homework or rigor, just a tiny step up. The big adjustment is just having to track all the classes. I've heard 8th is notably harder than 7th.

[Anonymous]

We were at Longfellow, which is the MS feeder to McLean HS, and we felt it did a good job of transitioning kids from 7th to 8th grade and preparing them for HS. We'd been at another FCPS middle school earlier and were not as impressed - 7th grade was ridiculously easy and then 8th grade was tougher and some of the teachers were quite harsh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Will moving to VA actually address the concerns I have?

No.