We Left DC for VA public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just moved in-boundary for Ellington School for the Arts in DC! Woo-hoo!

Have they changed the system at Ellington? It used to be a magnet school and kids can only get in by applying and auditioning. Has that changed?

Yes, it changed by the tricks of sarcasm.

Aha, I get it now! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

West Potomac is a fine school with great teachers. It's also a FCPS so its already leaps and bounds better than other schools. Incredibly diverse population makes the school like the real world. A Lilly white private school (which btw, the ones in NoVA aren't worth the money) isn't like the real world. Your kid will be coddled. If you complain your kid will get an A when he deserved a C. West Potomac has a great core of good teachers and then maybe a few bad ones (I had maybe 2 bad teachers in 4 years). Fort hunt area is amazing and great families down there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:West Potomac is a fine school with great teachers. It's also a FCPS so its already leaps and bounds better than other schools. Incredibly diverse population makes the school like the real world. A Lilly white private school (which btw, the ones in NoVA aren't worth the money) isn't like the real world. Your kid will be coddled. If you complain your kid will get an A when he deserved a C. West Potomac has a great core of good teachers and then maybe a few bad ones (I had maybe 2 bad teachers in 4 years). Fort hunt area is amazing and great families down there.

Yep, I agree with all of this. I would be very happy with my kids going to West Potomac. But I'm not afraid of kids that can't afford to pay for lunch

[Anonymous]

...and regurgitating old posts like a cows cud...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family moved from DC to Virginia last Spring. We moved primarily to get into a better school system before my son entered the first grade. We live in Fairfax County about 4 miles South of Old Town off the GW Parkway.

We knew that the program in DC was not ideal for a lot of reasons and that it was not going to work for us long term, but until we got him into a top notch public school I didn't even know what we were missing! OMG.

We started "thinking" about moving in November of last year, sold our house in March, and didn't start in the new school system until September. I am a prior teacher AND a real estate agent, so we did mountains of research on neighborhoods, schools, and houses. Our initial destination was North Arlington - we even had a contract on a house there that didn't work out - and as much as I love that area I am glad we ended up in Fairfax County.

It was a really big deal to sell, buy, move a family - switch schools, pediatricians, commute, etc. - WOW. So if anybody is daunted by the task and wants help or advice I am happy to assist if I can.

This isn't so revolutionary. My N.Arlington neighborhood is filled with DC expats. I actually still have the same peds, etc. because we are only 1.5 miles from our old house.

[Anonymous]

Arlington. It's like DC but with functional government.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My family is also looking at moving to VA, and have narrowed it down to FairFax County due to the wonderful public school system. However, were stuck when it comes to deciding on a specific neighborhood within the County. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Another poster who lives in the Fort Hunt area and loves it. We sent our kids to a private school but switched to our public school this year and couldn't be happier. Our kids have fabulous teachers who are at least as good, if not better, than those they had in private school. For those of you who think private school teachers are better qualified because you paid so much, think again. Often there's a lot more wiggle room with regard to professional credentials in privates; it can be all up to the Head of School. I went to the much-bashed Alexandria City schools and can tell you that among my friends were kids who went on to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, UPenn, etc., etc. No reason to bash other people's choices or to perpetuate reputations based on hearsay.

Glad to welcome you to the area, OP.