Pimmit Hills question - elementary schools

[Anonymous]

If you had young children and were considering homes in Pimmit Hills, would it make a difference to you whether the house was districted for Lemon Road or Westgate? Just curious how much of a difference there is between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had young children and were considering homes in Pimmit Hills, would it make a difference to you whether the house was districted for Lemon Road or Westgate? Just curious how much of a difference there is between the two.

Lemon Road has an AAP center, and more of the new development in Tysons is zoned for Westgate, which could drive up the enrollment. I don't think there's a big difference, but perhaps a slight edge to Lemon Road.

[Anonymous]

My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

I think it's because it's kind of a middle-of-the-road school. No big pluses or minuses.

[Anonymous]

I know this neighborhood well and have properties there, here is my take.

Westgate is a a great school is majority Asian, and is very diverse. Diversity as we all know can be a plus but also a negative if you aren't comfortable that a non white majority. Asian is 30%, white is around 27%, hispanic is 27%. It is very diverse and has a FARM/ESOL rate of around 35%. http://commweb.fcps.edu/schoolprofile/profile.cfm?profile_id=075

It has good test scores and is fed by a lot of Single Family homes but quite a few apartments. More and more of the apartments are being torn down to make way for the high priced condos near the silver line. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years.

It is also undergoing a complete renovation and expansion slated to be completed in the next few weeks. http://twitter.com/hashtag/westgaterenovation?src=hash

According to the McLean civic association it has the smallest class sizes of any McLean zoned schools (probably due to the 30% FARMs/ESOL rate)

"Whereas, by school, the average class size for each McLean-area elementary school is:
23.9, Chesterbrook;
25.8, Churchill Road;
24.7, Colvin Run;
23.5, Haycock;
25.3, Kent Gardens;
22.1, Lemon Road;
24.6, Franklin Sherman;
25.8, Spring Hill;
21.4 Westgate."

[Anonymous]

I think you meant Westgate is plurality Asian. Majority would mean overr 50%, which it is not.

[Anonymous]

I'm had two children go through Westgate (now at Kilmer and one in Marshall) and my third is going through now. It's a great school. No need to "avoid" it at all.

[Anonymous]

^^ That should be "I've had." Stupid phone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

One thing to add, we thought that moving to McLean elementary schools would be the best thing in the world compared to PH. Honestly there isn't much difference compared to the teachers, students etc... but the class sizes are very large, the schools overcrowded / outdated and if you read about the budget shortfalls the PTA will be shouldering more of the burden because schools with FARMS get more funding. Looking back on it we would've been fine in PH and in fact it might have been better with the new renovations and smaller class sizes. I also think that this area (the world in general) is very diverse and it might have been a good experience for the kids to not be in a 80% white kids bubble.

My point is that the grass appears greener on the other side but overall it wasn't really that different or amazing in comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

One thing to add, we thought that moving to McLean elementary schools would be the best thing in the world compared to PH. Honestly there isn't much difference compared to the teachers, students etc... but the class sizes are very large, the schools overcrowded / outdated and if you read about the budget shortfalls the PTA will be shouldering more of the burden because schools with FARMS get more funding. Looking back on it we would've been fine in PH and in fact it might have been better with the new renovations and smaller class sizes. I also think that this area (the world in general) is very diverse and it might have been a good experience for the kids to not be in a 80% white kids bubble.

My point is that the grass appears greener on the other side but overall it wasn't really that different or amazing in comparison.

There are no 80% white public schools in McLean, at any level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

One thing to add, we thought that moving to McLean elementary schools would be the best thing in the world compared to PH. Honestly there isn't much difference compared to the teachers, students etc... but the class sizes are very large, the schools overcrowded / outdated and if you read about the budget shortfalls the PTA will be shouldering more of the burden because schools with FARMS get more funding. Looking back on it we would've been fine in PH and in fact it might have been better with the new renovations and smaller class sizes. I also think that this area (the world in general) is very diverse and it might have been a good experience for the kids to not be in a 80% white kids bubble.

My point is that the grass appears greener on the other side but overall it wasn't really that different or amazing in comparison.

There are no 80% white public schools in McLean, at any level.

well I'll be darned, chesterbrook is now 71%, but it was closer to 80% a few years back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has attended both. They seem to be on pretty much the same level. Lemon Road is smaller but that doesn't translate to smaller class sizes.

Thanks for this, good to hear. This is OP and in the interest of full disclosure we are currently slated for Westgate but will likely move in the next few years - probably out of Pimmit Hills but trying to stay in Mclean/Falls Church. Didn't know if we should try to rush the move before DS starts K to avoid Westgate (either fall of '16 or '17 depending on whether we redshirt - Sept bday). Doesn't sound like that should be an issue... I just feel like Westgate is rarely discussed here.

One thing to add, we thought that moving to McLean elementary schools would be the best thing in the world compared to PH. Honestly there isn't much difference compared to the teachers, students etc... but the class sizes are very large, the schools overcrowded / outdated and if you read about the budget shortfalls the PTA will be shouldering more of the burden because schools with FARMS get more funding. Looking back on it we would've been fine in PH and in fact it might have been better with the new renovations and smaller class sizes. I also think that this area (the world in general) is very diverse and it might have been a good experience for the kids to not be in a 80% white kids bubble.

My point is that the grass appears greener on the other side but overall it wasn't really that different or amazing in comparison.

There are no 80% white public schools in McLean, at any level.

well I'll be darned, chesterbrook is now 71%, but it was closer to 80% a few years back.

You have to go back to 2007-08 for Chesterbrook, which is the "whitest" ES in McLean, to be at that level, and you can see the trend since then. It also feeds into a middle and high school with roughly 45% and 40% non-white enrollment, respectively.

[Anonymous]

I have known people who liked both. One nice asset is there is economic diversity there. That is one thing my child's public school lacks to some degree, though we are pleased otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have known people who liked both. One nice asset is there is economic diversity there. That is one thing my child's public school lacks to some degree, though we are pleased otherwise.

Kind of BS. People move there for schools that have less diversity than most schools for neighborhoods like PH.