Class sizes in Falls Church City

[Anonymous]

Anyone know what the class sizes are like in FCC in the early grades? K, 1st, etc? I'm wondering if FCC is struggling with the kind of overcrowding that seems to be a problem in other places in NoVa and in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Individual class sizes are reasonable. My kid's classes fluctuated between 19-21 in K and 1st with a teacher and a para. But the grades are huge! Approaching 200 kids.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP! If you happen to check back I would love to ask you a question about K. I am hearing a lot of frustration from my friends about how academic K has gotten and how they are really unhappy with the kids not getting enough recess and having homework etc (this is DC and MD schools). How did you find the early years in FCC?

We will be moving for schools (no other reason) so I want to make sure we have a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks PP! If you happen to check back I would love to ask you a question about K. I am hearing a lot of frustration from my friends about how academic K has gotten and how they are really unhappy with the kids not getting enough recess and having homework etc (this is DC and MD schools). How did you find the early years in FCC?

We will be moving for schools (no other reason) so I want to make sure we have a good fit.

Not PP, but my K at Mt Daniel gets two recesses a day--one in the AM and one after lunch. They also have PE and Outdoor Classroom two times a week in addition to the recess. I think this all changes at TJ (2nd-5th grade), but parents there are pushing for more recess time. Our district is small enough that vocal parents can have a big impact and make changes.

[Anonymous]

No homework for my kids in K. Two recess periods a day. Classroom spaces are huge, with centers for blocks, play kitchen, art, puzzles, etc. The kids have dedicated free play time at the centers each day, plus lots of fun, creative, age-appropriate learning each day.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I'm the 1st PP. I didn't find my daughters K is experience to be overly academic. I don't recall lots of desk work or worksheets. Like the PP said, age appropriate play, two recesses, PE and outdoor classroom. Mt. Daniel is a lovely little school.

[Anonymous]

My DC is currently in 1st grade at Mt. Daniel. It really is a wonderful little school. Class sizes are small - my kid had 18 in her K class last year with a teacher and para, and then has 20 in her current 1st grade class (again, teacher and para). Two recesses per day, PE twice a week (though maybe just once in K? I can't remember...). As a PP noted, I think this changes at TJ, but MD has been a great experience for us. Oh, and homework didn't really start until 1st grade and even that has been minimal - reading log, 1 worksheet, Spanish once/week. It doesn't seem to be too much.

[Anonymous]

Are the class sizes small for the 2nd-6th grade as well?

[Anonymous]

Mt. Daniel's future is rather unclear at the moment.

http://97.74.4.86/~web/fccps/main/facilities/updates/71-mount-daniel-construction-update-february-5-2016

[Anonymous]

Second through fifth grade classes are smaller than surrounding counties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Second through fifth grade classes are smaller than surrounding counties.

This is not necessarily true. Some of the class sizes in FCPS are quite small...our local school for example has 20 in K (with 2 aides), 23 in 2nd, 22 in 3rd, etc. But, yes, there are some schools with larger class sizes on average.

That said, FCC is a wonderful school district and I'm sure any child would do well there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the class sizes small for the 2nd-6th grade as well?

Yes. My second grader has 21 in her class right now. Started the year with 22, added one and lost two. I'm very happy with class size, but if you're considering FCCPS you should know that we've got kids cycling in and out all the time - State Dept, DOD, etc. There are pros and cons to that of course. I believe class sizes are small at least through fifth grade.

Do any google search and you'll see budgeting is a knock down drag out fight here every year. We'll debate the use of technology, how big a pay raise to give teachers, the Superintendent's effectiveness, funding for ACE (gifted and talented) but the constant that I never hear push-back on is that small class size is very important and something we'll pay for. Even the people who don't have kids in the schools support small classes. They'll fight over other things.

FCCPS has been terrific for my family, but there are real issues too and you should talk to real people here (not just DCUM) to get a better sense of the situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Second through fifth grade classes are smaller than surrounding counties.

This is not necessarily true. Some of the class sizes in FCPS are quite small...our local school for example has 20 in K (with 2 aides), 23 in 2nd, 22 in 3rd, etc. But, yes, there are some schools with larger class sizes on average.

That said, FCC is a wonderful school district and I'm sure any child would do well there.

This is very unusual for FCPS. What school is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the class sizes small for the 2nd-6th grade as well?

Yes. My second grader has 21 in her class right now. Started the year with 22, added one and lost two. I'm very happy with class size, but if you're considering FCCPS you should know that we've got kids cycling in and out all the time - State Dept, DOD, etc. There are pros and cons to that of course. I believe class sizes are small at least through fifth grade.

Do any google search and you'll see budgeting is a knock down drag out fight here every year. We'll debate the use of technology, how big a pay raise to give teachers, the Superintendent's effectiveness, funding for ACE (gifted and talented) but the constant that I never hear push-back on is that small class size is very important and something we'll pay for. Even the people who don't have kids in the schools support small classes. They'll fight over other things.

FCCPS has been terrific for my family, but there are real issues too and you should talk to real people here (not just DCUM) to get a better sense of the situation.

Thanks PP. How would you suggest I connect with real people if I live in DC right now and don't know anyone who lives in FCC?

[Anonymous]

Some big red flags in FCCPS. Mt. Daniel may not be allowed to expand in the county neighborhood where it is located - what then? And George Mason HS has sub-par facilities, too. Only the MS is relatively new. FCC residents could see giant tax increases to pay for school projects in the future, and the taxes are already high there.