Private school transportation options for kids in the NoVA burbs??
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Anonymous
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Anybody in the outer burbs....Fairfax, Loudoun etc have children attending Gonzaga or PVI?
Curious to know how most of the students get to school. Metro, commuter buses, car pools? Our son has expressed interest in attending Gonzaga or PVI. My wife and I both work and wouldn't be able to drive him to school every day. How realistic would it be for a 9th grade kid to take the metro from Reston to Gonzaga or a Bus from Loudoun to PVI? Are there a large number of kids currently doing this? TIA |
Anonymous
Gonzaga requires driving students to car pool to get a parking pass - so if there is a local jr or sr, that could be a ride. Otherwise, Metro for DC schools, carpool for PVI. |
Anonymous
| Loudoun Catholic here: Contact Paul VI because they're increasing buses next year to our western hinterlands due to the pending move to Loudoun. Probably pick-ups are at the local parishes St. Theresa, St. John, OLOH, etc. |
Anonymous
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Thank you for the responses so far. Anybody else have kids carpooling or taking the metro into the city an hour each way for school?
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Anonymous
| While our student doesn't go into the city, we have a sophomore that takes two buses each way for about an hour commute to school. It makes for long days, but he really likes the sense of independence it gives him. His friends are from all around the area and now feels really comfortable with public transportation all around the area. (Sometimes maybe too comfortable, but the plus side is he's not anxious to start driving!) Some days there have been transportation snafus (and some days I think he was the snafu, and he just blamed it on the bus--in Fairfax County, there's no way to monitor local buses in real time), but all in all it's given us a school option that we would not otherwise have had, and that's good. (Oh, and I much prefer it to his driving with another student, since I have some safety concerns with that.) |
Anonymous
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Yes, our 7th grader rides a school organized bus/van to a school in DC that departs from Old Town Alexandria each morning. He returns to Old Town on the metro in the afternoon. The school provides a shuttle to the closest metro after school.
About an hour long trip each way. It has been surprisingly easy and convenient. |
Anonymous
| Ha! Not OP but I could have written this post. My son knows that if gets into Gonzaga he gets to metro himself there if he doesn't find a carpool. We live in Loudoun and both work too. I'm sure it will make for long days but that's part of the deal. |
Anonymous
Hi, is your son in 7th or 8th grade this year? Does he play sports? Our kids might already know each other. Either way, it's great to hear that he will have other kids to link up with on the commute. |
Anonymous
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We do the SJC bus from the Rossalyn metro stop in the mornings. He stays after school for practice or tutoring and then takes the bus to the metro and comes home on his own. He usually coordinates with a few friends for the return trip.
Like the others have said, surprisingly easy. |
Anonymous
| My son is finishing his junior year at Gonzaga and has taken metro both ways since the beginning of freshman year, though sometimes this year he has also carpooled with a few other juniors. If you are ever at Union Station before school or after school you will see a sea of Gonzaga students - you can tell because of the outwear they have on that says Gonzaga. We live in Arlington and I too ride the metro into work and often see Gonzaga students on the train. My son has a good friend who lives at the Reston end of the Silver line and takes metro. By the way, if there are major delays on the metro, the school is very understanding. |
Anonymous
7th. And yes, he plays a sport. I imagine they all find groups that they get used to seeing and commute together. 100 years ago I did when I rode metro to DC for high school. I'm not worried about it except for how unreliable metro can be. That being said another PP mentioned that the school gets that considering their geography and that's great. |
Anonymous
| If your son ends up going to Gonzaga, start actively searching for a car pool as soon as you know. We happened to fall into one, and it was the best thing. My son carpools every morning and takes metro home in afternoon. The carpool in the morning is less stressful because they leave early enough to beat the traffic and you don't have to drive all the way to the metro station in the morning. Metro ride home because the boys always have conflicting schedules due to after school activities. And I second the PP's comment that there are tons of Gonzaga students taking the metro to school and my DS always finds a group to ride with. |
Anonymous
| All of the DC independents are either very close to metro lines, or have shuttles, at least for the middle and upper grades. Metro for hs is a great option---as long as metro still operates. |