Families leaving ACPS

[Anonymous]

If you have children enrolled in Acps, just curious how many families are moving away this summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have children enrolled in Acps, just curious how many families are moving away this summer.

When I was in ACPS, the exodus started around 3rd grade as the middle schools loomed. But I've heard GW is improving so I don't know if there's the same beaten path out of town, especially given Arlington's crowding.

[Anonymous]

In the circle of people we know at our school (one of the "better" acps elementary schools), we know of no one who is moving (including some families with kids moving to middle school next year). Well, except someone moving to a different house within the same school bounds...

Though honestly, why does it matter? If I said "everyone I know is moving" or "no one is moving", how does that affect you? It seems decisions as big as moving should be made based on actual data not "people on the jnternet say that people are moving this summer so acps must suck" or "people on the internet say that people aren't moving this summer, so acps must be ok"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have children enrolled in Acps, just curious how many families are moving away this summer.

When I was in ACPS, the exodus started around 3rd grade as the middle schools loomed. But I've heard GW is improving so I don't know if there's the same beaten path out of town, especially given Arlington's crowding.

.

+1. Would much rather stay in ACPS than move to the giant cluster_uck of APS right now.

[Anonymous]

One thing about ACPS - if you look at the stats, it will look like very few families actually leave.

This is because there are very few families statically that have HHI attending the schools to begin with and a huge majority of students who are low income attending. The wealthy students are few in numbers and tend to leave but the lower income students are not going anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing about ACPS - if you look at the stats, it will look like very few families actually leave.

This is because there are very few families statically that have HHI attending the schools to begin with and a huge majority of students who are low income attending. The wealthy students are few in numbers and tend to leave but the lower income students are not going anywhere.

Total BS.

[Anonymous]

We are leaving to move to Fairfax. I'm not satisfied with the TAG program, and my son loves math and science. I don't think our ACPS elementary is a terrible school, just not the right fit for DS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing about ACPS - if you look at the stats, it will look like very few families actually leave.

This is because there are very few families statically that have HHI attending the schools to begin with and a huge majority of students who are low income attending. The wealthy students are few in numbers and tend to leave but the lower income students are not going anywhere.

OP here. This makes sense.

[Anonymous]

My kid is headed to GW Middle in the fall. No friends are leaving - all are going to GW. In six years in ACPS, four families have moved -all out of state - three military transfers and one back to home state for personal reasons. We don't know anyone that has left because of schools. I don't doubt that there are some, like PP, I just don't think that it is as systematic as people love to claim.

[Anonymous]

A handful will move to private or parochial in 5th or 6th, but most are sticking with ACPS. This might be GW specific, and those zoned for Hammond might have a different experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A handful will move to private or parochial in 5th or 6th, but most are sticking with ACPS. This might be GW specific, and those zoned for Hammond might have a different experience.

This sounds right. We were GW, now TC; exactly two kids pulled for private in the last 3 yrs. All other exits have been parent geographic relocations. GW was much better than we expected and we were quite pleased; same re TC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing about ACPS - if you look at the stats, it will look like very few families actually leave.

This is because there are very few families statically that have HHI attending the schools to begin with and a huge majority of students who are low income attending. The wealthy students are few in numbers and tend to leave but the lower income students are not going anywhere.

Total BS.

Is it BS because you just don't like the way it sounds?

The stats are available on the ACPS website. They are actually pretty good at tracking exactly who is coming and going. As a City, Alexandria has a majority of residents living in poverty - 60%. It's the highest in the metro region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is headed to GW Middle in the fall. No friends are leaving - all are going to GW. In six years in ACPS, four families have moved -all out of state - three military transfers and one back to home state for personal reasons. We don't know anyone that has left because of schools. I don't doubt that there are some, like PP, I just don't think that it is as systematic as people love to claim.

But as I posted before, the people who you said left would be HHI not FARMS. The ability to move and transfer - whether from a job or for personal reasons - is way more correlated to those who are employed with decent incomes vs. those who are employed in low wage jobs, living public housing, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is headed to GW Middle in the fall. No friends are leaving - all are going to GW. In six years in ACPS, four families have moved -all out of state - three military transfers and one back to home state for personal reasons. We don't know anyone that has left because of schools. I don't doubt that there are some, like PP, I just don't think that it is as systematic as people love to claim.

But as I posted before, the people who you said left would be HHI not FARMS. The ability to move and transfer - whether from a job or for personal reasons - is way more correlated to those who are employed with decent incomes vs. those who are employed in low wage jobs, living public housing, etc.

Do you know what HHI means? What is the support for the repeated claim ACPS is full of kids from families with no HHI?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is headed to GW Middle in the fall. No friends are leaving - all are going to GW. In six years in ACPS, four families have moved -all out of state - three military transfers and one back to home state for personal reasons. We don't know anyone that has left because of schools. I don't doubt that there are some, like PP, I just don't think that it is as systematic as people love to claim.

But as I posted before, the people who you said left would be HHI not FARMS. The ability to move and transfer - whether from a job or for personal reasons - is way more correlated to those who are employed with decent incomes vs. those who are employed in low wage jobs, living public housing, etc.

Do you know what HHI means?

What is the support for the repeated claim ACPS is full of kids from families with no HHI?

Defining HHI to mean household income, you will not find direct ACPS data on household income by quantile percent on ACPS. It may be helpful and should be considered by ACPS. However there is ample (in)direct evidence on FARMS income available (free and reduced meals):

A greater percentage (32 percent) of ACPS students who took the SAT are from families with incomes below $30,000 than the average for Virginia (15 percent) or the nation (22 percent). The percent of ACPS test-takers with a first language other than English is 23 percent, which is far higher than Virginia's 7 percent or the nation's 13 percent. Only 56 percent of ACPS students reported "English only" as their first language, as compared with 82 percent for Virginia and 70 for for the nation.

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2015/nr2014100701.php

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Eligible for free or reduced price meals: 59.79%
Receiving talented and gifted services: 11.45%
Students requiring English Language Learners (ELL) services: 28.63%
Students receiving special education services: 10.33%

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/fastfact.php

In the City of Alexandria, about 60 percent of the Alexandria Public Schools students are poor enough to qualify for subsidized meals. That’s more than 8,000 of the city’s 13,000-plus students.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2015/jul/15/alexandria-backpacks-all/