What are not very expensive neighborhoods zoned for Langley - Herndon? Reston?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley is great but understand that even if your kid is a rockstar, they will likely not stand out. I wouldn’t move to the zone unless you also really want to live in that area. For college admission purposes, you’re better off shining at a less competitive school.

+1

It's also important to understand why rich schools with virtually no FARMS students rank higher than schools with higher percentages of FARMS or ELL students. It absolutely doesn't have anything to do with the quality of teachers, facilities or programs. If your kid is a high achiever or even a solid Honors student, then attending a FFX school that is not ranked as high will actually put them in a better position to be competitive in college admissions. After all, how many kids do you think UVA will accept from Langley each year - surely not all of them even if Mommy and Daddy are willing to pay for a library to get them in.

Langley families don’t really obsess about UVA. Their kids have many other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the prior posters that there are many good schools with less expensive housing.

If your child is a great student, there are many schools where they will flourish. If you child is average student, a school like Langley might actually offer fewer advantages and a risk of being lost in the shuffle.

Which got me thinking - do families regret being so focused on a single pyramid/school at the cost of $/housing/commute/logistics?

FWIW, we did the opposite - stayed at the less prestigious/lower scores/lower SES school. It worked out great in the end - kept our money and our kids thrived, but there were definitely some times I worried that we were not "sacrificing" enough for the "best" education.

OP. We are looking for a HS school with good test scores that we can work to afford. If Kids work hard to be average that is okay. If they work hard to go to any local state school like GMU or if they some courses from NOVA and have no pressure of student loans is okay. Hard work habits and study any major is okay.

So we are looking for public HS with good test scores to require hard work habits for kids from HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the prior posters that there are many good schools with less expensive housing.

If your child is a great student, there are many schools where they will flourish. If you child is average student, a school like Langley might actually offer fewer advantages and a risk of being lost in the shuffle.

Which got me thinking - do families regret being so focused on a single pyramid/school at the cost of $/housing/commute/logistics?

FWIW, we did the opposite - stayed at the less prestigious/lower scores/lower SES school. It worked out great in the end - kept our money and our kids thrived, but there were definitely some times I worried that we were not "sacrificing" enough for the "best" education.

Peer group matters alot, for both academic achievement and networking. Langley has both. Maybe McLean. What other FC high school offers both?

Not sure what you mean by networking for teenagers? Can you explain? I am the original PP and my kids had a small, tight peer group for academics (one ended up at UVA, the other at Service Academy) and a larger group of good friends.

It doesn’t matter anyway. Get a house in a decent school with a payment that makes sense. The pros and cons of Langley are irrelevant to anyone that can’t afford to buy a house in bounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley is great but understand that even if your kid is a rockstar, they will likely not stand out. I wouldn’t move to the zone unless you also really want to live in that area. For college admission purposes, you’re better off shining at a less competitive school.

+1

It's also important to understand why rich schools with virtually no FARMS students rank higher than schools with higher percentages of FARMS or ELL students. It absolutely doesn't have anything to do with the quality of teachers, facilities or programs. If your kid is a high achiever or even a solid Honors student, then attending a FFX school that is not ranked as high will actually put them in a better position to be competitive in college admissions. After all, how many kids do you think UVA will accept from Langley each year - surely not all of them even if Mommy and Daddy are willing to pay for a library to get them in.

NP. What does UVA have to do with anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the prior posters that there are many good schools with less expensive housing.

If your child is a great student, there are many schools where they will flourish. If you child is average student, a school like Langley might actually offer fewer advantages and a risk of being lost in the shuffle.

Which got me thinking - do families regret being so focused on a single pyramid/school at the cost of $/housing/commute/logistics?

FWIW, we did the opposite - stayed at the less prestigious/lower scores/lower SES school. It worked out great in the end - kept our money and our kids thrived, but there were definitely some times I worried that we were not "sacrificing" enough for the "best" education.

OP. We are looking for a HS school with good test scores that we can work to afford. If Kids work hard to be average that is okay. If they work hard to go to any local state school like GMU or if they some courses from NOVA and have no pressure of student loans is okay. Hard work habits and study any major is okay.

So we are looking for public HS with good test scores to require hard work habits for kids from HS.

Blasphemy according to DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley is great but understand that even if your kid is a rockstar, they will likely not stand out. I wouldn’t move to the zone unless you also really want to live in that area. For college admission purposes, you’re better off shining at a less competitive school.

+1

It's also important to understand why rich schools with virtually no FARMS students rank higher than schools with higher percentages of FARMS or ELL students. It absolutely doesn't have anything to do with the quality of teachers, facilities or programs. If your kid is a high achiever or even a solid Honors student, then attending a FFX school that is not ranked as high will actually put them in a better position to be competitive in college admissions. After all, how many kids do you think UVA will accept from Langley each year - surely not all of them even if Mommy and Daddy are willing to pay for a library to get them in.

NP. What does UVA have to do with anything?

UVA and VT are the in-state gold standard for the majority of UMC parents who move to FCPS. These are parents whose kids have zero chance at Ivy League and also can't afford the likes of out-of-state UMich and Berkeley. So UVA is the upper end of their reach and VT is 2nd place. So a primary driver of which FCPS pyramid to attend is with UVA/VT in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley is great but understand that even if your kid is a rockstar, they will likely not stand out. I wouldn’t move to the zone unless you also really want to live in that area. For college admission purposes, you’re better off shining at a less competitive school.

+1

It's also important to understand why rich schools with virtually no FARMS students rank higher than schools with higher percentages of FARMS or ELL students. It absolutely doesn't have anything to do with the quality of teachers, facilities or programs. If your kid is a high achiever or even a solid Honors student, then attending a FFX school that is not ranked as high will actually put them in a better position to be competitive in college admissions. After all, how many kids do you think UVA will accept from Langley each year - surely not all of them even if Mommy and Daddy are willing to pay for a library to get them in.

NP. What does UVA have to do with anything?

UVA and VT are the in-state gold standard for the majority of UMC parents who move to FCPS. These are parents whose kids have zero chance at Ivy League and also can't afford the likes of out-of-state UMich and Berkeley. So UVA is the upper end of their reach and VT is 2nd place. So a primary driver of which FCPS pyramid to attend is with UVA/VT in mind.

DP. Saying VT is “2nd place” is a pretty silly generalization. It’s the first place choice for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the prior posters that there are many good schools with less expensive housing.

If your child is a great student, there are many schools where they will flourish. If you child is average student, a school like Langley might actually offer fewer advantages and a risk of being lost in the shuffle.

Which got me thinking - do families regret being so focused on a single pyramid/school at the cost of $/housing/commute/logistics?

FWIW, we did the opposite - stayed at the less prestigious/lower scores/lower SES school. It worked out great in the end - kept our money and our kids thrived, but there were definitely some times I worried that we were not "sacrificing" enough for the "best" education.

OP. We are looking for a HS school with good test scores that we can work to afford. If Kids work hard to be average that is okay. If they work hard to go to any local state school like GMU or if they some courses from NOVA and have no pressure of student loans is okay. Hard work habits and study any major is okay.

So we are looking for public HS with good test scores to require hard work habits for kids from HS.

Ok. I am about the say something controversial for DCUM and people will come out of the woodwork to disagree...but attending an IB school and aiming for a diploma builds solid study, research, and writings habits for college. **It does not give one an advantage on college admissions but it really prepares one for college work.** Now waiting for the anti-IB poster to come at me in three, two, one...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all the prior posters that there are many good schools with less expensive housing.

If your child is a great student, there are many schools where they will flourish. If you child is average student, a school like Langley might actually offer fewer advantages and a risk of being lost in the shuffle.

Which got me thinking - do families regret being so focused on a single pyramid/school at the cost of $/housing/commute/logistics?

FWIW, we did the opposite - stayed at the less prestigious/lower scores/lower SES school. It worked out great in the end - kept our money and our kids thrived, but there were definitely some times I worried that we were not "sacrificing" enough for the "best" education.

OP. We are looking for a HS school with good test scores that we can work to afford. If Kids work hard to be average that is okay. If they work hard to go to any local state school like GMU or if they some courses from NOVA and have no pressure of student loans is okay. Hard work habits and study any major is okay.

So we are looking for public HS with good test scores to require hard work habits for kids from HS.

Ok. I am about the say something controversial for DCUM and people will come out of the woodwork to disagree...but attending an IB school and aiming for a diploma builds solid study, research, and writings habits for college. **It does not give one an advantage on college admissions but it really prepares one for college work.** Now waiting for the anti-IB poster to come at me in three, two, one...

I would favor an AP school with a culture of student achievement over an IB school in FCPS (where the percentage of seniors at the 8 IB schools actually getting an IB diploma ranges from 2% to no more than 20% or so). These AP schools prepare students for college work just as well as any IB program.

[Anonymous]

OP, you can probably find something zoned for Oakton, which is a strong AP school. This year Oakton had 14 National Merit Semifinalists. The nearest IB school, South Lakes? None.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can probably find something zoned for Oakton, which is a strong AP school. This year Oakton had 14 National Merit Semifinalists. The nearest IB school, South Lakes? None.

Marshall is also nearby and, I think, did have some.

[Anonymous]

Also my son graduated from West Springfield this past May and got into VT. He only attended WSpfld for 2 years because we moved here from England. *shrugs*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also my son graduated from West Springfield this past May and got into VT. He only attended WSpfld for 2 years because we moved here from England. *shrugs*

Are you also 16:29?

If so, you seem like a bit of a nutter. Langley having some townhouses isn't new, but there aren't many of them, and they cost over a million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can probably find something zoned for Oakton, which is a strong AP school. This year Oakton had 14 National Merit Semifinalists. The nearest IB school, South Lakes? None.

Yeah - here’s a SFH zoned to Oakton for $800K - https://www.redfin.com/VA/Oakton/11521-Vale-Rd-22124/home/9438721

[Anonymous]

Try Holly Knoll neighborhood. It's quite far from Langley though.