George Mason Elementary School?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If you want to use public schools, you shouldn’t have bought a house in Alexandria.

Words to live by

AC sent more kids to UVA than any HS in all of Fairfax County. But, keep pretending you could live here....

DP but the whole “you said something negative about Alexandria and its schools therefore you don’t live here” is such a lazy and tacky argument. It’s especially weird because if you actually live in one of these expensive neighborhoods then you know how many people fled the school system for privates, and how many more fled Alexandria for better publics elsewhere.

As for your stat, ACHS is nearly double the size of many Fairfax high schools (because FCPS is competent enough to build high schools) so it doesn’t tell us anything.

Are there only 2 schools in Fairfax County? No? Then it tells you loads. AC is way better than most of the FCPS HSs.

It's a lie that everyone fleas Alexandra or only use privates. There are 22 kids on my Del Ray block and every single one attends ACPS. And every single one will attend an excellent university.

The wealth and education level of parents is a much better indicator of future success than is the ranking of a HS. In short, the child of a NSA analyst and a chief staffer at AC is going to do a hell of a lot better than the child of a GS11 and a mechanic. But, keep clutching on to.... Hayfield, I guess.

You said ”any HS in all of Fairfax County.” ACHS is significantly larger than all of them. So, no, it doesn’t tell us anything. Your argument is nonsensical.

I’m also in Del Ray so it seems weird that you are oblivious to all of the yard signs for private schools, or don’t know any neighbors that moved away (who, by definition, wouldn’t be on your block anymore). Or that you think SSSAS or ACDS or the others are apparently filled with non-Alexandrians. Seems almost as realistic as knowing 22 kids on an individual block and where each attends school.

But, keep clutching on to…that 47% of students reporting they feel safe in middle and high school.

Anyway, OP, go elsewhere for advice. The apologists will never give you an honest take, just knee-jerk provincial defensiveness and illogical arguments while subtly claiming they are better than everyone else because they can walk to the mediocre restaurants on Mt. Vernon.

As the parent of a recent grad and a current AC student, I was reading all the posts and considering points, including yours. Then you had to go and be so freakin’ snotty with the last few words. Sigh.

Sorry if that was too much. I just have little tolerance for the multiple, “oh, that person said something negative, they must be a jealous poor who just wishes they could live here” arguments. Like, Del Ray is fine. No one is special or better than anyone else just because they can afford a house here. And having blinders on doesn’t help ACPS.

(I do think most of the restaurants are mid, though. Gustave’s was a good addition. But that’s for another thread).

ACDS isn't even a HS, sweetie.

You are a troll. And a bad one at that. There are no yard signs for private schools in any of the yards. Those of us that actually do live here know that.

Enjoy Annandale!

NP. In our Alexandria neighborhood, which is not zoned for George Mason so I can't speak to that, we were only one of two ACPS families. As another PP said, the rest were private/parochial or moved. There were lots of private school signs, especially for seniors and sports, and car magnets. We moved this past summer after 7 years in ACPS (6 in elementary and 1 in middle; 1 was enough).

Thank you. I am OP. One year at GW? Sad. Where did you move?

Yes, one year at GWMS. We moved farther out to FCPS. With hybrid in-office days in DC we were able to move farther out than when we originally bought in Old Town before kids (and before the pandemic). We had a very good experience at our elementary, and I was sad to move my youngest away from that, but we're now in a neighborhood where all, or nearly all, kids go to the local public schools so it's worked out so far. My oldest used to stand at the bus stop alone for GWMS and now has at least a dozen other kids at the bus stop.

[Anonymous]

Mason neighborhood is really amazing though. Great parents and safe neighborhood. PTA is strong at Mason. K-3 no problem. I think you have to see how your kid is. I know a LOT of amazing families whose kids are at public middle school and doing well. It 10000% depends on your kids. Public will work - I know ACPS sucks and my kids are in private because of anxiety and learning disability - but it absolutely can work for your kid. You aren't going to know though until after K. I'd try Mason and then figure it out from there. There's actually quite a lot of kids in the neighborhood in public. Typically the ones who go private have specific situations (like mine) that make going to a less than ideal public really difficult, esp in MS and esp at Alex MS.

No doubt ACPS is the most screwed up org there ever is but I'm just saying that it's not all crazy dumb kids in MS there. Quite honestly, on the social level, my kids are better off with those in the Mason neighborhood who are all in public - not the ones in our private school who def have issues in one respect or another. Don't get me wrong - we made the right decision - academically and socially pubic would not have worked for our kids (we'll never know for sure but it's a chance we couldn't take) but I'm just suggesting that private school culture is very different and if I had to choose, I would still choose the public school culture - it's like 100000% easier for a parent LOL!