What school pyramid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I’m honestly surprised looking at some of the great schools scores (which I know you have to take with a grain of salt) that so many of these school pyramids seemed to be ranked low, like the ones you mention — Edison, West Potomac, Hayfield, etc. I had heard that Fairfax was such a strong system but it seems like there are a lot of variables. Our budget is up to 1.1 million but from what I see in Arlington that won’t even buy you a tiny house. We are more city people usually so wanted to be closer in to Alexandria or Arlington to be near DC, but it’s sounding like some of the further out neighborhoods make the most sense. I’ll look at some of the other neighborhoods mentioned here and I didn’t consider future redistricting. We have a rising middle schooler and elementary kid so that’s important.

With all due respect, someone who truly has progressive values does not get hung up on Great Schools scores.

Fair point — that’s why I said I take it with a grain of salt. With no other context or knowledge of the schools, unfortunately it’s one of the few ways that you can do “research” about different schools. I’m not putting down the schools, I’m just surprised that some of these high priced areas, nationally speaking, have schools that are so seemingly challenged.

It's a bit more work, but you can also do research by looking at the school's official Instagram pages to gauge schools beyond GreatSchools SOL scores that are skewed by ELL kids. Administrators, clubs, sports, librarians usually have active pages that can give you much more insight into the feel of the community. you'll be surprised at how engaged and active the school communities are at places like West Potomac, Herndon, Justice, etc. Complete 180 compared to what posters on here will have you believe claiming they are violent and poorly run.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Woodson pyramid and have been happy with middle and high (elementary school was terrible and made me regret moving for FCPS). I definitely wouldn't classify Woodson as progressive but there are a lot of diverse families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I’m honestly surprised looking at some of the great schools scores (which I know you have to take with a grain of salt) that so many of these school pyramids seemed to be ranked low, like the ones you mention — Edison, West Potomac, Hayfield, etc. I had heard that Fairfax was such a strong system but it seems like there are a lot of variables. Our budget is up to 1.1 million but from what I see in Arlington that won’t even buy you a tiny house. We are more city people usually so wanted to be closer in to Alexandria or Arlington to be near DC, but it’s sounding like some of the further out neighborhoods make the most sense. I’ll look at some of the other neighborhoods mentioned here and I didn’t consider future redistricting. We have a rising middle schooler and elementary kid so that’s important.

Arlington and Alexandria are really nice. You can't beat the proximity to DC, and if you are into city life generally and want to be close to D.C., I think you should prioritize that.

The last thing you want is to be stuck out in the burbs with a lengthy car commute or a painful public transit commute with buses every half hour or hour to get to where you want to spend the most time. Move close in and enjoy the convenience of being able to get around easily to cute shops, restaurants, theatres etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I’m honestly surprised looking at some of the great schools scores (which I know you have to take with a grain of salt) that so many of these school pyramids seemed to be ranked low, like the ones you mention — Edison, West Potomac, Hayfield, etc. I had heard that Fairfax was such a strong system but it seems like there are a lot of variables. Our budget is up to 1.1 million but from what I see in Arlington that won’t even buy you a tiny house. We are more city people usually so wanted to be closer in to Alexandria or Arlington to be near DC, but it’s sounding like some of the further out neighborhoods make the most sense. I’ll look at some of the other neighborhoods mentioned here and I didn’t consider future redistricting. We have a rising middle schooler and elementary kid so that’s important.

Arlington and Alexandria are really nice. You can't beat the proximity to DC, and if you are into city life generally and want to be close to D.C., I think you should prioritize that.

The last thing you want is to be stuck out in the burbs with a lengthy car commute or a painful public transit commute with buses every half hour or hour to get to where you want to spend the most time. Move close in and enjoy the convenience of being able to get around easily to cute shops, restaurants, theatres etc.

You should take this to the real estate forum. OP is specifically asking about schools in FCPS, and likely for a reason (affordability of homes, quality of schools).

There are plenty of areas in Arlington and Alexandria that aren't really nice, aren't especially affordable, and/or have problematic schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For similar location proximity to DC as a McLean pyramid but more liberal, I’d look at falls church city. They have their own local school district (not FCPS) and everyone I know who lives there love the community and schools.

Not to mention FCPS is a hot mess....I would go Arlington or maybe Chantilly/south riding in Loudon County. I also have friends who really like the Falls church public schools and that would get you closer to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are happy in the Lake Braddock pyramid. I'd try to live in Lake Braddock neighborhood if possible to walk to the middle/high school. That's my biggest regret of our little neighborhood.

It's a great community of middle class government workers, military, teachers, etc. Downside is the school is so big making teams can be challenging. Upside is there are so many kids there are peer groups for everything.

Multiple train stations that go to Crystal City, L'Enfant, or Union Station if you work regular/predictable hours. Otherwise DH's commute downtown is 45-60 minutes driving depending when he leaves.

Burke is nice and I know has a reputation for good schools but the traffic is terrible and not convenient to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in the Woodson pyramid and have been happy with middle and high (elementary school was terrible and made me regret moving for FCPS). I definitely wouldn't classify Woodson as progressive but there are a lot of diverse families.

+1. I have been able to find my progressive folks in the Woodson pyramid. I see the same with the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For similar location proximity to DC as a McLean pyramid but more liberal, I’d look at falls church city. They have their own local school district (not FCPS) and everyone I know who lives there love the community and schools.

Not to mention FCPS is a hot mess....I would go Arlington or maybe Chantilly/south riding in Loudon County. I also have friends who really like the Falls church public schools and that would get you closer to DC.

South Riding is a commuter’s nightmare and it’s in Loudoun County, not “Loudon.” Nice way to signal that you don’t know that area.

Falls Church City is expensive and its small school system is best for those who can’t handle any type of diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in the Woodson pyramid and have been happy with middle and high (elementary school was terrible and made me regret moving for FCPS). I definitely wouldn't classify Woodson as progressive but there are a lot of diverse families.

+1. I have been able to find my progressive folks in the Woodson pyramid. I see the same with the kids.

+2.

[Anonymous]

Chantilly, Skyview, SLHS, and Herndon are all near the Silver line with easy metro access to DC. There are also some direct commuter busses to places like the Pentagon from the area. I would think that Chantilly and Skyview would be of interest. SLHS is a good school but is IB. Herndon has many happy parents with the AP program but it is very much a school in a school.

[Anonymous]

Lake Braddock is a great school overall. The only real downside is that it’s so big, so your experience can depend a lot on the crowd you end up with. A lot of students are involved in sports, and because of that, I honestly haven’t heard much about drugs or anything like that. Most people tend to stick with their own friend groups.

Academically, the top students are very strong, and the college admissions results were impressive this year. The teachers and counselors are also really supportive.

That said, the size of the school can be a drawback. If you have the option to go to West Springfield High School, it has a pretty similar vibe and might be a better fit for some students since it’s smaller. There are also a lot of families in the area who commute into Washington, D.C. for work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock is a great school overall. The only real downside is that it’s so big, so your experience can depend a lot on the crowd you end up with. A lot of students are involved in sports, and because of that, I honestly haven’t heard much about drugs or anything like that. Most people tend to stick with their own friend groups.

Academically, the top students are very strong, and the college admissions results were impressive this year. The teachers and counselors are also really supportive.

That said, the size of the school can be a drawback. If you have the option to go to West Springfield High School, it has a pretty similar vibe and might be a better fit for some students since it’s smaller. There are also a lot of families in the area who commute into Washington, D.C. for work.

West Springfield is huge. About 2800 kids in four grades.