TC Williams: what does a family new to Alexandria need to know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current TC parent here. "Yale or Jail" is a myth. TC's size is a help and not a hindrance - every elective, every team, every co-curricular, every club, every special program under one roof. And the size means that there is basically somebody for everybody at TC. TC is a busy place, but a kid with his/her head on right and an accommodating home environment can do well. I'm a demanding parent, ivy, lawyer, not from Alexandria, etc., and I think a goodly amount of the complaining about TC that I see on this board really isn't accurate or fair.

-- Contact TC now and procure the course catalog. There's a posted e-version as well but a bit cumbersome. Please, ASAP, go through the course offerings and programs with DC.

-- Collect all of DC's recent school records if you are going to try for a special program.

-- Find out, now, who DC's counselor will be, and reach out to the TC front office. Can be helpful in breaking occasional log-jams with class scheduling.

ACPS is just a contentious community. There's a disuniform quality of teaching (but that's everywhere), and the school has been through multiple principals in just a few years. The school board, which is much more of a direct-management body than other school boards in the area, is just a terrible embarrassment - totally unqualified, unrealistic, not candid. There are problems, and real ones. But the problems that you might observe that specifically affect TC are relatively few, they can usually be mitigated or fully solved. A capable student with an engaged parent can do very well, other parents are engaged and the overall TC family community is intelligent and supportive. Many of the fac and admin are genuinely good or even excellent. Some of the co-curriculars are spectacular.

Good luck. Don't assume a disaster and don't believe over-generalized condemnation. As a TC parent, you'll have to be active and alert, but not much more than you would have to be elsewhere. The experience is valuable and we truly believe that our DD benefits from being at TC.

I have kids at TC, and I agree with all of what this person said. I'm also a demanding parent, a lawyer, went to ivies for undergrad, law school, and graduate school, but I am from Alexandria and I went to TC. (And, yes, I do have a TC crew sticker on my car, as did my parents in the 80s for me and my equally successful siblings.)

I'll add that my kids have learned be very effective self-advocates, a valuable and life-long skill.

This is really my issue with TJ. The UMC cohort that has tried to really carve out their own special place, and make an elite little haven out of a very troubled student population. It never sounds like the well off parents in Alexandria are trying to build a better TC Williams for all the kids.

You are grasping at straws. Nothing in PP's post refers to carving out a separate place for UMC kids. Would you rather they avoided TC entirely so you could dump on it further? You ought to be angrier at the folks who leave ACPS and then post snippy things from their new homes in Arlington.

Look- I certainly don't have the answer to TC's problem. I certainly don't think they should get rid of the daycare, as it's obviously needed. But honestly every post I read about the school has a weird tone to it. I think it's great when middle class families come together with the community and create a place for all kids to thrive. It just doesn't sound like that's what's happening over there. Certainly posts talking about elite cohorts and school within a school don't help.

There is not a single reference to "elite cohorts" in the posts included in your post. You are putting words in other people's mouths and then taking issue with them. And, even if that phrase was used elsewhere, how would it make TC different from diverse schools in Arlington like W-L that also serve kids from across the SES spectrum? Asserting that capable kids from supportive UMC families can do well does not mean that the performance of other kids is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Gosh, you're right. Making it easier for teenage parents to stay in school and finish their high school education is a terrible idea and definitely pushes them toward the jail path. We should just give them some welfare forms and wish them well. I bet every single one of them was like, "Nah, don't bother with a condom, we can just drop them off at daycare before homeroom!" and have not had their lives impacted at all by being young parents. They need to learn young that once you make a mistake, that is the end of your life and paths to ameliorate the situation should be cut off at every path. Have you called TC to set them straight so they can start dismantling this abomination?

[Anonymous]

OP, It appears that most people would rather argue among themselves than actually answer your question. For what it's worth, I agree with the few TC parent posters who have responded with concrete advice. I will add to those posts that the arts programs are quite good, since you say that your DC is on the artistic/creative (as opposed to sporty) side definitely look into the art/photography classes and into the various student publications like the Labyrinth (the literary and arts magazine). The chorus is also fabulous. If your DC plays an instrument, the band program is strong and the orchestra is excellent. There are a whole host of creative/artistic kids doing cool things at TC and in the larger community. I would encourage you to get the course catalog and to attend some events at TC once the school year starts to get a sense of things. You can follow TC and various departments/teachers/students on Twitter. Also, you can keep up with Theogony (the student newspaper) online and on social media. In terms of classes, I would encourage AP classes in whatever subjects most interest your DC - there are a lot of AP offerings.

There are definitely some crowding issues. As noted previously, the ninth grade is at a separate campus - which is actually kind of nice. That solved overcrowding for a short time, but now we are back to a capacity crunch. Overall, we have been pleased with TC. We, like you, value the diversity of TC and the wonderful group of kids from all walks of life that are part of our TC student's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are moving to Alexandria and my DC will spend 8th at a local private, but then likely go to TC. TC parents, what, if anything, should we be thinking abut or doing to increase the likelihood that DC will have a good transition to TC? I have heard people talk about things like the STEM academy. Are there programs we need to get DC signed up for in advance?

DC is a strong but not stellar student: generally gets B+ to A grades in academic subjects at a reasonably demanding private. Love the arts; enjoys sports but is not super athletic. Incredibly quick and creative but has never been a strong standardized test taker. Very strong writer.

Any advice welcomed.

If your child loves the Arts, the fine art program at TC is great, really creative and great projects coming out of there. My DD has really enjoyed studio art. I can't speak to band and orchestra, but my kids do choir and really enjoy it. The Advanced Choir is stellar, and routinely wins at choir competitions (and is representing VA at a national choir competition in SF later this year). The director is demanding though. There is a play in the Fall, and a musical in the Spring, and theater kids also put on one act plays that they either write or just self produce. It has been an interesting experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current TC parent here. "Yale or Jail" is a myth. TC's size is a help and not a hindrance - every elective, every team, every co-curricular, every club, every special program under one roof. And the size means that there is basically somebody for everybody at TC. TC is a busy place, but a kid with his/her head on right and an accommodating home environment can do well. I'm a demanding parent, ivy, lawyer, not from Alexandria, etc., and I think a goodly amount of the complaining about TC that I see on this board really isn't accurate or fair.

-- Contact TC now and procure the course catalog. There's a posted e-version as well but a bit cumbersome. Please, ASAP, go through the course offerings and programs with DC.

-- Collect all of DC's recent school records if you are going to try for a special program.

-- Find out, now, who DC's counselor will be, and reach out to the TC front office. Can be helpful in breaking occasional log-jams with class scheduling.

ACPS is just a contentious community. There's a disuniform quality of teaching (but that's everywhere), and the school has been through multiple principals in just a few years. The school board, which is much more of a direct-management body than other school boards in the area, is just a terrible embarrassment - totally unqualified, unrealistic, not candid. There are problems, and real ones. But the problems that you might observe that specifically affect TC are relatively few, they can usually be mitigated or fully solved. A capable student with an engaged parent can do very well, other parents are engaged and the overall TC family community is intelligent and supportive. Many of the fac and admin are genuinely good or even excellent. Some of the co-curriculars are spectacular.

Good luck. Don't assume a disaster and don't believe over-generalized condemnation. As a TC parent, you'll have to be active and alert, but not much more than you would have to be elsewhere. The experience is valuable and we truly believe that our DD benefits from being at TC.

I have kids at TC, and I agree with all of what this person said. I'm also a demanding parent, a lawyer, went to ivies for undergrad, law school, and graduate school, but I am from Alexandria and I went to TC. (And, yes, I do have a TC crew sticker on my car, as did my parents in the 80s for me and my equally successful siblings.)

I'll add that my kids have learned be very effective self-advocates, a valuable and life-long skill.

This is really my issue with TJ. The UMC cohort that has tried to really carve out their own special place, and make an elite little haven out of a very troubled student population. It never sounds like the well off parents in Alexandria are trying to build a better TC Williams for all the kids.

You are grasping at straws. Nothing in PP's post refers to carving out a separate place for UMC kids. Would you rather they avoided TC entirely so you could dump on it further? You ought to be angrier at the folks who leave ACPS and then post snippy things from their new homes in Arlington.

Look- I certainly don't have the answer to TC's problem. I certainly don't think they should get rid of the daycare, as it's obviously needed. But honestly every post I read about the school has a weird tone to it. I think it's great when middle class families come together with the community and create a place for all kids to thrive. It just doesn't sound like that's what's happening over there. Certainly posts talking about elite cohorts and school within a school don't help.

First-- we need to keep teen moms in school. It's best for them, their kids and society. If it takes a daycare, so be it. But, 100 kids likely means 200 TC teen parents. II don't see how anyone can defend a school with that many teen parents as a good environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current TC parent here. "Yale or Jail" is a myth. TC's size is a help and not a hindrance - every elective, every team, every co-curricular, every club, every special program under one roof. And the size means that there is basically somebody for everybody at TC. TC is a busy place, but a kid with his/her head on right and an accommodating home environment can do well. I'm a demanding parent, ivy, lawyer, not from Alexandria, etc., and I think a goodly amount of the complaining about TC that I see on this board really isn't accurate or fair.

-- Contact TC now and procure the course catalog. There's a posted e-version as well but a bit cumbersome. Please, ASAP, go through the course offerings and programs with DC.

-- Collect all of DC's recent school records if you are going to try for a special program.

-- Find out, now, who DC's counselor will be, and reach out to the TC front office. Can be helpful in breaking occasional log-jams with class scheduling.

ACPS is just a contentious community. There's a disuniform quality of teaching (but that's everywhere), and the school has been through multiple principals in just a few years. The school board, which is much more of a direct-management body than other school boards in the area, is just a terrible embarrassment - totally unqualified, unrealistic, not candid. There are problems, and real ones. But the problems that you might observe that specifically affect TC are relatively few, they can usually be mitigated or fully solved. A capable student with an engaged parent can do very well, other parents are engaged and the overall TC family community is intelligent and supportive. Many of the fac and admin are genuinely good or even excellent. Some of the co-curriculars are spectacular.

Good luck. Don't assume a disaster and don't believe over-generalized condemnation. As a TC parent, you'll have to be active and alert, but not much more than you would have to be elsewhere. The experience is valuable and we truly believe that our DD benefits from being at TC.

I have kids at TC, and I agree with all of what this person said. I'm also a demanding parent, a lawyer, went to ivies for undergrad, law school, and graduate school, but I am from Alexandria and I went to TC. (And, yes, I do have a TC crew sticker on my car, as did my parents in the 80s for me and my equally successful siblings.)

I'll add that my kids have learned be very effective self-advocates, a valuable and life-long skill.

This is really my issue with TJ. The UMC cohort that has tried to really carve out their own special place, and make an elite little haven out of a very troubled student population. It never sounds like the well off parents in Alexandria are trying to build a better TC Williams for all the kids.

You are grasping at straws. Nothing in PP's post refers to carving out a separate place for UMC kids. Would you rather they avoided TC entirely so you could dump on it further? You ought to be angrier at the folks who leave ACPS and then post snippy things from their new homes in Arlington.

Look- I certainly don't have the answer to TC's problem. I certainly don't think they should get rid of the daycare, as it's obviously needed. But honestly every post I read about the school has a weird tone to it. I think it's great when middle class families come together with the community and create a place for all kids to thrive. It just doesn't sound like that's what's happening over there. Certainly posts talking about elite cohorts and school within a school don't help.

First-- we need to keep teen moms in school. It's best for them, their kids and society. If it takes a daycare, so be it. But, 100 kids likely means 200 TC teen parents. II don't see how anyone can defend a school with that many teen parents as a good environment.

To be clear: the day care at TC is not just for students. It is a Campagna Center/Early Head Start program that is located there but it is open to all low income families and to families who have infants/toddlers with special needs, so you can't extrapolate the number of teen parents from the number of kids enrolled at the day care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current TC parent here. "Yale or Jail" is a myth. TC's size is a help and not a hindrance - every elective, every team, every co-curricular, every club, every special program under one roof. And the size means that there is basically somebody for everybody at TC. TC is a busy place, but a kid with his/her head on right and an accommodating home environment can do well. I'm a demanding parent, ivy, lawyer, not from Alexandria, etc., and I think a goodly amount of the complaining about TC that I see on this board really isn't accurate or fair.

-- Contact TC now and procure the course catalog. There's a posted e-version as well but a bit cumbersome. Please, ASAP, go through the course offerings and programs with DC.

-- Collect all of DC's recent school records if you are going to try for a special program.

-- Find out, now, who DC's counselor will be, and reach out to the TC front office. Can be helpful in breaking occasional log-jams with class scheduling.

ACPS is just a contentious community. There's a disuniform quality of teaching (but that's everywhere), and the school has been through multiple principals in just a few years. The school board, which is much more of a direct-management body than other school boards in the area, is just a terrible embarrassment - totally unqualified, unrealistic, not candid. There are problems, and real ones. But the problems that you might observe that specifically affect TC are relatively few, they can usually be mitigated or fully solved. A capable student with an engaged parent can do very well, other parents are engaged and the overall TC family community is intelligent and supportive. Many of the fac and admin are genuinely good or even excellent. Some of the co-curriculars are spectacular.

Good luck. Don't assume a disaster and don't believe over-generalized condemnation. As a TC parent, you'll have to be active and alert, but not much more than you would have to be elsewhere. The experience is valuable and we truly believe that our DD benefits from being at TC.

I have kids at TC, and I agree with all of what this person said. I'm also a demanding parent, a lawyer, went to ivies for undergrad, law school, and graduate school, but I am from Alexandria and I went to TC. (And, yes, I do have a TC crew sticker on my car, as did my parents in the 80s for me and my equally successful siblings.)

I'll add that my kids have learned be very effective self-advocates, a valuable and life-long skill.

This is really my issue with TJ. The UMC cohort that has tried to really carve out their own special place, and make an elite little haven out of a very troubled student population. It never sounds like the well off parents in Alexandria are trying to build a better TC Williams for all the kids.

You are grasping at straws. Nothing in PP's post refers to carving out a separate place for UMC kids. Would you rather they avoided TC entirely so you could dump on it further? You ought to be angrier at the folks who leave ACPS and then post snippy things from their new homes in Arlington.

Look- I certainly don't have the answer to TC's problem. I certainly don't think they should get rid of the daycare, as it's obviously needed. But honestly every post I read about the school has a weird tone to it. I think it's great when middle class families come together with the community and create a place for all kids to thrive. It just doesn't sound like that's what's happening over there. Certainly posts talking about elite cohorts and school within a school don't help.

First-- we need to keep teen moms in school. It's best for them, their kids and society. If it takes a daycare, so be it. But, 100 kids likely means 200 TC teen parents. II don't see how anyone can defend a school with that many teen parents as a good environment.

I wish 100 tc babies meant 200 tc parents. More often it means 100 tc moms with absentee fathers who are sleeping with other people and denying paternity or just in the wind. Also, babies are not allowed to ride the school bus. So it means for a mom to use this daycare, she has to have her own transportation or take the city bus. Few things: generally the most at risk population does not have great transportation options or the money for the bus. I don't really have a larger point, but just wanted to say this daycare does not solve teen parenting problems instantly. I also have known several adults including police officers that have used this daycare for their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Gosh, you're right. Making it easier for teenage parents to stay in school and finish their high school education is a terrible idea and definitely pushes them toward the jail path. We should just give them some welfare forms and wish them well. I bet every single one of them was like, "Nah, don't bother with a condom, we can just drop them off at daycare before homeroom!" and have not had their lives impacted at all by being young parents. They need to learn young that once you make a mistake, that is the end of your life and paths to ameliorate the situation should be cut off at every path. Have you called TC to set them straight so they can start dismantling this abomination?

+1. BTW, Arlington has an entire school dedicated to this as well...It's not as rare or strange as you are making it out to be.

[Anonymous]

There is always so much misinformation on this forum in posts about TC Williams, and ACPS in general - and it quite often falls into the category of "I heard all these horror stories and chose to send my kid elsewhere, so I haven't actually been to the school, and all my info is really playground gossip..."

Why not let parents of TC students respond to the original poster - and give their insights based on personal experience, not anecdotes?

I have a child currently attending TC and one who just graduated. They've had some great teachers, a few duds, lots of good experiences through sports, orchestra, clubs, science conferences, Latin conventions. Overall, it's been a good experience. My recent graduate, and friends, are heading off to an impressive group of colleges in the fall.

TC is a big school. I regularly attended events and activities at the school and got to know my child's cohort and teammates. I became very familiar with a subset of students and families. Even so, I don't think I really grasped how big, and how international, the school was, until I sat through the graduation ceremony, and they read through all the names. Looking up the demographics ACPS website afterwards, I learned that ACPS students come from 134 countries by birth. That is amazing to me! As a result, my children feel comfortable with people from all backgrounds. One of them showed up for a first day and a summer job to find they were the only white kid, but it didn't faze them - it really didn't matter.

My children have both found a good group of friends, an academic peer group, and classes that challenge them. I think they'll be well prepared for college and beyond after TC.

OP, if you have specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is always so much misinformation on this forum in posts about TC Williams, and ACPS in general - and it quite often falls into the category of "I heard all these horror stories and chose to send my kid elsewhere, so I haven't actually been to the school, and all my info is really playground gossip..."

Why not let parents of TC students respond to the original poster - and give their insights based on personal experience, not anecdotes?

I have a child currently attending TC and one who just graduated. They've had some great teachers, a few duds, lots of good experiences through sports, orchestra, clubs, science conferences, Latin conventions. Overall, it's been a good experience. My recent graduate, and friends, are heading off to an impressive group of colleges in the fall.

TC is a big school. I regularly attended events and activities at the school and got to know my child's cohort and teammates. I became very familiar with a subset of students and families. Even so, I don't think I really grasped how big, and how international, the school was, until I sat through the graduation ceremony, and they read through all the names. Looking up the demographics ACPS website afterwards, I learned that ACPS students come from 134 countries by birth. That is amazing to me! As a result, my children feel comfortable with people from all backgrounds. One of them showed up for a first day and a summer job to find they were the only white kid, but it didn't faze them - it really didn't matter.

My children have both found a good group of friends, an academic peer group, and classes that challenge them. I think they'll be well prepared for college and beyond after TC.

OP, if you have specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer those.

Do your children have any friends that live in old town? If so, are there only a few? The reason I ask is because I plan on moving there but worried my kids won't have any playmates in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is always so much misinformation on this forum in posts about TC Williams, and ACPS in general - and it quite often falls into the category of "I heard all these horror stories and chose to send my kid elsewhere, so I haven't actually been to the school, and all my info is really playground gossip..."

Why not let parents of TC students respond to the original poster - and give their insights based on personal experience, not anecdotes?

I have a child currently attending TC and one who just graduated. They've had some great teachers, a few duds, lots of good experiences through sports, orchestra, clubs, science conferences, Latin conventions. Overall, it's been a good experience. My recent graduate, and friends, are heading off to an impressive group of colleges in the fall.

TC is a big school. I regularly attended events and activities at the school and got to know my child's cohort and teammates. I became very familiar with a subset of students and families. Even so, I don't think I really grasped how big, and how international, the school was, until I sat through the graduation ceremony, and they read through all the names. Looking up the demographics ACPS website afterwards, I learned that ACPS students come from 134 countries by birth. That is amazing to me! As a result, my children feel comfortable with people from all backgrounds. One of them showed up for a first day and a summer job to find they were the only white kid, but it didn't faze them - it really didn't matter.

My children have both found a good group of friends, an academic peer group, and classes that challenge them. I think they'll be well prepared for college and beyond after TC.

OP, if you have specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer those.

See, you don't get to say something like that and extoll the virtues of diversity. It's not like you were immersed in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

What else is not a myth is Alexandria city has one of the smallest populations of any jurisdiction in the DMV area yet has the highest teen pregnancy rate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Gosh, you're right. Making it easier for teenage parents to stay in school and finish their high school education is a terrible idea and definitely pushes them toward the jail path. We should just give them some welfare forms and wish them well. I bet every single one of them was like, "Nah, don't bother with a condom, we can just drop them off at daycare before homeroom!" and have not had their lives impacted at all by being young parents. They need to learn young that once you make a mistake, that is the end of your life and paths to ameliorate the situation should be cut off at every path. Have you called TC to set them straight so they can start dismantling this abomination?

+1. BTW, Arlington has an entire school dedicated to this as well...It's not as rare or strange as you are making it out to be.

Fairfax County has an alternative high school near Mt. Vernon off of route 1 for this purpose as well. It is for students who otherwise would not be able to graduate at a regular high school at a regular schedule because of pregnancy, being a teen parent, having no family/ living on their own, or having to work (yes, there are actually teenagers who have to work a job to survive, if they don't work they don't eat, so how can they go to school during regular hours)? They have day and evening classes. These kind of services and schools are super important, you either pay now to help these children grown into self sufficient adults, or we all pay when they can't graduate, can't get a diploma, can't financially support themselves later in life. Just because TCW has a daycare children of students has nothing to do with the caliber of education. I guarantee you teens of all schools are having sex. Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Huh? No, it sends exactly the right message: that even if you have a child in your teens, which presumably none of us thinks is a good idea, you can and should stay in school and your school can and should support you in continuing your education.

And yes, actually, I do think it is good for upper middle class white kids to understand that they are really f-ing lucky, and that not everyone in the world is an upper middle class white kid. It is good for them to understand that many kids their age are struggling with extraordinary burdens: first generation immigrants; non-English speakers; kids with completely checked out parents, kids who must work while in school to help support their parents and siblings, and even kids struggling to continue their educations after they themselves have had kids. If my kids come out of TC with an appreciation of how fortunate they are and how very un-level life's playing field is, I'll be grateful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Gosh, you're right. Making it easier for teenage parents to stay in school and finish their high school education is a terrible idea and definitely pushes them toward the jail path. We should just give them some welfare forms and wish them well. I bet every single one of them was like, "Nah, don't bother with a condom, we can just drop them off at daycare before homeroom!" and have not had their lives impacted at all by being young parents. They need to learn young that once you make a mistake, that is the end of your life and paths to ameliorate the situation should be cut off at every path. Have you called TC to set them straight so they can start dismantling this abomination?

+1. BTW, Arlington has an entire school dedicated to this as well...It's not as rare or strange as you are making it out to be.

Fairfax County has an alternative high school near Mt. Vernon off of route 1 for this purpose as well. It is for students who otherwise would not be able to graduate at a regular high school at a regular schedule because of pregnancy, being a teen parent, having no family/ living on their own, or having to work (yes, there are actually teenagers who have to work a job to survive, if they don't work they don't eat, so how can they go to school during regular hours)? They have day and evening classes. These kind of services and schools are super important, you either pay now to help these children grown into self sufficient adults, or we all pay when they can't graduate, can't get a diploma, can't financially support themselves later in life. Just because TCW has a daycare children of students has nothing to do with the caliber of education. I guarantee you teens of all schools are having sex. Wake up.

Right. But FCPS has one small alternative high school (200 kids total) and 20 traditional high schools. Where as ACPS has 1 alternative high school that some traditional high school students also alttend.