Madison or Chantilly?
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Anonymous
| Please help us decide between these two schools. We are curently zoned into Madison and we do like the school but the elementary and middle really lack diversity. So does the high school to a certain extent. We are a minority and it gets lonely sometimes. We haven't heard the best things about Oakton and worry about the quality of teaching, the bullying etc. how does Chantilly high school compare to Madison? I know there is more diversity. I know my DS will enjoy the focus on STEM but academically speaking will I regret moving to the Chantilly pyramid? Anything else I need to think about? |
Anonymous
There is significant diversity at madison -- maybe no AA (much), but many students from Asia. |
Anonymous
| We love it here. Lots of 1st Gen Immigrants. Lots of Feds. Very down to Earth and nice people. Affluent, but not wealthy-- which is a difference between Madison and Chantilly. Chantilly parents pay 600k for a house and are things like fed lawyers and tech professionals and teachers. . There is more wealth in Madison. The parents love the HS and it has a great reputation in the community. My DC1 went to TJ. If DC2 does not, I think Chantilly is a great STEM option. |
Anonymous
| Dislike both names. |
Anonymous
| Can't imagine preferring Chantilly over Madison or Oakton, but that's based on location, not schools. Chantilly is just pure 1980s suburban sprawl full of houses with vinyl siding. Vienna seems like a much better investment. |
Anonymous
| I'd rather have a lack of "diversity" than a heroin problem. |
Anonymous
| What school has a heroin problem? |
Anonymous
LOL. My first thought too before I looked at the forum. Funny. Gave me a chuckle this AM. |
Anonymous
|
Moving affects a lot more of your life than what school your child attends for four years. I'm a Madison parent and I agree that Madison is pretty white, which can feel uncomfortable. But it isn't all white by a long shot, and there are a fair number of non-AA minorities. There are very few AAs but that seems to be an issue with NoVA in general. With the rate of teardowns and new builds in Vienna, I suspect that Vienna is beginning to skew much wealthier, which limits diversity of all types.
Depending on what extra-curricular activities interest your child, Madison may offer better options. For example, their band is probably the best in the area and fairly high up even on a national scale. I'd check to see which school offers more AP courses as a clue to the academic environment. Test scores I don't find as helpful as they are mostly a proxy for parents' socio-economic status. Also, do you like the Chantilly neighborhood and house options? What are the economic costs of moving, and the soft costs including possibly increased commute time? |
Anonymous
| We live in the Madison boundary and wish we bought in Chantilly just for the diversity and reduced pretentiousness. Vienna is a better commute however. |
Anonymous
| Either will be fine. Both schools offer great academics and lots of outside activities. Choose the house and neighborhood which suit your needs. |
Anonymous
Heroin problem ???? WTF ???? I'm. It sure where you start with "diversity" at Chantilly being a zillion overachieving Asians and end up with a heroin epidemic. Chantilly parent, BTW. And I'd love a source for your alt-facts. |
Anonymous
Ignore. Probably the same crazy Madison troll who was posting on the Marshall HS thread. |
Anonymous
| Westfield was the high school in western Fairfax that had a well publicized heroin ring years ago, not Chantilly. |
Anonymous
This is our concern about Madison as well. |