Guide to pyramids in FCPS / APS

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

We are strongly considering moving to either N. Arlington or McLean in the next year to 18 months and have a 3 year-old DD. Is there a good guide to the various ES/MS pyramids in APS and FCPS that we should consult? We are fortunate to be able to afford to choose where we end up, but it is hard to really understand the considerations involved. For high school, Langley and McLean seem like great options, though Yorktown would probably be OK too. I know AAP, etc., options can be controversial, but availability/quality of those programs is a consideration for us as well. Just trying to narrow our housing search to a few specific geographic areas based on school choice if we can. Ease of commute to/from DC would be a secondary factor, though important, so I had been thinking Langley pyramids would be preferred to McLean, but I like that McLean has more diversity, etc.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

What is your budget?

[Anonymous]

I don't think anything like this exists.

Decide if you are ok with AAP first. If you're not, that would rule out Fairfax. Do your homework and talk to people.

Research the schools independently. Talk to families. Visit the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your budget?

"We are fortunate to be able to afford to choose where we end up..."

From the OP's post. I don't think her budget is relevant. It's a VA Public Schools thread, not a Real Estate thread.

[Anonymous]

Chesterbrook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anything like this exists.

Decide if you are ok with AAP first. If you're not, that would rule out Fairfax. Do your homework and talk to people.

Research the schools independently. Talk to families. Visit the area.

This is the "standard" advice on DCUM. I wonder how many people actually do that. We certainly didn't.

We figured out our budget and commute, used Redfin to find houses for sale next to schools with high GS ratings, and made an offer. That's how our friends have done it, too.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of great schools in those areas so I think you can't go wrong with most. Personally, I'd look at neighborhoods first and see if you can find an area you like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anything like this exists.

Decide if you are ok with AAP first. If you're not, that would rule out Fairfax. Do your homework and talk to people.

Research the schools independently. Talk to families. Visit the area.

This is the "standard" advice on DCUM. I wonder how many people actually do that. We certainly didn't.

We figured out our budget and commute, used Redfin to find houses for sale next to schools with high GS ratings, and made an offer. That's how our friends have done it, too.

You didn't go to different neighborhoods and see how you felt about them?

We also found a few neighborhoods that met our requirements and had good schools and then targeted those areas. I did not target a specific school. I had many I was fine with.

[Anonymous]

Be aware that APS doesn't have strict "pyramids" -- elementaries can split between multiple middle schools and middle schools split between multiple high schools. And all middle and elementary boundaries are in flux this year for implementation in Fall 2019. However, if you buy in far-northeast Arlington, just based geography it would hard to end up anywhere but Williamsburg/Yorktown, with a couple different potential options for ES.

[Anonymous]

I'd probably rule out the areas that would be a sucky commute first. That narrows things a bit. Then rule out the schools that are very low-ranked, since you have the budget to afford very good schools. That narrows things down. Once you get it down to 2-3 high schools, you can look at neighborhoods, post in this forum and read statistics and do some googling. Langley, McLean and Yorktown are all great schools, as is Woodson. In Fairfax you have the AAP issue, and a better shot at TJ HS, if that matters. But Yorktown is closer in for a DC commute. (City of Falls Church would be worth considering too.)

14:27 is correct - some schools are split feeders. So you might get some kids at Swanson going on to Washington-Lee and some to Yorktown. (Both very good.) And with the new middle school coming online at some point, that will shift things. Far Northeast Arlington, though, could end up at W-L vs. Yorktown, since Yorktown is further West than W-L. Far Northwest Arlington is likely to stick with Wburg/YK unless they do a comprehensive 4th high school at the Virginia Health property and draw boundaries vertically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi all,

We are strongly considering moving to either N. Arlington or McLean in the next year to 18 months and have a 3 year-old DD. Is there a good guide to the various ES/MS pyramids in APS and FCPS that we should consult? We are fortunate to be able to afford to choose where we end up, but it is hard to really understand the considerations involved. For high school, Langley and McLean seem like great options, though Yorktown would probably be OK too. I know AAP, etc., options can be controversial, but availability/quality of those programs is a consideration for us as well. Just trying to narrow our housing search to a few specific geographic areas based on school choice if we can. Ease of commute to/from DC would be a secondary factor, though important, so I had been thinking Langley pyramids would be preferred to McLean, but I like that McLean has more diversity, etc.

Thanks!

In FCPS, the two most useful resources I can think of are the following;

* The FCPS collection of maps that show the school boundaries, available at https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/planning-future/maps

* FCPS's latest Capital Improvement Plan, which contains information on schools, enrollment projections, and various feeder patterns, available at https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/facilities-planning-future/capital-improvement-program

For example, at pp. 88-91 of the FY 2018-22 CIP, there are some good maps and tables that show how the elementary schools align with the middle and high school boundaries, how the middle school boundaries align with the high school boundaries, and which elementary and middle schools are "split feeders" that send students to multiple schools at the next level. This information is often more useful than information about "pyramids," which is a term that FCPS uses primarily for internal administrative purposes, but won't necessarily tell you about the school assignments. For example, there are currently two elementary schools in the Annandale HS pyramid that don't send any students to Annandale (Bren Mar Park and Mason Crest), and there are elementary schools in the Langley "pyramid" (Colvin Run and Spring Hill) where some of the students go on to attend McLean rather than Langley, and vice versa (Franklin Sherman).

You won't go wrong with either of the Langley or McLean pyramids. Langley usually has the highest test scores in FCPS after TJHSST, but McLean is right behind it and has more diversity and neighborhoods close to DC and Orange/Silver Line stations.

[Anonymous]

You'll find lots of debate in the archives about the relative merits of FCPS "center" schools vs. non-center. In short, AAP center schools are great if your child tests into AAP, but may not be ideal for those who do not. Some have complained that their non-AAP kids in center schools were made to feel like second class citizens.

It's tough to predict where a now three-year-old might end up (AAP applications are submitted in 2nd grade) but something to keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You'll find lots of debate in the archives about the relative merits of FCPS "center" schools vs. non-center. In short, AAP center schools are great if your child tests into AAP, but may not be ideal for those who do not. Some have complained that their non-AAP kids in center schools were made to feel like second class citizens.

It's tough to predict where a now three-year-old might end up (AAP applications are submitted in 2nd grade) but something to keep in mind.

It's arguably becoming less of an issue as most of the McLean schools now have LLIV services, making the distinction between the center and non-center schools less important.

And, of course, the flip side is that others believe the academic programs in APS for academically talented students aren't as structured or as good as the LLIV/AAP services in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

If you move to Arlington when your child is (will be) 4-5 years old, you need to be very aware that the county has not addressed its overcapacity problems and between 5-20 years from now the county is headed into serious disaster.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/666638.page

Many people who will rush into this thread and explain all schools face this problem. Just be aware Fairfax has more landa nd a larger tax base from which it can resolve this challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you move to Arlington when your child is (will be) 4-5 years old, you need to be very aware that the county has not addressed its overcapacity problems and between 5-20 years from now the county is headed into serious disaster.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/666638.page

Many people who will rush into this thread and explain all schools face this problem. Just be aware Fairfax has more landa nd a larger tax base from which it can resolve this challenge.

Of course Fairfax has a larger tax base, but Arlington has fewer students as a percentage of the total population, which allows APS to spend more per student.

The issue in Arlington isn't financial resources, but whether the plan to address overcrowding is to (1) build more schools or (2) play chicken and wait for people to leave.