Oakton High School and Chantilly High School

[confused-mum]

We are looking for some feedback on the positives and negatives between Oakton and Chantilly High Schools, in terms of academics as well as the general school culture. Some specific points we wanted clarity on (we heard this feedback from friends).
1. Oakton High School has a lot of rich affluent crowd of kids and kids from middle class families are looked down upon - Is this true
2. Chantilly High School is academically better because of the Governor's STEM Grant.

[Anonymous]

confused-mum wrote:We are looking for some feedback on the positives and negatives between Oakton and Chantilly High Schools, in terms of academics as well as the general school culture. Some specific points we wanted clarity on (we heard this feedback from friends).
1. Oakton High School has a lot of rich affluent crowd of kids and kids from middle class families are looked down upon - Is this true
2. Chantilly High School is academically better because of the Governor's STEM Grant.

Either school is fine. Both are excellent academically. As far as the kids and their attitudes, you will find both good and bad in ANY school in the United States.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of kids at Oakton who lives in apts OP. It is a diverse area and shows in the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of kids at Oakton who lives in apts OP. It is a diverse area and shows in the school.

Huh? Oakton is higher SES than Chantilly.

The STEM Academy at Chantilly is really only a benefit if you have a kid who would benefit from vocational courses. Oakton has a someone what more robust traditional academic curriculum.

[Anonymous]

We lived in the Oakton HS boundaries until my kids were in late ES/MS. We now live in Chantilly.

Yes. Oakton is a more affluent school. I personally did not care for the atmosphere, and we chose to move out of the pyramid from a townhouse to a SFH. The school is academically excellent, but is an atmosphere that places a lot of value on what you wear and what you own. And there is a lot of Queen Bee and Wanna Bee going on. Kids started appearing in 4th grade with new model iPhone. Social status was important. And my kids were very conscious that they were “poor” because they lived in a townhouse. The kids grew up much faster. Playing sports and being like everyone else was much more important.

Chantilly is more diverse and has a lot more first generation immigrants in professional jobs. Also a lot of professional Feds (lawyers, etc) and white people who work in high tech. It is academically an intense environment, and you are in the TJ crazy part of the county. At Carson and RRMS, TJ admissions will always be below the surface, and will drive a lot of parents decision making. And 8th grade especially is dominated by TJ in these schools. Franklin gets to avoid a lot this because they are not a FT Center (they do have a strong LLIV program), so kids who do want TJ usually go to Carson or RRMS.

Chantilly is very well liked by the parents in the area. It is probably a draw in terms of academic strength. Oakton has slightly higher SATs, but any difference is going to be explained by SES. The average kid at Chantilly is “middle class” by DCUM standards— which is to say affluent. Oakton has a significant number of kids who are wealthy/rich. It makes a difference.

Where Chantilly shines is the STEM Academy if you have a kid who is really strong in STEM and wants the robotic, engineering track, Chantilly is your answer. Chantiily’s SOLs are also stronger in STEM than humanities. They have the county championship robotic team, special engineering labs, internship programs etc. if your kid is not hardcore STEM, it’s probably an academic draw.

And full disclosure, I have a kid at TJ and a kid applying. This their choice and they did not prep. But I like Chantilly because the focus is more academic, less social status. Chantilly also seems to have a lot more both parents work/ both parents parent families, while Oakton seemed to have a lot of Dad worked all the time, and momwas SAH and primary caretaker. Being a working mom in that atmosphere can be isolating. You need to pick what works for your family. They are different atmospheres. And a lot of it comes down to the environment that makes you comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Apparently PP did not have kids at Mosby Woods ES -- very diverse, not $$ oriented -- they feed into Oakton HS too! I live close to Oakton HS although we are zoned for another school. I've been to Oakton HS for some of their events. Seems like a diverse group. I've not noticed what PP says. But, then again, I'm not in the part of Oakton to the west that is full of the estates and mansions. I'm in the part of Vienna/Oakton that has lots of modest SFHs and THs -- that feed into OHS. So, that's what I think of when I think of OHS.

OP -- we were looking in the Chantilly zone when we looked for a house. It is a huge school (although that doesn't really distinguish it from OHS). They have really high passrates on the AP tests -- may be the influence of the large Asian population there. Anyway -- I did go to the curriculum night at Rocky Run. It was literally like a stampede. I thought my younger child might get crushed in the mass of people.... and then we were separated out into AAP chat and non-AAP chat --- hey! where did all the crowds go????? Very few people in the "non-AAP" course selection discussion. We wrapped up and peaked into the gymnasium.... That's where the crowds were .... and they were still going strong with the discussion. That give you a picture of what it's like at Rocky Run. I think it is a good school, but it is over run by AAP kids ... and it is known as "little TJ" (at TJHSST). These kids (most of them are Asian) are fighting to get into TJ. If you have an AAP kid, it might be a good thing to be part of that crowd at Rocky Run. If not, I don't know -- your kid may feel like a second class citizen in his/her own school.

Both Oakton HS and CHantilly will provide an excellent education. Chantilly does have the STEM academy -- which looks like a real asset. There are even internships with Lockheed (I think that is the one). Oakton will be undergoing a renovation very soon. It is severely over capacity (but it is slightly smaller than Chantilly in actual numbers -- last I looked).

One thing I didn't like about Oakton was the way the attendance zone was laid out, kids from the western end of the zone would have a difficult time driving to school on some of those very narrow/winding roads ... OR you have to use 66 to get there. That was a deal-breaker for me. 20+ min. to get to the high school on tight curving roads was a NO. If you are looking to be closer to the actual school, then that wouldn't matter.

[confused-mum]

OP here - Thank you - this is such a detailed and honest reply and exactly the information I was looking for.

Anonymous wrote:We lived in the Oakton HS boundaries until my kids were in late ES/MS. We now live in Chantilly.

Yes. Oakton is a more affluent school. I personally did not care for the atmosphere, and we chose to move out of the pyramid from a townhouse to a SFH. The school is academically excellent, but is an atmosphere that places a lot of value on what you wear and what you own. And there is a lot of Queen Bee and Wanna Bee going on. Kids started appearing in 4th grade with new model iPhone. Social status was important. And my kids were very conscious that they were “poor” because they lived in a townhouse. The kids grew up much faster. Playing sports and being like everyone else was much more important.

Chantilly is more diverse and has a lot more first generation immigrants in professional jobs. Also a lot of professional Feds (lawyers, etc) and white people who work in high tech. It is academically an intense environment, and you are in the TJ crazy part of the county. At Carson and RRMS, TJ admissions will always be below the surface, and will drive a lot of parents decision making. And 8th grade especially is dominated by TJ in these schools. Franklin gets to avoid a lot this because they are not a FT Center (they do have a strong LLIV program), so kids who do want TJ usually go to Carson or RRMS.

Chantilly is very well liked by the parents in the area. It is probably a draw in terms of academic strength. Oakton has slightly higher SATs, but any difference is going to be explained by SES. The average kid at Chantilly is “middle class” by DCUM standards— which is to say affluent. Oakton has a significant number of kids who are wealthy/rich. It makes a difference.

Where Chantilly shines is the STEM Academy if you have a kid who is really strong in STEM and wants the robotic, engineering track, Chantilly is your answer. Chantiily’s SOLs are also stronger in STEM than humanities. They have the county championship robotic team, special engineering labs, internship programs etc. if your kid is not hardcore STEM, it’s probably an academic draw.

And full disclosure, I have a kid at TJ and a kid applying. This their choice and they did not prep. But I like Chantilly because the focus is more academic, less social status. Chantilly also seems to have a lot more both parents work/ both parents parent families, while Oakton seemed to have a lot of Dad worked all the time, and momwas SAH and primary caretaker. Being a working mom in that atmosphere can be isolating. You need to pick what works for your family. They are different atmospheres. And a lot of it comes down to the environment that makes you comfortable.

[confused-mum]

OP Here - thank you. You are right, there is a lot of madness around TJ admissions specially with the AAP group of kids. Our kid is in the AAP Group but TJ is not our goal Thank you for the detailed reply.

Anonymous wrote:Apparently PP did not have kids at Mosby Woods ES -- very diverse, not $$ oriented -- they feed into Oakton HS too! I live close to Oakton HS although we are zoned for another school. I've been to Oakton HS for some of their events. Seems like a diverse group. I've not noticed what PP says. But, then again, I'm not in the part of Oakton to the west that is full of the estates and mansions. I'm in the part of Vienna/Oakton that has lots of modest SFHs and THs -- that feed into OHS. So, that's what I think of when I think of OHS.

OP -- we were looking in the Chantilly zone when we looked for a house. It is a huge school (although that doesn't really distinguish it from OHS). They have really high passrates on the AP tests -- may be the influence of the large Asian population there. Anyway -- I did go to the curriculum night at Rocky Run. It was literally like a stampede. I thought my younger child might get crushed in the mass of people.... and then we were separated out into AAP chat and non-AAP chat --- hey! where did all the crowds go????? Very few people in the "non-AAP" course selection discussion. We wrapped up and peaked into the gymnasium.... That's where the crowds were .... and they were still going strong with the discussion. That give you a picture of what it's like at Rocky Run. I think it is a good school, but it is over run by AAP kids ... and it is known as "little TJ" (at TJHSST). These kids (most of them are Asian) are fighting to get into TJ. If you have an AAP kid, it might be a good thing to be part of that crowd at Rocky Run. If not, I don't know -- your kid may feel like a second class citizen in his/her own school.

Both Oakton HS and CHantilly will provide an excellent education. Chantilly does have the STEM academy -- which looks like a real asset. There are even internships with Lockheed (I think that is the one). Oakton will be undergoing a renovation very soon. It is severely over capacity (but it is slightly smaller than Chantilly in actual numbers -- last I looked).

One thing I didn't like about Oakton was the way the attendance zone was laid out, kids from the western end of the zone would have a difficult time driving to school on some of those very narrow/winding roads ... OR you have to use 66 to get there. That was a deal-breaker for me. 20+ min. to get to the high school on tight curving roads was a NO. If you are looking to be closer to the actual school, then that wouldn't matter.

[Anonymous]

I think Oakton would be less cliquey than Chantilly because of the different feeders and diversity of wealth. There is some wealth but it isn't like attending Langley. It's a diverse school.

[confused-mum]

OP here. Could I ask - from the Chantilly HS feeder schools, how different are Rocky Run and Carson? We are looking to move into the Chantilly HS area and would like to know about both of these schools

[confused-mum]

True.. I agree...

Anonymous wrote:

confused-mum wrote:We are looking for some feedback on the positives and negatives between Oakton and Chantilly High Schools, in terms of academics as well as the general school culture. Some specific points we wanted clarity on (we heard this feedback from friends).
1. Oakton High School has a lot of rich affluent crowd of kids and kids from middle class families are looked down upon - Is this true
2. Chantilly High School is academically better because of the Governor's STEM Grant.

Either school is fine. Both are excellent academically. As far as the kids and their attitudes, you will find both good and bad in ANY school in the United States.

[Anonymous]

confused-mum wrote:OP here. Could I ask - from the Chantilly HS feeder schools, how different are Rocky Run and Carson? We are looking to move into the Chantilly HS area and would like to know about both of these schools

They are both AAP-obsessed, but Carson sends twice as many kids to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

confused-mum wrote:OP here. Could I ask - from the Chantilly HS feeder schools, how different are Rocky Run and Carson? We are looking to move into the Chantilly HS area and would like to know about both of these schools

They are both AAP-obsessed, but Carson sends twice as many kids to TJ.

This. I’m the PP who moved with a Carson kid. And the poster below me is right. We did live near mansions part of the attendance zone. My impression is that RRMS and Carson are very similar. But for some reason Carson always has significantly higher TJ admissions number. I have no explanation for it, The poster below me is also right that the schools are very AAP dominant. A non-AAP kid could easily get lost at Carson. The upside is the academics are excellent. We now Kid 2 going through, and we have never had a bad teacher. And some have been exceptional. They have a very strong music program, and there are a number of academic teams and extracurriculars that are state, regional and even nationally ranked (MUN, Debate, We The People, TARC, TSA, MathCounts, etc). The downside is that the competition is fierce for every single activity, because kids are trying to build resumes for TJ. You can’t just join debate. You compete against 300 kids for 24 open slots.

If actively do not want to have your child go to TJ, you might want to consider the LLIV Center at Franklin. It is picking up more kids each year and has a great reputation among parents who want strong academics but to opt out of the TJ Crazy. It has fewer extracurriculars (which doesn’t matter if your kid is not chosen for one) and the kids are not pushing themselves as hard. Which IMO is noth good and bad. If you are more like me, and think TJ could be a great opportunity, but only if your kid has the aptitude and really wants to go, then you can send them to Carson, step back and see what happens. In the case of my kids, I did not think either kid was TJ bound coming out of ES. But they flourished at Carson. Kid 1was well prepared for TJ. Kid 2 stands as much of a chance as Kid 1– but admissions is a crapshoot. And I think Kid 2 would be disappointed, but do very well at Chantilly. It’s rad to complain about 2 good options.

[Anonymous]

Interesting discussion. We bought a home in Highland Oaks in June of this year which is zoned with Carson for the AAP. But with the re-zoning would probably move to Franklin. Any update on the re-zoning and when it would happen. Our DD starts middle school Fall 2018 and we are bummed she may not make it to Carson !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting discussion. We bought a home in Highland Oaks in June of this year which is zoned with Carson for the AAP. But with the re-zoning would probably move to Franklin. Any update on the re-zoning and when it would happen. Our DD starts middle school Fall 2018 and we are bummed she may not make it to Carson !

My youngest is at Carson. There have been rumors about Franklin becoming an AAP Center and losing the Carson option for at least 4 years. So far nothing. In fact, the making every MS an LLIV Center was a Garza project. It’s not clear if the new superintendent plans to continue it. I was talking to a Carson teacher this weekend about this exact thing and she had not heard anything. I doubt the new superintendent wants to tackle this year 1, because a there will strong pushback from both Carson and Franklin parents, since most Franklin parents have no interest in the TJ crazy. The SB will not do this without community input meetings, and they will start with registration for next year in about February. Plus, when they did Longfellow /Cooper current 6th graders were grandfathered. Unless you have gotten specific info about a change next year (instead of heard from an official source that it will happen next year), your kid will probably be able to choose Carson.