Am I missing something about APS immersion school boundaries?

[Anonymous]

The map on the APS website says my North Arlington neighborhood is zoned for Claremont for language immersion, but a neighbor a few houses down (and clearly in the same zone as us on the map) sends her kindergartener to Key. They’ve lived in this neighborhood for 10 years, we’re new and just tryng to figure it out. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The map on the APS website says my North Arlington neighborhood is zoned for Claremont for language immersion, but a neighbor a few houses down (and clearly in the same zone as us on the map) sends her kindergartener to Key. They’ve lived in this neighborhood for 10 years, we’re new and just tryng to figure it out. Am I missing something?

Key has a lottery. Most of the kids at Key are from outside the Key zone. Most of the Key zone kids chose ASF. They have no neighborhood school so can atttend either.

This will all change in the future.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I’m still confused, but i think it’s because I wasn’t clear. We do not live near Key. We have a different neighborhood school further west. But we’re also west of the east/west divider line for language immersion, meaning if we want language immersion we apply to Claremont. Does this change anything? How is my neighbor sending her kids to Key?

For the record, I have nothing against Claremont but we work so close to Key that the commute would be a dream if we got our kids in there.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, Key did not have a waitlist while Claremont had a crazy long one. So, a few parents lobbied APS to take them off the Claremont waitlist and enroll them at Key. Don't know if they are still doing this. If they are, you'd have to apply to Claremont, get waitlisted, and then ask to be moved to Key. Or lobby someone to allow an alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few years ago, Key did not have a waitlist while Claremont had a crazy long one. So, a few parents lobbied APS to take them off the Claremont waitlist and enroll them at Key. Don't know if they are still doing this. If they are, you'd have to apply to Claremont, get waitlisted, and then ask to be moved to Key. Or lobby someone to allow an alternative.

It was the policy. Some parents just read the policy and asked that it actually be followed.

I don't know if it's still the policy, however, since they revised all the admission policies this past year. It should be on the APS website somewhere.

[Anonymous]

There are over 70 kids at Key who are zoned for Claremont. The bulk of those got in the way mentioned above- they were on the Claremont waitlist and Key had 'space' (about that in quotations b/c Key is also way overcrowded. For several years no one has gotten into Claremont who was not guaranteed admission by neighborhood or had a sibling. I believe this year Claremont took some new admits not guaranteed admission- probably b/c a bunch of the immersion siblings were at Key.
Some of those kids have gotten in a different way- I have heard at least a few parents say they simply asked b/c they worked in Courthouse.

[Anonymous]

But OP when is your child starting school? All of these old Immersion criteria are being overhauled starting this Fall, for the 2018-19 school year. So there won't be any neighborhood boundary for Key. And it won't matter if you're zoned for a "feeder" elementary school to Claremont. Both schools are going all-lottery and no one will have a guaranteed slot. Unless it's a younger sibling of a current student, then it's like 99% a sure thing. It may be possible to just apply to Key - you may have the same chance as getting into Claremont.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses. My oldest starts kindergarten in 2019. Sounds like things are very much in flux, and I need to learn more about the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the responses. My oldest starts kindergarten in 2019. Sounds like things are very much in flux, and I need to learn more about the process.

Also, what planning unit are you in and what planning unit is your neighbor in. If they are one street over, then you could be in different units even if in the same neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the responses. My oldest starts kindergarten in 2019. Sounds like things are very much in flux, and I need to learn more about the process.

OP you're basically guaranteed admission to your neighborhood elementary school, whatever that is. You can put your address in this map to find out where you're zoned. All the other "choice" programs will be application via blind lottery: Immersion, Montessori, Arlington Traditional School, etc. Good luck!

http://gis.arlingtonva.us/mapapps/schools/