Fairfax? Other? For average athlete/good student?

[Anonymous]

We're moving to the NOVA area. My SO will be at the Pentagon and doesn't want to drive an hour each way, every day. She'll probably be very unhappy if it is much more than 30 minutes each way. Our kids are bright, but not all of them are hard workers. They have moved a lot. I'm not sure the massive high schools are the best fit. Any recommendations for smaller high schools where the environment is not too stressful, yet still challenging enough to get into a decent university? One kid in particular gets anxious when the work piles on, despite usually making all As. It's also important that it's a school where the average hard working athlete can make the basketball and baseball teams? Does this place exist? Budget is about 3000/month for rent, give or take.

[Anonymous]

Doesn’t exist Sorry.

[Anonymous]

How many bedrooms do you need?

[Anonymous]

4 bedrooms needed.

[Anonymous]

Good luck with that. If you want a 30-minute commute, you're probably looking at Arlington or Alexandria. The "low pressure" schools in these areas, though, do not have the best reputations.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't exist unless you want to pay for private.

The only high school that is small-ish is George Mason High School in Falls Church City (around 900 kids). Its a good location for your wife's commute but I don't even know if you can find a 2 bedroom apt in your budget in that zone.

Also, your wife needs to adjust her commute expectations. Realistically very few people have 30 minutes or less commutes door to door to the Pentagon. Is she going to have a parking space (not guaranteed)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4 bedrooms needed.

Within 30 minutes to Pentagon with good schools for under $3000? You need to figure out what is most important to you (commute length, size of rental, quality of high school).

[Anonymous]

Adjust your kids' expectations to playing in the local county rec leagues. It is really hard to make school sports teams at the large high schools we have here.

[Anonymous]

I suggest not moving here.

[Anonymous]

...for the average hardworking athlete, you need to look at schools that aren't the top 2 in their district (what conferences are called here). If you're up for a little research by sport go to the Virginia listings by sport on www.maxpreps.com. Most of the kids come up thru youth leagues/AAU and the coaches all know them...not to say that transfers don't make and impression and can make it...seen this at my daughter's school in some sports...but it is hard. Track and field typically takes everyone and in many sports, most will at least make the JV squad if they can prove themselves as underclassmen.

Challenge with George Mason in athletics is they have to travel really long distances for games since the are so small (e.g. Madison County HS, Fauquier County HS, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4 bedrooms needed.

Within 30 minutes to Pentagon with good schools for under $3000? You need to figure out what is most important to you (commute length, size of rental, quality of high school).

West Springfield. Express bus leaving from either the Daventry stop on Old Keene Mill Rd or the Fairfax Connector bus lot on Gambrill Rd/FFX county Pkwy is 30 minutes for to door to the Pentagon.

Schools are uniformly strong but not pressure cookers.

Your kid probably will not make those teams if they are mediocre though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4 bedrooms needed.

Within 30 minutes to Pentagon with good schools for under $3000? You need to figure out what is most important to you (commute length, size of rental, quality of high school).

West Springfield. Express bus leaving from either the Daventry stop on Old Keene Mill Rd or the Fairfax Connector bus lot on Gambrill Rd/FFX county Pkwy is 30 minutes for to door to the Pentagon.

Schools are uniformly strong but not pressure cookers.

Your kid probably will not make those teams if they are mediocre though.

Also there are tons of military kids there who have also moved a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're moving to the NOVA area. My SO will be at the Pentagon and doesn't want to drive an hour each way, every day. She'll probably be very unhappy if it is much more than 30 minutes each way. Our kids are bright, but not all of them are hard workers. They have moved a lot. I'm not sure the massive high schools are the best fit. Any recommendations for smaller high schools where the environment is not too stressful, yet still challenging enough to get into a decent university? One kid in particular gets anxious when the work piles on, despite usually making all As. It's also important that it's a school where the average hard working athlete can make the basketball and baseball teams? Does this place exist? Budget is about 3000/month for rent, give or take.

For 3k/month rent, you can rent a home in either Mclean or Langley district and send your kids to either Langley or Mclean HS. The environment is only as stressful as you want it to be. Most kids from Langley and Mclean (I am a Langley alum) end up from excellence to decent universities. Langley/Mclean is less than 30 minutes from the Pentagon if you use GW parkway.

If your kids are average hard working athletes, they will make the varsity in both basketball and baseball team at either of these schools because the basketball and baseball teams are just outright BAD. Mclean boys was winless last year in boys basketball and Langley didn't much better either. The baseball team in both of these schools are below average.

If you kids want to join crew, tennis or soccer team at these schools, that's different story. They are so competitive because people in the mclean/langley have resources to send their kids to tennis soccer training outside of what the schools provide.

[Anonymous]

What's your threshold for a "decent university". Some on these forums think that anything less than a UVA is not "decent". Perhaps you can shed a bit light where you're moving from so we can have a benchmark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...for the average hardworking athlete, you need to look at schools that aren't the top 2 in their district (what conferences are called here). If you're up for a little research by sport go to the Virginia listings by sport on www.maxpreps.com. Most of the kids come up thru youth leagues/AAU and the coaches all know them...not to say that transfers don't make and impression and can make it...seen this at my daughter's school in some sports...but it is hard. Track and field typically takes everyone and in many sports, most will at least make the JV squad if they can prove themselves as underclassmen.

Challenge with George Mason in athletics is they have to travel really long distances for games since the are so small (e.g. Madison County HS, Fauquier County HS, etc.)

OP here. Thanks for the tips, I will check out the schools and neighborhoods mentioned as well as the team standings...I hadn't thought of that. As far as sacrifices, length of commute will definitely be the first.

I've heard that 'hard for transfers to make it' from someone whose kids experienced it. They were told their kids were really good, but well, we know these other kids and they've played for the school before. So wrong.


Thanks, everyone, for your advice!