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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Hollin Meadows Elementary School
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Anonymous
| Any feedback on this school? Thanks. |
Anonymous
| Same question -- any feedback on Hollin Meadows? The greatschools.net rating is not impressive, but the number of effusive parent reviews is. How are Sandburg MS and West Potomac HS? |
Anonymous
Pretty bad reputation. We moved out of this beautiful area because of it. |
Anonymous
Did you do any research before moving into or out of the area, or did you just flee because of the "bad reputation"? Seems like a very big decision to make just because a co-worker might sniff if she or he heard your kids were at Sandburg or West Potomac? |
Anonymous
Yes, I did. Besides, my kids are at the elementary school yet. |
Anonymous
|
The reason these school get an apparent "bad reputation" is because the area is full of white upper class whites who think private school is the only way for their children, and that otherwise they are getting screwed.
Hollin Meadows is one of the better schools in the area, an amazing sense of community. People may give it a lower score because it is "diverse." While we all pretend we aren't racist, we see children of Indian, Asian, and African American descent, and freak out. As for West Potomac, it's a mixed bag, there are some great teachers there and some bad ones, but that's true everywhere. If a student can't handle one bad teacher, then they aren't ready for the real world. Overall, I would rank West Potomac a 4 out of 5, Sandburg a 4 out of 5, and Hollin Meadows a 5 out of 5! Anyone saying anything bad about Hollin Meadows is crazy! |
Anonymous
The notion that "white upper class whites" are the ones who give some schools a "bad reputation" is so 80s. NoVa is a very diverse area now, and there are upper-class families of different ethnicities who won't send their kids to public schools with lower test scores. I know of one neighborhood where almost all the white families send their kids to the public schools, and the Indian family let us know that, if their children didn't get into TJ, they would send their kids to private schools. |
Anonymous
|
While that's certainly the case for many, it seems that there is a major group of people opposed to their students going to HM, Sandburg or West Potomac, and they are largely from the Waynewood/Riverside area. A mention of Hollin Meadows to some of them is like mentioning some inner city DC public school. And sense the parents I'm talking about are the ones that seem to care so much about their kids schooling, they are the ones that get on sites like this. Therefore, when I read " Pretty bad reputation. We moved out of this beautiful area because of it." it struck me as that type of person was here trying to ruin the reputation of three schools.
Also, as for the reference to the 80s, there is quite the history in the area with schools from the 80s. Sandburg at one time was Fort Hunt high school, which was majority white and upper class. There was another high school along the route 1 corridor (Groveton) that was mostly lower class minorities. These schools game together to form West Potomac in the 80s. For the most part, the merge has gone well, but there is still a sect of the population that wants there "Fort Hunt high school" back. They don't want to send their kids to that "crappy school West Potomac." Luckily, Hollin Meadows largely stays out of that discussion. As for the reference to not getting into TJ - I would say this: All of the schools in Fairfax County are great - FFX County Public schools are top 10 in the nation! So, whether you are white, Indian, black, whatever, West Potomac is far better than Bishop Ireton. Ireton's teacher issues and drug issues are through the roof. I have a family member that went there. I attended HM, Sandburg, and West Potomac. And i'm sick of hearing people trash all three of them, especially HM. |
Anonymous
|
Glad I found this thread. I am actually attracted to this area BECAUSE of Hollin Meadows ES (even before Michelle Obama visited). I love the idea of the outdoor garden, the focus on science and nutrition, and the integration of outdoor activity into lessons. What a novel idea that kids need recess and outdoor activities to enable them to learn!
Regarding the middle school and high school -- Are they safe? Any gang problems or safety issues? Are most teachers engaged and interested in the students? If students want to learn, does the environment allow them to do so? Are the course offerings sufficient? Do kids who are college bound get into their chosen schools, and do they do well once there? I know the schools serve a diverse population and have lower test scores than some others in the area, so this information, rather than information about reputation or prestige, would be helpful. Thanks in advance. |
Anonymous
|
I went to Mount Vernon HS and Walt Whitman Middle School. Granted, that was 15 years ago, but the schools are fine. Are they Langley / McLean? No, but I got a great education and there was lots of diversity.
I got into a top college and am now a successful lawyer. I think WP/MV, etc. get a bad rep around here b/c they are competiting with Fairfax Co. high schools in extraordinarily affluent areas, where it is routine for every kid to have an afterschool tutor. The schools are fine. Can't speak to gangs now, but my guess is that there are some, but no worse than most schools. My impression from the kids I know who go there now is that safety is not a concern (i.e., schools are very safe). |
Anonymous
| Forgot to add - WP is considered better than MV...So my point being that WP is a step up supposedly! |