APS : Kenmore MS on the rise or further into abyss?

[Anonymous]

We are looking at a home in that has Ashlawn ES (good school), Kenmore, and W&L.

I hear mixed reviews of how bad Kenmore really is....we are leaving Clarendon as ES is not good, but concerned in 3 years we will move again to avoid Kenmore.

Anyone know the current status and vector for Kenmore? We are 4 years out from having to go there if we buy this home.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Also interested

[Anonymous]

Which ES is not good?

[Anonymous]

We have several friends whose kids have recently finished at Kenmore or are there now. All have only had good things to say about it. This includes families who are zoned for it and those who have chosen to send their kids there vs. Swanson or Williamsburg.

It's possible there will be some downturn in the number of Williamsburg families who choose to transfer there to avoid the overcrowding at Williamsburg once Stratford opens but it's not that many kids anyway (25 in the latest report).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which ES is not good?

Curious about this too. ASFS or Key? Please share. Others are trying to make informed decisions too. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

You should also look at the state report card on the school: http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/kenmore-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

White students generally do very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should also look at the state report card on the school: http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/kenmore-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

White students generally do very well.

Why do you assume posters are white? Your privilege is showing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should also look at the state report card on the school: http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/kenmore-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

White students generally do very well.

Why do you assume posters are white? Your privilege is showing.

I'm only using "white" in this data as a proxy for not-poor since the tool doesn't let you look at the data that way. Reality is that at Kenmore most of the poor kids are Latino and the White kids are generally well off. Since the OP now lives in Clarendon, I assume her kids don't qualify for free-and-reduced lunch and thus the "white" scores will be a more appropriate gauge of how kids like hers are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should also look at the state report card on the school: http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/kenmore-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

White students generally do very well.

Why do you assume posters are white? Your privilege is showing.

How is that evidence of privilege?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which ES is not good?

Curious about this too. ASFS or Key? Please share. Others are trying to make informed decisions too. Thanks.

I'm a DP but I live in Clarendon too. I'm going to assume that OP is at ASFS because most people would switch out of Key to ASFS before moving if they don't like Key. Though maybe they were looking for a bigger place anyways.
Many of my neighbors have moved because they don't like ASFS. The school is great on paper but its a lot of homework/stress for some kids. There's bullying and the field sucks. A lot of people don't like the principal or the approach to discipline.
This year especially, the environment has gotten toxic with the school boundary changes and the administration having a very vocal opinion about who belongs at the school and who doesn't. For parents who don't live in the "chosen" neighborhoods that the administration thinks should be zoned for the school, its not that welcoming an environment anymore. I'm sure its great if you live in LV or the walk zone around the school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should also look at the state report card on the school: http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/kenmore-middle#fndtn-desktopTabs-assessments

White students generally do very well.

Why do you assume posters are white? Your privilege is showing.

I'm only using "white" in this data as a proxy for not-poor since the tool doesn't let you look at the data that way. Reality is that at Kenmore most of the poor kids are Latino and the White kids are generally well off. Since the OP now lives in Clarendon, I assume her kids don't qualify for free-and-reduced lunch and thus the "white" scores will be a more appropriate gauge of how kids like hers are doing.

A third of the kids in Clarendon come from the affordable housing in that neighborhood.
You could argue that a person on free and reduced lunch wouldn't be on DCUM though...

[Anonymous]

i have two there. i think it's an ok school - some good some bad but not scary or terrible if you (your kids) keep an open mind to observe it before deciding whether it's a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Kenmore is going to be quite over crowded soon based on the new boundaries. I hear it is a nice facility though, and I have some friends with kids who have special needs and the school has been very responsive to the kids' needs. We are zoned for Kenmore and I am on the fence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kenmore is going to be quite over crowded soon based on the new boundaries. I hear it is a nice facility though, and I have some friends with kids who have special needs and the school has been very responsive to the kids' needs. We are zoned for Kenmore and I am on the fence.

All MS, except Williamsburg, will be overcrowded with the new boundaries thanks to the school board.

Kenmore facility is extremely nice. The school does have higher low income population than others, which I think can (unfairly) deter people. Our neighborhood feeds into Kenmore, and the experience of many families has ranged from the "ok" above to "good." We also have close friends at Jefferson and Swanson with similar reports (ok to good), though I hear more facilities complaints from those folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kenmore is going to be quite over crowded soon based on the new boundaries. I hear it is a nice facility though, and I have some friends with kids who have special needs and the school has been very responsive to the kids' needs. We are zoned for Kenmore and I am on the fence.

All MS, except Williamsburg, will be overcrowded with the new boundaries thanks to the school board.

Kenmore facility is extremely nice. The school does have higher low income population than others, which I think can (unfairly) deter people. Our neighborhood feeds into Kenmore, and the experience of many families has ranged from the "ok" above to "good." We also have close friends at Jefferson and Swanson with similar reports (ok to good), though I hear more facilities complaints from those folks.

APS Staff are working on a program/option at Williamburg that will help fill it to capacity and provide relief to the other Middle Schools