If money was not a consideration, would you do private school for high school or APS

[Anonymous]

We could very comfortably afford private for our kids, but we've stayed in APS because we've had a great experience in our neighborhood schools so far. If that changes at some point, we'll look at private, but I'm not worried about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holy crap. You think Arlington is laid back? This County (at least the North side) is filled with the most uptight, helicopter, in your business Type As around competing against each other for everything. Bunch of lemmings.

My sister was just moving her oldest into College and couldn't stop talking about the a-hole parents from Arlington micro-managing everything .

I live in AC and just laughed.

You can find the assholes if you're looking for them, but you can find the relaxed, laid back people too. It's all a matter of what you're drawn to.

[Anonymous]

Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

Please don't project APS's problems onto other school systems. We moved from Arlington to McLean a few years ago and have been very happy with FCPS, the lower rate of enrollment growth, and not having to worry about the high school capacity issues APS is facing. We will be happy if our kids end up at any of Langley, McLean or Marshall, and there should be space for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

Please don't project APS's problems onto other school systems. We moved from Arlington to McLean a few years ago and have been very happy with FCPS, the lower rate of enrollment growth, and not having to worry about the high school capacity issues APS is facing. We will be happy if our kids end up at any of Langley, McLean or Marshall, and there should be space for them.

Fortunately you don't have elementary kids in 30-student kindergarten classes. McLean isn't some utopia either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

Please don't project APS's problems onto other school systems. We moved from Arlington to McLean a few years ago and have been very happy with FCPS, the lower rate of enrollment growth, and not having to worry about the high school capacity issues APS is facing. We will be happy if our kids end up at any of Langley, McLean or Marshall, and there should be space for them.

Fortunately you don't have elementary kids in 30-student kindergarten classes. McLean isn't some utopia either.

You're right on both fronts, but overall the school situation is much better than in APS, due to the combination of lower growth and expanding schools when they were renovated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Money is no object and we are choosing APS, as are the vast majority of our neighbors.

All private schools are not created equal, by a long shot. Some people seem to think private = automatically better than public, but you really need to compare specific school to specific school.

If money was no object, you wouldn't be living in Arlington.

There are plenty of people in Arlington who whom money is no object. What a useless reply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

Please don't project APS's problems onto other school systems. We moved from Arlington to McLean a few years ago and have been very happy with FCPS, the lower rate of enrollment growth, and not having to worry about the high school capacity issues APS is facing. We will be happy if our kids end up at any of Langley, McLean or Marshall, and there should be space for them.

Fortunately you don't have elementary kids in 30-student kindergarten classes. McLean isn't some utopia either.

You're right on both fronts, but overall the school situation is much better than in APS, due to the combination of lower growth and expanding schools when they were renovated.

The average kindergarten class at our McLean elementary last year was under 22 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently live in N. Arlington. If money were no object, I would first want to live in Georgetown, Logan Circle, Lyon Park (not village) or S. Arlington.

I would also send all my kids to private (one is there now and hoping to get the youngest in next year) but I wouldn't have waited if I had the $$ to do it a few years ago.

all the popular school systems (APS, FCPS, MoCo) are f***ed b/c of over-enrollment and piss poor planning across the board.

Please don't project APS's problems onto other school systems. We moved from Arlington to McLean a few years ago and have been very happy with FCPS, the lower rate of enrollment growth, and not having to worry about the high school capacity issues APS is facing. We will be happy if our kids end up at any of Langley, McLean or Marshall, and there should be space for them.

Fortunately you don't have elementary kids in 30-student kindergarten classes. McLean isn't some utopia either.

You're right on both fronts, but overall the school situation is much better than in APS, due to the combination of lower growth and expanding schools when they were renovated.

The average kindergarten class at our McLean elementary last year was under 22 kids.

Others haven't been so lucky. Class size caps are higher for FCPS than for APS, so there's always potential in FCPS for class sizes significantly larger than anything you'd ever see in APS.

[Anonymous]

I'd consider private in the future. What Murphy & his minions have done has me worried about HS.

[Anonymous]

We have had a fantastic elementary school experience. My youngest has 2 years left there, but my oldest went all the way from K-5. The teachers were top-notch. The kids are very advanced and way ahead of grade level. I feel that it is better academically than many of the expensive privates in the area.

BUT---MS and HS I think are too over-crowded and the system is overworked.

I went to my child's MS open house and came out with a horrible feeling. Total chaos. The number of trailers for the 7th grade---with OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS leaning right up against the trailers! WTF?! One of the 7th grader's from last year told me there was a rat that ran right through their trailer classroom. Well---no shit!---if you place dumpsters right alongside the trailers.

There is zero parking and zero infrastructure for that many kids--coming and going. We walked around and couldn't even find anyone to help us for the first 25 minutes we were there.

My husband and I were hesitant about sending our kid there, but we figured we'd try it out. After yesterday, I really wish we had looked into private.

I am trying to keep an open mind, but I'm starting to hear about more problems people have had that are a direct result of too many kids in a decaying building and not enough staff or room.

It is incredibly appalling that with the $$$ and wealth in this County that this is the best the Board has provided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had a fantastic elementary school experience. My youngest has 2 years left there, but my oldest went all the way from K-5. The teachers were top-notch. The kids are very advanced and way ahead of grade level. I feel that it is better academically than many of the expensive privates in the area.

BUT---MS and HS I think are too over-crowded and the system is overworked.

I went to my child's MS open house and came out with a horrible feeling. Total chaos. The number of trailers for the 7th grade---with OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS leaning right up against the trailers! WTF?! One of the 7th grader's from last year told me there was a rat that ran right through their trailer classroom. Well---no shit!---if you place dumpsters right alongside the trailers.

There is zero parking and zero infrastructure for that many kids--coming and going. We walked around and couldn't even find anyone to help us for the first 25 minutes we were there.

My husband and I were hesitant about sending our kid there, but we figured we'd try it out. After yesterday, I really wish we had looked into private.

I am trying to keep an open mind, but I'm starting to hear about more problems people have had that are a direct result of too many kids in a decaying building and not enough staff or room.

It is incredibly appalling that with the $$$ and wealth in this County that this is the best the Board has provided.

That is appalling. Yes, it's difficult to deal with overcrowding but putting dumpsters up against the trailers is just stupid. I wonder if calling the health department would do any good.

We've been fortunate to avoid the overcrowded MS's because my kids went to TJ. I was concerned about the overcrowding at W-L so glad DS decided to try Arlington Tech. Had orientation there yesterday and I'm feeling very optimistic about that choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had a fantastic elementary school experience. My youngest has 2 years left there, but my oldest went all the way from K-5. The teachers were top-notch. The kids are very advanced and way ahead of grade level. I feel that it is better academically than many of the expensive privates in the area.

BUT---MS and HS I think are too over-crowded and the system is overworked.

I went to my child's MS open house and came out with a horrible feeling. Total chaos. The number of trailers for the 7th grade---with OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS leaning right up against the trailers! WTF?! One of the 7th grader's from last year told me there was a rat that ran right through their trailer classroom. Well---no shit!---if you place dumpsters right alongside the trailers.

There is zero parking and zero infrastructure for that many kids--coming and going. We walked around and couldn't even find anyone to help us for the first 25 minutes we were there.

My husband and I were hesitant about sending our kid there, but we figured we'd try it out. After yesterday, I really wish we had looked into private.

I am trying to keep an open mind, but I'm starting to hear about more problems people have had that are a direct result of too many kids in a decaying building and not enough staff or room.

It is incredibly appalling that with the $$$ and wealth in this County that this is the best the Board has provided.

That pattern has held constant in APS for many years. There are numerous elementary schools considered among the best in the state, one middle school, and no high schools. The further along you get, the lower the quality of the education.

I used to think it was because the demographics in Arlington were changing and that eventually the high schools would catch up. It never happened and things will only get worse with the overcrowding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have had a fantastic elementary school experience. My youngest has 2 years left there, but my oldest went all the way from K-5. The teachers were top-notch. The kids are very advanced and way ahead of grade level. I feel that it is better academically than many of the expensive privates in the area.

BUT---MS and HS I think are too over-crowded and the system is overworked.

I went to my child's MS open house and came out with a horrible feeling. Total chaos. The number of trailers for the 7th grade---with OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS leaning right up against the trailers! WTF?! One of the 7th grader's from last year told me there was a rat that ran right through their trailer classroom. Well---no shit!---if you place dumpsters right alongside the trailers.

There is zero parking and zero infrastructure for that many kids--coming and going. We walked around and couldn't even find anyone to help us for the first 25 minutes we were there.

My husband and I were hesitant about sending our kid there, but we figured we'd try it out. After yesterday, I really wish we had looked into private.

I am trying to keep an open mind, but I'm starting to hear about more problems people have had that are a direct result of too many kids in a decaying building and not enough staff or room.

It is incredibly appalling that with the $$$ and wealth in this County that this is the best the Board has provided.

That is appalling. Yes, it's difficult to deal with overcrowding but putting dumpsters up against the trailers is just stupid. I wonder if calling the health department would do any good.

We've been fortunate to avoid the overcrowded MS's because my kids went to TJ. I was concerned about the overcrowding at W-L so glad DS decided to try Arlington Tech. Had orientation there yesterday and I'm feeling very optimistic about that choice.

Yes. This was at Swanson yesterday. I am going to call the Health Department.

[Anonymous]

^^why do people in this County put up with these low standards? That school is way too old for that capacity.