Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

I don't think there are as many wealthy families at Crossfield as you think. There's the horse farm neighborhood and one or two small neighborhoods that are closer to Navy than Crossfield. Everyone else is upper middle class. Our houses are no different than people in Emerald Chase/Chantilly Highlands/etc that go to Oak Hill.

[Anonymous]

PP - I just re-read that and realized what an a$$ I sound like.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Are you from SLHS, Westfield, or are you from Chantilly. Which one of the school is better than Oakton?

One thing for sure is that your kids is going to KAA and you are upset to hear that KAA can not be better than Oakton.

I think you are expecting a KAA to be the only top tier school in west part of fcps. The only way KAA can be the top tier is to become a magnet school.

I was asked why people have a problem with the Oakton families pitch, and the issue is you sound like elitists who think that the other kids being moved to the new school are going to be beneath you.

You do realize that there are people with kids at SLHS who wouldn't want to be moved to Oakton, right? Different people value different things. SLHS has a strong community and lots of kids have had a great experience there. The families are not worried about the rating and there are plenty of kids going to strong colleges. There are even people who love IB. The SLHS families I know worried about being moved are concerned about the lack of programs in the first bunch of years but mainly feel like they are a part of a strong community. They know that will build over time but the genuinely love their school.

The difference is when they talk about their school, they don't sound like elitists who are hoping and praying that their kids are not moved from the school to a school that is beneath them. Oakton families that don't want to move sound like they are going to be punished by having to go to a HS with kids from Oak Hill, Floris, and Coates. Great Falls families have the same problem. They sound like snobs. The argument that your kids should be at a school that is a 30-40 minute bus drive when there is a school 10 minutes away is kind of ridiculous. And your logic for why you should stay there is that the other schools aren't as good and you don't want to go there.

If you can't understand why that sounds bad, then I don't know what to tell you.

People want what they feel is best for their kids and that may require a longer bus ride.

Building resilience is awesome 👌

Way to grossly misuse the term resilience. Maybe talk to some people who grew up taking a long bus ride to Oakton. Many do not speak of the experience fondly. What parents want and what kids value are not always the same. I bet you don't even ask your kids what they would prefer. Grown adults of parents like this have some interesting things to say about their parents.

DP, my kids prefer to eat candy for dinner, so I’m not quite sure I see your point.

I am sad for your kids that you would equate these two things.

Someone failed the marshmallow test, perhaps?

Oh the irony that you are mentioning that test. I might know a thing or two about it. Vastly more than you. A long bus ride every day that cuts into a child's sleep, family, and homework time is in no way some sort of exercise in delayed gratification predicting later executive functioning skills.

Your kids dont do their homework on the bus? How inefficent! How do they ever have time for after school activities if they don't use their time efficently?

I informally polled my peers and the long bus ride to Oakton is 25 min on the east side of west ox in our neighborhood.

Guess what the Carson ride was...

30 min. Kaa is right next door so there goes your argument. Have a marshmallow !

I am sure the school board is looking at the entire Crossfield area, not just the one bus route from your neighborhood. Funny how no one has publicly said their transportation time to Oakton is shorter than Carson. Maybe because that’s not true for the vast majority?

No one seems to acknowledge the east side...

It's like a 90s east coast west coast rap feud.

Biggie Smalls R.I.P.

Good point! Bus ride from east side to Oakton is indeed a shorter ride compared to bus ride to KAA.

And I bet you’re even closer to South Lakes!

Are you the people from some community that want to send us to SLHS because you want to escape from there?

The new governor of New Jersey graduated from South Lakes High School. Is that not good enough for you, Navy AAP mom?

And Benny Blanco!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

Carson parent here. I am fine with Carson not being "special" if the AAP students return to their base. There are more than enough kids at Carson to continue a strong AAP program at the school. Fewer kids trying out for the Mathcounts and Science Olympiad teams is not a bad thing. I suspect that the Mathcounts club and team will look different, since I know that there are a lot of Navy kids in the club and on the team but there is nothing wrong with a different group of kids having a chance to make the team. Good kids, I have no issues with them but Carson will still have a Mathcounts team, there might be different kids on it. I am not sure if Franklin has a Mathcounts team, adding one there would be great for the school.

Chantilly is a great HS, I have no issues with the new school being like Chantilly. I don't have an issue with the school looking like SLHS demographically, I just don't want the IB.

What the Oakton families seem to miss is that their insistence that Oakton is so amazing is that they are implying that other schools, like Chantilly, are lesser and that the new school will be lesser. That is offensive to families whose kids attend those schools, most of whom have a great experience and do well in their college hunts.

[Anonymous]

What the Oakton families seem to miss is that their insistence that Oakton is so amazing is that they are implying that other schools, like Chantilly, are lesser and that the new school will be lesser. That is offensive to families whose kids attend those schools, most of whom have a great experience and do well in their college hunts.

This. And, remember, Chantilly parents have fought in the past to stay at Chantilly over Oakton, and there is a group who is fighting to stay at Chantilly over Oakton during the current boundary process.

Chantilly offers a robust selection of courses, activities, and sports. The Western High school will, as well. And, no one who is in boundary has a long bus ride--which gives more time for homework and activities.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

Carson parent here. I am fine with Carson not being "special" if the AAP students return to their base. There are more than enough kids at Carson to continue a strong AAP program at the school. Fewer kids trying out for the Mathcounts and Science Olympiad teams is not a bad thing. I suspect that the Mathcounts club and team will look different, since I know that there are a lot of Navy kids in the club and on the team but there is nothing wrong with a different group of kids having a chance to make the team. Good kids, I have no issues with them but Carson will still have a Mathcounts team, there might be different kids on it. I am not sure if Franklin has a Mathcounts team, adding one there would be great for the school.

Chantilly is a great HS, I have no issues with the new school being like Chantilly. I don't have an issue with the school looking like SLHS demographically, I just don't want the IB.

What the Oakton families seem to miss is that their insistence that Oakton is so amazing is that they are implying that other schools, like Chantilly, are lesser and that the new school will be lesser. That is offensive to families whose kids attend those schools, most of whom have a great experience and do well in their college hunts.

The pro Oakton people are pissed that this new school was purchased at all. They are echoing Pat Herrity‘s talking points just like the Great Falls people are doing. That tells you it’s not about stability for their kids. It’s about perceiving the new school as a lesser school that they don’t want their kids attending even if it were five years in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

Carson parent here. I am fine with Carson not being "special" if the AAP students return to their base. There are more than enough kids at Carson to continue a strong AAP program at the school. Fewer kids trying out for the Mathcounts and Science Olympiad teams is not a bad thing. I suspect that the Mathcounts club and team will look different, since I know that there are a lot of Navy kids in the club and on the team but there is nothing wrong with a different group of kids having a chance to make the team. Good kids, I have no issues with them but Carson will still have a Mathcounts team, there might be different kids on it. I am not sure if Franklin has a Mathcounts team, adding one there would be great for the school.

Chantilly is a great HS, I have no issues with the new school being like Chantilly. I don't have an issue with the school looking like SLHS demographically, I just don't want the IB.

What the Oakton families seem to miss is that their insistence that Oakton is so amazing is that they are implying that other schools, like Chantilly, are lesser and that the new school will be lesser. That is offensive to families whose kids attend those schools, most of whom have a great experience and do well in their college hunts.

The pro Oakton people are pissed that this new school was purchased at all. They are echoing Pat Herrity‘s talking points just like the Great Falls people are doing. That tells you it’s not about stability for their kids. It’s about perceiving the new school as a lesser school that they don’t want their kids attending even if it were five years in the future.

Their posts tell me that they think that every school but TJ, Langley, and McLean are lesser to Oakton and unacceptable. I would guess that most of them are trying to get their kid into TJ and settling for Oakton.

[Anonymous]

Its the same school system. If you don't want to send your kid to your zoned school be it Langley or Herndon, private school or homeschool are your options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

I don't think there are as many wealthy families at Crossfield as you think. There's the horse farm neighborhood and one or two small neighborhoods that are closer to Navy than Crossfield. Everyone else is upper middle class. Our houses are no different than people in Emerald Chase/Chantilly Highlands/etc that go to Oak Hill.

There's a bunch of hidden from the main road and infill neighborhoods in the 1.3 to 2 million range. Pop on zilliow with an overhead view and you might be surprised. Look down autumn crest, Westwood hikls/English garden, willow Glen etc, basically any house not on a main thoroughfare the house doubles in price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

I don't think there are as many wealthy families at Crossfield as you think. There's the horse farm neighborhood and one or two small neighborhoods that are closer to Navy than Crossfield. Everyone else is upper middle class. Our houses are no different than people in Emerald Chase/Chantilly Highlands/etc that go to Oak Hill.

There's a bunch of hidden from the main road and infill neighborhoods in the 1.3 to 2 million range. Pop on zilliow with an overhead view and you might be surprised. Look down autumn crest, Westwood hikls/English garden, willow Glen etc, basically any house not on a main thoroughfare the house doubles in price.

There are 3-bedroom houses in Fox Mill that are listed, and sold, for around $750,000 and 4-5 bedroom houses going for close to 1 million. Housing is expensive in this area. What we consider UMC in this area is rich in most of the country. There is a reason that the Title 1 schools are over 50% FARMs, it is because those are the few areas in the County that people who live below the poverty line might be able to find housing that families cram into. I expect that the FARMs rates in many of the pyramids discussed in this thread will be declining because the cost of housing has been increasing, pushing out low income families.

The townhouses that are being built are selling for $700,000, they are not meant for low income families. The one plan I know of to build low income housing in the area of the Western HS is being fought tooth and nail by Franklin Farm families, the apartments proposed by the Kindercare and Community of Faith.

The housing values in this area are going to keep increasing, which will drop the FARMs rates at most of these schools. Herndon HS might be the exception.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question…why do people with kids already in Oakton HS care?

I don't have any high schoolers but perhaps property value concerns?

It’s impossible to account for siblings forever - I had a kid in elementary when others were in college. If they follow through with the AI sub school (robotics, computer vision, machine learning) Western will be THE coveted school, full stop. God knows leaving that in FCPS hands is risky but if it happens it will be national news. The demographics are always mixed in this area - we have lots of immigrant families - by the same token there are lots of parents who are serious about academics. Personally I’d like to see Fox Mill in there since they send the kids to Carson with the Oak Hill AAP kids - it’s be nice to keep them together. I also feel bad for Emerald Chase who is at Oak Hill then cast off elsewhere. The neighborhood is often visited by Chantilly Highlands kids via the woods and basketball courts. That said if I were in charge I’d draw a demographic radius circle around neighborhoods and that is who would be going. Forget agendas- public high school are intended to be primarily proximity. The lobbying to stay or go is next level. We go in all scenarios so Let’s go Western! Stop spending time on personal agendas and property value woes and get the AI and AE programs going.

Thank you. Too many people forgetting this. It's one thing to argue that you don't want your kids attending a school that won't have access to the same programming as others while it's still very new. It's another thing to say your neighborhood should always get to be zoned for a school far away when several others are closer, just because you like that school better.

That is part of the wacky county model we have down south.

If you go to the north east, schools are town based so people just move to whatever town's high schools they want to go to.

And there are towns with great schools, because of a wealthier population, and towns with poor schools, because of an impoverished population. And there are parents looking for the least expensive house or apartment that gets them into the town with the better school because it is important to them. Kind of like parents moving into the pyramids that they want their kids to attend. The people most likely affected by the boundary changes are the people who bought at the edges of the pyramid they wanted to attend because that is where the houses were more affordable. It is the fight over being moved from Langley to Herndon or WSHS to Lewis.

The issue here is that many people at Oakton, SLHS, Chantilly, Westfield, and Centerville are not sure what the new school is going to be like because it is new, that causes concern for folks. It makes sense.

That's not quite right. The issue is that the new school is going to be perceived as comparable to something similar to Fairfax HS and a tad shy of Chantilly HS, because of the lower-income kids from Coates and McNair, and that's not good enough for some Oakton HS parents.

That will be the case when Western opens, and it will remain the case when Western is 100% full and operating on all cylinders. People would be happy if it it had the standing of Carson, but it won't because Carson is pumped up by all the AAP kids from Franklin, and without those AAP kids Carson will be an above-average school but not what it's been for the past several decades.

People from Floris and Oak Hill - the higher-income areas most likely to attend Western - find that grating because, while they can understand why Langley parents might chafe at moving to Herndon, they think it's weird that parents now at Oakton would subject themselves and their kids to longer trips to school when they might have a much closer and perfectly acceptable option closer to their homes. People from Fox Mill find it annoying as well, but some are happy that some of the Oakton parents are working overtime to avoid Western because they'd prefer a new AP school for their kids over South Lakes.

Spot on.

Carson won’t be as special once AAP kids go back to base school.

We don’t know how good the new school will be in terms of academics. But in terms of poverty rate and wealth, it’s probably comparable to that of Chantilly High School.

Oakton and Floris are not poor, and they are almost certainly going to KAA.

There are many wealthy families in Crossfield. If Crossfield stays at Oakton, Fox Mill is likely in. Fox Mill is comparable to Oak Hill and Floris.

Coates has some poor families.

So the school is not going to be as rich as Oakton especially if Crossfield gets to stay.

I don’t think the AAP center change will hurt Carson that much. So many of Carson’s AAP students are already in boundary.

[Anonymous]

Nobody ever said Chantilly is not a good school. It is in fact a great school. However there is no choice for Oakton family to transfer to Chantilly in these options. Oakton like to stay just like Chantilly like to stay, for the same reason.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps all the top performance students in SLHS are from Fox Mill, Fox Mill being a AAP center, I am sure it is good school.

[Anonymous]

It is like I like coffee from Dunkin Donuts, you like coffee from Starbucks. I prefer continue to drink Dunkins, but you try to tell me I think Starbucks is not as good as Dunkins.

They are no different, all fcps schools, equally good.

[Anonymous]

If there is anything we ever wrote that hurts your feeling. We apologize as it was not our intention. We all hope our kids will have a happy life, just use different approaches.