where are the best public elementary schools in nova?

[Anonymous]

new to the area and have 2 small kiddos (2yo and 6mo). we live in shirlington but i've heard the best school districts are in northern arlington, some in alexandria and mclean are the best. we'd love to send the kids to public elementary school and then private HS. will we have to move to a home in those areas to have our kids go there or can we pay a little to send them to mclean for example? also, can i get a poll on pp's opinions on the best schools/school districts?

[Anonymous]

In Fairfax Ccunty, it doesn't matter what elementary school your child goes to. Every single high school in the county is in the top 10% of high schools nation wide. Almost all those high school kids are products of local, public elementary and middle schools. The biggest predictors of academic success are the parents socioeconomic level and education level. Every school in Fairfax county has tremendous educational opportunities. It's up to the students and parents to avail themselves of them. You get out of it what you put into it.

[Anonymous]

An organization called FairfaxCaps has created a report card using SOL data:

http://fairfaxcaps.org/images/FCPS_2007_ElementarySchoolReportCard.pdf

The highest rated schools are generally in the wealthiest parts of the county, which may reflect demographics more than actual quality of teaching and education. Those schools do have more resources, however, because the PTAs tend to be more active and parents have more $$$ to sponsor after-school activities. However, they also have larger class sizes than less privileged and lower-ranked schools, and some kids get lost and would benefit from the smaller class sizes of the lower-ranked schools.

I agree with PP that most elementary schools in the county are better than schools in other parts of the country.

To get to the higher ranked schools, you usually have to move inside their boundary. There are limited opportunities for pupil placement, but only to schools near your base school. You can't pay to choose your school.

[Anonymous]

We live in McLean SD -- Haycock and Longfellow -- which are supposed to be very good. However, what I didn't realize is that the schools here still set their schedules as if there is one parent at home... Every Mon schools get out early, kindergarten in many schools is still half day (and fyi, I have heard that there is a possibility that schools in Fairfax Cty currently with full day will go to half day soon to save money) and while there are after school programs, they have long wait lists. We hang out a lot in N. Arlington, and kind of wish we had decided to move there -- both of us work in DC so it would have been closer, but they have great schools and seem to have more innovative options (i heard there is a public Montessori K) and cater more towards two working parents. The neighborhoods of Yorktown and Williamsburg are near us. Perhaps check out those areas.

[Anonymous]

I agree with all of these posts..especially the one who said that all the schools are good and that you get out of them what you put into it. While I don't always agree with him, Jay Mathews of the Post had an article awhile back that basically said it doesn't matter where your child goes to elementary school as long as it is safe and you, as a parent, are involved in your child's education. So, I really don't think you can go wrong in all of Fairfax County or Arlington. That said, you might want to check into the available schools in your area....Arlington (North and South) have many options for elementary school - immersion schools, Arlington Traditional School, etc. So, even if you don't like your base school in Arlington, you might be able to apply to go somewhere else in the county. And if it is an issue for you, I would definitely watch the Fairfax County budget discussions, because there is real talk of them getting rid of full day kindergarten in most elementary schools, so that might be a factor in your decision.

[Anonymous]

I hear people really like Abingdon. It isn't one of the posh elementary schools, but I hear the principal is great.

[Anonymous]

City of Falls Church, 22046