Rank the Top 10 NoVa High Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A school can be better than one in inner-city Chicago and still far below the expectations or aspirations of many in this area.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. You obviously have a horse in this race. Move to the Lee district from your “good” district and let us know how it goes.

Different poster. I have students at Lee. This year Lee graduates are attending UVA, William & Mary, VCU, James Madison, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Drexel, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, BYU, Barnard, the University of Richmond, Loyola-Chicago, and the University of Chicago (as examples). I think things are going quite well for these students.

By comparison, at DD's School, there were:
W & M 46 accepted, 17 enrolled
VT. 104 accepted 37 enrolled
UVA. 69 accepted 39 enrolled
JMU. 122 Accepted. 41 enrolled

this is out of a class of about 500.

so, 27% went to one of the top 4 Va Schools.


Oh, other schools include MIT, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Yale.

And what is to say that these students wouldn't do just as well if they attended Lee? You are mistaking the students for the school. If they are the fantastic students you say they are, then the school won't be the difference (in Fairfax County).

DP. You keep saying this and it doesn’t get any more convincing with repetition.

Why do you think GS, US News, School Digger, etc (including this sub-forum) exist. There is a demand for this information because people are interested in sending their kids to the best schools. If you can’t afford one of those districts, so be it, but you aren’t going to convince people with a choice to pick Lee over Langley by serving up platitudes.

These sites just contribute to the problem. They all have questionable methodologies and can't possibly tell the real story of a school. Because people are using these sites to select homes, the divide gets wider every year and more students cram into fewer schools. How many Fairfax high schools are no-go zones now? 7?9? What will it be in five years? 10 or 12? Great School scores dropped recently for a number of schools - do they now fall out of the real estate search for families new to the area? The answer to that question is probably yes and then those schools start to slide. It can be very insidious.

That First Amendment sure is pesky, isn’t it? And, yet, if we had to rely on other sources for the “real story,” there would be less useful information available to parents.

I’m not aware of any high schools in the county that are viewed generally as “no-go zones,” but if there are that is FCPS’s doing and not the fault of Great Schools or US News.

Nothing to do with the First Amendment. No one says these sites can't exist, but they should try to be accurate. Great Schools, as an example, does not currently include IB in its college readiness scores. That doesn't help any of the IB schools.

By the way, why so particularly snarky? What are you insecure about? Afraid some Fairfax residents may have paid less for their house and are still benefiting from Fairfax schools?

[Anonymous]

IB data:

Passing # Exams #12th grd Rate
rates

Marshall 86.8% 1707 433 3.942
S.Lakes 80.5% 1550 536 2.891
Lee 79% 761 354 2.149
Edison 77.9% 805 408 1.973
Robinson 73.1% 2195 657 3.340
Stuart/Jstc 66.6% 873 370 2.359
Mt. Vernon 60.2% 415 403 1.029
Annandale 58.8% 740 399 1.854


I calculated the participation rate using only the number of 12th graders b/c I think most IB tests are taken at the end of 12th grade. So, you can't really compare the rate of IBs to the rate of APs --- IB classes are sometimes two years, whereas AP classes are always one year long. But, you can compare IB schools to other IB schools, and AP schools to other AP schools.


The first column is the overall passrate on ALL IB tests at that school (2017).

Second column is the total number of exams.

Third column is the number of 12th graders in 2017.

Last column is the number of exams divided by the number of 12th graders... showing how common it is for kids to take these classes/exams.

[Anonymous]

When did FCPSs stop paying for all AP exams for all students? Many kids didn’t care but the test wasn’t always taken seriously.

Much of what is best about a school isn’t measurable. Keep that in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A school can be better than one in inner-city Chicago and still far below the expectations or aspirations of many in this area.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. You obviously have a horse in this race. Move to the Lee district from your “good” district and let us know how it goes.

Different poster. I have students at Lee. This year Lee graduates are attending UVA, William & Mary, VCU, James Madison, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Drexel, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, BYU, Barnard, the University of Richmond, Loyola-Chicago, and the University of Chicago (as examples). I think things are going quite well for these students.

By comparison, at DD's School, there were:
W & M 46 accepted, 17 enrolled
VT. 104 accepted 37 enrolled
UVA. 69 accepted 39 enrolled
JMU. 122 Accepted. 41 enrolled

this is out of a class of about 500.

so, 27% went to one of the top 4 Va Schools.


Oh, other schools include MIT, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Yale.

And what is to say that these students wouldn't do just as well if they attended Lee? You are mistaking the students for the school. If they are the fantastic students you say they are, then the school won't be the difference (in Fairfax County).

DP. You keep saying this and it doesn’t get any more convincing with repetition.

Why do you think GS, US News, School Digger, etc (including this sub-forum) exist. There is a demand for this information because people are interested in sending their kids to the best schools. If you can’t afford one of those districts, so be it, but you aren’t going to convince people with a choice to pick Lee over Langley by serving up platitudes.

These sites just contribute to the problem. They all have questionable methodologies and can't possibly tell the real story of a school. Because people are using these sites to select homes, the divide gets wider every year and more students cram into fewer schools. How many Fairfax high schools are no-go zones now? 7?9? What will it be in five years? 10 or 12? Great School scores dropped recently for a number of schools - do they now fall out of the real estate search for families new to the area? The answer to that question is probably yes and then those schools start to slide. It can be very insidious.

That First Amendment sure is pesky, isn’t it? And, yet, if we had to rely on other sources for the “real story,” there would be less useful information available to parents.

I’m not aware of any high schools in the county that are viewed generally as “no-go zones,” but if there are that is FCPS’s doing and not the fault of Great Schools or US News.

Nothing to do with the First Amendment. No one says these sites can't exist, but they should try to be accurate. Great Schools, as an example, does not currently include IB in its college readiness scores. That doesn't help any of the IB schools.

By the way, why so particularly snarky? What are you insecure about? Afraid some Fairfax residents may have paid less for their house and are still benefiting from Fairfax schools?

+100. People get so insecure about their school zones. It’s like they’ve attached their identity and worth to the school zone they live in. It’s sad really.

In any case, it’s safe to just ignore someone commenting about education when they’re so ignorant about the First Amemdment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A school can be better than one in inner-city Chicago and still far below the expectations or aspirations of many in this area.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. You obviously have a horse in this race. Move to the Lee district from your “good” district and let us know how it goes.

Different poster. I have students at Lee. This year Lee graduates are attending UVA, William & Mary, VCU, James Madison, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Drexel, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, BYU, Barnard, the University of Richmond, Loyola-Chicago, and the University of Chicago (as examples). I think things are going quite well for these students.

By comparison, at DD's School, there were:
W & M 46 accepted, 17 enrolled
VT. 104 accepted 37 enrolled
UVA. 69 accepted 39 enrolled
JMU. 122 Accepted. 41 enrolled

this is out of a class of about 500.

so, 27% went to one of the top 4 Va Schools.


Oh, other schools include MIT, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Yale.

And what is to say that these students wouldn't do just as well if they attended Lee? You are mistaking the students for the school. If they are the fantastic students you say they are, then the school won't be the difference (in Fairfax County).

DP. You keep saying this and it doesn’t get any more convincing with repetition.

Why do you think GS, US News, School Digger, etc (including this sub-forum) exist. There is a demand for this information because people are interested in sending their kids to the best schools. If you can’t afford one of those districts, so be it, but you aren’t going to convince people with a choice to pick Lee over Langley by serving up platitudes.

These sites just contribute to the problem. They all have questionable methodologies and can't possibly tell the real story of a school. Because people are using these sites to select homes, the divide gets wider every year and more students cram into fewer schools. How many Fairfax high schools are no-go zones now? 7?9? What will it be in five years? 10 or 12? Great School scores dropped recently for a number of schools - do they now fall out of the real estate search for families new to the area? The answer to that question is probably yes and then those schools start to slide. It can be very insidious.

That First Amendment sure is pesky, isn’t it? And, yet, if we had to rely on other sources for the “real story,” there would be less useful information available to parents.

I’m not aware of any high schools in the county that are viewed generally as “no-go zones,” but if there are that is FCPS’s doing and not the fault of Great Schools or US News.

Nothing to do with the First Amendment. No one says these sites can't exist, but they should try to be accurate. Great Schools, as an example, does not currently include IB in its college readiness scores. That doesn't help any of the IB schools.

By the way, why so particularly snarky? What are you insecure about? Afraid some Fairfax residents may have paid less for their house and are still benefiting from Fairfax schools?

GS seems to have done fine by George Mason, but if it didn’t accurately reflect IB data this year, that is primarily an argument for looking at multiple sources over multiple years. There was also a situation a few years ago where US News incorrectly assumed a 100% IB participation rate at one IB school in the area, boosting its rating, so the errors, when they occur, cut both ways. But in neither case is it an argument for disregarding all attempts to measure school quality and student achievement because some have their preferred version of the “real story.”

In general, more data and more data analysis should help address your concerns, not sweeping them under the rug. FCPS has become increasingly parsimonious about releasing school-specific data in recent years, while at the same time doing little to nothing to shore up the schools that are struggling the most.

And if I were insecure about my own school district, as you suggest (talk about snarky), I might be the one claiming there are already 7-9 “no go” high school districts, with more soon to follow. Those were your words, not mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A school can be better than one in inner-city Chicago and still far below the expectations or aspirations of many in this area.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. You obviously have a horse in this race. Move to the Lee district from your “good” district and let us know how it goes.

Different poster. I have students at Lee. This year Lee graduates are attending UVA, William & Mary, VCU, James Madison, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Drexel, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, BYU, Barnard, the University of Richmond, Loyola-Chicago, and the University of Chicago (as examples). I think things are going quite well for these students.

By comparison, at DD's School, there were:
W & M 46 accepted, 17 enrolled
VT. 104 accepted 37 enrolled
UVA. 69 accepted 39 enrolled
JMU. 122 Accepted. 41 enrolled

this is out of a class of about 500.

so, 27% went to one of the top 4 Va Schools.


Oh, other schools include MIT, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Yale.

And what is to say that these students wouldn't do just as well if they attended Lee? You are mistaking the students for the school. If they are the fantastic students you say they are, then the school won't be the difference (in Fairfax County).

DP. You keep saying this and it doesn’t get any more convincing with repetition.

Why do you think GS, US News, School Digger, etc (including this sub-forum) exist. There is a demand for this information because people are interested in sending their kids to the best schools. If you can’t afford one of those districts, so be it, but you aren’t going to convince people with a choice to pick Lee over Langley by serving up platitudes.

These sites just contribute to the problem. They all have questionable methodologies and can't possibly tell the real story of a school. Because people are using these sites to select homes, the divide gets wider every year and more students cram into fewer schools. How many Fairfax high schools are no-go zones now? 7?9? What will it be in five years? 10 or 12? Great School scores dropped recently for a number of schools - do they now fall out of the real estate search for families new to the area? The answer to that question is probably yes and then those schools start to slide. It can be very insidious.

That First Amendment sure is pesky, isn’t it? And, yet, if we had to rely on other sources for the “real story,” there would be less useful information available to parents.

I’m not aware of any high schools in the county that are viewed generally as “no-go zones,” but if there are that is FCPS’s doing and not the fault of Great Schools or US News.

Nothing to do with the First Amendment. No one says these sites can't exist, but they should try to be accurate. Great Schools, as an example, does not currently include IB in its college readiness scores. That doesn't help any of the IB schools.

By the way, why so particularly snarky? What are you insecure about? Afraid some Fairfax residents may have paid less for their house and are still benefiting from Fairfax schools?

+100. People get so insecure about their school zones. It’s like they’ve attached their identity and worth to the school zone they live in. It’s sad really.

In any case, it’s safe to just ignore someone commenting about education when they’re so ignorant about the First Amemdment.

You are mistaken. The various ratings services absolutely have First Amendment rights to express their views, and it would infringe upon those rights if state or federal officials were to attempt to curtail them because they preferred their own version of the “real story” at under-performing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A school can be better than one in inner-city Chicago and still far below the expectations or aspirations of many in this area.

Anyway, enough with the excuses. You obviously have a horse in this race. Move to the Lee district from your “good” district and let us know how it goes.

Different poster. I have students at Lee. This year Lee graduates are attending UVA, William & Mary, VCU, James Madison, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Drexel, Texas A&M, UNC-Chapel Hill, BYU, Barnard, the University of Richmond, Loyola-Chicago, and the University of Chicago (as examples). I think things are going quite well for these students.

By comparison, at DD's School, there were:
W & M 46 accepted, 17 enrolled
VT. 104 accepted 37 enrolled
UVA. 69 accepted 39 enrolled
JMU. 122 Accepted. 41 enrolled

this is out of a class of about 500.

so, 27% went to one of the top 4 Va Schools.


Oh, other schools include MIT, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Yale.

And what is to say that these students wouldn't do just as well if they attended Lee? You are mistaking the students for the school. If they are the fantastic students you say they are, then the school won't be the difference (in Fairfax County).

DP. You keep saying this and it doesn’t get any more convincing with repetition.

Why do you think GS, US News, School Digger, etc (including this sub-forum) exist. There is a demand for this information because people are interested in sending their kids to the best schools. If you can’t afford one of those districts, so be it, but you aren’t going to convince people with a choice to pick Lee over Langley by serving up platitudes.

These sites just contribute to the problem. They all have questionable methodologies and can't possibly tell the real story of a school. Because people are using these sites to select homes, the divide gets wider every year and more students cram into fewer schools. How many Fairfax high schools are no-go zones now? 7?9? What will it be in five years? 10 or 12? Great School scores dropped recently for a number of schools - do they now fall out of the real estate search for families new to the area? The answer to that question is probably yes and then those schools start to slide. It can be very insidious.

That First Amendment sure is pesky, isn’t it? And, yet, if we had to rely on other sources for the “real story,” there would be less useful information available to parents.

I’m not aware of any high schools in the county that are viewed generally as “no-go zones,” but if there are that is FCPS’s doing and not the fault of Great Schools or US News.

Nothing to do with the First Amendment. No one says these sites can't exist, but they should try to be accurate. Great Schools, as an example, does not currently include IB in its college readiness scores. That doesn't help any of the IB schools.

By the way, why so particularly snarky? What are you insecure about? Afraid some Fairfax residents may have paid less for their house and are still benefiting from Fairfax schools?

+100. People get so insecure about their school zones. It’s like they’ve attached their identity and worth to the school zone they live in. It’s sad really.

In any case, it’s safe to just ignore someone commenting about education when they’re so ignorant about the First Amemdment.

Someone asks about the top 10 schools in NoVa, a bunch of random people express their opinions, and the same posters get upset because their school wasn’t on the list or only showed up as #8 not #6.

Happens every time. Looks like OP started the same thread on the MD forum now.

[Anonymous]

You Fairfax parents are really something else.

[Anonymous]

Public schools are low budget

[Anonymous]

Remove Fairfax schools. What would be the top 10 then?

[Anonymous]

...actually FCPS is high budget...

[Anonymous]

There is the best and then there’s the rest.

[Anonymous]

Any methodology that ranks Stuart in the Top 10 even in Fairfax County is fatally flawed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any methodology that ranks Stuart in the Top 10 even in Fairfax County is fatally flawed.

Stuart HS is no more. It is Justice HS now.

[Anonymous]

There is the best and then there’s the rest.

...or as this forum would have it... "There is SES and then there's the rest"