Belle View elementary

[Anonymous]

Can anyone give me some information about that school? We are moving to Belle Haven from the west coast, and our son is approaching Kindergarten age. I'm wondering if we can send him there or what people who live there do about school. Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the area! I live there and know several people who send their kids to Belle View. They all seem very happy with the school. A few of the Belle View teachers even live in the neighborhood. My kids are not old enough for elementary, so I cannot give you a personal account. The elementary age kids in the neighborhood are split among the privates in the area - St. Stephens St. Agnes, Browne Academy, Burgundy Farm and Alexandria Country Day School.

[Anonymous]

Hi, We live in the Belle Haven area and LOVE IT. It is a great area with lots of young families around and the little shopping center has everything that you'll need. First, check to see that your home is within the Belle View Elementary boundary by going here: http://boundary.fcps.edu/boundary/

While we are in the Belle View Elementary boundary, there are a couple of kids in our neighborhood that actually go to Fort Hunt Elementary because it is a Spanish immersion school.

By the way, Belle View Elementary has full day kindergarten and offers before and afterschool care (SACC). While many schools in the area have waitlists for SACC, Belle View currently does not. I just called and checked on this today.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm glad to realize there are a number of us who read DCUM.

We love living in Belle Haven, for many of the same reasons articulated by earlier posters. We know several families who are quite happy at Belle View Elementary. That said, I would estimate that about 80% of the kids in Belle Haven attend one of the private schools referred to above. This is a guesstimate based on my thinking of the families on my block and the few surrounding blocks.

One thing I've noticed is that several (though not all) of those who attend Belle View have parents who are alums of St. Stephens and St. Agnes Schools (SSSAS), so they pretty much know that they will be able to shift there at a later time. I have no idea if that's what these families plan, though I do not know anyone in Belle Haven who has kids at public middle school or high school. I do know people who live in Belle View (very close to Belle Haven) who are quite happy with their kids experience at West Potomac (the public high school). As a very subjective mater, there is a mom in Belle Haven whom I do not know well, but whose judgment I have great faith in. She researched schools and curricula like nobody's business and, after much consideration, chose Belle View over several popular privates in VA, as well as over a highly-regarded DC school referred to on this forum as a "big three."

I'm not sure if you've firmly settled on moving to Belle Haven. Again, I love living here, but if you are not firmly committed, and if you are seeking an area where a greater portion of kids go to public school, you may want to consider the Waynewood district (just South down the parkway a bit), or the Lyles Crouch district in Old Town.

Finally, kids in Belle Haven seems to have started attending a wider range of private schools. While SSSAS and a few others are the most popular, kids also attend Potomac in McLean (they catch the bus in Old Town). I have also heard that there is a family with young kids who are thinking almost exclusively of DC schools, and this seems to be catching on with others.