Rising K LoCo

[Anonymous]

My oldest is heading off to K next year in Loudoun county. I’m getting more anxious because our parents and friends keep telling us horror stories (although they don’t have kids at my particular school). My elementary school is 2/10. It’s 40% esol. It was a 6/10 5 years ago when we bought our home but they started some school choice program. Family and friends are urging us to move or to do private. They say my daughter will be overlooked and class sizes will be extraordinarily large next year. I think the main issue is that so many kids don’t speak English and this hits harder at the early grades. I don’t agree with my family, but have so many questions.

Are K classes differentiated at all? My daughter is reading well. Are their separate classes for kids learning English or are they all together?

What would you all do? I am worried she won’t get any attention and will get ignored because so many others need more help. I just don’t feel ready to move though. We love our neighborhood. Also, the school one street over (our house backs to the school) is 7/10. Why aren’t they leveling the two schools out? That’s the part I don’t understand. Why do they only bus kids into our school and not all?

[Anonymous]

GS ratings are MADE UP. They are about house values. Do not do this to yourself. LCPS schools are across the board fine. Your kid in K will be fine.

[Anonymous]

We moved for a similar reason. I had a coworker that a kid in the neighborhood school. At back to school night the parents were told that 25% of the kids did not speak English and 50% did not how to properly hold a pencil for writing. His child was average by all standards but advanced for the school, he became the teacher helper. He did not learn anything the first semester, the parents moved him to a private school. I have two kids and can’t afford private so we moved. At our current school, my daughter is on par with her peers. That is our experience, good luck.

[Anonymous]

PP, on my phone, sorry for the typos

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't attend a school with a high number of esol kids.

[Anonymous]

Class sizes will likely be smaller and there may be more help for the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Where the heck in LoCo is it 40% esol?! Somewhere in Sterling? My DC is in K this year in LoCo and the lack of diversity, especially socioeconomic diversity, has always bothered me. If it was me, I would send my kid for K and see how it goes. If it's going badly, re-evaluate your options.

We have no idea what next year is going to look like. I don't know the numbers but I get the sense that a not-insignificant number of families pulled their kids from LCPS this year and enrolled in private; they aren't all going to just yank them out and toss them back into public if everything resumes as relatively "normal" in fall 2021. So that likely means smaller class sizes, I would think.

I went to truly terrible public schools growing up, so a "bad school" in LCPS or even FCPS is still miles beyond what I grew up in. Maybe it's not the best school ever, but does it really need to be? When is good enough going to be good enough? Don't let the over-achiever mindset of this area skew your perspective of what's really important.

[Anonymous]

Verify the 40% ESOL with the school. If its true, move. There is no way your child will get a decent education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where the heck in LoCo is it 40% esol?! Somewhere in Sterling? My DC is in K this year in LoCo and the lack of diversity, especially socioeconomic diversity, has always bothered me. If it was me, I would send my kid for K and see how it goes. If it's going badly, re-evaluate your options.

We have no idea what next year is going to look like. I don't know the numbers but I get the sense that a not-insignificant number of families pulled their kids from LCPS this year and enrolled in private; they aren't all going to just yank them out and toss them back into public if everything resumes as relatively "normal" in fall 2021. So that likely means smaller class sizes, I would think.

I went to truly terrible public schools growing up, so a "bad school" in LCPS or even FCPS is still miles beyond what I grew up in. Maybe it's not the best school ever, but does it really need to be? When is good enough going to be good enough? Don't let the over-achiever mindset of this area skew your perspective of what's really important.

Guilford or Countryside possibly. Maybe Leesburg Elementary.

[Anonymous]

I would not stick my daughter in a school with high ESOL or FARM numbers. We moved just before K from a school that we realized would be a bad fit for our daughter and us to a school that no matter what she will receive a decent education.

[Anonymous]

What specific school OP? If it’s one of the Sterling ones I can give more specific advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Verify the 40% ESOL with the school. If its true, move. There is no way your child will get a decent education.

+1. High ESOL or FARMS and your child will be ignored or the helper. That’s the reality.

[Anonymous]

My concern would be class size. My kid's elementary was so overcrowded it was impossible for the teachers to know the kids. I volunteered a lot and it had great teachers and admin but the overcrowding cancelled most of that out.

[Anonymous]

Could you swing private K? Your daughter is reading well. Our very good, reasonably-priced private Sterling preschool-K closed down a while back, unfortunately. Some people in my old neighborhood sent their kids to St. Joe's in Herndon. They weren't Catholic and they really liked it. I think it was $8000-9000 for non-Catholics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My concern would be class size. My kid's elementary was so overcrowded it was impossible for the teachers to know the kids. I volunteered a lot and it had great teachers and admin but the overcrowding cancelled most of that out.

Title 1 schools in Loudoun have tiny class sizes and lots of aides. OP’s daughter’s K class will likely have 15 students, a teacher, a regular aide and a nearly full time if not truly full time ESL teacher. I’ve subbed in lots of classes like this.

I’m the one who asked OP to name the school. If I’ve subbed there I’d be happy to share what I observed. There are some high ESL schools I’d be okay sending my child to.