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Moving to DC with British Military ,views on schools appreciated !
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Anonymous
| Hi, Moving to DC from the UK at the end of the year,got a choice of a few different houses in Alexandria or McLean which are in different school areas.Any advice on George Mason or Douglas Mcarthur schools greatly appreciated also Chesterbrook or Kent Gardens in Mclean.I have reserached the great schools and school digger internet sites but some of the reviews are so old things have probably changed.Daughter will be going into first grade.Also if anyone knows of any good daycare/pre school facilities for my three year old in Alexandria or McLean(which we may have a small chance of getting into in January without having camped out a year before to get an application form)they can recommend that would be great. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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As a general rule, I'd say the schools in McLean are better than Alexandria... but there are some schools in Alexandria that are very good. Sadly I don't know anything about the specific schools you've asked about.
Sorry I'm not more help. If you don't get more thoughts, you might retry this thread with the title: "McLean v. Alexandria Elementary schools" -- I think there are people on this forum who probably can answer your question. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| Definitely recommend McLean over Alexandria. Check out www.greatschools.net. The two high schools in McLean rate extremely highly nationally (top 100 high schools in America). I have heard great things about the neighborhoods in Chesterbrook and Kent Gardens. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| If you're open to DC, there's the British School of Washington in Georgetown. |
maynie
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| Do you know yet which Alexandria it would be? There's a pretty big difference between Alexandria City and Alexandria in Fairfax County. |
Anonymous
|
Will you be based at the British Embassy? If so you'd probably prefer McLean as it will be an easier commute. I also think the schools are consistently better than Alexandria.
I'm guessing they would put you in Alexandria city rather than Alexandria in Fairfax County....the area is very charming and more like living in an urban center than McLean which is very suburban and will require driving everywhere. However, if your daughter is only in elementary school (and presumably you'll be staying only a few years) the school situation in Alexandria might work for you. I would also repost and ask specifically about elementary schools in Alexandria city (once you confirm) vs. McLean. Good luck to you! |
Anonymous
| George Mason and MacArthur are both in the city of Alexandria and both have excellent reputations. The question mark in Alexandria is the middle schools -- Hammond and George Washington. They are very large and may be problematic for students who might need more intense support than one might find in a large public middle school. The same goes for TC Williams, the high school in Alexandria. The students who graduate at the top of the class do very well; however, it might be easy for a so-so student to "get lost" in a place as big as TC. |