Reply to Arlington Science Focus and Haycock

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[quote=Anonymous]It depends what you want in terms of school pedagogy, neighborhood, diversity, academic achievement, etc. So the decision is multifaceted. I know more about the Arlington pyramids, and I hope others can provide details on the McLean schools.

Science Focus likely figures more prominently than Haycock in terms of recent academic accolades, but I'm sure both are not far apart in terms of academic achievement. The neighborhoods immediately surrounding Haycock, while pricey, are more affordable than those that feed into Sci-Focus.

The Key/Science Focus boundary splits into three middle schools and two high schools. Based on attendance patterns, the majority of in-boundary students at Science Focus are from Lyon Village east of Fillmore St and would attend Swanson for middle school and Washington-Lee for high school. Those students from the high rise neighborhoods of Courthouse and Rosslyn would attend Williamsburg for middle school and Yorktown for high school. The SFH neighborhoods south of Clarendon Blvd feed into TJ for middle school and W-L for hs.

These neighborhoods along the Orange Line are very pricey and are popular among families who want a suburban house, town house, or condo close to DC with good schools, and within walking distance of shops, restaurants and transit. There are also a few apartment buildings that have escaped gentrification which have more affordable rents.

Swanson and Williamsburg are both very good middle schools in terms of overall academic achievement due to the largely upper-middle class demographic of their student bodies. Administrative problems at Williamsburg should be resolved by next year, and the controversy surrounding the principal a couple months ago was an unfortunate diversion. TJ has had a mixed reputation over the years, largely due to its demographic make-up, defined by a section of pricey North Arlington neighborhoods south of Clarendon as well as areas of apartments in South Arlington that are home to many recent immigrants and low-income students. With a very popular principal, the IB middle years program, and the recent North Arlington baby boom, test scores and the reputation of the TJ are quickly improving.

Arlington middle schools also offer after-school, competitive sports. While Fairfax county middle schools do not offer sports, I believe they offer after-school recreational activities.

If you look at previous posts in this forum, both Yorktown and Washington-Lee high schools are regarded as solid schools in terms of overall academic performance, and have excellent reputations within the communities they serve. Among college-bound students, SAT scores for McLean, Yorktown, and W-L ranked among the top ten for Northern Va public schools in 2010. McLean ranked 4th, Yorktown 5th, W-L 10th, followed by Robinson. In terms of ethnic and socio-econimic diversity, McLean is less diverse than Yorktown, which is less diverse than W-L. With the influx of young, wealthy families into North Arlington, and the decreasing availability of affordable apartments both Yorktown and W-L are actually becoming less diverse.

If I had to pick, I would choose the Sci-Focus pyramids, because of the solid schools at all levels, the proximity to the city, walkability, and diversity. But if I was choosing based on the high school with the highest overall academic scores then I'd choose the McLean pyramid. That said, North Arlington and McLean schools are all very good, which is why young families are flocking to the area.
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