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Reply to "Real estate/school district selection advice I've heard as a new parent - how true is it?"

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[quote=Anonymous]- We bought our house based on what we could afford and while we looked at school rankings, the numbers showed that the local elementary school where we purchased scored rather low comparatively to other options in Fairfax county.  Based on the data lower academic performance appeared to break across the English as a second language student body.  We looked at that language diversity as a plus, not a detriment.  We are a mixed race family.  My wife and I were raised speaking English, but have both acquired second languages not connected to our racial make up.  As others have said, all schools in Fairfax County are on the higher end of the national spectrum.  Getting choosy is an option, but one that probably doesn't get you much in return.  I would counsel you on picking a neighborhood that you like, rather than following a school ranking.  I'd much rather like my neighbors where I live than have top school in my backyard.  I would also point out that the middle school where we live was ranked No. 1 in Virginia when we purchased our house.  By the time our kids passed through it it wasn't even in the Top 10.  So these things can change on you.  Our kids are in high school and attend an IB focused program.  You will find lots of opinions about AP vs IB.  If it matters that much to you once your kid grows up I think you can petition to attend an school outside of your pyramid if your local high school is not what you want.  We are incredibly happy with our local high school.  We have lots of friends who attend a cross town high school that is AP focused and generally considered more white and affluent.  They also have more issues statistically with drugs and seem to place more on athletics as a social component to the high school experience.  You won't know if your kid is a sports maven, so I think those kinds of issues are rather stupid to base your home buying around.  Buy a good property based on the things that make it a good property.  I think proximity to transportation options, other community services, low crime rates, avoiding listed sexual predators, and whether people in the neighborhood maintain their properties are probably more important factors to consider.[/quote]

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