Reply to Okay, here goes....Alexandria Schools?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, as earlier poster mentioned, emotion tends to run high on DCUM when ACPS gets mentioned.
In many ways you sound like exactly the type of family who would be happy in ACPS, since you describe yourself as "laid back, not particularly concerned about test scores, and okay with a diverse school."
Any measure that looks at test scores alone will have Alexandria rank lower than other nearby jurisdictions. We have a larger percentage of low-income families, and a larger percentage of children who are learning English as a second language. Your family's subgroup (white, not low-income) has always had and continues to have high pass rates, so your child will be fine. Their teachers will make sure they get material that's appropriate for their academic level, and encourage them to succeed.

You can do a search of previous threads to see other versions of the "pro-con" debate that's already emerging in this thread.

ACPS bashers on this thread seem to always accuse those who stick with ACPS as naive boosters.
I honestly don't think ACPS is perfect. I might spend more time on the this forum highlighting areas that I think need improvement, but the vitriol is so intense I don't feel like it would be a reasonable discussion, like parents griping about Montgomery County or Fairfax County, and would just become a witch hunt. I'd rather have those discussions offline with other ACPS families, who I know are actually familiar with current state of affairs at ACPS and not someone who left in a huff and has an anti-ACPS agenda.

PP insists that "it is not even remotely true" that the ACPS system is becoming more popular. PP is incorrect. More families with school age children in Alexandria are enrolling their children and remaining in ACPS. 
Some do leave, and some do leave in middle school. I note a great deal of anxiety in general around middle school, but have yet to have someone give me a concrete example of a recent experience at an ACPS middle school that would raise an alarm bell with me.

I think some of the angst around middle school is because at its core middle school SUCKS. Without a doubt the worst years of my life. And where did I experience the worst years of my life? At Frost in Fairfax County, part of the Woodson pyramid. But WAIT that is supposed to be the BEST in the area?! Yeah, well I still had some lousy teachers and horrible mean girls, which led to many afternoons and evenings crying at home. Do I think that makes Frost a bad school? No, and the occasional dud teacher and/or social anxiety problem a kid experiences at the ACPS middle schools doesn't make them horrible either. 
Take a look at the number of students taking Algebra in 8th grade and their SOL pass rates. Not too shabby.

OP, don't take my word for it, or the ACPS bashers. Go check out the neighborhoods, identify some of the specific elementary schools you might be attending, and take a tour of the schools. Go ahead and tour the middle school and TC Williams, too. They are always happy to show you around.
Good luck and best wishes, wherever you end up![/quote]

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