Reply to City of Alexandria - Mt. Vernon Elem School - likely to return to traditional calendar

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the deal with this school? We are zoned for it but don't know anyone there. All of our neighbors are going private or St. Mary's or moving. I don't even know how to evaluate it. [/quote]

It's the largest elementary (by student population) in Alexandria. About 800 students. 25% are white, so about 200 students. These white kids are getting some of the highest scores in Alexandria, 100% pass-rates on the SOLs. But the Hispanic kids are doing very very poorly.

Your kid will have plenty of high-achieving peers to socialize with. And the alternative calendar will probably get tossed next year (if that was bothering you.)[/quote]

Another neighbor zoned for Mount Vernon with a rising Kindergartener. We did a tour when considering options and very quickly ruled it out. The school is very large, and principal said will only get bigger and may have over 900 students in 2014. Because of the size, kindergarteners eat a rushed lunch at 10am, so everyone can get through. Principal said that 68% of school is Hispanic and 30% white. Of that 30%, 90% are in the TAG program. The classes we observed seemed disorganized with lots of rambunctious kids and exhausted looking teachers (who also weren't particularly friendly). We were told there was a good chance that the school would be mandatory dual language for all K in 2014. We know some families who are quite happy there. We know others who aren't because so much effort and resources are dedicated to bringing up the bottom and the ESL kids that the bar is lowered and curriculum is dumbed down. It's also a school that uses "success for all" for reading and "everyday math" curriculums. Neither of which I am a fan. Especially learning Everyday Math in Spanish.

The environment didn't feel right for us. We are considering all the options a PP suggested.

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