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[quote=Anonymous]Hi OP! We are a Maury/Brooks (name changed so older kids graduated from Maury, which is now Brooks) family. During the pandemic, our kids went to a Campagna program for essential workers (we work in health care). We fell in love with the Mason community! The parents are phenomenal and some of my kids' best friends are from Mason/Beverley Hills now that they are at ACHS/GW/Brooks. The PTA is very involved at George Mason and it is very much a neighborhood school. They host a lot of fun social events for the community and the green space and playground is a hub for the neighborhood. My kids ride their bikes to Mason from Rosemont to meet up with their BH friends.

Regarding ACPS, it is super frustrating as a parent. Be prepared to be very involved. Sometimes I wish I sent my kids to our church school (we are religious) but my older two are gifted students and the options for curriculum at the HS level cannot compare to the options at private schools. Seriously. Even my youngest, in his AAS (gifted) class is programming a robot and getting top scores on standardized tests, despite his school being accredited with conditions.

ACPS is an urban school district. At Mason, you have kids from Arlandria/Chirilagua section of Alexandria who are new arrivals from Central America and language learners. Their parents primarily work in construction and the service industry. Then you have kids in $1-2M homes here.

The thing about ACPS is that it could be exceptional. I get frustrated because my middle student at GWMS is just an average student and I worry that she will fall through the cracks. My older two and youngest, the school is not really worried or concerned about say test anxiety or social emotional issues I bring up because they are outstanding test takers who test in the top 99%. Middle school was pretty much a wash with the pandemic and honors courses that anyone could be in.

Why have we stayed? First, the curriculum is outstanding. I cannot begin to tell you what my children have achieved academically on the MAP and SOL standard tests. They have opportunities to intern at GWU labs and on national science and math projects. They have dual enrollment with several universities and the opportunity in MS to go on study abroad. The arts program from elementary through HS has been phenomenal, even with my STEM focused oldest. They learned to play an instrument, have a love of music and the arts. I found math to be very strong and my kids were in differentiated math and accelerated math. They have gone to programs in the summer for finance, journalism, science/engineering.

Second, the teachers are invested. We have so many teachers at our schools who are award winning and the highest caliber. The opportunities they afforded my sons and daughters cannot compare to my private school or what my church school would provide. They go above and beyond to help students and they have strong outcomes for middle class and upper middle class kids.

Third, the community. I have never found a more giving and inclusive community than ACPS. People don't have food, clothes, utilities paid. A parent will fundraise or provide. A teacher needs supplies or snacks? You've got it. Someone sees your kid doing something dangerous or not great. They will call them out on it and contact you. It is truly a village.

What is the "bad"? I would say central office and school board. There are people that I like as community members but they don't necessarily manage the superintendent. We've had a string of bad leadership in key roles for facilities, transportation, communications, HR, and superintendent positions.

If your kid has a learning disability or is a student with a disability and you are middle class, you are completely ignored. I find that ACPS very much focuses on the kids with the least resources, which I commend and think is great. But they should be focused on helping students achieve academic competencies and eventually excellence. Education is a great equalizer. It is how my immigrant parents got out of poverty. It is how I got out of the middle class. I worked in public schools as a teacher early in my careers and we need to hold the elected officials--city council and school board accountable. They say that they are progressive Democrats who fight for the marginalized and the issue is that they don't. Kids are living in abysmal housing projects, slum style apartments. They don't have basics like socks and underwear or food at home. Their parents can't pay utilities. We have an issue with chronic absenteeism and police reports at the middle school level. We need to have wrap around services and partner with community organizations to address and have peer mentors for parents to help them get out of this cycle of generational poverty. We are not helping anyone if there are brown and Black students who are low income failing basic math and reading.

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