Reply to What is the difference bethween Langley and McLean?

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Reply to "What is the difference bethween Langley and McLean?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My main reservation with Marshall is that it draws from such a hodge-podge of neighborhoods.  It will never be as desirable around here as Langley, McLean or Madison, all of which get more community support, have higher test scores, and have better extra-curricular programs. The US News rankings, correctly calculated or not, won't change that.  However, if you think Langley is too much of a pressure cooker or "too rich," you might like Marshall better. [/quote]

Langley is the only high school in Fairfax County that doesn't draw from a "hodge podge" of neighborhoods. McLean and Madison also have low income, high minority population apartment complexes within their boundaries. And believe it or not, there are intelligent and hardworking kids in those complexes, just like there are drug dealers and slackers in the suburbs.

It's almost 2013. Open your mind a little. [/quote]

You are missing the point.  Langley is "the" school for Great Falls and western McLean.  Madison is "the" school for the town of Vienna.  McLean is "the" school for central McLean.  They all get a great deal of community support from these core attendance areas. The point is not whether Madison and McLean's boundaries also include some areas further from the core, or lower-income areas, which they do (more in McLean's case, actually, than Madison's).

Marshall's different. Its boundaries include a bunch of neighborhoods carved out of Vienna, Dunn Loring, Falls Church and a very small section of apartments/townhouses in McLean.  If the Marshall district has a center, it's probably the heart of Tysons Corner, and that's not an area that currently has much community spirit or neighborhood feel.  Most of the people in Vienna zoned for Marshall would probably rather be zoned for Madison, and many live closer to Madison or Oakton than to Marshall.  Dunn Loring has no real center or core.  In West Falls Church, George Mason in the City of Falls Church gets most of the community support, so Marshall is second fiddle there to Mason and to some extent McLean.

Everyone knows that FCPS is huge and that the school boundaries are often odd.  Within that framework, however, Langley, Madison and McLean have developed a degree of community support over the years that Marshall lacks.  It's one reason why, no matter how many times the school or a few parents keep touting this US News ranking, local realtors will frequently tell you that it's worth highlighting in a property listing if a house is zoned for Langley, McLean or Madison, but not if a school is zoned for Marshall.  It's not a name that registers the same way with prospective buyers.

So, yes, the fact that Marshall has a higher percentage of low-income kids than the other schools mentioned is no reason to insult it or overlook it.  The school is fine, the test scores are high, the IB program is there if you want it, and it's getting a nice renovation.  If that's where you end up, great.  But there are still reasons why many people who take the time to research continue to prefer other local schools, and it's wrong on your part to respond to those who take issue with Crazy Marshall Lady's constant hijacking of discussion threads about other schools by claiming they are racist/classist.  As you said, it's almost 2013.
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Marshall is 22182, parts of 22043 and dunn lorring which are all geographically near each other. How is that different than mclean or madison. Beyond that, would it make sense logically for fairfax county to randomly carve out sections not near each other in terms of school pickups? Mclean has the same thing with students in 22043 and even some far out in 22046. The marshall equivalent of mclean highs mclean zip core is 22182. Langley is also carved out of great falls , parts of mclean and even 22182.

See , you learned something today, merry christmas![/quote]

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