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[quote=Anonymous]As a lifelong resident of Alexandria and graduate of the Alexandria public school system (Patrick Henry Elementary, Hammond Middle School and TC Williams High School), I wanted to share my perspective for what it's worth.  Take it for what it is --based on thoughts of someone who has attended the schools and has observed their progress and setbacks throughout the years.  I do not know anything about the Arlington school system.

It is true that Alexandria schools have faced a lot of criticisms and problems mentioned by PPs.  Some of them are true and some are overblown.

With respect to elementary schools, there are some really high performing schools, and the 3 that receive a lot of press coverage, awards and accolades are Lyles-Crouch, George Mason and Douglas MacArthur.  MacArthur is in a very large district and getting crowded but to its credit has managed to stay very competitive (b/c of the great principal and active PTA).  Lyles-Crouch is a Core Knowledge school and has the benefit of having very small student teacher ratio (they have to maintain this in order to be a Core Knowledge school).  L-C is a real success story as 5-7 years ago, no one would have sent their kids there.  Now, due to the efforts of an active PTA and a wonderful principal, it is one of the most sought-after school in Alexandria.  They have a great character education program (award-winning) and have implemented a uniform policy.  George Mason is a small school (physically) so tends to be small, but the class sizes are increasing there as well.  It has a committed and active PTA and generally well-respected.  One thing about MacArthur --it may not have made one of the targets for No Child Left Behind for math.  B/c of the way NCLB is designed, pretty sure that all Alexandria (as well as Arlington and Fairfax) schools will soon not make their targets (Adequate Yearly Progress), b/c eventually the standard is 100%, which is really impossible to obtain in an urban school system like Alexandria, where there is a lot of poor and/or recently immigrated kids.

There are other schools that are very good but not receive a lot of attention: Charles Barrett, James K Polk, Tucker and Maury.  Polk is very diverse with a very active PTA (recently fought for and got a new gym for the school).  The parents are less intense than at MacArthur, Mason or L-C.   I went to Polk way back when for a year.  It was a good school then and it remains a good one now --often overlooked by parents in Alexandria.  Maury used to have problems attracting parents, due to low test scores, but it has recently turned and is now very popular with parents.  Recently, parents feel comfortable enough to send their kids there and are actively buying property so that they are in the Maury district.  I don't know too much about Tucker, being the newest school (located in the Cameron Station development), but it has a modified school calendar (school almost year round) and does well on NCLB testing.  It has gotten good reviews from parents.  It, like Polk, is in the west end of Alexandria, so there is more diversity.  Charles Barrett is the district adjacent to GM --it is a small school and also very good from what I hear.  I have a friend who sent her children there and thought it was a "hidden gem."  These are diverse elementary schools doing quite well.

Another school that has turned is Mount Vernon, which has the Spanish language immersion program and the modified calendar (school almost year round).  I have heard anecdotally from a friend who sends her children there that she loves the teachers and thinks they are getting an excellent education.  Also, they have an active PTA, also a good sign.

As you can see, there are several very good elementary schools in Alexandria.  There are a few that are struggling --and they drag down the reputation of the entire school system.

As for Jefferson Houston (not to be confused by Charles Houston, which is the name of the recreation center near Jefferson Houston), it is the weakest school, unfortunately by design.  This district contains the most of Alexandria's public housing, has the highest number of special needs kids and has a high number of children on free and reduced lunch program (the highest in the school system).  There have been great efforts to turn this school around --by implementing the IB program and to convert this to a K-8 program, but it's not there yet.  There is also discussion of upgrading the facilities there, so in the next several years, this school will probably turn.  But as the PPs have commented, it's not there today.

I have a soft spot for TCW, because I loved it when I graduated from there.  I had friends who were from multiple nationalities (my best friends were Arabic and Chinese) and I had friends from the super wealthy to the not-so-wealthy.  Most of the people from my classes went on to Ivies, Stanford, MIT/Cornell, great state schools (CA, MI, UVA & WM). It's a school that most Alexandrians know as an excellent school.  Great sports program.  Excellent music program.  Great choices for classes.  
It has a wide variety of high level and AP classes, languages, science classes, etc.  B/c there is only one high school, all of the resources are devoted to just this school.  It also has an awesome college resource department --counseling as well as scholarships.  TCW has a scholarship program --both need-based and merit-- provided to TCW senior who apply and qualify to encourage them to go on to college.  (www.alexscholarshipfund.org).  In addition, there is a huge vocational education curriculum.  One of the Hell's Kitchen chef winner graduated from TCW, as an example.

I think TCW will never do well as a whole on hitting the AYP targets b/c it's a large school (roughly 800 or more per class) and great many of the students are ESL, special needs, etc.  But those who go there will find the right program appropriate for them, because it has a lot of choices and great, caring teachers.

Having said this, Alexandria, Arlington or private, nothing is more important than going to visit these schools to get a "feel" for the schools.  All of the schools have open houses in the spring --the dates of the open houses should be listed on the Alexandria City Public School System website.  If you can't make the open houses, make an appointment to talk to the principal and get a tour.

At some point, all of the schools in Alex, Fairfax, Arlington are not going to make AYP b/c the standards only go higher every year under NCLB (i.e., no school will be able to achieve 100% on the AYP), budgets get reduced, schools get more crowded due to the recession.  So, while important, don't base your decision solely on the "numbers."  See what they are doing to get kids educated (e.g., any innovative programs?) and see how active and organized the PTA is.  See what you think of the indoor and outdoor facilities.  See whether they have experienced teachers or new ones and what the turnover rates are for the teachers and principals.  Talk to the head of the PTAs.  I think those are better indicators of a successful program.  The school may have the best test scores, but if you don't like the culture/approach for your child, than it's a complete waste!

Good luck!

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