Reply to Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So it is not crossfield issue then, it is Franklin Farm issue.

Franklin Farm does not need to persuade anybody else that they want to go to KAA because of a shorter commute.

Franklin farm just needs to figure out what your whole community needs.[/quote]

I'm a Franklin Farm resident. My neighbors need to get a grip. Western HS/KAA is going to be a dream school.

The only thing that might be crappy is for elite athletes who could be Varsity starters all four years of high school but who might not have access to Varsity-level sports at the new school in the first year or two.

Otherwise, it's a dream! New schools often draw top talent with regard to teachers and admin, the resources (e.g., robotics lab, ceramics lab, pool, and auditorium) available are top-tier, and the commute is significantly less scary for a teen driver.

Oakton has been great, as has Chantilly for the other side of Franklin Farm. I'm sure Western/KAA will be just as good.[/quote]

Academy-wise, the best Western HS could do is perform close to Chantilly.  I don't see Western HS coming out of the gate (next 10 years) and getting even close to Oakton level.  There is no incentive for Oakton people to leave an excellent school and go to an unknown.

I see there are gains from quality of education for Fox Mills moving to Western HS.  Let's go Option B.

[/quote]
I'm so confused about what is just sooooo amazing about Oakton. Please share.[/quote]

#6 in Virginia High Schools (660+ public and 300 private)
#9 in Washington, DC Metro Area High Schools (64 metropolitan DC HS)
#4 in Fairfax County Public Schools High Schools (FCPS has 30 HS)

So, you basically have one of the top high schools in the area.  It's number 3 in FCPS if you don't count the crown jewel of the DC area, Thomas Jefferson which is a govenor's school. If given the option, why wouldn't you want to attend a top high school? Generally top high schools have a combination of a high performing student body coupled with outstanding teachers.  This combination pushes the students to achieve higher and provides additonal opportunites for excellence.

To downplay it means you're either unaware of its excellence, or your kids are mediorcre. 
[/quote]

Generally top schools have parents with money that have been willing to supplement and get tutors for their kids which translates into higher test scores. Kids are attending RSM summer math classes so that they have been introduced to the material and can get an A in their math class. Kids are working with tutors to prep for classes, AP/IB exams, and the SATs.

Less wealthy schools have fewer kids with the money for the supplementing and tutoring so their test scores are lower. The difference between SLHS and Herndon is that Herndon has more parents who can provide tutors and supplement then Herndon not that SLHS has better teachers.

I want to move from SLHS to the new school but I know that my kid will go great at SLHS. He is smart and we are involved parents who will make sure that he has the support he needs. He would do well at Herndon, he would do well at Oakton. It isn’t the school, it is the parents and what they can provide. An immigrant household that doesn’t earn much but whose parents value education will make sure that their kid is attending and doing their work and will do well in school because they are involved.

Schools that have higher income families in them do well because the parents tend to be educated, with HS, college, and graduate degrees. Those parents want their kids to go to college and know what is needed to go to college, and go to a great college. Schools with lower incomes tend to have families without degrees who are less likely to worry about school and college for a variety of reasons, like putting food on the table.

Oakton families will do well whereever they land because the parents want the kids to do well. Just like I know my kid will do well at SLHS. I prefer AP and I like the idea of the program they are discussing at the new school. I want my kid to stay with the kids he went to MS with and not just his ES cohort. But he will be academically successful wherever he lands. [/quote]

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