Anonymous wrote:I had kids go through both schools and completely recommend Franklin over Carson. The AAP staff, and all the staff, are amazing. There is a newish Principal who is great. Smaller school, less incubator-like. There is a reason so many kids go to TJ from Carson.

That said, I would let the child go wherever friends are going. Carson is a great school! It’s just so big (1500+ kids compared to under 1000 at Franklin). The layout of the main floor is odd. Lots of weird angles. Trailers. Just not as inviting or welcoming. But a solid staff.

I agree with everything in this response. The staff at both schools is excellent, but Franklin's staff is especially stellar.

I had kids go through both schools and completely recommend Franklin over Carson. The AAP staff, and all the staff, are amazing. There is a newish Principal who is great. Smaller school, less incubator-like. There is a reason so many kids go to TJ from Carson.

That said, I would let the child go wherever friends are going. Carson is a great school! It’s just so big (1500+ kids compared to under 1000 at Franklin). The layout of the main floor is odd. Lots of weird angles. Trailers. Just not as inviting or welcoming. But a solid staff.

Anonymous wrote:What are the pros/cons of each school? We will have to make the same decision next year. To me, Franklin allows the chance to still stay in touch with non AAP buddies and also is less competitive and cut-throat (not TJ focused.) Carson may have a more rigorous curriculum but is also way more stressful and intense due to TJ pressure. But yet, Carson seems to be the preferred choice. I would love to hear more on this!

Carson does not offer a more rigorous curriculum. It is the same curriculum at both schools. After having kids go through both programs, I would recommend Franklin over Carson.

DS attended Franklin back in the stone age of 2017-2019. He was AAP. Tested and not accepted to TJ. If memory serves, less than 10 kids from Franklin make it.

Anonymous wrote:What are the pros/cons of each school? We will have to make the same decision next year. To me, Franklin allows the chance to still stay in touch with non AAP buddies and also is less competitive and cut-throat (not TJ focused.) Carson may have a more rigorous curriculum but is also way more stressful and intense due to TJ pressure. But yet, Carson seems to be the preferred choice. I would love to hear more on this!

I would just let your child decide. I found very little information from Franklin to be honest which gave Carson the edge in my mind. Carson was better at communicating early on last year when my child was in 6th and had more choices in electives. Plus most of my child’s friends were going to Carson. Also, I figured they were a well oiled machine and good at prepping kids for high school, seeing as they are a large TJ feeder school. I feel like my child will be well prepared for high school. I have heard that Franklin is “easy.” Not sure if this is true for AAP.

Isn't that one of the schools where they're piloting level V?

Anonymous wrote:What are the pros/cons of each school? We will have to make the same decision next year. To me, Franklin allows the chance to still stay in touch with non AAP buddies and also is less competitive and cut-throat (not TJ focused.) Carson may have a more rigorous curriculum but is also way more stressful and intense due to TJ pressure. But yet, Carson seems to be the preferred choice. I would love to hear more on this!

My child didn’t have any non AAP buddies so the choice was easy. We let him decide and he chose Carson bc that’s where his buddies were going.

What are the pros/cons of each school? We will have to make the same decision next year. To me, Franklin allows the chance to still stay in touch with non AAP buddies and also is less competitive and cut-throat (not TJ focused.) Carson may have a more rigorous curriculum but is also way more stressful and intense due to TJ pressure. But yet, Carson seems to be the preferred choice. I would love to hear more on this!

Most AAP eligible kids zoned for Franklin go to Carson. Franklin sends over 300 kids to Carson.

They have local level IV. Some friends went to the center school (Carson). Some choose local AAP. It is great. It’s a small school (under 1000) kids and we specifically wanted to stay away from Carson. It’s been an amazing experience.

Most go to Carson. It’s seen as the holy grail as a feeder for TJ.
My kids went to Carson and liked it. We tried to steer our kids away from the TJ frenzy. They had a good
Experience overall.

So do the kids in schools that feed Franklin and have their own AAP (Ex: Navy Elementary) mostly stay with Franklin for AAP or do they go to Carson? Not sure where the level IV kids would come from other than that I guess. Waples Mill doesn't have AAP so I assumed the only option was Carson. I guess his friend group will be split again when some choose Franklin vs Carson, and again when they all go to different high schools because FCPS can't come up with boundaries that make any sense.

Franklin has had LLIV for about a decade and it is an outstanding program.

Because it is a small program, the teachers work closely together and do cross disciplinary projects and assignments, something my kids very much enjoyed. They also adored the choice project they did in 7th grade because they were permitted to choose whatever topic they wanted and the teacher supported their individual interests. Another positive trait of the Franklin program is that most of the teachers haven't changed since their program started so they are experts in what they do with those students.

They have a local Level IV. Carson is the option for a Center.

I heard from parents inn this forum that Franklin has AAP level IV. But I did not find it in the AAP school list of FCPS below:
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics/advanced-academic-level-iv-center
Is there any parent having DC in AAP level IV at Franklin?