Chiming in that not all Gen Ed classes are remedial. In the upper grades, some of the Gen Ed math and sciences classes are still challenging for nonStem kids even if those kids do AP classes in other subjects. We found a lot of kids tended to move to Gen Ed in 10/11/12 in math.

My guess is your child will be fine in honors classes in herndon middle school since they are motivated and hard working. I would honestly recommend taking all the core classes as honors. Gen ed classes there are really more what we’d consider remedial.

At the high school level there’s more of a mix. My academic honors/AP kid really didn’t want to have to do the science fair so took regular chemistry and physics. They were both fine and a bit of a break from the higher level classes he took in all the other core classes.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think regular classes are what you think they are. They might not be the normal classes like you're thinking. Honors is much more like what regular classes used to be, especially if your kid is college bound.

AAP/AP - Regular Classes from 20 years ago
Honors - Regular Classes from 10 years ago
Regular Classes - Mountain View

Anonymous wrote:I don't think regular classes are what you think they are. They might not be the normal classes like you're thinking. Honors is much more like what regular classes used to be, especially if your kid is college bound.

THIS!

I don't think regular classes are what you think they are. They might not be the normal classes like you're thinking. Honors is much more like what regular classes used to be, especially if your kid is college bound.

Cooper/Langley is very good and ranked pyramid and some homes in the western part of Great Falls that is near Reston go to this pyramid also.

Your child will probably be fine in Honors classes. I know kids who were taking regular classes at SLHS and decided they needed to move to Honors because of the pace of classes and attitude of kids in the regular class. They have been just fine in the Honors classes. I would suspect that the same thing will be true at Herndon.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, no, we are looking to move and really like Reston. My child is in 6th grade currently.

You might also consider Vienna. It is close to Reston and some neighborhoods there are zoned to top schools.

If you like Reston, then get a house that goes to South Lakes HS.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, no, we are looking to move and really like Reston. My child is in 6th grade currently.

We were in the same position. Like the trees and trails of Reston. DH works in Reston. But, ultimately we just could not stomach Herndon MS. And beyond that, we had concerns about Herndon HS. We thought we had a contract on a house feeding into Chantilly HS, but that fell through. We ended up paying more than we wanted for a house in Madison pyramid. In the years since, we've met people who volunteered at Herndon MS -- and they were emphatic in telling us we had made the right decision.

It sucks. We would have liked living in Reston. But we are fine where we are too.

OP here, no, we are looking to move and really like Reston. My child is in 6th grade currently.

Is your child currently in Herndon MS?

OP, my DS went to a highly ranked school and found that the Honors classes were a better fit for him than the GenEd. He took the regular classes his freshman year. Definitely not a particularly hardworking student. Unless you son has learning issues, I suspect he would fit in just fine in the Honors class.
You might consider a balance of the two.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is not going be to be taking Honors/AP classes, but is a hard worker who wants to do well in school. I've heard Herndon is fine for kids who select into H/AP classes, but what about the average child who isn't in those classes?

Are you looking to move? If so, a higher ranked HS will do more in regular classes. DC can add one or two honors/AP classes in his strong subjects in junior or senior year if he does well in regular classes.

My kid is not going be to be taking Honors/AP classes, but is a hard worker who wants to do well in school. I've heard Herndon is fine for kids who select into H/AP classes, but what about the average child who isn't in those classes?