Anonymous wrote:Hi! My family and I are relocating from the Northeast to Arlington, as my spouse got a job offer. I am waiting for my child to finish the school year before we move down this summer. They will be entering the 4th grade in the new school year. We plan to rent and haven’t secured a rental yet since we want to find an elementary school that is great in academics and diverse.

Can anyone provide any personal experiences or insight of good elementary schools in Arlington, Falls Church, or in the surrounding areas? I’ve read Arlington Traditional Elementary School is a Blue Ribbon school and diverse? Is that true? I’m looking to find a place that is close to public transportation where I can take the Amtrak to DC or take the bus to NY/NJ. I would truly appreciate any advice. Thank you!

The bus to New York leaves from the Rosslyn area of Arlington

I grew up in Arlington and attended Tuckahoe, Swanson, and Yorktown HS. I don't live in the area anymore due to COL, but my family still lives locally. Districting has definitely changed since I was a kid, but I LOVED Swanson, and Yorktown was okay; I would have preferred WL.

I've heard that Alexandria city schools are also a mess (family taught there and have been really disappointed with it). Fairfax County schools have historically been great, but I have family who said that things aren't amazing right now, and they are personally hoping to work for Arlington co. and send their kids to Arlington County schools.

When I was a kid, Yorktown was the least diverse, WL was pretty diverse (and had the IB program), and Wakefield was the most diverse but also had the most poverty. There were definitely issues of classism & racism with Yorktown students looking down upon the Wakefield students, but that was 20 years ago.

I honestly don't think you can go wrong with any of the schools, and there is great public transportation throughout Arlington.

You probably have experienced something similar living in NYC, but a lot of the families in Arlington are super high-achieving, wealthy, and there's a lot of pressure put on kids to be perfect (including amongst the parents), and it can be very competitive and intense.

I have two children and I would enroll my children if given the opportunity. Also- there are TERRIFIC playgrounds now in Arlington; they have really improved their playground game since I was a kid.

Any reason why VA?

DH and I grew up in the NY metro area and now live in Falls Church. And it's a pain to get to NYC. If I knew I was going up to NY on a regular basis, I would have bought in MD. Much easier to hop on Amtrak (stops at New Carrollton and BWI) and avoids the Beltway/395 to head north.

I think diversity wise you would be fine in Arlington, falls church city or eastern Fairfax county. (Though really Fairfax county has a high Asian population throughout.)
Falls Church city has great schools, and lots is walking distance. Metro is easy to get to as well, but it’s pretty expensive.
Arlington county has schools that vary pretty widely. We would probably prefer the schools in the northern part of the county. Easy metro access in most of the county. I agree with pp that says you should look into middle schools wherever you land. Most elementary schools are good in all those spots.
We love Fairfax county schools and ours are pretty diverse. (Just under 50% white, about a quarter Asian). Getting to the city and the metro is harder in Fairfax though. So if that’s important, you have to be careful about where you are looking. 66 is the main highway into the city, but you have to pay big tolls to use it for commuting if you are not HOV.

Are you staying more than 2 years? Look at the middle schools. Or be prepared to move to get to a decent one. Kenmore is not imo my idea of good but Ashlawn Elementary is.

Thanks much to all who responded!

I work remote, but will have to travel into NY/NJ at least once a month. A friend mentioned she takes Amtrak into Penn Station which I understand is a pricey option. I’ve looked into bussing and flights as alternative options.

I would love to be walking distance to the school unless the school has an option for school bus. Do they allow 4th graders to take the bus?

I am looking to enroll my child into a diverse school, as 1) we are a minority - Asian and 2) I want them to have exposure.

At this point, since the summer is around the corner, I am trying not to be too picky since it is probably slim pickings but I do want a place that has at least 2 bedrooms, in unit full size laundry, parking, safe in a good school district ( 0 tolerance for school bullying), close to supermarkets and transit. Is that too much to ask? Lol.

Maybe doesn’t necessarily have to be in Arlington but does have to be accessible to the train and bus since I have to travel to NY/NJ. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Falls Church amd Fairfax County. How is it comparable to living in Arlington?

My husband wants a bigger place like a townhome, which I am okay with as long as it has my must haves. I don’t want to spend over $3500 for rent. We’re also in our early 40’s and over the nightlife and bar scene.

Do you want to be walking distance from public transit? Then you'll want to be within walking distance of the Metro Orange Line thru Arlington and Falls Church (both Falls Church City and Falls Church/Fairfax County) or Langston Blvd/Lee Highway in same jurisdictions for frequent bus service straight to the Roslyn metro station (and from here, easy access to Union Station--bus and Amtrak to NYC--and National Airport). Any elementary school zoned for these areas will be good.

After that, it depends on what kind of amenities you want: house vs apartment, bigger yard vs smaller, walkable to restaurants, etc.

I live in Arlington and travel to NY very frequently for work. It's a quick Uber ride to Union Station from Arlington, maybe 25 minutes on the outside if traffic is crazy. Amtrak is not a cheap option though.

In OP's situation, perhaps it would be best to rent a condo/apartment in Arlington for 1 year, somewhere along the Yellow/Blue or Orange/Silver lines of MetroRail.

Alexandria City Public Schools, abbreviated ACPS here in DCUM, are a mess to avoid at all costs.

Arlington Public Schools, abbreviated APS here in DCUM, are generally considered good. Fairfax County and Falls Church City and Loudoun County public schools also are generally considered good.

One note of caution. In northern VA, the post office boundaries are not closely aligned with county/city/town boundaries. Some places called Falls Church are not actually in Falls Church City, but instead are located in unincorporated Fairfax County. Ditto for Alexandria and Vienna and Herndon. Part of NE Arlington county is called McLean, whereas most of McLean is unincorporated Fairfax County.

In VA, cities (e.g., Alexandria, Falls Church) and counties (e.g., Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun) can have their own public school districts, but incorporated towns (e.g., Clifton, Herndon, Leesburg, Vienna) must use the county schools.

Arlington traditional school is a lottery school so you won’t be able to send your kids there this year. You should decide convenient places to live and then figure out schools.

Hmm. Maybe you should start by looking once again at a map. Amtrak does not serve Arlington, but does stop once in Alexandria City.

VRE, MetroBus, and Metrorail do serve both Arlington and DC. For more about Metro try www.wmata.com. At least Apple Maps has a "transit" view that will show MetroRail routes and stops along with VRE royes and stops. VRE is the commuter rail on the VA side; MARC is commuter rail on the MD side. Either is similar to MetroNorth or LIRR or NJ Transit in NYC area.

Hi! My family and I are relocating from the Northeast to Arlington, as my spouse got a job offer. I am waiting for my child to finish the school year before we move down this summer. They will be entering the 4th grade in the new school year. We plan to rent and haven’t secured a rental yet since we want to find an elementary school that is great in academics and diverse.

Can anyone provide any personal experiences or insight of good elementary schools in Arlington, Falls Church, or in the surrounding areas? I’ve read Arlington Traditional Elementary School is a Blue Ribbon school and diverse? Is that true? I’m looking to find a place that is close to public transportation where I can take the Amtrak to DC or take the bus to NY/NJ. I would truly appreciate any advice. Thank you!