We moved from DC to Arlington when our kids were in upper elementary - it has been great for us. One thing to note that is different from DC is that in Arlington the middle schools do not just feed into one high school. For example, some kids from TJ middle school go to Wakefield and others go to W&L. The Arlington high schools are big but overall we have been very happy with the schools. And our neighborhood just as walkable and friendly as our DC neighborhood - plus our commutes are shorter.

And you asked specifically about the middle schools. They’re all good academically and full of high achievers. You just have to accept the reality that middle school is tough everywhere and it’s just a matter of getting through it.

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is very helpful. It sounds like all the middle schools above are good. Any that have more substantial challenges?

What makes aps better than upper nw dcps? Is it a more affluent population that is easier to educate? A better run school system? Higher expectations of students?

If by upper nw DCPS you mean the elementary schools, most of them are on par with the above average APS schools but not as good as the top ones. Once you get into middle and high school, J-R is probably on par with Wakefield—which is fine—but nowhere near on the level of W-L or Yorktown because both have more affluent demographics.

More generally, I’d say yes APS is better run but it also have a far less challenging demographic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is very helpful. It sounds like all the middle schools above are good. Any that have more substantial challenges?

What makes aps better than upper nw dcps? Is it a more affluent population that is easier to educate? A better run school system? Higher expectations of students?

There is a strong community culture in Arlington where neighborhood kids grow up together all the way through high school, since more students stick with APS through grade 12. Of course, some do leave for private or boarding school, but much less than in DC.

If you can join a pool, or buy a house with a community pool membership, that would be an ideal way to meet other families. The membership wait lists typically span multiple years.

The school system is also better run than DCPS. Principals tend to stay at schools for many years, even multiple decades like the recently retired principals at Science Focus, Arlington Traditional, Wakefield, or W-L. Satisfaction surverys are also high. In terms of facilities, APS does a better job of maintaining them. The Wilson / Jackson-Reed HS pool was closed for many years due to inadequate maintenance.

Pools are a new thing to us. How do you find out about them? And is it hard to break in if one of the kids is upper elementary?

We're not members of a pool, but in our neighborhood, families choose among Dominion Hills Pool, Arlington Forest Club, Fort Myer (on the Army base), Army Navy CC, and Overlee. There's also the pool at Knights of Columbus and Donaldson Run (membership limited to parts of Cherrydale, Dover Crystal, Donaldson Run, etc.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is very helpful. It sounds like all the middle schools above are good. Any that have more substantial challenges?

What makes aps better than upper nw dcps? Is it a more affluent population that is easier to educate? A better run school system? Higher expectations of students?

There is a strong community culture in Arlington where neighborhood kids grow up together all the way through high school, since more students stick with APS through grade 12. Of course, some do leave for private or boarding school, but much less than in DC.

If you can join a pool, or buy a house with a community pool membership, that would be an ideal way to meet other families. The membership wait lists typically span multiple years.

The school system is also better run than DCPS. Principals tend to stay at schools for many years, even multiple decades like the recently retired principals at Science Focus, Arlington Traditional, Wakefield, or W-L. Satisfaction surverys are also high. In terms of facilities, APS does a better job of maintaining them. The Wilson / Jackson-Reed HS pool was closed for many years due to inadequate maintenance.

Pools are a new thing to us. How do you find out about them? And is it hard to break in if one of the kids is upper elementary?

Anonymous wrote:Long Branch ES, TJ MS, then W-L is another popular, walkable pyramid all the way through high school. TJ is one of the larger middle schools I think and has a well-regarded IB middle program.

We're less than a mile from Ballston metro and my kids are walkers to Glebe, Hamm and W-L.

Nearly all of Glebe is walkers, with only one bus. It's fun to see the ant trails of kids and parents every morning. It builds a lot of community.

I think the long game is important, VA has many in state universities, that alone is a good reason to move.

Anonymous wrote:Wow this is very helpful. It sounds like all the middle schools above are good. Any that have more substantial challenges?

What makes aps better than upper nw dcps? Is it a more affluent population that is easier to educate? A better run school system? Higher expectations of students?

There is a strong community culture in Arlington where neighborhood kids grow up together all the way through high school, since more students stick with APS through grade 12. Of course, some do leave for private or boarding school, but much less than in DC.

If you can join a pool, or buy a house with a community pool membership, that would be an ideal way to meet other families. The membership wait lists typically span multiple years.

The school system is also better run than DCPS. Principals tend to stay at schools for many years, even multiple decades like the recently retired principals at Science Focus, Arlington Traditional, Wakefield, or W-L. Satisfaction surverys are also high. In terms of facilities, APS does a better job of maintaining them. The Wilson / Jackson-Reed HS pool was closed for many years due to inadequate maintenance.

Wow this is very helpful. It sounds like all the middle schools above are good. Any that have more substantial challenges?

What makes aps better than upper nw dcps? Is it a more affluent population that is easier to educate? A better run school system? Higher expectations of students?

Re: public transit mentioned above, BUS rides that take place entirely in Arlington are free for APS students who apply for the card, but metro (subway) rides are not free.

I believe Fleet ES is generally well regarded. The neighborhood around it, Penrose, was just featured in the Washington Post last week in the Where We Live section. Beautiful, historically African American neighborhood with a popular local (but expensive) watering hole, Ruthie's. Fun place for brunch with the kids. TJ for middle school is popular. Wakefield is the high school, and the neighborhood is walking distance to the future, state-of-the-art Arlington Tech High School (opening next year).

I would pick APS over DCPS any time. That is a no-brainer.

Long Branch ES, TJ MS, then W-L is another popular, walkable pyramid all the way through high school. TJ is one of the larger middle schools I think and has a well-regarded IB middle program.

If you want walkable from ES through middle and HS like in upper NW (with Lafayette, Deal etc,) Arlington has similar options.

Jamestown or Discovery ES, Williamsburg MS, then Yorktown HS are popular pyramids. Discovery is one of the newer elementary schools and the building is stunning.

Closer to Metro and more urban amenities, you have Glebe or Science Focus then Dorothy Hamm for middle then Washington-Liberty for high school. All walkable from ES through HS.

Further west there is Cardinal ES (beautifully renovated school), Swanson Middle, then W-L or Yorktown HS depending on the street. Again all walkable all the way through high school.

Swanson as a middle school is the most crowded since it's an old but beautiful building that dates to the 1930s. The historic auditorium is currently waiting for funding for mold abatement so it's off limits sadly. The principal there is well liked and has nurtured an anti-bullying culture there. (A few years ago bullying was a problem.)

Dorothy Hamm Middle School is under capacity, so could use more students, but it is well-liked, in part due to the popular principal, admin and teachers. The newly renovated, historic facilities are stunning. It rivals many private school campuses, and even has an interior decorative fountain (currently turned off).

Also near metro and urban amenities, Innovation ES, Dorothy Hamm then W-L or Yorktown is another popular pyramid option.

Transfers among high schools are fairly common, although not as widespread a practice as in DCPS. Public transport (Arlington Transit and Metro) is free for all APS students.

I've heard about the high schools in APS (Yorktown and WL are both good, people have mixed opinions about Wakefield), and it generally seems the elementary schools in North Arlington are about the same. But how do the middle schools.compare? On average we prefer a smaller school. But we just want something good elementary through high school. We live in DC and don't have that. Our girls are on or above grade level, no learning differences.