PPs have left out Key - a great N Arlington option and your child learns in two languages.

We're zoned for Nottingham but DC attends, gasp, a S Arlington school - Claremont (the other immersion school for Arlington) - and we couldn't be happier.

But Barrett is still "the better" choice for middle and upper-income families than many of the options south of rt 50, which have much higher poverty rates. And those that have moved into the neighborhood are enthusiastically supportive of the school, hence the school's growing reputation. For families that can't afford Lyon Village (for example), but want to stay close to the city/Metro, they are willing to give up a Sci Focus or Taylor type school for a solid school that might have a "lesser" reputation.

And when the 50+ or so mill dollar THs on the west side of Geo Mason Dr are built, that will help to further balance the demographic makeup of the school.

I think many local higher-income families are completely happy with Barrett, but I know the opposite too. I know a family or two in the new luxury THs in Buckingham that are opting for private. I know people who have been reluctant to buy in the Barrett boundaries because it is weaker relative to the best N Arlington schools...I think it's also one of the reasons these areas of N Arlington are less expensive than others...

I think a lot of the most well-educated, and well-heeled folks in the area still are not totally comfortable with sending their kids to a school that's more than 50% low-income given that the rate in most other APS schools is <10%...it's a pretty dramatic difference.

Barrett is very popular within the Arlington Forest community and is much more balanced demographically today than 10 years ago before the gentrification of Buckingham. In fact, some families from outside the school's boundaries have transferred into Barrett in the recent past--I think it used to be a team school, but that was before the influx of new families. So it's a growing school.

I live in the Barrett district among some very well-educated and paid neighbors, all of whom send their kids to Barrett and are happy. In fact, I can't think of anyone in my neighborhood who goes to private school or some other option. My kids are not yet school age, but I see no reason not to send them to Barrett.

It seems Barrett is still classified as a Title I school. Education.com show the 2010 stats as 53% low income. Anyone know of middle/upper middle income parents mapped to Barrett who weren't too keen on this and went for another option? What's options do such parents have?

Science Focus is more of a neighborhood school these days and less of a team school option, a victim of its own popularity. So I'd put it in the same league as the other highest performing N Arlington neighborhood schools. What's unique is that Science Focus is more diverse than Taylor, McKinley, Nottingham, etc.

Even the scores at the N Arlington Elem schools with lower test scores are good. Glebe Elem has had the largest increase in test scores of any N Arlington school over the past few years because of the increasing number of well-to-do families with kids in Waverly Hills and other nearby neighborhoods. Barrett's scores are similarly respectable. And Long Branch and Ashlawn have always been solid schools. All N Arlington elementary schools draw from a wealthy demographic, so the scores are naturally higher than the much more scoio-economically diverse S Arlington schools. But even S Arlington schools like Patrick Henry, Oakridge and Campbell are seeing improvements in scores due to the changing, wealthier demographics of certain neighborhoods.

Anonymous wrote:Higher test scores, less diverse: Tuckahoe, Nottingham, Jamestown, Taylor, McKinley

Lower test scores, more diverse: Barrett, Glebe, Ashlawn, Long Branch

PPs are correct, the higher test scores are found in the more northern part of the county. But, parent involvement seems to be high in most elementary schools in the county, so it's personal preference, I guess.

My kids are at one of the schools with higher test scores and it's a fairly intense workload. (But maybe that's because I went to a crappy elementary school?)

We only have one so far in elementary, but he is at Glebe and we have been really happy there. His teacher this year in 1st is great and he is learning so much. Lots of parent involvement, extracurricular activities, and an outstanding PTA. Test scores are slightly below the "top" schools, but not much. And it is more diverse which IMO is a good thing...this is changing, though, and the school is getting less diverse each year.
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Higher test scores, less diverse: Tuckahoe, Nottingham, Jamestown, Taylor, McKinley

Lower test scores, more diverse: Barrett, Glebe, Ashlawn, Long Branch

PPs are correct, the higher test scores are found in the more northern part of the county. But, parent involvement seems to be high in most elementary schools in the county, so it's personal preference, I guess.

My kids are at one of the schools with higher test scores and it's a fairly intense workload. (But maybe that's because I went to a crappy elementary school?)

Jamestown is typically considered the best of the neighborhood school. Check out the current issue of Arlington Magazine. It shows test scores for all of the Arlington Elem schools.

I think it depends, too, on your preferences for your kids. Do you find lots of homework and projects to be enriching, or do you think they're busywork? Do you care about the gifted resources person? Every school has one, but only one, and if you don't jibe, will you care?

It's really hard to say what a "weak" elementary school would be in N. Arlington is as they are all really good. Like the PP said, the further north you go, the more homogeneous the schools are and the test scores are higher. But does that make them better - who knows? I don't think there is any school in N. Arlington that would be considered bad - just some that are more diverse.

Anonymous wrote:Shopping for a home soon- which are the weaker elementary schools in N Arlington and what are the neighborhoods that feed into them?

The dividing line is generally perceived as Route 50 -- North Arlington vs. South Arlington.

The further North you go, the better the schools (and the more homogenous the population). "Weaker" is relative, though.

Shopping for a home soon- which are the weaker elementary schools in N Arlington and what are the neighborhoods that feed into them?