We used to live in the pyramid and yeah, we heard those rumors too. We moved to Arlington this year, but more for other reasons. (mostly commuting.)

I have met parents who sent their kids to Jackson and Falls church and they said the schools were actually fine. They had no real complaints, and their kids were doing well. You need to remember that at any school, kids will self-segregate into like-minded groups and that if your kid is a smart, motivated kid, he'll end up hanging with similar kids. I also have friends who graduated from FCHS and Jackson and you wouldn't be able to distinguish them from Woodson grads, if that helps. And a 4.0 student at FCHS might stand out more than a 4.0 student from Woodson or Langley or a private.

if the neighborhood kids don't actually go to those schools, they're not exactly the authority - they're just parroting what they hear their parents say when they're rationalizing private school expense in a county with great public schools. Plus it's just a rivalry thing - growing up in the midwest, we talked trash about all the other public schools in our (very highly ranked) public school district. And the private school kids talked trash about all of us.

Hi I live in the pyramid and my neighbors three boys all went through there last five years. All did very well and two went on to George Mason University and the third to UVA. Some people do avoid the place but it is a smaller school and many kids feel they are not lost in the shuffle according to reports from other neighbors whose kids have gone through. There are also of non-English speakers there so the scores are lower than most county schools. I have not yet had to decide but I will in about five years about whether our not my kids will go there. However, of seveal neighbors I've talked to, no one seemed worried about safety. I'm going to explore more as the time gets closer.

Anonymous wrote:I am the OP. I have talked to parents who seem to think the schools are OK but what concerns me is that the kids say the schools are bad. They are the ones who are closest to the issue at hand.

They really aren't any closer to the issue. They go to private schools, not the one that they say is scary. So they have no knowledge. I doubt they have any friends that go to that school. Its a "rival" school. And teenagers, even "good teenagers", will talk trash about a school they don't attend.

do you know any kids who actually go to the schools? The kids at private school might not actually know as much as they think they do.

Anonymous wrote:I have heard good things about Luther Jackson....the local AAP middle schools are assigned to it. With that said, about 3/4 of the neighborhood AAP 6th graders go to Thoreau instead.

I can not comment on Fall Church HS.

So it's a local AAP school? Quality of handful of students don't speak for the school.

I am the OP. I have talked to parents who seem to think the schools are OK but what concerns me is that the kids say the schools are bad. They are the ones who are closest to the issue at hand.

I have heard good things about Luther Jackson....the local AAP middle schools are assigned to it. With that said, about 3/4 of the neighborhood AAP 6th graders go to Thoreau instead.

I can not comment on Fall Church HS.

I am the OP, it's not Annandale and Poe, it's Falls Church HS and Luther Jackson Middle.

What school is that? I would be very worried.

My local school is very high in minority, but have no problem.

By the way the minority is mainly Asians.

Anonymous wrote:The kids in my neighborhood call the local MS and HS things like "scary", "horrible", "ghetto", etc. Most of the kids in the neighborhood go to private schools or have been placed in another school for one reason or another. Should I be worried?

They hear more than you so be worried.

Annandale and Poe....

You'd probably get better feedback if you posted the schools.

I did a little research and all I can see is that the schools are high minority and low english proficiency. I noticed the kids in the neighborhood mostly go to private -- the kids who go to private and call the public school "scary" are also minority kids. The kids saying these things are really good kids and I like them, so it makes me worry. I respect their opinion.

If a large population of the 'in-boundary' school population refuses to go public there may be some very strong reasons. Have you done your research?

The kids in my neighborhood call the local MS and HS things like "scary", "horrible", "ghetto", etc. Most of the kids in the neighborhood go to private schools or have been placed in another school for one reason or another. Should I be worried?