Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, the best public are Langley, Madison, then Marshall, Oakton in FCPS. So you could start there.

Woodson and McLean pyramids are both more highly regarded than Marshall.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings?int=c0b4c1

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/local/highschoolchallenge/schools/2014/list/local/

There's a lot more to being the "best" than rankings. It's a subjective term.
Only an idiot would base their school choice on test scores alone.

Anonymous wrote:Well, the best public are Langley, Madison, then Marshall, Oakton in FCPS. So you could start there.

Woodson and McLean pyramids are both more highly regarded than Marshall.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings?int=c0b4c1

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/local/highschoolchallenge/schools/2014/list/local/

Based on your description of yourself and your temperment, I would not necessarily consider the absolute "top" fcps pyramids. They tend to be more competitive and bigger pressure cooker schools. Also, your description of your daughter sounds like the typically bright and nutured fcps student and not the hard charging over achiever type kid or the off the chart gifted type that seem to be more prevalent in those areas. If she ends up middle of the pack or the top of the middle of the pack, some of the "top" elementary schools might not be the best or most nurturing places to be.

Any of the top ten NOVA high schools are excellent places to learn where your child will receive an incredible education. You do not need to limit your choices only to the "top" in this area, unless you are attached to the idea of the status of being at the "top" school.

All of the higher performing high schools have wonderful feeder schools from elementary through middle school.

I would suggest looking at more than just one pyramid, and also that you not rule out Arlington County. FCPS are best for our family, but Arlington works better for others. They both have excellent options. The onky drawback of the top Arlington schools is that they tend to be in less diverse areas, where all of the upper 10 or so fcps are very diverse in their student population.

Good luck!

Chesterbrook, Springhill or Churchill Road

I live in Fairfax county, but in your situation I would go for north Arlington. Much closer to work and better commute.

Well, the best public are Langley, Madison, then Marshall, Oakton in FCPS. So you could start there.

Chesterbrook

Haycock so you would be near West Falls Church metro for easy commute on the orange line. Your budget is good for a nice new home. The school is also a center so DD would be challenged.

Sorry. I should have added this info. Budget is $1.3 mil but we are also willing to rent initially. Rising kindergartener, so no GT services, just three years of Montessori preK. Commute is to Penn/K and 20th. Dad is a bit of a "Tiger Mom" while Mom is more laid back and interested in well-rounded, fun childhood while making sure DD is challenged, engaged, and maximized at school with smart, fun peers. DD is very smart but not gifted in the sense of, say, taking apart a clock and building a rocket robot with it or something. Dad is not super social; Mom is more social but is more in the category of "aging/recovering grad student" than "yoga mom" or "tennis club mom." Mom does a bit of legal consulting but mostly SAH while Dad works long hours with a decent amount of work travel.

I like the idea of just drawing a line on a map to at least narrow down the choices. Thanks very much for any further suggestions or specific recommendations!

What grade?

Is she currently receiving GT services?

What is your family's personality? Are you fun and laid back? Hard charging and competitive? Into STEM? Into sports?

And most importantly, what is your budget and where are you commuting to?

Anonymous wrote:We are moving to the area and therefore have flexibility about what elementary school to start our child at. Commuting into DC is part of our family's picture. Like everyone else, we want to maximize our child's options and tee things up so that if she gets accepted to AAP she's able to go to a great center. But I can't figure out how to distinguish among schools or figure out which elementaries are the best and which could potentially lead to the best centers. I would really appreciate any input from those in the know!

Just so you know, there are 139 elementary schools in FCPS. Start with how long you want your commute to be and draw a line across FCPS showing the farthest distance from DC work location that you would be comfortable with. Then work your way inward, keeping in mind your budget.

What grade?

Is she currently receiving GT services?

And where in DC will be your commute?

What is your budget?

We are moving to the area and therefore have flexibility about what elementary school to start our child at. Commuting into DC is part of our family's picture. Like everyone else, we want to maximize our child's options and tee things up so that if she gets accepted to AAP she's able to go to a great center. But I can't figure out how to distinguish among schools or figure out which elementaries are the best and which could potentially lead to the best centers. I would really appreciate any input from those in the know!