Anonymous wrote:LCTA is ranked as one of the best schools in the entire commonwealth. There is a lot of wealth among the families who send their kids there and the fundraisers are wine tastings, house tours, and galas. Old Town is lovely but pricey. If that is not your or your kids' comfort zone, you may want to explore other options.

Is that the atmosphere of the entire school? I can't imagine everyone enjoys those things/wants to participate/can participate

LCTA is ranked as one of the best schools in the entire commonwealth. There is a lot of wealth among the families who send their kids there and the fundraisers are wine tastings, house tours, and galas. Old Town is lovely but pricey. If that is not your or your kids' comfort zone, you may want to explore other options.

Anonymous wrote:What are you looking for in a school? Intense academics, cutthroat competitiveness, ridiculous events every week, and lots of fundraising? If these are your priorities, then LCTA is your school. Their students are generally despised and isolated in middle and high school because they are mean, narrow-minded, and focused on being "the best" above all else.

What? That's pretty dramatic for elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:Hottest dads in all of ACPS.

Not true.

A lot of families are really happy with Lyles Crouch. I’m in a different ACPS elementary district (Charles Barrett) but I wouldn’t hesitate to send my kids to LCTA. We know several Jewish neighbors and families throughout Alexandria. It’s a great place to live, with a nice strong of community and things to do. Good luck!

What are you looking for in a school? Intense academics, cutthroat competitiveness, ridiculous events every week, and lots of fundraising? If these are your priorities, then LCTA is your school. Their students are generally despised and isolated in middle and high school because they are mean, narrow-minded, and focused on being "the best" above all else.

Hottest dads in all of ACPS.

Anonymous wrote:I know several families who are Jewish who attend Lyles Crouch. There are two synagogues, not located in Old Town, but nearby with active members. Temple Beth El is on Seminary Road in the Seminary Hills area and Agudas Achim is in Beverley Hills/Northridge. Agudas Achim operates a very popular preschool. Lyles Crouch is an amazing school community. The principal, Dr. Z is committed to academic excellence. It's in a great part of South Old Town, close to parks, very walkable and a great community.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

I know several families who are Jewish who attend Lyles Crouch. There are two synagogues, not located in Old Town, but nearby with active members. Temple Beth El is on Seminary Road in the Seminary Hills area and Agudas Achim is in Beverley Hills/Northridge. Agudas Achim operates a very popular preschool. Lyles Crouch is an amazing school community. The principal, Dr. Z is committed to academic excellence. It's in a great part of South Old Town, close to parks, very walkable and a great community.

OP here, thanks for the feedback so far, I appreciate it.

Anonymous wrote:Stick to Arlington. Alexandria schools are terrible. There I said it.

Blar blar blar

Lots of good elementary schools in Alexandria despite DCUM naysayers. If you actually talk to parents most are very satisfied (pandemic online education not withstanding). Middle and high school = just depends on the kid.

OP: LC is a great choice for a small school. I have friends with kids there and they like it. The prinicpal is strict FYI. They enforce uniform wearing (not even sure how that is legal in a public?). Note, this is not that they have uniforms (like several ACPS elementary schools), but if you are not wearing a uniform to school you have to go to the uniform closet to change. I think the vibe is traditional and strict as a general rule. Just make sure that's your bag.

Stick to Arlington. Alexandria schools are terrible. There I said it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're relocating from out of state and looking at a neighborhood that is zoned for Lyles Crouch. I will call the school to learn more about their teaching philosophy etc. but I'd love to hear about experiences from current families who attend. Also, we're Jewish, will will be the only Jewish family in the school (I assume it's not a super Jewish area but I'd love if we're not the only ones)?

Lyles Crouch hands down. Uses the "traditional" or classical approach to education and it makes a difference. Second choices might be George Mason Elementary or Charles Barrett.

You are right not a big Jewish population in Alexandria but there is are a couple of temples that I can think of and one has a popular preschool. We knew lots of kids who attended - mostly non-Jewish but there were also a few who were.

We chose private but if we lived in Old Town and were zoned for Lyles Crouch I would have sent my daughter there instead of paying for private school (we live in Del Ray and are zoned for a different elementary). I think Lyles Crouch is considered the best elementary in ACPS, and would say Charles Barrett seems to be the next most popular among UMC Alexandria residents. Also, Old Town is charming and very walkable. I have two friends whose kids went there (one more recently, and the other about 6 years ago) and both were very positive about the experience.

Yes, we just did a scouting trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will you have a commute?

25 minutes on the metro, which seems reasonable for the area?

Given metros issues I’d double that estimate

Hmmm, does that rule of thumb apply to all of the metro lines?

There’s often one reason or another for delays.
Have you visited the neighborhoods? They are quite different