stay away from LA. Go '07. Then go private.

Anonymous wrote:Probably start with high school and work backward. Many people think Washington-Libery and Yorktown are equally good for HS. Some think Yorktown is better, which is code for wealthier and/or less diverse.
Middle school- people like Dorthy Hamm, then Williamsburg.
Elementary- people like ATS, if you get a spot in the lottery. Distant second is Jamestown and Taylor. I don't know why people don't mention Glebe with Jamestown and Taylor. They all seem interchangeable to me.

Basically all of the elementary schools that feed into Yorktown HS, Williamsburg and Hamm MS are interchangeable.

You get more diversity in income and testing outcomes as you move further south.

Anonymous wrote:I had no idea it was so controversial to like to incorporate a walk with your kids into your day. Walking to the elementary school with my kids is one of my favorite things about where we live. It's just nice to get out in the morning and walk and chat with people. It links me to my community. It's feels far less stressful than getting in a vehicle and punting your progeny out into the street while someone yells at you to hurry up and reminds you not to touch them.

But yeah, the people across the street from us are zoned for a different elementary school even though they're 2.5 blocks away from the one we walk to. The way APS draws boundaries is bananas and if you're a walker now, you might not be a walker a year from now.

For actual advice that OP asked for, we like the Westover neighborhood, OP. Schools are fine.

Just as another point of view, my child bussed for all of elementary and our bus stop was a real social hub. I met all my neighbors that way. The kids really bonded too. Very community building. I think many people have never been on a bus route and don't know what it's really like so just adding the perspective.

The bolded portion of the PP's response is confusing to me and I don't know what this means.

Anonymous wrote:Many great reasons to move to Arlington. The school system isn’t one of them.

So true...haha

Anonymous wrote:Probably start with high school and work backward. Many people think Washington-Libery and Yorktown are equally good for HS. Some think Yorktown is better, which is code for wealthier and/or less diverse.
Middle school- people like Dorthy Hamm, then Williamsburg.
Elementary- people like ATS, if you get a spot in the lottery. Distant second is Jamestown and Taylor. I don't know why people don't mention Glebe with Jamestown and Taylor. They all seem interchangeable to me.

This is why OP should just pick a neighborhood he/she likes. I don't particularly agree with this list and won't list off my schools I'd list instead because who cares. It's one person's opinion. We all have them.

The bottom line is if you stay in N Arlington you'll get different demographics. Parts of S Arlington are more low-income. Beyond that it's all kind of the same difference.

I had no idea it was so controversial to like to incorporate a walk with your kids into your day. Walking to the elementary school with my kids is one of my favorite things about where we live. It's just nice to get out in the morning and walk and chat with people. It links me to my community. It's feels far less stressful than getting in a vehicle and punting your progeny out into the street while someone yells at you to hurry up and reminds you not to touch them.

But yeah, the people across the street from us are zoned for a different elementary school even though they're 2.5 blocks away from the one we walk to. The way APS draws boundaries is bananas and if you're a walker now, you might not be a walker a year from now.

For actual advice that OP asked for, we like the Westover neighborhood, OP. Schools are fine.

ATS or private. HBW or private. End thread.

Probably start with high school and work backward. Many people think Washington-Libery and Yorktown are equally good for HS. Some think Yorktown is better, which is code for wealthier and/or less diverse.
Middle school- people like Dorthy Hamm, then Williamsburg.
Elementary- people like ATS, if you get a spot in the lottery. Distant second is Jamestown and Taylor. I don't know why people don't mention Glebe with Jamestown and Taylor. They all seem interchangeable to me.

It depends on what you are looking for in a school. There are three basic types of elementary school populations in Arlington:
1. Predominantly white and almost uniformly well off, these are mostly north of Langston Blvd
2. Socioeconomically and culturally mixed, these are mostly between Langston and Arlington Blvd, plus a few in S Arlington
3. Very high FARMS rate and high English learner %, these are mostly south of Arlington Blvd with Barrett being the N Arlington exception
Each of these is going to be a different experience, best school is subjective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not that hard to figure out. Some people simply like walking, biking.

Then take a nice walk or bike ride. It's one single factor among many factors in deciding boundaries and school use and not every kid who could walk to school is going to be able to walk to school.

Ok? I agree that it’s one of many factors that should be considered for boundary planning.

PP seemed confused about why some people prefer to walk their kids to school.

You might be missing the context of recent debates around this topic. APS needs to do redo middle school boundaries and it started a massive outcry on this very topic. People who want their children to continue to walk to school are willing to throw just about anyone under the bus (no pun intended) just so long as their kids get to keep walking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not that hard to figure out. Some people simply like walking, biking.

Then take a nice walk or bike ride. It's one single factor among many factors in deciding boundaries and school use and not every kid who could walk to school is going to be able to walk to school.

Ok? I agree that it’s one of many factors that should be considered for boundary planning.

PP seemed confused about why some people prefer to walk their kids to school.

Anonymous wrote:It’s not that hard to figure out. Some people simply like walking, biking.

Then take a nice walk or bike ride. It's one single factor among many factors in deciding boundaries and school use and not every kid who could walk to school is going to be able to walk to school.

It’s not that hard to figure out. Some people simply like walking, biking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP as you will see from this thread there are people who think the only criteria for a good school is one their child can walk to. Above all else, their children need to walk to school.

You need to lay out a lot more info about what you’re looking for if you want useful advice.

In N. Arlington that's code for "I don't want my kids going to school with the poors."

Honestly it’s not (at least not in north Arlington). Do you think there’s a substantial different between the number of poor people at cardinal vs tuckahoe vs Nottingham vs discovery vs Jamestown vs Taylor? No. The main difference is that those two blocks/not crossing a main road mean that your kid can walk home independently vs having to walk them home at pickup. It’s code for “I am lazy”.
Now in south Arlington where you have fleet vs barcroft vs Drew vs oak ridge, there may be a hidden meaning.

You don't even have to walk them home at pickup. They can get a bus. If they go to extended day, they need to be picked up regardless.

It's not at all about avoiding the poors. I can't even tell anymore why people are so obsessed with their children walking to school. I've had both situations (bus and walk) and busing has advantages. Anywhere you get bused in Arlington if it's your next neighborhood school over, it's never very far.

Anonymous wrote:Many great reasons to move to Arlington. The school system isn’t one of them.

Compared to DCPS? I disagree.

OP, it really depends on what you are looking for… good test scores? SE, racial, or ethnic diversity? Less crowding? You can find data online about a lot of these things. There are many good schools in Arlington.

But as others have said, being zoned for a school now doesn’t mean that won’t change, including high schools.