Middle school was not like this when I grew up! I grew up in New Jersey where the school system was run at at the township level and not county so obviously it’s very different. But we had behavioral and academic standards. I never saw a fight in middle or high school. I was bullied in 6th grade, but as soon as I went to the guidance counselor to report it (after months of hoping it would stop), the principal shut it down and threatened suspension to the group of boys if I reported even one more incident. It’s so sad how much times have changed both for academics and behavior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ashlawn/Kenmore family here - Ashlawn was fine, we saw the change after the AWESOME principal Mr. AB left but still a good school.

Kenmore is ok - we have a boy there and he has avoided most of the drama/violence so far. His friends are at Swanson and it does not sound much better there - except the kids are all white, still a good amount of fights/bullying.

Girls are more "mean girl" types at Swanson while Kenmore girls are violent (mostly in the latino population). The girls there regularly will fight boys in 3 on 1 type fight. Group fights is when you normally get the EMS on campus text alert....about once a week.

Probably more girl fights at Kenmore than most places, typically non-white on non-white.

If you are latino from Ashlawn or N Arlington you would have a challenge mixing with the tougher south arlington latino crowd....typically they leave white kids alone.

Oh wow. This sounds scary. My kids are still in elementary but had no idea middle school was like this.

Middle school kids are a tough age.
There is no “safe” school except for hb probably. But that school is rigged for kids in favor and their siblings. Like a private fraternity and sorority paid for by Arlington county.

I would not stress about any middle school- you survived and it is probably not much different now than it was for you….unless you went to school with like 100 kids and 25 teachers.

Arlington elementary schools have come a long way. They have a much stronger ELA program that focuses on phonics, phonemic awareness and knowledge building. Some schools still have issues with the leadership and some of the teachers, but as far as I know Ashlawn and Long Branch are fine. Arlington high schools are good as well. The weak link is middle school. They do not do enough writing and the academics are not challenging enough, even in the advanced classes they introduced. There has been a change in the Virginia ELA and social studies standards that have made expectations higher, but that will take a while to implement. The ELA office is excellent but they have to push the schools and the super intendent along to do better and its been tough. There are also a lot of behavioral issues, bullying, drugs etc. This is in all middle schools throughout the area not only Arlington and seems more pronounced post covid. Based on what I know from teachers and the central office, I am considering pulling out my kids for middle school and taking them to private, and them bringing them back for high school. Regarding the fights PP mentioned in Kenmore, they definitely exist in Jefferson as well. My friend pulled out her daughter after 6th grade in Jefferson because of the fighting and the drug use. Her daughter wasn't being bullied and wasn't involved in any fighting but it was still affecting her in that it was an overall bad atmosphere. There were good teachers and your kid can mostly avoid that drama but why does it exist in the first place? Also another complaint I heard (and this is from a friend with a son in Dorothy Hamm) is that kids are on their phones all the time. They passed some rule now where you can't have phones in the class room but it is difficult to enforce since you still can use your phones in the hallway and during lunch. The cell phones contribute to online bullying, increase in porn usage and then an over all atmosphere where kids aren't really socializing with each other. As far as I understand Dorthothy Hamm implemented this rule the last academic year, so maybe this year things have improved?

Anonymous wrote:Ashlawn/Kenmore family here - Ashlawn was fine, we saw the change after the AWESOME principal Mr. AB left but still a good school.

Kenmore is ok - we have a boy there and he has avoided most of the drama/violence so far. His friends are at Swanson and it does not sound much better there - except the kids are all white, still a good amount of fights/bullying.

Girls are more "mean girl" types at Swanson while Kenmore girls are violent (mostly in the latino population). The girls there regularly will fight boys in 3 on 1 type fight. Group fights is when you normally get the EMS on campus text alert....about once a week.

Probably more girl fights at Kenmore than most places, typically non-white on non-white.

If you are latino from Ashlawn or N Arlington you would have a challenge mixing with the tougher south arlington latino crowd....typically they leave white kids alone.

Oh wow. This sounds scary. My kids are still in elementary but had no idea middle school was like this.

Ashlawn/Kenmore family here - Ashlawn was fine, we saw the change after the AWESOME principal Mr. AB left but still a good school.

Kenmore is ok - we have a boy there and he has avoided most of the drama/violence so far. His friends are at Swanson and it does not sound much better there - except the kids are all white, still a good amount of fights/bullying.

Girls are more "mean girl" types at Swanson while Kenmore girls are violent (mostly in the latino population). The girls there regularly will fight boys in 3 on 1 type fight. Group fights is when you normally get the EMS on campus text alert....about once a week.

Probably more girl fights at Kenmore than most places, typically non-white on non-white.

If you are latino from Ashlawn or N Arlington you would have a challenge mixing with the tougher south arlington latino crowd....typically they leave white kids alone.

We loved Ashlawn for our smart/shy daughter. She really thrived and the teachers were wonderful. She just finished sixth grade at Kenmore and we're moving her to a private school that we can barely afford for the next two years. I was concerned about Kenmore, but all the feedback from our neighbors was "it's great" and "they have a wonderful arts program." What they didn't mention was the constant fighting - among both girls and boys, sometimes leading to ambulances being called. Our daughter was barely able to focus in school because she was so worried about what was happening around her.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is MS Spanish Immersion still moving to Kenmore?

That discussion ended when APS did the address verification process and Gunston was no longer over enrolled. Who knows what the future holds but I would guess those who want the program moved will lobby for that in the upcoming MS boundary process.

I think it’s dead. Neither school majority wanted the change, and it wasn’t necessary once they removed the illegally enrolled students.

(OP) Thanks everyone, this is all very helpful and I so appreciate your insights!

Every APS middle school allows students to take 2 HS-level language classes, not just TJ.

Anonymous wrote:Is MS Spanish Immersion still moving to Kenmore?

That discussion ended when APS did the address verification process and Gunston was no longer over enrolled. Who knows what the future holds but I would guess those who want the program moved will lobby for that in the upcoming MS boundary process.

Your kid who seemed very advanced in a title 1 high ELL school is probably just normal in North Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:(OP here) Thanks to you both for the input. Also, want to clarify that we aren't necessarily looking for separated gifted services, just a school that knows how to challenge kids at all levels.

FCPS

Is MS Spanish Immersion still moving to Kenmore?

We aren’t at Ashlawn but have a lot of friends who are, and hearing their experiences vs ours at a different APS elementary, I kind of wish we were at Ashlawn. The sense of community seems great.

Anonymous wrote:Ashlawn/Kenmore family here. We’ve had kids in both schools for 10+ years. They are both great schools. No complaints.

were you happier with the old Ashlawn admin?