Anonymous wrote:The upcoming boundary adjustment in FCPS makes it pointless to even consider looking there until the changes are in place.

It's even more than the boundary change. FCPS is not a good school system and has so many issues-teachers are constantly leaving the county and the parents I know are always unhappy with their schools-even Langley.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semifinalists cutoff was the same for VA and MD for the Class of 2025 and these were the number of NMSFs from the schools you mentioned and some others:

Langley (FCPS): 19 (3.6% of students)
McLean (FCPS): 16 (2.8% of students)
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15
Oakton (FCPS): 11
Churchill (MCPS): 10
Whitman (MCPS): 10
Madison (FCPS): 8
B-CC (MCPS): 5
Marshall (FCPS): 5
Wootton (MCPS): 5

Some of these schools are much bigger than others as well. Oakton for example is over 500 kids more than Madison and Marshall.

Here are the numbers adjusted for school size

Langley (FCPS): 19 (3.6% of students)
McLean (FCPS): 16 (2.8% of students)
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15 (2.0% of students)
Oakton (FCPS): 11 (2.0% of students)
Churchill (MCPS): 10 (1.8% of students)
Whitman (MCPS): 10 (2.0% of students)
Madison (FCPS): 8 (1.5% of students)
B-CC (MCPS): 5 (0.8% of students)
Marshall (FCPS): 5 (0.9% of students)
Wootton (MCPS): 5 (1.0% of students)

Just for perspective around 16.3% of students TJ ate NMSF's, even after the DEI admissions disaster. However, that's not a fair comparison because this school only admits relatively smart students.

The issue with this is that NMSF is about SAT scores - and we all know they closely correlate to parental income. So are we primarily talking about the wealthiest neighborhoods? That doesn’t necessarily make them better schools.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: We have lived in MD (went to UMD), DC and VA (Fairfax, Alexandria and now PWC). DD is still not in elementary school yet so we don’t know yet how she will be from
academic, athletic etc point of view. We are looking for a decent school with not many entitled ( for lack of a better word) children. We would prefer to live in an area where there is community feeling, close to nature and it would be great if there are some side walks to walk around in the neighborhood.

On the Maryland side, I would look at BCC. It is walkable, has more diversity than most of the other top schools and has more of a community and less of a competitive feel. Part of it is that they offer both full IB and an array of APs so there are a lot of roads to the top.

I substitute taught in MCPS and there are a lot of very nice elementary schools that are nurturing. I specifically recall being impressed by Luxmanor, Farmland, Bannockburn and Burning Tree. I’ve also heard very good things about Bradley Hills. This was all a long time ago so maybe things have changed. None of those schools feed into BCC, however.

The other thing to consider is if you are interested in one of the magnet programs. For example, the immersion students end up going to school with each other for a long time so it becomes a community within the school. That is a plus if your child is in the program and perhaps a bit of a negative if your child is in a smaller elementary but outside the program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semifinalists cutoff was the same for VA and MD for the Class of 2025 and these were the number of NMSFs from the schools you mentioned and some others:

Langley (FCPS): 19 (3.6% of students)
McLean (FCPS): 16 (2.8% of students)
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15
Oakton (FCPS): 11
Churchill (MCPS): 10
Whitman (MCPS): 10
Madison (FCPS): 8
B-CC (MCPS): 5
Marshall (FCPS): 5
Wootton (MCPS): 5

Some of these schools are much bigger than others as well. Oakton for example is over 500 kids more than Madison and Marshall.

Here are the numbers adjusted for school size

Langley (FCPS): 19 (3.6% of students)
McLean (FCPS): 16 (2.8% of students)
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15 (2.0% of students)
Oakton (FCPS): 11 (2.0% of students)
Churchill (MCPS): 10 (1.8% of students)
Whitman (MCPS): 10 (2.0% of students)
Madison (FCPS): 8 (1.5% of students)
B-CC (MCPS): 5 (0.8% of students)
Marshall (FCPS): 5 (0.9% of students)
Wootton (MCPS): 5 (1.0% of students)

Just for perspective around 16.3% of students TJ ate NMSF's, even after the DEI admissions disaster. However, that's not a fair comparison because this school only admits relatively smart students.

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semifinalists cutoff was the same for VA and MD for the Class of 2025 and these were the number of NMSFs from the schools you mentioned and some others:

Langley (FCPS): 19
McLean (FCPS): 16
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15
Oakton (FCPS): 11
Churchill (MCPS): 10
Whitman (MCPS): 10
Madison (FCPS): 8
B-CC (MCPS): 5
Marshall (FCPS): 5
Wootton (MCPS): 5

Some of these schools are much bigger than others as well. Oakton for example is over 500 kids more than Madison and Marshall.

Housing budget and commutes?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The upcoming boundary adjustment in FCPS makes it pointless to even consider looking there until the changes are in place.

So much melodrama, there's most likely going to end up being a few key changes that will get all the attention while 90-95% or more of the district remains unchanged. One of the top criteria is proximity. So if a particular HS matters to you, live close to it. E.g. if you want to be zoned for Langley, look to buy in Langley's zone inside the beltway or just across in Spring Hill. Colvin Run probably pretty safe too. But Great Falls and especially Forestville have a much higher likelihood of being rezoned. Or if you want McLean, maybe avoid Lemon Road or Westgate split feeders as those could easily get shuffled to Marshall (which isn't a bad school, just saying if you have a hard preference). But saying it's "pointless to even consider looking" until the changes are in place a few years down the road is just silly histrionics. You just have to be the least bit smart about it.

The prime targets for the boundary readjustments are the exact schools OP is considering: Langley and McLean.

McLean is horribly overcrowded. Some districts will be sent to Marshall, which offers the IB instead of aps.

Langley is not at capacity. Plus, it is viewed as too privileged, by our hyper-woke school board and superintendent. So expect the adjustment to include bussing in tons of FARMs kids from all surrounding areas.

It is your roll of the dice, OP. Roll wisely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The upcoming boundary adjustment in FCPS makes it pointless to even consider looking there until the changes are in place.

So much melodrama, there's most likely going to end up being a few key changes that will get all the attention while 90-95% or more of the district remains unchanged. One of the top criteria is proximity. So if a particular HS matters to you, live close to it. E.g. if you want to be zoned for Langley, look to buy in Langley's zone inside the beltway or just across in Spring Hill. Colvin Run probably pretty safe too. But Great Falls and especially Forestville have a much higher likelihood of being rezoned. Or if you want McLean, maybe avoid Lemon Road or Westgate split feeders as those could easily get shuffled to Marshall (which isn't a bad school, just saying if you have a hard preference). But saying it's "pointless to even consider looking" until the changes are in place a few years down the road is just silly histrionics. You just have to be the least bit smart about it.

I realize you are attempting to down-play this. But why?

Are you a realtor, perhaps?

Anonymous wrote:Falls Church City or Vienna

Falls Church City has its own schools, with a single MS and a single HS. Their boundaries will not be changing for decades, because the city limits will not be changing.

Vienna is an incorporated town, but in Virginia any town just uses the County’s public schools. For the Town of Vienna, that will be Fairfax County Public Schools. Different parts of Vienna feed to different FCPS schools.

Separately, the post office uses “Vienna, VA” for many areas outside the town limits, just as it uses “Falls Church, VA” for many areas outside the city limits. This post office practice confuses many people new to NoVA.

Falls Church City or Vienna

Anonymous wrote:The upcoming boundary adjustment in FCPS makes it pointless to even consider looking there until the changes are in place.

So much melodrama, there's most likely going to end up being a few key changes that will get all the attention while 90-95% or more of the district remains unchanged. One of the top criteria is proximity. So if a particular HS matters to you, live close to it. E.g. if you want to be zoned for Langley, look to buy in Langley's zone inside the beltway or just across in Spring Hill. Colvin Run probably pretty safe too. But Great Falls and especially Forestville have a much higher likelihood of being rezoned. Or if you want McLean, maybe avoid Lemon Road or Westgate split feeders as those could easily get shuffled to Marshall (which isn't a bad school, just saying if you have a hard preference). But saying it's "pointless to even consider looking" until the changes are in place a few years down the road is just silly histrionics. You just have to be the least bit smart about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top public high schools in MCPS and in FCPS or Arlington public schools have similar outcomes.

In MCPS, the usual suggestion is to go to a W high school - Wooton, Winston Churchill, etc.

If you are thinking DC will go to a public university in-state (e.g., to reduce college costs), then also compare Maryland's public colleges with those in Virginia.

Don’t leave out Albert Einstein HS in Kensington from serious consideration.

They have a fabulous “academies” program. Plus they offer the IB program at Einstein. And neighborhood housing is more affordable.

It has Albert Einstein right in the name, so it must be good.

Anonymous wrote:The National Merit Semifinalists cutoff was the same for VA and MD for the Class of 2025 and these were the number of NMSFs from the schools you mentioned and some others:

Langley (FCPS): 19
McLean (FCPS): 16
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15
Oakton (FCPS): 11
Churchill (MCPS): 10
Whitman (MCPS): 10
Madison (FCPS): 8
B-CC (MCPS): 5
Marshall (FCPS): 5
Wootton (MCPS): 5

You forgot:

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (FCPS): 81



However, 81 NMSFs is a massive drop from the 140s TJ students regularly earned prior to the DEI revision to the admission standards.

The National Merit Semifinalists cutoff was the same for VA and MD for the Class of 2025 and these were the number of NMSFs from the schools you mentioned and some others:

Langley (FCPS): 19
McLean (FCPS): 16
Walter Johnson (MCPS): 15
Oakton (FCPS): 11
Churchill (MCPS): 10
Whitman (MCPS): 10
Madison (FCPS): 8
B-CC (MCPS): 5
Marshall (FCPS): 5
Wootton (MCPS): 5

Anonymous wrote:The upcoming boundary adjustment in FCPS makes it pointless to even consider looking there until the changes are in place.

There will be big boundary changes in MCPS as with the re-opening of Woodward and the opening of Crown HS.