Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 20:04     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:If you have a strong feeling or AP or IB you should factor that in, otherwise you are splitting hairs between the "quality" of these schools (they're all great). And stats like number of kids going to TJ, e.g. Longfellow might have the most, but also the most applicants, so it's not like your kids odds of getting into TJ are better at Longfellow than if that same kid had attended a different MS (in fact, if anything the opposite is likely true).


You should go back and check prior threads. People paid a lot of attention to this in the first few years after they changed the TJ admissions policy. Longfellow both had more TJ applicants and a higher admissions rate than Cooper and Kilmer.
Anonymous
Post 01/12/2026 17:00     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
If you have a strong feeling or AP or IB you should factor that in, otherwise you are splitting hairs between the "quality" of these schools (they're all great). And stats like number of kids going to TJ, e.g. Longfellow might have the most, but also the most applicants, so it's not like your kids odds of getting into TJ are better at Longfellow than if that same kid had attended a different MS (in fact, if anything the opposite is likely true).
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2026 09:21     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
And yes, there will be bullying and drugs at every public and every private school everywhere.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2026 09:19     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Find a house you like in a neighborhood you like. Any of these schools are fine. My kids went to Kilmer and were fine. They both had friends at all 3 of these middle schools through activities outside of school.

None of these schools have sports teams. There’s only middle school track and maybe some after school clubs. School sports don’t start until high school anywhere in FCPS.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2026 08:40     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Do you want IB or AP in high school?

McLean and Langley are AP and Marshall is IB

Middle schools do not have sports teams.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2026 08:18     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Longfellow has a very very watered down honors program. They have gotten rid of “regular” level classes- so kids are in two tracks, honors or AAP. If your child has not qualified for AAP, they will not be in a traditional honors class. (This is for core classes, but not math which has more options).
We love the school- kids are happy and challenged. We have heard of no violence (though I’m sure it exists) and a lot of the kids are super quirky. But- mine are in AAP. Kids who aren’t seem to have somewhat of a different experience
if it’s honors, then they have to teach all of the standards posted for an honors class in the state of VA, otherwise, it’s not honors. Curious, which standard in which subject did a teacher fail to teach?


Can you link that set of standards, I can’t find it?


NP. I do not think VA has any state-wide standards for “honors” classes.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 22:59     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Longfellow has a very very watered down honors program. They have gotten rid of “regular” level classes- so kids are in two tracks, honors or AAP. If your child has not qualified for AAP, they will not be in a traditional honors class. (This is for core classes, but not math which has more options).
We love the school- kids are happy and challenged. We have heard of no violence (though I’m sure it exists) and a lot of the kids are super quirky. But- mine are in AAP. Kids who aren’t seem to have somewhat of a different experience
if it’s honors, then they have to teach all of the standards posted for an honors class in the state of VA, otherwise, it’s not honors. Curious, which standard in which subject did a teacher fail to teach?


Can you link that set of standards, I can’t find it?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 22:54     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
I wouldn’t make my decision based on those schools. They are all quite good. Find the house and location you like based on other things. Think long term. Not just about 2 years.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 21:58     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:Longfellow has a very very watered down honors program. They have gotten rid of “regular” level classes- so kids are in two tracks, honors or AAP. If your child has not qualified for AAP, they will not be in a traditional honors class. (This is for core classes, but not math which has more options).
We love the school- kids are happy and challenged. We have heard of no violence (though I’m sure it exists) and a lot of the kids are super quirky. But- mine are in AAP. Kids who aren’t seem to have somewhat of a different experience
if it’s honors, then they have to teach all of the standards posted for an honors class in the state of VA, otherwise, it’s not honors. Curious, which standard in which subject did a teacher fail to teach?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 17:32     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:Academically, Longfellow will have the most smarter kids.

We are zoned for cooper/langley and we sent our second kid to private after sending our first to cooper.

Your kid will be in good academic company in any of these schools. I would find the house that fits your budget. Any decent home in cooper area is going to cost you $2m+. Longfellow and Kilmer have more affordable options.


Why didn’t you send your second kid to Cooper? Was it Cooper-related or more FCPS-related (some families pulled kids out of FCPS during COVID)?
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 16:36     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Longfellow has a very very watered down honors program. They have gotten rid of “regular” level classes- so kids are in two tracks, honors or AAP. If your child has not qualified for AAP, they will not be in a traditional honors class. (This is for core classes, but not math which has more options).
We love the school- kids are happy and challenged. We have heard of no violence (though I’m sure it exists) and a lot of the kids are super quirky. But- mine are in AAP. Kids who aren’t seem to have somewhat of a different experience
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2026 16:32     Subject: Best middle school in McLean/Vienna
Anonymous wrote:Academically, Longfellow will have the most smarter kids.

We are zoned for cooper/langley and we sent our second kid to private after sending our first to cooper.

Your kid will be in good academic company in any of these schools. I would find the house that fits your budget. Any decent home in cooper area is going to cost you $2m+. Longfellow and Kilmer have more affordable options.


The bolded is so predictably absurd. The kids at these three schools are academically equivalent. Nice try, though.