White Oaks or Cherry Run, Lake Braddock

Happy with Franklin Sherman-Longfellow-McLean. FSES is small (300 kids) and kids get a lot of attention. Longfellow and McLean are big but quite strong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would choose one where the HS is NOT high performing (e.g., not Oakton, Langley, Mclean). Our kids will do well in any HS. They likely will be closer to top of the class at a mundane HS (because less competition) and that will help with college admissions.

Most people on DCUM will disagree with this.

this is an interesting point!

We moved from an average FCPS pyramid to a top pyramid. The difference in what teachers and staff expected of students was quickly apparent.

You can bet that other kids at an average or below average school will make your kids look better, or conclude that a strong peer group will better prepare your kids for what comes next.

Talk is cheap on DCUM, but when you look at actual behavior as reflected real estate prices, it's clear people tend to believe the latter.

I only have experience in moving from an average ES to a high performing ES and noticed two things: 1. The teacher turnover at our new school is practically nonexistent whereas there was a TON of turnover every year at our old school. 2. The peer group is more homogeneous in terms of academic ability (it's still a racially diverse school, but not socioeconomically diverse which is the main contributor to that).

In our situation, the cost of housing declined - equivalent houses are cheaper in our new pyramid.

Anonymous wrote:Waples, Carson, Oakton/TJ. (Currently this is our pyramid. We love it.)

That's not even a real pyramid. Your pyramid is Waples-Franklin-Oakton.

Anonymous wrote:West Potomac in Region 3

+3

Anonymous wrote:(Any of the elementary schools in the pyramid)-Frost-Woodson

My kids have gone to Wakefield Forest-Frost-Woodson and I wouldn’t change anything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would choose one where the HS is NOT high performing (e.g., not Oakton, Langley, Mclean). Our kids will do well in any HS. They likely will be closer to top of the class at a mundane HS (because less competition) and that will help with college admissions.

Most people on DCUM will disagree with this.

You do you

+1
We considered the same strategy back when our kids were starting elementary school. After much consideration and thought, we decided we wanted our kids to have an excellent high school education, regardless of how a competitive school might position them for college admissions. We went with one of the above-mentioned pyramids and have zero regrets. Yes, the college competition was much stiffer from those schools, but nothing can replace the four years of excellent academics they received. And they wound up doing great in their college admissions too, so win-win.

One where we fit in socio-economically. I wouldn't want my poor kid at Langley but he does well at chantilly

(Any of the elementary schools in the pyramid)-Frost-Woodson

We have loved Louise Archer/ Thoreau/ Madison.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Robinson, Lake Braddock or Hayfield.

Hayfield? yikes ok

Hayfield is a decent school and its graduates go on to good colleges.

Chesterbrook, Longfellow, McLean

Anonymous wrote:Robinson, Lake Braddock or Hayfield.

Hayfield? yikes ok

Anonymous wrote:If you could choose any ES-MS-HS pyramid, which would it be and why?

I think I'd choose a different county. This one is a mess. I can tell you which one to steer clear of......Region 5.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We would choose one where the HS is NOT high performing (e.g., not Oakton, Langley, Mclean). Our kids will do well in any HS. They likely will be closer to top of the class at a mundane HS (because less competition) and that will help with college admissions.

Most people on DCUM will disagree with this.

this is an interesting point!

We moved from an average FCPS pyramid to a top pyramid. The difference in what teachers and staff expected of students was quickly apparent.

You can bet that other kids at an average or below average school will make your kids look better, or conclude that a strong peer group will better prepare your kids for what comes next.

Talk is cheap on DCUM, but when you look at actual behavior as reflected real estate prices, it's clear people tend to believe the latter.

would you be willing to share which pyramid you moved from and which you moved to?