Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Merritt has been a wonderful experience for my child. He has grown much more confident both academically and socially, and I am blown away by what he is learning- I don't think I was learning my multiplication tables until 3rd grade, and he started them early this year in 2nd grade. I am very pleased with the caliber of his teachers, and how open and responsive the school leadership is when I have a concern or question. I highly recommend Merritt Academy to any family looking for a good quality private school that doesn't drain the college fund!

Sorry to burst your bubble PP, but my 2nd grader at FCPS is also doing multiplication! Wow, is that your good money is going to your child learning multiplication in 2nd grade at a private school? I find these posts amusing to say the least. Why do people not think that public schools teach the same curriculum as privates? Are they so naive to think that because their child is going to a private school they are better educated? I'd be willing to put my public school kids against any private school kids and see where the shortcomings lay!

According to the the year-at-a-glance documents found on the FCPS website, "using multiplication and division facts through 9" is listed as a third grade skill... meaning that it is not expected to be taught in 2nd grade. Clearly, your child MUST be a genius and therefore you absolutely MUST broadcast it on DCUM. Congratulations, poster- you're spending your good money to live within a desirable school district so that you can send your child to what is *clearly* the creme de la creme of Fairfax County Public Schools.... You chose how you wanted to spend your money, and I chose how I wanted to spend mine... I fail to see how your situation is any different than mine...

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard any praises for any of the private shcools in the 30+ years I have lived in the area. The public schools are very good in Fairfax county so there is little incentive to use private and I would be careful. The privates are usually loaded with boys who needed "a smaller classroom and personal attention" in other words they are ADHD and their behavior is terrible.

Not true. Some schools may receive some ADHD students but not all. If you read some of the material online and/go to a open house for private schools they will let you know that they are equipped to meet the needs of "Special needs children".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Merritt has been a wonderful experience for my child. He has grown much more confident both academically and socially, and I am blown away by what he is learning- I don't think I was learning my multiplication tables until 3rd grade, and he started them early this year in 2nd grade. I am very pleased with the caliber of his teachers, and how open and responsive the school leadership is when I have a concern or question. I highly recommend Merritt Academy to any family looking for a good quality private school that doesn't drain the college fund!

Sorry to burst your bubble PP, but my 2nd grader at FCPS is also doing multiplication! Wow, is that your good money is going to your child learning multiplication in 2nd grade at a private school? I find these posts amusing to say the least. Why do people not think that public schools teach the same curriculum as privates? Are they so naive to think that because their child is going to a private school they are better educated? I'd be willing to put my public school kids against any private school kids and see where the shortcomings lay!

They don't have the same curriculum. Please inform yourself better. FCPS are good but they are not the best.

I have two kids at Edlin in Reston. I like the small class sizes and the teachers we've had so far.

There's also Fairfax Christian School in Reston, and ACE in Reston...both have decent ratings at GreatSchools.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely check out The Congressional Schools of Virginia. Many people have been very happy with the challenging and accelerated curriculum. Good Luck!

Way too far from Fairfax...the commute would kill you!!!

Some people prefer privates. It need not be a repudiation of public schools to want a different environment.

NoVa does not have the tradition of well-known privates that exists in DC and Maryland. Compared to DC, NoVa didn't, until recently, have the wealth that existed in the District, nor was there the flight to privates that occurred in DC with desegregation. There were more privates in Maryland because of the state's Catholic heritage, which also didn't exist in VA.

With the growth of the region, the number of privates in NoVa has increased. With a few exceptions (Madeira and Potomac), they aren't as well-known as their DC and MD counterparts, but presumably the goal is to find a good school for your kid, not just enroll them in a "name" school.

Insofar as Flint Hill is concerned, there's no question but that it's a school that has enrolled quite a few high-spirited, athletic boys, some of whom have learning disabilities. Isn't it great that it may meet their needs better than a large public school? Helping those kids does not mean that other students can't be challenged and supported as well.

Anonymous wrote:Merritt has been a wonderful experience for my child. He has grown much more confident both academically and socially, and I am blown away by what he is learning- I don't think I was learning my multiplication tables until 3rd grade, and he started them early this year in 2nd grade. I am very pleased with the caliber of his teachers, and how open and responsive the school leadership is when I have a concern or question. I highly recommend Merritt Academy to any family looking for a good quality private school that doesn't drain the college fund!

Sorry to burst your bubble PP, but my 2nd grader at FCPS is also doing multiplication! Wow, is that your good money is going to your child learning multiplication in 2nd grade at a private school? I find these posts amusing to say the least. Why do people not think that public schools teach the same curriculum as privates? Are they so naive to think that because their child is going to a private school they are better educated? I'd be willing to put my public school kids against any private school kids and see where the shortcomings lay!

Merritt has been a wonderful experience for my child. He has grown much more confident both academically and socially, and I am blown away by what he is learning- I don't think I was learning my multiplication tables until 3rd grade, and he started them early this year in 2nd grade. I am very pleased with the caliber of his teachers, and how open and responsive the school leadership is when I have a concern or question. I highly recommend Merritt Academy to any family looking for a good quality private school that doesn't drain the college fund!

I've seen just one mention of Merritt, which we were looking into - any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

Potomac and Langley have bus service from Oakton if not Fairfax City itself. Flint Hill is pretty close by Fairfax, as is Green Hedges if you want a smaller school.

I would visit Potomac, Flint Hill, and Langley. The benefits of Potomac and Flint Hill is that they have large campuses with all of the academic benefits plus assets such as science labs, libraries, grassy knolls, athletics, and arts that you get at bigger schools. Langley and some others have a nice, cosy feel for small children. Lots of options The more you see, the better you can compare and make the best decision for your DC.

Anonymous wrote:Congressional-also goes up to only 8th and also a so so exmissions record

This year they have 4 kids heading to TJ. Given class size, exmissions are better than "so so" IMO.

Much of FX county is newer [farmland in western Fairfax County 50 years ago]and there are good privates for HS diplomas: Potomac, Flint Hill, Madeira [girls], SSSA, etc.

For those whose children need advanced academics, many use the AAP/GT programs. Then there is TJ-entire school is public exam. Lots of k-8's. There is not the desperation of MOCO or DC to get youngsters into privates to avoid the riff raff of Bethesda.

Congressional-also goes up to only 8th and also a so so exmissions record

This year they have 4 kids heading to TJ. Given class size, exmissions are better than "so so" IMO.

We started at FCPS and felt our child needed something different. We found Green Hedges and we just love it! WE love it and it has been a good fit for our two kids. I feel the only draw back right now is the small class size for some of the grades. We feel that the teachers are really dedicated and so is the administration. Give it a look if you want great academics and a great environment.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard any praises for any of the private shcools in the 30+ years I have lived in the area. The public schools are very good in Fairfax county so there is little incentive to use private and I would be careful. The privates are usually loaded with boys who needed "a smaller classroom and personal attention" in other words they are ADHD and their behavior is terrible.

This is a joke, right?