OP here. Most of this is helpful so far. I will speak with my friend more about walking/driving/priorities. Just a general sense of districts, general lay of the land is helpful. I had no idea the issue was so contentious. I do apologize for bringing up a controversial topic. Please do continue with the helpful posts, though. Also, I honestly don't understand how the GT centers vs Level III vs Level IV plus different boundaries, being able to choose a different school from your in-boundary school, stuff like that works. Montessori, immersion programs. Any general guidance on those issues would also be most appreciated.

"test scores" are largely reflective of the racial and economic make up of the student body. The test scores as an average on a whole school do not tell anyone whether that school is great or terrible. If there are lots of poor or minority kids at a school, yet certain non-minority or non-poor groups are doing just as well as the schools with the "good" reputations, then it isn't accurate to lable the former school as an undesireable/worst school in Ffx County. If some groups are excelling, then it can't just be that the teaching is terrible. Yet, that is pretty much what people are generalizing when they make these lists of the "best" schools based on overall test scores. SHOCKING that school with 70%+ white kids in high income neighborhoods are at the top of the "best" schools list.

You have to compare apples to apples if you want to make a fair comparison. Compare the test scores of black kids at two schools or white kids at two schools or FARMS kids at two different schools. Then, you are at least making an attempt to judge the caliber of the school rather than comparing who has the wealthiest/whitest student body.

Anonymous wrote:So, before you go claiming that certain schools are "the best" and certain schools aren't worth sending your dog to.... you had better be a little more specific. And you also might want to rethink whether it's the school that is so great or just the high income/education populations that go there (and that fact that those same types of kids go to other "less desireable" ... i.e. more diverse.... schools too.)

Look beyond Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and Woodson.

No one is claiming any schools are "the best" other than the schools listed in a prior post had the highest test scores. If the OP (or rather her friend) wants to look beyond test scores, she will need to say what criteria she is looking for. Test scores are usually the easiest, although not necessarily the best, way to rank schools. I don't see where anyone said certain schools were not worth sending their dog to. Wherever did you get that from? Of course a school with high income/education tends to have higher test scores. But then again, that's no different than Robinson or Lake Braddock having higher test scores than a school like Falls Church either. So what makes those two schools so "solid?"

Anonymous wrote:These schools were awarded the 2012 VA Governor's Award:

I would start with these schools and the related middle/high schools.

Good Luck

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2012/jan05.shtml

Fairfax County –
Archer Elementary
, Chesterbrook Elementary
, Colvin Run Elementary
, Cooper Middle
, Floris Elementary
, Fox Mill Elementary
, Franklin Middle
, Frost Middle
, Great Falls Elementary
, Greenbriar West Elementary
, Haycock Elementary
, Lees Corner Elementary
, Longfellow Middle
, Oak Hill Elementary
, Oakton Elementary
, Rocky Run Middle
, Thoreau Middle
, Virginia Run Elementary
, West Springfield Elementary
, Westbriar Elementary
, Willow Springs Elementary
and Wolftrap Elementary

Considering Thomas Jefferson HS - pretty widely considered the top HS in the country - didn't make the above list (and only made the "second tier" one for FFx Co. - I'd take this list with a grain of salt.

Many of those schools have Level IV AAP centers attached to them. Hard to believe that having the AAP Center at your school can increase your test scores and skew your numbers to make you look like a more attractive school (*scoff*). There are plenty of great schools throughout Fairfax County. There are also many, many bright children who don't qualify for AAP under the current AAP system and who are doing well at their base school (some of them don't even go to Haycock! Say what?!).

OP, your friend needs to find a house / neighborhood that she's interested in (or a couple). Then she can talk to people and do her research about the schools assigned to those neighborhoods. Picking a home based on a school in a list is just as silly as picking a home based on those dumb GreatSchool.net reviews.

These schools were awarded the 2012 VA Governor's Award:

I would start with these schools and the related middle/high schools.

Good Luck

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/news/news_releases/2012/jan05.shtml

Fairfax County –
Archer Elementary
, Chesterbrook Elementary
, Colvin Run Elementary
, Cooper Middle
, Floris Elementary
, Fox Mill Elementary
, Franklin Middle
, Frost Middle
, Great Falls Elementary
, Greenbriar West Elementary
, Haycock Elementary
, Lees Corner Elementary
, Longfellow Middle
, Oak Hill Elementary
, Oakton Elementary
, Rocky Run Middle
, Thoreau Middle
, Virginia Run Elementary
, West Springfield Elementary
, Westbriar Elementary
, Willow Springs Elementary
and Wolftrap Elementary

Anonymous wrote:WHAT>?????? you say????? South Lakes???? scoff, scoff..... oh yeah... the SAT scores for white kids are just 20 points lower than white kids at Oakton. So, before you go claiming that certain schools are "the best" and certain schools aren't worth sending your dog to.... you had better be a little more specific. And you also might want to rethink whether it's the school that is so great or just the high income/education populations that go there (and that fact that those same types of kids go to other "less desireable" ... i.e. more diverse.... schools too.)

Look beyond Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and Woodson.

Anonymous wrote: Your friend should post herself and explain what's important to her. Starting yet one more contentious thread about the "best schools" in NoVa is silly.

Don't say you weren't warned!

Don't you need to know if the OP's friend is white or black or asian or hispanic? B/c when you say "Langley is the best" you are really talking about the white kids at Langley do well.... and when you say that about Oakton (referring to SAT scores), you had better be sure to include South Lakes right next to Oakton.

WHAT>?????? you say????? South Lakes???? scoff, scoff..... oh yeah... the SAT scores for white kids are just 20 points lower than white kids at Oakton. So, before you go claiming that certain schools are "the best" and certain schools aren't worth sending your dog to.... you had better be a little more specific. And you also might want to rethink whether it's the school that is so great or just the high income/education populations that go there (and that fact that those same types of kids go to other "less desireable" ... i.e. more diverse.... schools too.)

Look beyond Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and Woodson.

I think the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd are the ones who keep promulgating those schools as the "best." Personally, the "best" school for my child is one where s/he doesn't have to drive a BMW and wear $100 jeans just to fit in. But, like you said, as long as they test well, they're the "best."

+1

Anonymous wrote:

I think the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd are the ones who keep promulgating those schools as the "best." Personally, the "best" school for my child is one where s/he doesn't have to drive a BMW and wear $100 jeans just to fit in. But, like you said, as long as they test well, they're the "best."

I live 1/2 mile from Madison. No one that I know that goes to Madison or whose kids go to Madison are the $100 jeans/BMW type. I am sure there are some, but I do not know them.

Anonymous wrote:Keeping in mind that this person is moving from somewhere else - northern Virginia, generally speaking, has very good, if not excellent, public schools.

You really cannot go wrong in Arlington, even with some of the "lesser" schools.

Your friend probably needs to figure out cost/commuting issues first, and then choose from the local options in terms of the schools.

If this is true, you really cannot go wrong in Alexandria, Fairfax or Loudoun, either. Wakefield is pretty much bottom of the barrel in NoVa, so it's all uphill from there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock, Robinson, and West Springfield are all solid high schools in Fairfax County (although the Marshall / Madison / Woodson crowd doesn't like to admit it).

I'm sure the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd doesn't really care whether Lake Braddock, Robinson and West Springfield are "solid" high schools. The OP asked for the "best" schools. And I gave her a list of the top 25% in Fairfax County based on test scores. I supposed I could have gone on down the line and listed them all, but then she's not really getting the "best."

I think the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd are the ones who keep promulgating those schools as the "best." Personally, the "best" school for my child is one where s/he doesn't have to drive a BMW and wear $100 jeans just to fit in. But, like you said, as long as they test well, they're the "best."

I NEVER said, "as long as they test well, they're the best." Please don't put words in my mouth. I said, "Based on test scores, these are the best schools." I also said that there are other schools that are good. The OP was looking for a starting point, and I gave her one based on test scores. For the record, I do not have any children in the Marshall/Madison/Woodson pyramid schools (nor Langley, McLean, or Oakton for that matter.) I don't know why you are so bitter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lake Braddock, Robinson, and West Springfield are all solid high schools in Fairfax County (although the Marshall / Madison / Woodson crowd doesn't like to admit it).

I'm sure the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd doesn't really care whether Lake Braddock, Robinson and West Springfield are "solid" high schools. The OP asked for the "best" schools. And I gave her a list of the top 25% in Fairfax County based on test scores. I supposed I could have gone on down the line and listed them all, but then she's not really getting the "best."

I think the Marshall/Madison/Woodson crowd are the ones who keep promulgating those schools as the "best." Personally, the "best" school for my child is one where s/he doesn't have to drive a BMW and wear $100 jeans just to fit in. But, like you said, as long as they test well, they're the "best."

#1..where do they WANT to live?

#2..pick the area/general neighborhoods and then check out the schools.

We knew we wanted a walkable neighborhood very close to the city. This meant we ruled out Fairfax Co. I find MontCo, Arl.Co and Ffx to all have some top-notch schools--so once you find out the type of things you are looking for in a neighborhood you can narrow your school search considerably.

Keeping in mind that this person is moving from somewhere else - northern Virginia, generally speaking, has very good, if not excellent, public schools.

You really cannot go wrong in Arlington, even with some of the "lesser" schools.

Your friend probably needs to figure out cost/commuting issues first, and then choose from the local options in terms of the schools.