Anonymous
Post 08/17/2012 09:45     Subject: Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
I also think Arlington might work, either the Yorktown or W-L high school pyramids. The drive is maybe 20-30 minutes: Washington Blvd from N Arlington to Arlington Ridge Rd and then Mount Vernon Ave/Russel Rd directly to the USTO.

You could take Metro, but with the transfer at Rosslyn to the infrequent blue line trains that may end up being a very long commute.

Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 23:22     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:APS is going to have to redistrict soon. You have to be in the northern most parts of Arlington to be sure you'll stay in Yorktown, and then you're just buying a longer commute.


The W-L HS pyramid in Arlington is another very popular Arlington option and that would put you much closer to Old Town than in the "northernmost parts of Arlington" to quote the PP.

Also look at West Springfield and Burke (West Springfield or Lake Braddock High Schools). The quick train ride on the VRE might be a lot easier than driving or taking Metro from Arlington.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 23:03     Subject: Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You might also look at Canterbury Woods/Frost/Woodson and Wakefield Forest/Frost/Woodson in Annandale. A bit further out, but you are close to the Rolling Road VRE, which is only two stops to King Street. And house prices are lower than in Alexandria.

Stratford Landing and Waynewood have fantastic reputations, but some folks aren't as happy with the MS/HS.


I'm not sure this is true and I live in that area. I have not heard a single parent whose kids actually go to those schools complain about them. In fact, the only complaints I have ever heard are from anonymous posters on DCUM who don't have kids there and don't live in the catchment area.

Just saying...


I'm the PP, and I will admit to not living in that neighborhood or knowing much about the MS/HS in question. The complaints I have heard are not from DCUM, but from two friends who live in the area, both loved their elementary schools but said they were concerned about the upper grades and were thinking they might switch to Bishop Ireton when the time came for HS. I'm glad to hear your experience has been different, I think the neighborhoods off the gw parkway are lovely and would make for a low-stress commute to Old Town.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 21:20     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would just move into Fairfax County for Belle View, Stratford Landing or Waynewood ES/Sandburg MS/West Potomac HS. Closer than any schools in the Yorktown pyramid and better than DCPS. You will have more family time, and that's not irrelevant if you are trying to keep open TJ as a possible option.


I would second this recommendation, look at the Fairfax County portion of Alexandria. It would be an easy ten minute drive to the USPTO. Yorktown/Arlington would be a pain-in-the-ass commute. Stratford Landing has the AAP center, which you might be interested in if you are thinking about TJ.


Yorktown/Arlington is an easy commute to that part of Alexandria. I do that commute every day and it takes me about 25 minutes. You just have to know the right roads to take to get through Old Town.


I work in Old Town and used to live in Cameron Station, which is right around where the OP wants to be close to. It would take me 25 minutes just to get to Old Town. I think it would take much longer than 25 minuts during rush hour.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 21:15     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
APS is going to have to redistrict soon. You have to be in the northern most parts of Arlington to be sure you'll stay in Yorktown, and then you're just buying a longer commute.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 21:06     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would just move into Fairfax County for Belle View, Stratford Landing or Waynewood ES/Sandburg MS/West Potomac HS. Closer than any schools in the Yorktown pyramid and better than DCPS. You will have more family time, and that's not irrelevant if you are trying to keep open TJ as a possible option.


I would second this recommendation, look at the Fairfax County portion of Alexandria. It would be an easy ten minute drive to the USPTO. Yorktown/Arlington would be a pain-in-the-ass commute. Stratford Landing has the AAP center, which you might be interested in if you are thinking about TJ.


Yorktown/Arlington is an easy commute to that part of Alexandria. I do that commute every day and it takes me about 25 minutes. You just have to know the right roads to take to get through Old Town.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 21:03     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I would look into a school that feeds into Woodson High. We were in a somewhat similiar situation and ended up buying a home in the Fairfax side of Alexandria. We picked short commutes and house over school district. Our kids are young though and not yet in school. Our zoned elementary school, Franconia, is average at best and I have a bit of buyer's remorse. If I could do it over again, I would have concentrated on the Woodson pyramid. Our school is fine but not great. We feed into Edison High but can test into TJ. We will most likely move in a few years and switch to either the Woodson, McLean or Langley pyramid.


As the dealers in Vegas say, "Good Luck!"


I said that we will most likely move in a few years. Since my oldest child is only 3 years old, we have a lot of time before we think about high school. This board is hypersensitive whenever TJ is mentioned.

I actually attended a magnet high school in another state. I thought the teaching was poor. We were taught to take tests. Yes, the school got amazing test scores. It was supposedly the best school in the state. I did move on to receive an ivy league education. I personally would not want that type of environment for my children.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 20:57     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I would look into a school that feeds into Woodson High. We were in a somewhat similiar situation and ended up buying a home in the Fairfax side of Alexandria. We picked short commutes and house over school district. Our kids are young though and not yet in school. Our zoned elementary school, Franconia, is average at best and I have a bit of buyer's remorse. If I could do it over again, I would have concentrated on the Woodson pyramid. Our school is fine but not great. We feed into Edison High but can test into TJ. We will most likely move in a few years and switch to either the Woodson, McLean or Langley pyramid.


As the dealers in Vegas say, "Good Luck!"


I said that we will most likely move in a few years. Since my oldest child is only 3 years old, we have a lot of time before we think about high school.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 20:37     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I would look into a school that feeds into Woodson High. We were in a somewhat similiar situation and ended up buying a home in the Fairfax side of Alexandria. We picked short commutes and house over school district. Our kids are young though and not yet in school. Our zoned elementary school, Franconia, is average at best and I have a bit of buyer's remorse. If I could do it over again, I would have concentrated on the Woodson pyramid. Our school is fine but not great. We feed into Edison High but can test into TJ. We will most likely move in a few years and switch to either the Woodson, McLean or Langley pyramid.


As the dealers in Vegas say, "Good Luck!"
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 20:35     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Instead of moving all the way to Fairfax or McLean, you could just go a bit west into the West Springfield HS distict. Very good school pyramid.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 20:24     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:If I were you, I would look into a school that feeds into Woodson High. We were in a somewhat similiar situation and ended up buying a home in the Fairfax side of Alexandria. We picked short commutes and house over school district. Our kids are young though and not yet in school. Our zoned elementary school, Franconia, is average at best and I have a bit of buyer's remorse. If I could do it over again, I would have concentrated on the Woodson pyramid. Our school is fine but not great. We feed into Edison High but can test into TJ. We will most likely move in a few years and switch to either the Woodson, McLean or Langley pyramid.


PP here. The supposedly better elementary schools in the area you want to be close to are Clermont ES, Canterbury Woods ES, and Springfield Estates ES. We took a hard look at a house zoned for Stratford Landing ES. I found it to be a bit too far south. It added about 20 minutes from where you want to be. Alexandria covers a large area.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 20:18     Subject: Re:Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
If I were you, I would look into a school that feeds into Woodson High. We were in a somewhat similiar situation and ended up buying a home in the Fairfax side of Alexandria. We picked short commutes and house over school district. Our kids are young though and not yet in school. Our zoned elementary school, Franconia, is average at best and I have a bit of buyer's remorse. If I could do it over again, I would have concentrated on the Woodson pyramid. Our school is fine but not great. We feed into Edison High but can test into TJ. We will most likely move in a few years and switch to either the Woodson, McLean or Langley pyramid.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2012 17:01     Subject: Closest really strong school district to USPTO (Duke St. Carlyle in Alexandria)
Anonymous wrote:You might also look at Canterbury Woods/Frost/Woodson and Wakefield Forest/Frost/Woodson in Annandale. A bit further out, but you are close to the Rolling Road VRE, which is only two stops to King Street. And house prices are lower than in Alexandria.

Stratford Landing and Waynewood have fantastic reputations, but some folks aren't as happy with the MS/HS.


I'm not sure this is true and I live in that area. I have not heard a single parent whose kids actually go to those schools complain about them. In fact, the only complaints I have ever heard are from anonymous posters on DCUM who don't have kids there and don't live in the catchment area.

Just saying...