I believe the latest proposal for MS is building a new one in the Courthouse/Rosslyn area (Wilson school site) and the various boundary proposals all pull a significant number of kids from the Jefferson area in Lyon Park/Ashton Heights (even though Jefferson isn't overcrowded - just one reason I think the current proposal doesn't make a lot of sense).

Why is this being proposed, then? What a waste of taxpayer money to build a new middle school when there are others nearby that are not full.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to the latest published statistics, W-L is 10.9% Asian, the highest % among Arlington HSs, although Wakefield is just slightly lower at 10.8%. With the IB program, which you can apply to even if not in boundary, you will not find a shortage of high achievers.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

W-L produced 8 PSAT National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this year, as many as Marshall, almost as many as McClean, and a little more than both on a per capita basis. I expect to see W-L's NMSS numbers rise steadily in the coming years, for whatever that's worth.

What is McClean

Anonymous wrote:According to the latest published statistics, W-L is 10.9% Asian, the highest % among Arlington HSs, although Wakefield is just slightly lower at 10.8%. With the IB program, which you can apply to even if not in boundary, you will not find a shortage of high achievers.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

W-L produced 8 PSAT National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this year, as many as Marshall, almost as many as McClean, and a little more than both on a per capita basis. I expect to see W-L's NMSS numbers rise steadily in the coming years, for whatever that's worth.

Good tip, thanks a lot.

I believe the latest proposal for MS is building a new one in the Courthouse/Rosslyn area (Wilson school site) and the various boundary proposals all pull a significant number of kids from the Jefferson area in Lyon Park/Ashton Heights (even though Jefferson isn't overcrowded - just one reason I think the current proposal doesn't make a lot of sense). If you really want Jefferson, you should probably look in the neighborhoods around it south of 50. Those neighborhoods would feed to Wakefield for HS but you have the option of applying to the IB program at W-L.

I believe there is no current proposal for boundary changes, though it certainly is possible as Arlington is having major overcrowding issues and it definitely could happen. MS is very crowded right now, not Jefferson, Gunston or Kenmore -- since they are under capacity, it wouldn't seem to make sense to shift kids out of those boundaries, only to add to them (but that's likely to be controversial, even more so than building a new school, and I don't think it has been proposed by the school board yet). But if they go forward with a new middle school (which seems very likely), it's unclear whether any of those kids would come from the under capacity schools - presumably most of them would be from the over capacity schools.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/Capacity_Utilization14-23_Revised_Final.pdf

Right now they seem focused on building new schools and/or expanding current ones -- the current proposal on the table is to build a new elementary school right by Jefferson, and if that doesn't pass, then to expand several elementary schools. The school board put off the decision on building a new middle school, and are proposing a bond that would raise funds for it without saying yet where it will be.

According to the latest published statistics, W-L is 10.9% Asian, the highest % among Arlington HSs, although Wakefield is just slightly lower at 10.8%. With the IB program, which you can apply to even if not in boundary, you will not find a shortage of high achievers.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

OP here, thanks all, espeically for house search neighborhood tips. Like I said we're new to all this, other than what we've been reading on-line and a quick visit to Jefferson. We probably will get on with it there for SY 2015-2016.

Yes, we're Asian-American, Chinese, and nearly native speakers. We attended not-so-great small town NY public schools, and elite colleges. We've read that Fairfax elementary schools are getting crowded, with the kid bulge heading to MS around the time our younger child would go. We also read that Arlington Co. schools are on the up and up, and like the later HS start times.

PP, why do you think that we'd be dissapointed in Washington Lee's IB program? Not enough Asian families or high achievers? We're used to all that, in the District. My kid's school is 1% Asian (and feeds into a MS that is 0% white and Asian). We don't mind - we spend Sundays in MoCo mixing with families at a fine little heritage language school. The commute to MD wouldn't work on weekdays.

An asian would be disappointed with Washington and Lee

The best schools are in fairfax county. Asians value education over parental social lives so Arlington is not a good choice.

OP - are you Asian?

In Arlington and Alexandria, there are very few Asian and Indian families compared with Fairfax county. It may mean that your child is one of only a few Asian kids. Also know that those Asian kids are more likely to have been adopted by white parents. Nothing wrong with that but a different background.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. OK, so expanding foreign language offerngs at Jefferson. Maybe to include actual Chinese classes, vs. the not-so-inspiring on-line option? One can only hope.

We would very much like an IB Middle Years Program MS feeding into an IB Diploma HS program. IB would lend itself better to affordable undergraduate studies in Canada or the UK, where we have family, for our children than a standard American HS curriculum. Also, since I earned an IB diploma, I am more comfortable with that curriculum than AP.

What is the story wtih the proposed MS boundary changes and status of the proposal to open another school? Can somebody summarize briefly?

Longfellow/Fairfax is a little far for our downtown commutes.

PP here, then stop freaking out and get on with it. I think you can already tell that TJ will work for you and then you can move on to W&L. Why do you want people on here to make that decision for you, there's no guarantees in life. The TJ boundary areas already going to be expensive for your budget. I would focus on Arlington Heights, Arlington Forest, Alcova Heights areas. I hope you can find something, as I think that is your bigger issue. The schools are fine. People on here are generally snobs. I think you'd do a better job deciding for yourself, instead of listening to narrow headed opinion on this forum.

OP here. OK, so expanding foreign language offerngs at Jefferson. Maybe to include actual Chinese classes, vs. the not-so-inspiring on-line option? One can only hope.

We would very much like an IB Middle Years Program MS feeding into an IB Diploma HS program. IB would lend itself better to affordable undergraduate studies in Canada or the UK, where we have family, for our children than a standard American HS curriculum. Also, since I earned an IB diploma, I am more comfortable with that curriculum than AP.

What is the story wtih the proposed MS boundary changes and status of the proposal to open another school? Can somebody summarize briefly?

Longfellow/Fairfax is a little far for our downtown commutes.

Anonymous wrote:IF you are okay with Wakefield, I would also look in Douglas Park where you can easily find a decent house for 700k or less. My understanding is that some of the kids fro,m the IB program at TJ can apply to go Washington & Lee, but we are comfortable with Wakefield (although we still have many years before we will have a kid in high school).

i believe anyone can apply to WL IB program, not just TJ kids. i know at least one Kenmore student did last year.

IF you are okay with Wakefield, I would also look in Douglas Park where you can easily find a decent house for 700k or less. My understanding is that some of the kids fro,m the IB program at TJ can apply to go Washington & Lee, but we are comfortable with Wakefield (although we still have many years before we will have a kid in high school).