The fact is that, in Fairfax County, whites and Asians (except for some of the Vietnamese communities) tend to be at least upper middle-class, while the blacks and Hispanic populations account for a disproportionate share of the middle and lower-class residents.

When some people at Langley talk about SES diversity, they tend to highlight the growing Asian population there, which is affluent. They won't acknowledge that there's virtually no poverty there (unlike at any other neighborhood high school in the county), and they'll bend over backwards to use phrases like "middle class (for this area)," which is just a way to say that they personally are less wealthy than some other people at, well, Langley. But they don't really want to come to terms with the fact that the boundaries of their school have been expanded and then carefully protected to exclude those who, by any standards other than some rarefied NoVa standard, are lower SES.

A few Langley posters get it and candidly acknowledge that the school's boundaries should be expanded to add more diversity. But, just as often, they ignore what's in plain sight, or argue for something else that would maintain Langley's privilege (see the recent thread where the Langley parent argued that Langley should become a "language academy," where Langley could offer more foreign languages than any other high school in the county, rather than have its boundaries expanded to include some students from less affluent areas).

Persons of color may want to reflect on this before deciding to live in the Langley district. It's like dealing with people who claim "they don't see color": is it because they are without prejudice or because they are clueless?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

I'm a Langley parent of fairly average income (for this area). I mean, I drive a nine year old Toyota Sienna. Most of the other families we know are of similar economic backgrounds. Not to say there aren't some extremely wealthy families in the Langley area, but that's also been wildly blown out of proportion. My kids say they've never felt out of place or less than anyone at school. There are far more "average" income kids there than the extremely wealthy. Don't believe everything you hear, especially from people who don't even have a child at Langley and seem to delight in perpetuating rumors about the school.

You are simply painting a false picture. By any metric, the Langley HS district is the richest in the D.C. region, which in turn is one of the most affluent regions in the country. Only the Whitman district in Montgomery comes close. Many Langley families and students revel in their wealth, and suggesting that it is full of average-income families is misleading.

Can you even read? I deliberately used the qualifier, "average income FOR THIS AREA." Not average-income in general. I also acknowledged that there are some extremely wealthy families at Langley. But I'm not sure what you're implying by saying "many Langley families and students revel in their wealth." Does being wealthy somehow make one less virtuous than those who aren't? Nope.

And if you're going to criticize people simply on the basis of their income, why Langley? How about the elite privates all around the DC area? Because that's where most very wealthy families send their kids - not to publics. Even those as outstanding as Langley or Whitman.

I think your cognitive skills are impaired. I'm not criticizing anyone based on their incomes, just pointing out the false picture that you are painting of Langley. Maybe OP just needs to check out the Langley parking lot or go to an event at Langley and see how few blacks and Hispanics are on the school grounds.

Sure, why not. Because everyone knows having few blacks and Hispanics is a marker of excessive wealth and depravity. Plenty of other races and ethnicities are represented at Langley, but apparently the only ones that "count" are black and Hispanics? How absurd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

I'm a Langley parent of fairly average income (for this area). I mean, I drive a nine year old Toyota Sienna. Most of the other families we know are of similar economic backgrounds. Not to say there aren't some extremely wealthy families in the Langley area, but that's also been wildly blown out of proportion. My kids say they've never felt out of place or less than anyone at school. There are far more "average" income kids there than the extremely wealthy. Don't believe everything you hear, especially from people who don't even have a child at Langley and seem to delight in perpetuating rumors about the school.

You are simply painting a false picture. By any metric, the Langley HS district is the richest in the D.C. region, which in turn is one of the most affluent regions in the country. Only the Whitman district in Montgomery comes close. Many Langley families and students revel in their wealth, and suggesting that it is full of average-income families is misleading.

Can you even read? I deliberately used the qualifier, "average income FOR THIS AREA." Not average-income in general. I also acknowledged that there are some extremely wealthy families at Langley. But I'm not sure what you're implying by saying "many Langley families and students revel in their wealth." Does being wealthy somehow make one less virtuous than those who aren't? Nope.

And if you're going to criticize people simply on the basis of their income, why Langley? How about the elite privates all around the DC area? Because that's where most very wealthy families send their kids - not to publics. Even those as outstanding as Langley or Whitman.

I think your cognitive skills are impaired. I'm not criticizing anyone based on their incomes, just pointing out the false picture that you are painting of Langley. Maybe OP just needs to check out the Langley parking lot or go to an event at Langley and see how few blacks and Hispanics are on the school grounds.

I would consider Falls Church over McLean... it feels more walkable to me. We live in a little sliver of Falls Church districted to McLean high school. We're a 5-8 minute walk to West Falls Church metro and can walk to many errands as well. They're planning a complex similar to Bethesda Row just down the street.

Falls Church City also gets you all of this... from what I can tell it's hard to tell whether FCC or the McLean pyramid is "better" - they're both excellent just very different. Taxes are higher in Falls Church City.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

I'm a Langley parent of fairly average income (for this area). I mean, I drive a nine year old Toyota Sienna. Most of the other families we know are of similar economic backgrounds. Not to say there aren't some extremely wealthy families in the Langley area, but that's also been wildly blown out of proportion. My kids say they've never felt out of place or less than anyone at school. There are far more "average" income kids there than the extremely wealthy. Don't believe everything you hear, especially from people who don't even have a child at Langley and seem to delight in perpetuating rumors about the school.

You are simply painting a false picture. By any metric, the Langley HS district is the richest in the D.C. region, which in turn is one of the most affluent regions in the country. Only the Whitman district in Montgomery comes close. Many Langley families and students revel in their wealth, and suggesting that it is full of average-income families is misleading.

Can you even read? I deliberately used the qualifier, "average income FOR THIS AREA." Not average-income in general. I also acknowledged that there are some extremely wealthy families at Langley. But I'm not sure what you're implying by saying "many Langley families and students revel in their wealth." Does being wealthy somehow make one less virtuous than those who aren't? Nope.

And if you're going to criticize people simply on the basis of their income, why Langley? How about the elite privates all around the DC area? Because that's where most very wealthy families send their kids - not to publics. Even those as outstanding as Langley or Whitman.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

I'm a Langley parent of fairly average income (for this area). I mean, I drive a nine year old Toyota Sienna. Most of the other families we know are of similar economic backgrounds. Not to say there aren't some extremely wealthy families in the Langley area, but that's also been wildly blown out of proportion. My kids say they've never felt out of place or less than anyone at school. There are far more "average" income kids there than the extremely wealthy. Don't believe everything you hear, especially from people who don't even have a child at Langley and seem to delight in perpetuating rumors about the school.

You are simply painting a false picture. By any metric, the Langley HS district is the richest in the D.C. region, which in turn is one of the most affluent regions in the country. Only the Whitman district in Montgomery comes close. Many Langley families and students revel in their wealth, and suggesting that it is full of average-income families is misleading.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

I'm a Langley parent of fairly average income (for this area). I mean, I drive a nine year old Toyota Sienna. Most of the other families we know are of similar economic backgrounds. Not to say there aren't some extremely wealthy families in the Langley area, but that's also been wildly blown out of proportion. My kids say they've never felt out of place or less than anyone at school. There are far more "average" income kids there than the extremely wealthy. Don't believe everything you hear, especially from people who don't even have a child at Langley and seem to delight in perpetuating rumors about the school.

Both pyramids in McLean are great. (Langley and McLean). People I meet seem to love Chesterbrook Elementary, and the neighborhoods feeding into that school are pretty but not the super extravagant places you see up by Langley HS. Franklin Park is the higher end neighborhood for that school, and there are a bunch of neighborhoods off Kirby Rd with more affordable homes. Kent Gardens has French language immersion if you're into that. Spring Hill, Churchill, and Franklin Sherman also get high reviews from fellow parents. good luck, OP!

No one would confuse McLean with city living, but in return you get a community with superior public schools and access to a local community center, a renovated county recreation center, and youth sports leagues that aren't routinely oversubscribed as in some nearby areas. You have easy access to shopping and Metro, and D.C. is only a few miles away if you want to spend time there.

If you truly enjoy city living you may find McLean a bit too slow for you. We considered moving to McLean from Arlington when we needed more space but just didn't get that neighborhood feel in McLean that we have in our current neighborhood. You might prefer Falls Church City, schools feeding into George Mason high school (don't get confused with "Falls Church" part of FFX county school system.

Two years ago I'd have also recommended you look in N Arlington but so much uncertainty and drama with the school system these days I would just steer clear.

If you do decide on McLean you also can't go wrong in terms of schools.

Anonymous wrote:Both wildly overrated FCPS schools. Stay in NW and go private. DC area public's are being sunk the staggering cost and social burden of ESOL students - some legal, some not. Even in schools like McLean and Langley, which from demographics appear to not be as impacted as schools such as Herndon and SL, the budget impact reduced resources significantly.

It's a county wide budget and schools like Herndon MS and Herndon HS get extra money pumped in from FCPS [money comes from the county]. The surge of Hispanic ESOL students has impacted all the jurisdictions -DC, Montgomery, Arlington, PG, PW, Fairfax.

The sheer volume of the illegals can only be seen as a minimum on a federal govt website that tracked the USA locations of the undocumented minors released to specific persons from that tidal wave after Obama's Dream Act. In 40 months the known numbers resulted in enough students to fill multiple high schools and middle schools. No extra cash given to the receiving jurisdictions.

Mclean, Langley, Madison, Yorktown are stable. Primarily funded by real estate taxes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am no DC basher, but I have a hard time arguing against a short commute.

May I ask if you have considered the City of Falls Church? A bit more "urban/walkable" than McLean, if that is important to you. Though I gather some folks decide if they aren't going to be "in the city" then distinctions like that among suburbs don't matter.

+1

Falls Church is an excellent small school system. A downside would be more travel for sports (the smaller schools it competes with are farther away). Also, given its larger size, Fairfax County schools are probably better if you have a child with special needs.

Langley has a lot of ultra-wealthy families. Falls Church city is more uniformly upper middle class. We've found the area to be very friendly and down to earth.

Agreed. Langley is a great school, but the number of ultra-wealthy families brings a whole new set of issues. Personally I would rather my kids attend other FFX high schools.

Anonymous wrote:Both wildly overrated FCPS schools. Stay in NW and go private. DC area public's are being sunk the staggering cost and social burden of ESOL students - some legal, some not. Even in schools like McLean and Langley, which from demographics appear to not be as impacted as schools such as Herndon and SL, the budget impact reduced resources significantly.

PP said they can't afford private and Langley and McLean are certainly better learning environments than Wilson. Plus they are closer to DH's work.