Anonymous wrote:OP, the deal with Hayfield is that you must have your kids take all honors (which aren't that hard anyway) or AP.

There are kids who care and those who don't. The ones who aren't prepared to learn (i.e. don't care and like to be disruptive) mainly come from the Rt. 1 corridor/Lorton Stat. elem. If your kid cares, they will hang out with other kids who care (in the honors/AP classes) and they will do fine.

Anonymous wrote:OP, the deal with Hayfield is that you must have your kids take all honors (which aren't that hard anyway) or AP.

There are kids who care and those who don't. The ones who aren't prepared to learn (i.e. don't care and like to be disruptive) mainly come from the Rt. 1 corridor/Lorton Stat. elem. If your kid cares, they will hang out with other kids who care (in the honors/AP classes) and they will do fine.

Anonymous wrote:If you like your home and only have one kid, I'd just do Bishop Ireton. My friends all have their older children there and they really like it.

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Anonymous wrote:Langley, McLean and Marshall are all in the eastern part of the county as well. I'm assuming you are priced out?

I don't really think of Lake Braddock as in the eastern part of the county, but if you think so you could also add Woodson to your list.

I'd be fine with either Hayfield or Edison. "Middling" is a label for the school average, but there seem to be significant cohorts of typical, high-achieving NoVa kids at both schools. I'd be more concerned with Lee or Mount Vernon, where it seems like the ESOL/FARMS populations likely suck up most of the attention.

We could move to McLean, but it would make commutes a lot worse. We've been established for almost 20 years, love our neighborhood and don't want to move. The schools were highly rated back then, but have since declined.

If we move anywhere, it will be outside of Fairfax Co. I'm so disappointed

I'm sorry that you're disappointed in FCPS. But I'm a bit confused, first you say that you're thinking of relocating for a different high school and now you say that you would only move outside of FCPS. The APS high schools are good but there are problems with overcrowding there. Where else are you considering moving?

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

That is true, but they are being bought by people who don't care about the public schools.

Umm..no. Just not true at all.

Wakefield has some of the lowest SAT scores in NoVa. If OP has issues with Hayfield, she will have even more issues with lower performing Wakefield.

Yes yes, and people still pay a premium for it. We certainly prefer it to Stuart or wherever. Besides who said Op should look in south Arlington? She likely can't afford a comparable home located there.

What does it mean to "pay a premium" for a house there? Over what? You could just as easily say houses there sell "at a discount" compared to North Arlington, Falls Church, McLean, etc.

Stuart has higher SAT scores than Wakefield, and a growing IB diploma program. I'm not sure what Wakefield's selling point is other than the building and the basketball program, but in any event OP has better options in Fairfax than South Arlington.

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

That is true, but they are being bought by people who don't care about the public schools.

Umm..no. Just not true at all.

Wakefield has some of the lowest SAT scores in NoVa. If OP has issues with Hayfield, she will have even more issues with lower performing Wakefield.

Yes yes, and people still pay a premium for it. We certainly prefer it to Stuart or wherever. Besides who said Op should look in south Arlington? She likely can't afford a comparable home located there.

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

That is true, but they are being bought by people who don't care about the public schools.

Umm..no. Just not true at all.

Wakefield has some of the lowest SAT scores in NoVa. If OP has issues with Hayfield, she will have even more issues with lower performing Wakefield.

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

That is true, but they are being bought by people who don't care about the public schools.

Umm..no. Just not true at all.

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

That is true, but they are being bought by people who don't care about the public schools.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I did not make the comment about moving outside FCPS. I don't think Arlington would be workable, and we would probably be priced out in Langley, McLean, etc. Also, it would make our commutes worse as I work in Alexandria City and DH works in Chinatown.

I don't think Hayfield SS is terrible, but it seems that it would be very easy for get lost in the system there. We already supplement a lot at the elementary level because I think the classes are too large.

With the one child too I do not know if it would be worth it to move even if we had to go private. Our house has a lot of long term potential for us, so I am thinking of looking into private options more.

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.

The houses is south Arlington are comparatively much more expensive.

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Anonymous wrote:Langley, McLean and Marshall are all in the eastern part of the county as well. I'm assuming you are priced out?

I don't really think of Lake Braddock as in the eastern part of the county, but if you think so you could also add Woodson to your list.

I'd be fine with either Hayfield or Edison. "Middling" is a label for the school average, but there seem to be significant cohorts of typical, high-achieving NoVa kids at both schools. I'd be more concerned with Lee or Mount Vernon, where it seems like the ESOL/FARMS populations likely suck up most of the attention.

You must not be from around here. Langley, McLean and Marshall, are way west of LBSS. You know...like the direction of the beltway from Springfield to Tysons...

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Anonymous wrote:Many neighborhoods in eastern Fairfax are great places to live and raise a family - Fort Hunt, Stratford Landing, Hayfield, Kingstowne, Saratoga. Great locations, good housing stock, etc. Why are some of the schools in those areas performing poorly? Good neighborhood schools are suddenly not so good. What's going on FCPS?

Huh? These areas look very good compared to, say, South Arlington.