I teach at Key. I may be biased, but I've taught at 3 different schools in the county and the teachers at Key are above and beyond the best I've come across. Your child will be able to find a peer group here, and if they want leadership roles, they will have the opportunity to pursue them here as well.

We are getting a new principal this year (some time, eventually), and I think that will spark even more positive change.

You are no longer able to leave Lee for AP classes. The principal at Lee has begun to offer AP versions of classes, so students have a choice between AP or IB. It's definitely a step in the right direction!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it would be the only IB school in the county? Is that really likely and if so, when?

DP- Seems more likely they’d get rid of IB at Annandale, Edison and Mount Vernon and consolidate those programs at Lee. The SB avoids conflict and the louder IB parents are at Marshall, Robinson, South Lakes, and Stuart.

Does Stuart have a loud group of advocates?

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I would be more concerned about whether your kid would even attend Lee. There is talk of closing the school and re-branding it as the regional IB center for a bunch of schools, fwiw.

No, they're not going to do that.

Anonymous wrote:So it would be the only IB school in the county? Is that really likely and if so, when?

DP- Seems more likely they’d get rid of IB at Annandale, Edison and Mount Vernon and consolidate those programs at Lee. The SB avoids conflict and the louder IB parents are at Marshall, Robinson, South Lakes, and Stuart.

So it would be the only IB school in the county? Is that really likely and if so, when?

Honestly, I would be more concerned about whether your kid would even attend Lee. There is talk of closing the school and re-branding it as the regional IB center for a bunch of schools, fwiw.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If FCPS wants to improve the pyramid, it will have to take tangible steps to demonstrate Lee has something other to offer than a crappy IB program and an ESOL program on steroids. So far it hasn’t so all the schools in the pyramid suffer. The latest blow is downsizing the AAP program at SEES.

+1

Thanks Tamera D-K! ("Bringing IB to every school in the county!!")

After FCPS turned around South Lakes through a redistricting a decade ago, the School Board lost its nerve and only redistricted when it moved kids to higher performing schools. Those left behind at schools like Lee are the true forgotten of FCPS.

The current Democratic-controlled School Board, with its faux liberals like Pat Hynes and Karen Keys-Gamarra, is the worst in at least 30 years. Past members like Stu Gibson were willing to take the heat; the majority of the current board cares only about espousing liberal views on fringe issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is Saratoga elementary so low rated? There are some nice middle-class neighborhoods of SFH over there, and the town homes look nice too. There’s lots of schools in West Springfield and Burke that have TH and condos in bounds, but none of those schools are as bad as Saratoga. What gives?

And yes, I know schools are what you make of it and a motivated student with involved parents can do well anywhere (my husband graduated from a high school much like TC Williams and his elementary was not much better) but I just have no idea what makes Saratoga so poorly-rated.

Hint: it’s not from the housing directly around it.

I know the Saratoga boundary is very large and includes the Fort Belvoir north area, but it does seem like a nice area. So, where are the majority of struggling students coming from? If there is low-income housing, it’s well hidden.

Look at the map.
It runs way up 395.
It’s catching all kinds of low rent housing in Springfield.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is Saratoga elementary so low rated? There are some nice middle-class neighborhoods of SFH over there, and the town homes look nice too. There’s lots of schools in West Springfield and Burke that have TH and condos in bounds, but none of those schools are as bad as Saratoga. What gives?

And yes, I know schools are what you make of it and a motivated student with involved parents can do well anywhere (my husband graduated from a high school much like TC Williams and his elementary was not much better) but I just have no idea what makes Saratoga so poorly-rated.

Hint: it’s not from the housing directly around it.

I know the Saratoga boundary is very large and includes the Fort Belvoir north area, but it does seem like a nice area. So, where are the majority of struggling students coming from? If there is low-income housing, it’s well hidden.

Anonymous wrote:If FCPS wants to improve the pyramid, it will have to take tangible steps to demonstrate Lee has something other to offer than a crappy IB program and an ESOL program on steroids. So far it hasn’t so all the schools in the pyramid suffer. The latest blow is downsizing the AAP program at SEES.

+1

Thanks Tamera D-K! ("Bringing IB to every school in the county!!")

If FCPS wants to improve the pyramid, it will have to take tangible steps to demonstrate Lee has something other to offer than a crappy IB program and an ESOL program on steroids. So far it hasn’t so all the schools in the pyramid suffer. The latest blow is downsizing the AAP program at SEES.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is Saratoga elementary so low rated? There are some nice middle-class neighborhoods of SFH over there, and the town homes look nice too. There’s lots of schools in West Springfield and Burke that have TH and condos in bounds, but none of those schools are as bad as Saratoga. What gives?

And yes, I know schools are what you make of it and a motivated student with involved parents can do well anywhere (my husband graduated from a high school much like TC Williams and his elementary was not much better) but I just have no idea what makes Saratoga so poorly-rated.

Hint: it’s not from the housing directly around it.

How big is the boundary then? I just can’t think of anywhere around there where things are really run down. I’m seriously at a loss. I know there’s one apartment building by the McDonalds but it doesn’t look bad and it doesn’t seem to be that big of a complex either.

Anonymous wrote:Why is Saratoga elementary so low rated? There are some nice middle-class neighborhoods of SFH over there, and the town homes look nice too. There’s lots of schools in West Springfield and Burke that have TH and condos in bounds, but none of those schools are as bad as Saratoga. What gives?

And yes, I know schools are what you make of it and a motivated student with involved parents can do well anywhere (my husband graduated from a high school much like TC Williams and his elementary was not much better) but I just have no idea what makes Saratoga so poorly-rated.

Hint: it’s not from the housing directly around it.

Why is Saratoga elementary so low rated? There are some nice middle-class neighborhoods of SFH over there, and the town homes look nice too. There’s lots of schools in West Springfield and Burke that have TH and condos in bounds, but none of those schools are as bad as Saratoga. What gives?

And yes, I know schools are what you make of it and a motivated student with involved parents can do well anywhere (my husband graduated from a high school much like TC Williams and his elementary was not much better) but I just have no idea what makes Saratoga so poorly-rated.

You can’t blame individual families for making a different choice for their kids.
The entire system has to have the will to make a meaningful change.
Parents aren’t likely to mess around with their kid’s education.
I’m not saying a kid can’t learn at Lee. I had friends graduate from Lee back in the 90’s. It was a perfectly fine school back then. What has happened to it makes me incredibly sad.