The biggest difference between these schools is that South Lakes is IB and the other two are AP. South Lakes is more diverse than the other two, but they are all great schools. I have friends with kids at all three, and all three are very happy. When we were house hunting, we were looking at houses zoned to South Lakes and Oakton. We're zoned to Oaktom but would have been pleased either way.

OP. Make a list of your desires with the one that is your top priority.

As far as your child "drowning socially or academically," that can occur anywhere. Or, not at all. That's kind of up to you and her.

What kind of middle school has she been in before this? Small? Large? Structured? Demanding?

You've not mentioned the transition to a new community.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

No agenda here...

????
I am OP and I don't have an agenda. I don't live in NoVa and this is all new to me and I have been plunged into it in the last two weeks due to a family matter. I want daughter to be able to walk safely around the school and neighborhood and have places to go shopping for groceries that is pleasant and be in a school where she won't drown socially or academically. No agenda other than that. The road going into South Lakes seems like a pinch point because the middle school uses the same small road. Am I wrong?

None are these areas are superwalkable. Maybe you need Arlington?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

No agenda here...

????
I am OP and I don't have an agenda. I don't live in NoVa and this is all new to me and I have been plunged into it in the last two weeks due to a family matter. I want daughter to be able to walk safely around the school and neighborhood and have places to go shopping for groceries that is pleasant and be in a school where she won't drown socially or academically. No agenda other than that. The road going into South Lakes seems like a pinch point because the middle school uses the same small road. Am I wrong?

Since there are different start and end times for the middle and high school, the traffic may not be as bad as you assume. But, all roads at most all the high schools in Northern Va are pinch points. The road at South Lakes HS is a through street unlike at Madison HS, so I assume traffic is better managed at South Lakes.

There are plenty of single family homes in Reston if that’s what you desire. You can look at Google Map satellite view to see where those homes are. Or check out one of the real estate websites. Students at South Lakes walk to nearby homes and to the village area of shops and cafes overlooking Lake Thoreau.

All throughout Reston, there are walking paths separate from the roadways, so students are often able to avoid car traffic. The trails connect to South Lakes HS. Lake Anne, which you visited, is walkable, but those students would be bussed to South Lakes HS since the school is beyond the 1.5 mile walk zone.

Maple Ave is often backed up, since it’s the only major north south thoroughfare there.

Oakton recently renovated

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

No agenda here...

????
I am OP and I don't have an agenda. I don't live in NoVa and this is all new to me and I have been plunged into it in the last two weeks due to a family matter. I want daughter to be able to walk safely around the school and neighborhood and have places to go shopping for groceries that is pleasant and be in a school where she won't drown socially or academically. No agenda other than that. The road going into South Lakes seems like a pinch point because the middle school uses the same small road. Am I wrong?

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

In FCPS, middle school and high school start and end at different times. In most schools, buses have a separate entrance on a different side of the school.

Maple Avenue in Vienna is always bad for traffic.

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

No agenda here...

OP here- I visited Lake Anna today and the farmers mart and drove into south Lake HS parking lot. how does the traffic work there with the middle school? I assume the drop off and pick up times are a lot different because they are using the same little road in and out, and do the buses go out that same road or out some other road? There is a new Whole Foods about to open. The Reston town center itself was nice with the restaurants and shops... All those kids who live there go to South Lake and some go to Herndon? I did not see a lot of single family homes but stayed on the main roads and saw a lot of townhomes and apartments. Then we drove out to Vienna and it seemed like a bunch of gummed up traffic on that Maple street that would be a pain during the week... or is it just like that because of fourth of july weekend?

Anonymous wrote:No horse in this race. However, I find the comments on here remarkable in their lack of sensitivity and would not take any of these at its face value.

OP. Do your own research.

And, I have no idea if Lake Anne is safe or not. It is a pleasant area in the daytime. But, to the poster who said the Senior living facility was built there due to the safety--that is just wrong.

Yes, there is a new Senior living facility across from it. However, it is basically the same facility that has been there for many, many years. It is "affordable housing" and was built to replace an old rundown building. That building was torn down and there are expensive new townhouses there--some are still being built.

As for a school that one poster said is mostly upper middle class, it has a very large FARMS rate. That would not stop me, but it is not accurate to use the description PP posted.

All of the schools are good and diverse. The only issue I see is AP vs IB.

The FARMs rate for South Lakes HS hovers around 30%. The demographics there have been stable for many years. The FARMs rate for FCPS as a whole hovers around 40%.

I don’t think 30% is high for the DC area, but that’s my opinion. Suburban towns outside of most U.S. cities are very segregated by income and housing type. The DC area is unique with the large county run school systems which cover socio-economically diverse areas.

The FCPS schools have walk zones. And for high school students are expected to walk to school within 1.5 miles of the school. But that is only if the walk zone is considered safe for pedestrians by FCPS. Bus transportation is provided if pedestrian safety is not guaranteed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes, I drove through Marshall parking lot and was concerned about the more city feel around it of Tysons, that it wouldn't be as safe for walking around in , from a pedestrian/car safety standpoint. Also the building looked older... I am also not sure about IB and my daughter, I don't think she would have enough interest in the program to complete the IB diploma...

DP. You are completely wrong regarding safety. But Tyson's is (luckily for us) not a total white suburbia. I hope you find what you are looking for.

+1 I’m a teacher at Marshall. The school has been recently renovated so not sure why you would say it looks older. Its library is gorgeous. There is a diverse student body with kids from many socio-economic backgrounds. Kids can take IB classes, but not do the full diploma. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great school to work at and the students overall seem happy.

Teacher again. I’ve worked there for 15+ years and have never heard of a student being hit by a car or injured around the school because of traffic. If kids walk anywhere it’s to the right of the school towards Idylwood Plaza. I rarely see anyone walking towards Tysons Corner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes, I drove through Marshall parking lot and was concerned about the more city feel around it of Tysons, that it wouldn't be as safe for walking around in , from a pedestrian/car safety standpoint. Also the building looked older... I am also not sure about IB and my daughter, I don't think she would have enough interest in the program to complete the IB diploma...

DP. You are completely wrong regarding safety. But Tyson's is (luckily for us) not a total white suburbia. I hope you find what you are looking for.

+1 I’m a teacher at Marshall. The school has been recently renovated so not sure why you would say it looks older. Its library is gorgeous. There is a diverse student body with kids from many socio-economic backgrounds. Kids can take IB classes, but not do the full diploma. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great school to work at and the students overall seem happy.

Yes do your own research but realize that even citing stats can be subjective. What exactly is a “very large FARMS rate?” For some, it is over 15%, for others a very large FARMS rate would be over 50 or 60%. All these stats can easily be found online. None of the previous posts have been purposefully misleading except for those that say avoid “x” school, without any explanation.

(FARMs refers to free and reduced lunch students, an indication of poverty.)

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to Herndon, and we live within walking distance to the quaint downtown area. The school has some issues,but my kids have participated in sports (you can try a new sport without previous experience: think volleyball, track, wrestling, football, softball, dive, tennis and golf) and clubs. There are volunteer opportunities, and I have heard the theatre and band departments are wonderful.

It is a diverse school, majority Hispanic, by just over half. My eldest graduated with nine AP courses and her lowest grade was only one 3. She was well-prepared for the exams, and is thriving in college. It is easier to stand out among their peers, as there is less competition for leadership positions. Housing is less expensive, but there is a a good sense of community. We have our own mayor, a few festivals and a fun homecoming parade. We enjoy going to the local family owned restaurants, and running into friends.

Forgot to add that Herndon was completely renovated and modernized during the pandemic.