For most families new to the area, they are choosing HS by home prices. Is that not a factor?

OP where are you from that you are already so familar with the differences between ballston and fcc? Are you local? That might help drive this discussion.

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Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

OP here. If we go with W-L that would describe our lives! It is what I am strongly leaning towards. But if Yorktown or Wakefield has a better way to make the school feel less giant (current MS has 400 kids) then I might consider something slightly more suburban!!

OP, does your kid do any sports? While most of the teams are super competitive and hard to make, cross country is no cut and could be a good way for yours to meet others. It starts in August before the actual school year, too. There are also other extracurricular activities and clubs. It will likely be tough to meet people at first - your kid will have to put themselves out there, which I know many teens never want to do. I don’t think any of the high schools have anything to make them feel smaller, tbh.

No not into sports but said he was willing to try cross country!

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

So they skip out on the bus home, how are they getting home? Mom and dad or a student with a car picks them up. No teenager is taking the ART at 5pm.

Ballston is a so-so mall, with a few ground level shops and a target, and a LOT of office buildings. Its not really urban in the vibrant community way.

Wait why wouldn’t a teen take a bus?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is also the burbs. FCC is arguably more walkable at least in parts. Not all have been together in FCC. Many foreign services move in and out.

It is so pretentious that people in FCC pretend like the only transient population in FCC and FCCPS consists of foreign service and their kids.

Everything OP has posted suggests they’d be happiest in an area like Penrose zoned to Wakefield.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

OP here. If we go with W-L that would describe our lives! It is what I am strongly leaning towards. But if Yorktown or Wakefield has a better way to make the school feel less giant (current MS has 400 kids) then I might consider something slightly more suburban!!

OP, does your kid do any sports? While most of the teams are super competitive and hard to make, cross country is no cut and could be a good way for yours to meet others. It starts in August before the actual school year, too. There are also other extracurricular activities and clubs. It will likely be tough to meet people at first - your kid will have to put themselves out there, which I know many teens never want to do. I don’t think any of the high schools have anything to make them feel smaller, tbh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

So they skip out on the bus home, how are they getting home? Mom and dad or a student with a car picks them up. No teenager is taking the ART at 5pm.

Ballston is a so-so mall, with a few ground level shops and a target, and a LOT of office buildings. Its not really urban in the vibrant community way.

I wouldn't consider Ballston a mall any longer. Maybe a failed mail. But it has a successful ice rink, food hall, and other places kids eat. No one's kidding themselves that Ballston is vibrant 14th Street or Union Market, etc. Ballston, Clarendon, Roslyn are vibrant communities with shops (Clarendon mainly), eateries, cultural institutions (MOCAA-Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington), robust public transit, diverse and dense housing types, etc.

W-L upperclassmen do take advantage of open lunch and walk to/from Ballston to eat. Students do in fact take the public bus or subway after dark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

So they skip out on the bus home, how are they getting home? Mom and dad or a student with a car picks them up. No teenager is taking the ART at 5pm.

Ballston is a so-so mall, with a few ground level shops and a target, and a LOT of office buildings. Its not really urban in the vibrant community way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

That's more 22203 and 22205. PP is talking about the Yorktown neighborhoods. OP is talking about FC where you can also walk to shops, restaurants and has a bunch of condos along Broad. OP was acting as if FCC and Alrington are apples and oranges- false.

OP here. Ballston and FCC are very different. At the end of the day my bigger concern is insularity at Meridian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

Lots of DD's friends at Washington-Liberty live in high rises in Rosslyn and Ballston. Kids walk from school to Ballston to eat and hang out, and it definitely feels urban more than suburban. Depends where you are.

OP here. If we go with W-L that would describe our lives! It is what I am strongly leaning towards. But if Yorktown or Wakefield has a better way to make the school feel less giant (current MS has 400 kids) then I might consider something slightly more suburban!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are likely moving to Arlington for my kid’s HS years. I see that all the three comprehensive HS are massive. Is there any difference in how they handle the size between them? I’m not that concerned about the differences in demographics etc. Just want my kid to be able to integrate into the school with the other kids. He is not a STEM kid so Arlington Tech isn’t really an option. I don’t think he will be full IB either.

Why would you do this? Move to FCC. We moved here pre kids for the short commute and metro access, but as nearly empty nesters FCC would be ideal.

Because I don’t like the suburbs and because I don’t think sticking him into a smaller school where all the kids have been together since K is a great idea either.

Arlington is a suburb. What are you talking about? If you send your kid to Yorktown its no different. 22207 and 22213 are as suburban as you can get.

FCC is much more suburban than Ballston …

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in Arlington are not really that large. Where are you moving from?

+1? I thought the Arlington high schools were regular sized schools. Less than 3000, certainly not "massive".

Lol, they are indeed massive!! If you are coming from smaller or mid sized towns. My HS in the was less than 1000.

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Anonymous wrote:The schools in Arlington are not really that large. Where are you moving from?

600 to 700 kids in a class is huge. I grew up with 100 students in my class and we were a big school at the time.

This is...very strange. I went to a public high school in Massachusetts that had about 120 kids per class, so just under 500 students total. It was considered a very small high school.

My kids--one an athlete, one not--had good experiences at APS high schools.

most school districts are smaller than ours here too. and arlington doesn't have land for more schools.

Large county run school districts are the norm throughout the southeastern US. Further west and from Pennsylvania northward school districts are smaller, except for the big city ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in Arlington are not really that large. Where are you moving from?

600 to 700 kids in a class is huge. I grew up with 100 students in my class and we were a big school at the time.

This is...very strange. I went to a public high school in Massachusetts that had about 120 kids per class, so just under 500 students total. It was considered a very small high school.

My kids--one an athlete, one not--had good experiences at APS high schools.

most school districts are smaller than ours here too. and arlington doesn't have land for more schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools in Arlington are not really that large. Where are you moving from?

600 to 700 kids in a class is huge. I grew up with 100 students in my class and we were a big school at the time.

This is...very strange. I went to a public high school in Massachusetts that had about 120 kids per class, so just under 500 students total. It was considered a very small high school.

My kids--one an athlete, one not--had good experiences at APS high schools.

Not strange at all. While many public high schools in suburban areas outside major cities often exceed 1,000 to 2,000 students, the median size across the US is much lower. Average public school enrollment for high schools grades 9-12 is about 520 students.