Anonymous wrote:Maybe these charts will be useful:

http://www.fcps.edu/cco/pr/apib/2011/table10ibdiploma.pdf

http://commweb.fcps.edu/schoolprofile/profile.cfm?profile_id=120 (look for the IB results under the "Test Results" tab)

Overall, the picture that emerges is that IB participation at Edison is increasing, and the students seem to do about as well on the IB tests there as at other FCPS schools with IB programs. However, in comparson with some other county schools, such as Marshall and Robinson, the percentage of Edison students who obtain the full IB diploma is low.

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. From what I've read over the past few days, I actually think I would be comfortable with Edison. We just moved to the area from out of state less than a year ago. We probably bought a house a bit prematurely. We bought the house knowing that the schools were not considered top notch but bought on the Fairfax County side of Alexandria knowing that our kids could one day attend TJ if we opted to go the public school route. I spent quite a bit of time researching the private schools in the lower grades but had dismissed the public schools. We bought the house planning to send our kids to Browne, Burgandy Farms, Alexandria Day or SSSA.

We can easily afford to send our kids to private school. DH is the one who changed his mind and now feels strongly about sending our kids to public school. He wants our kids to attend school with a diverse pool of students.

You do realize that FCPS has a standard curricula, right? That what's taught in one school is taught in another? Test scores are more a reflection of the socioeconomic status of the student population and not the quality of instruction, right?

Just where do you live and who do you socialize with who thinks about moving away because of the schools? We moved to the Franconia area in 1998 and only moved because we upgraded our housing. We now live in one of the more expensive neighborhoods in Franconia (I recognize the oxymoron) and don't know a single person who considered moving away because of the school - not a single person in 14 years! The kids in our neighborhood all attended public school and a good number of them have gone on to excellent universities - Stanford, Vanderbilt, UVA, etc. And, some of them went to trade school at Edison. The electrician we use went through the vocational program and owns his company with 30 employees. By his account and by appearances, he's doing fabulously.

You really need to examine your academic biases and your expectations for your kids. You expect your kids "to go to at least a UVA" and your "kids could one day attend TJ if we opted to go the public school route"? Your expectations are way out of line. You should expect your children to be well educated and successful but there are many ways to accomplish that. Not every child is a good fit for UVA or TJ - in fact, TJ is as hard to get into as the Ivy League schools. To think that it's an option for you if you go the public school route is a reflection of hubris, not reality. Going to public school isn't a sentence to academic purgatory and mediocrity in life.

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. From what I've read over the past few days, I actually think I would be comfortable with Edison. We just moved to the area from out of state less than a year ago. We probably bought a house a bit prematurely. We bought the house knowing that the schools were not considered top notch but bought on the Fairfax County side of Alexandria knowing that our kids could one day attend TJ if we opted to go the public school route. I spent quite a bit of time researching the private schools in the lower grades but had dismissed the public schools. We bought the house planning to send our kids to Browne, Burgandy Farms, Alexandria Day or SSSA.

We can easily afford to send our kids to private school. DH is the one who changed his mind and now feels strongly about sending our kids to public school. He wants our kids to attend school with a diverse pool of students.

You do realize that FCPS has a standard curricula, right? That what's taught in one school is taught in another? Test scores are more a reflection of the socioeconomic status of the student population and not the quality of instruction, right?

Just where do you live and who do you socialize with who thinks about moving away because of the schools? We moved to the Franconia area in 1998 and only moved because we upgraded our housing. We now live in one of the more expensive neighborhoods in Franconia (I recognize the oxymoron) and don't know a single person who considered moving away because of the school - not a single person in 14 years! The kids in our neighborhood all attended public school and a good number of them have gone on to excellent universities - Stanford, Vanderbilt, UVA, etc. And, some of them went to trade school at Edison. The electrician we use went through the vocational program and owns his company with 30 employees. By his account and by appearances, he's doing fabulously.

You really need to examine your academic biases and your expectations for your kids. You expect your kids "to go to at least a UVA" and your "kids could one day attend TJ if we opted to go the public school route"? Your expectations are way out of line. You should expect your children to be well educated and successful but there are many ways to accomplish that. Not every child is a good fit for UVA or TJ - in fact, TJ is as hard to get into as the Ivy League schools. To think that it's an option for you if you go the public school route is a reflection of hubris, not reality. Going to public school isn't a sentence to academic purgatory and mediocrity in life.

OP here. From what I've read over the past few days, I actually think I would be comfortable with Edison. We just moved to the area from out of state less than a year ago. We probably bought a house a bit prematurely. We bought the house knowing that the schools were not considered top notch but bought on the Fairfax County side of Alexandria knowing that our kids could one day attend TJ if we opted to go the public school route. I spent quite a bit of time researching the private schools in the lower grades but had dismissed the public schools. We bought the house planning to send our kids to Browne, Burgandy Farms, Alexandria Day or SSSA.

We can easily afford to send our kids to private school. DH is the one who changed his mind and now feels strongly about sending our kids to public school. He wants our kids to attend school with a diverse pool of students.

Anonymous wrote:OP, what schools do you think you'd be comfortable with?

Edison, I think, has enough good neighborhoods where you -- and your kids -- will thrive. IMO, it's more about the immediate surroundings with Edison and the "lesser" FCPS schools. we're not talking Freedom-Woodbridge or Gar-Field here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is considered an Ivy? I had no idea.

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/choosingacollege/tp/ivy-league-schools.htm

Anonymous wrote:It has been a university for hundreds of years and was founded by Thomas Jefferson. It is a place most cultured, educated people have at least heard mentioned once or twice. Maybe you are from another country.

I certainly wouldn't consider Cornell equal to UVA.

Regardless, a school like Edison with more ESOL students does have an advantage for your typical upper middle class kids--they have a lot less competition at the top of the class and for extracurricular activites. Also, for in-state colleges, admissions people have an idea of how many kids they want to accept from each school. So a school like Edison could give your dc a competitive advantage over not standing out at all somewhere like Langley.

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is considered an Ivy? I had no idea.

Anonymous wrote:Cornell is considered an Ivy? I had no idea.