Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I'll be straight, even though I'll get blasted. My DH is convinced our child is a genius and wants her to go to TJ. She is 3. He says he wants to do everything he can for her education, including moving to have a better shot at TJ. We can't afford McLean (it's even more expensive than Arlington), so I was looking at other Fairfax pyramids with homes under $700. Unlike my DH, I'm not convinced that there is a big difference between APS and Fairfax schools, and that she'll still have a chance to get into TJ as an Arlington resident. I'm also not convinced that she's a genius.

Were you and your DH in a gifted program as a child? IQ is partially heritable, especially maternally.

And we are in FCPS, but I've heard plenty of parents complain about the lack of a "real" GT program in Arlington, FWIW.

Yes. DH's IQ in the 150s. I've never had an IQ test, but was a National Merit Scholar and went to top 4 schools for ugrad/grad.

You guys must not really be that smart if you can't afford a more expensive house.

More like another example of smart people, but no common sense.
And Op's kid is only 3 yrs old and they're concerned about TJ now?
Um, ohhhh-kay.

Any perceived differences are not worth the cost and upheaval

Don't move for TJ. Don't move for Woodson.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

Are there more kids in FCPS?

There are about 25,000 kids in Arlington public schools. There are more than 188,000 in Fairfax public schools.

OP, we knew a kid at TJ. He regretted it at the end, because he didn't get into his first choice college. Too much competition at TJ for a limited number of slots. He said it would have been better to be the big fish in a small pond at his neighborhood high school.

Don’t be daft. There are far more TJ kids getting into top schools than kids from Yorktown. Of course, they aim higher as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

Are there more kids in FCPS?

There are about 25,000 kids in Arlington public schools. There are more than 188,000 in Fairfax public schools.

OP, we knew a kid at TJ. He regretted it at the end, because he didn't get into his first choice college. Too much competition at TJ for a limited number of slots. He said it would have been better to be the big fish in a small pond at his neighborhood high school.

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

Are there more kids in FCPS?

When it comes to National Merit Semifinalists, it’s more like 18.5 dozen in FCPS to one dozen in APS.

six of one, half dozen of the other.

Anonymous wrote:You are in a great school pyramid! Arlington schools are way better than Fairfax and they pay their teachers more = better teachers. Arlington has amazing options and the school board seems to always be looking at the latest educational approaches. In Arlington if, for any reason, you don't like your schools, you have more opportunities to change them (choice and lottery). In Fairfax you don't. Fairfax really depends on the school and they are not known for innovation. Lots of testing, lots of HW, and old-school "talented and gifted" program (that they only changed the name for to make it sound better). If you kids goes to any of the Arlington schools, you can get into Harvard. And, it is impossible to know if you kid is Harvard material at 3, BTW. All parents think their kid is a genius at that age.

LOL. APS is headed by a former FCPS gym teacher. The top pyramids in FCPS, including Woodson, are the best in NoVa. Better students, better advanced academics, and better academic options and academy programs.

You are in a great school pyramid! Arlington schools are way better than Fairfax and they pay their teachers more = better teachers. Arlington has amazing options and the school board seems to always be looking at the latest educational approaches. In Arlington if, for any reason, you don't like your schools, you have more opportunities to change them (choice and lottery). In Fairfax you don't. Fairfax really depends on the school and they are not known for innovation. Lots of testing, lots of HW, and old-school "talented and gifted" program (that they only changed the name for to make it sound better). If you kids goes to any of the Arlington schools, you can get into Harvard. And, it is impossible to know if you kid is Harvard material at 3, BTW. All parents think their kid is a genius at that age.

Also, if TJ is a big goal, Frost MS is probably more of a "TJ feeder" than any middle school in Arlington, but the three middle schools that send the most kids to TJ are Carson, Longfellow, and Rocky Run.

Mantua is an AAP center, so if you buy in that district your child can stay in the same school whether he/she tests into LLIV (the gifted program) or not.

Some of the posters (presumably from APS) have noted that AAP in FCPS may "siphon off" brighter kids, but the flip side is that AAP attracts families who otherwise might not buy in Fairfax to the county.

There are a lot of similarities between Woodson and Yorktown, but there are differences. Woodson families, overall, are less affluent than Yorktown families, so there are fewer kids with a sense of entitlement. There are also a lot more Asian kids in the top FCPS pyramids, including Woodson, than in APS. In addition, every high school in FCPS is either AP or IB, for the most part. In comparison, APS offers a full range of both AP and IB courses at Washington-Lee, but not Yorktown. So a lot of the brighter kids at Yorktown pupil-place to W-L for IB, but Yorktown doesn't get bright kids who want AP from W-L in return.

Having said all this, I wouldn't move for schools alone, but if there are other financial or personal benefits to being further out in a less expensive area, I'd take Woodson over Yorktown.

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine the outcome would be significantly different between the YHS pyramid and the FCPS pyramids you mention for a gifted UMC kid with smart parents who put an emphasis on education. The APS kids I know who went to TJ are very bright and have flourished there. I also think any advantage that AAP may provide can be counter acted by optional enrichment activities and probably a easier ability to advocate for opportunities for your child in APS than in FCPS.

Thanks, this was my feeling too (OP). I think I'll convince DH to chill and stay put. Plus I hate moving.

I can't imagine the outcome would be significantly different between the YHS pyramid and the FCPS pyramids you mention for a gifted UMC kid with smart parents who put an emphasis on education. The APS kids I know who went to TJ are very bright and have flourished there. I also think any advantage that AAP may provide can be counter acted by optional enrichment activities and probably a easier ability to advocate for opportunities for your child in APS than in FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I'll be straight, even though I'll get blasted. My DH is convinced our child is a genius and wants her to go to TJ. She is 3. He says he wants to do everything he can for her education, including moving to have a better shot at TJ. We can't afford McLean (it's even more expensive than Arlington), so I was looking at other Fairfax pyramids with homes under $700. Unlike my DH, I'm not convinced that there is a big difference between APS and Fairfax schools, and that she'll still have a chance to get into TJ as an Arlington resident. I'm also not convinced that she's a genius.

Were you and your DH in a gifted program as a child? IQ is partially heritable, especially maternally.

And we are in FCPS, but I've heard plenty of parents complain about the lack of a "real" GT program in Arlington, FWIW.

Yes. DH's IQ in the 150s. I've never had an IQ test, but was a National Merit Scholar and went to top 4 schools for ugrad/grad.

You guys must not really be that smart if you can't afford a more expensive house.

This is so terrible. And yet, well...now, that you mention it.

Anonymous wrote:you can still go to TJ from Arlington Public Schools, FYI.

This.

Also, your husband sounds completely insane. Time to be the strong counterbalance to that instinct or your kid WILL be messed up.