Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

Very few end up at elite colleges at the lower ranked schools. Many of the brightest end up at GMU or NVCC because they can't pay to live away. Better colleges aren't discussed since they are not on most kids' radar.

Which is exactly why Justice or Wakefield kids coming from families where better colleges are on the radar and that do have the means to pay, have an advantage in the admission process. There are fewer applicants to the best colleges from those schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

Very few end up at elite colleges at the lower ranked schools. Many of the brightest end up at GMU or NVCC because they can't pay to live away. Better colleges aren't discussed since they are not on most kids' radar.

I take that back - one of the brightest did go away. Full scholarship to what would be considered a safety.

Anonymous wrote:12:58 here again,

Just re-read your question in the title of this thread.

I guess my answer to "does the school pyramid really make a difference in the long run?" is:

Maybe. It depends on your kid.

Many people think of it like an insurance policy -- they buy in the best zone they can afford so that they know they've done all they can do for the kid to succeed. Whatever happens from there is on the kid.

+1 - In my view and experience, your two responses are excellent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP will the cheaper house allow you to stop working or go part time?

Then you can the academic manager and tutor for your kid to help provide the differentiation they will not receive at a school where managing discipline and simply passing the SOLs is the priority of the teachers and administration

??

Lower GS high schools schools in this area offer programs like IB, AP and/or Honors classes, just as the higher GS schools do.

At least in name. The performance on AP and IB exams varies widely among area schools.

Of course. It's pretty well-established that income impacts performance on standardized tests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

Very few end up at elite colleges at the lower ranked schools. Many of the brightest end up at GMU or NVCC because they can't pay to live away. Better colleges aren't discussed since they are not on most kids' radar.

OP, there are wild swings in grading, evaluation. Not saying it can't be navigating, but student outcomes will differ

Anonymous wrote:Honestly asking - Does the school pyramid really make a difference in the long run? I grew up in a small city in upstate NY and there was no moving around to a better school district. I got into a great engineering school and have done fine in life. But now, as my family is looking to move from a condo to SFH in NOVA with 2 kids, I'm feeling like I'm missing something. I'm feeling like the competition and school hunting that I see my peers doing when singling out a SFH is too much. My husband I are very engineering and math focused and see our children headed in that direction as well. Do I really need to be in the top school district, 7's and above on great schools?? Top 20 in the state? Will it make a difference in school experience or getting into college depending on what HS you went to? Any hidden gem schools that aren't rated great on GS but are, in fact, great?

For perspective, we are looking for a SFH with decent sized yard and 2000+ sq for $950k or less. Arlington, Falls Church, McLean, Vienna, Alexandria, Annandale, or closer in Fairfax

In general, it will be easier to graduate in the top 5-10% of your class coming from a school like Justice, which may provide a leg up in college admissions. To the extent that colleges limit the number of admits from a given high school, there may also be advantages. For example, many believe those applying from high-income schools like McLean or Langley are at a relative disadvantage getting into UVA.

12:58 here again,

Just re-read your question in the title of this thread.

I guess my answer to "does the school pyramid really make a difference in the long run?" is:

Maybe. It depends on your kid.

Many people think of it like an insurance policy -- they buy in the best zone they can afford so that they know they've done all they can do for the kid to succeed. Whatever happens from there is on the kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP will the cheaper house allow you to stop working or go part time?

Then you can the academic manager and tutor for your kid to help provide the differentiation they will not receive at a school where managing discipline and simply passing the SOLs is the priority of the teachers and administration

??

Lower GS high schools schools in this area offer programs like IB, AP and/or Honors classes, just as the higher GS schools do.

At least in name. The performance on AP and IB exams varies widely among area schools.

OP, I think it really depends on your kid.

The top 15% of kids (in general) are very motivated and will excel wherever they are planted. They can be in a lower reputation school and they will still learn a lot and end up at great colleges b/c they have a lot of internal motivation.

It's the kids in the middle who benefit from a motivated peer group, a parent community that is able to support programs, and a school administration that has their eyes on achievement rather than putting out fires. They don't have as much motivation, so they could be swayed for the good or swayed toward the bad/lazy side of things.

Most people want their kids to be swayed toward the good -- i.e. achievement. So, a good peer group is worth the price of buying into that zone. But there are still going to be some kids from good homes, who go to good schools, who just don't have the internal motivation or haven't yet connected to the fact that this whole education thing is for their own benefit.

You cannot guarantee that your child will be a hot ticket just because you send them to one of the better schools. And if your kid is already a motivated kid, you are lucky that you can really pick any school zone and it'll work out great. If your kid is one of the lesser-motivated kids, the school won't necessarily change that, but a good peer group can't hurt, and it MIGHT actually move your kid toward higher achievement/motivation.

We're all just playing the odds here and trying to set our kids up for success while considering price point and commute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still like this article:

Does it pay to obsess on where your kid goes to school?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/25/does-it-pay-to-obsess-on-where-your-kid-goes-to-college/%3foutputType=amp

Great article and I agree.

From a Post reporter who lives in DC and sent at least one of her kids to private school.

Too bad, when she could have done just as well at Eastern or Cardozo.

Did you read the article? It's really written by someone else (the professor who wrote the book), even though for some reason she gets the byline.

Anonymous wrote:OP will the cheaper house allow you to stop working or go part time?

Then you can the academic manager and tutor for your kid to help provide the differentiation they will not receive at a school where managing discipline and simply passing the SOLs is the priority of the teachers and administration

??

Lower GS high schools schools in this area offer programs like IB, AP and/or Honors classes, just as the higher GS schools do.

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

All the high schools have racial and ethnic diversity. It is hard to get economic diversity - as even in the poorer schools, the well off are sequestered together in the higher end neighborhoods. Also, all but one HS in FCPS have double digit or near double digit Free and Reduced Lunch students. (not counting TJ)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still like this article:

Does it pay to obsess on where your kid goes to school?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/25/does-it-pay-to-obsess-on-where-your-kid-goes-to-college/%3foutputType=amp

Great article and I agree.

From a Post reporter who lives in DC and sent at least one of her kids to private school.

Too bad, when she could have done just as well at Eastern or Cardozo.

Well, MANY private school parents view all public schools as the same, hence why they go private.

Many PPs have said on this thread that instruction will be the same across FCPS schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still like this article:

Does it pay to obsess on where your kid goes to school?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/25/does-it-pay-to-obsess-on-where-your-kid-goes-to-college/%3foutputType=amp

Great article and I agree.

From a Post reporter who lives in DC and sent at least one of her kids to private school.

Too bad, when she could have done just as well at Eastern or Cardozo.