Anonymous
Post 06/16/2025 11:28     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


VCU, NVCC, and GMU are all great schools, as are trade schools, service academies, Ivy League schools, state universities, and tech schools. There is no universal "best" school or training. What is "best" is highly individualized based on each person's needs.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 10:44     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
A lot of TJ students also attend GMU.

Attendance at prestigious colleges is as much a function of family income as academic ability. Students from lower-income families often choose the less costly option even though they are capable of acceptance to highly ranked colleges.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 10:26     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
I come from a poor family, went to a "bottom feeder" FCPS high school, went to GMU on scholarships, ended up earning six figures by the time I was 25 with no student debt. I'm rather happy with how things turned out.

I really don't understand the dismissal of the varied career paths available for students. A student can succeed at any of the FCPS schools. One can attend any number of colleges and find career success.

Understand that having money makes it easier. My decision to attend GMU was monetary based. Many students in "bottom feeder" schools are also working part-time while attending jobs, so they don't have the luxury of investing in sports and arts programs. It's a lot harder to start out in life when your parents don't have money.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 09:29     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


They also send students to UVA, Va Tech, William & Mary, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Yale, etc. in numbers greater than one would think. It’s easier for good students to stand out at smaller, lower performing schools, and the students probably have compelling stories that AO’s like.


Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


what??
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 09:05     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.


Sure, this could be true in some areas, but the wealthier and/or smarter kids at Justice who perform well on standardized tests are just as capeable as those with similar scores from “prestigious” schools, despite having attended the lower rated ones. So, calling certain fcps schools prestigious is just another way of saying that the parents are rich. It’s not that the quality/rigor is different from other schools. Now, the cut-throat competition might be seen a motivator for students to push themselves. In my view, it’s not a healthy environment for my teenager, but to each their own.

Many choose to sacrifice, be house-poor to make sure their kids got to hang out with wealthier families, that’s their choice. Some of us chose to have extra money saved up for emergencies, college tuition, retirement, etc… and our kids attend one of those “scary” high schools.

Also, nobody will care where your kid went to high school when they are job hunting.

-Signed, current UVA parent


Wealthier families with kids at Justice high school? I live in Seven corners with kids at Justice. My kids said they don't know any wealthy kids at Justice, and that the vast majority of them are on FARMS.


Wait, I thought you lived in the Langley district and were lending your address to your poor relatives in Seven Corners so they could avoid Justice.

Get your story straight, please. We don’t mind trolling here, but you need to stick to your fabricated story for at least a few weeks.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 08:58     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.


Sure, this could be true in some areas, but the wealthier and/or smarter kids at Justice who perform well on standardized tests are just as capeable as those with similar scores from “prestigious” schools, despite having attended the lower rated ones. So, calling certain fcps schools prestigious is just another way of saying that the parents are rich. It’s not that the quality/rigor is different from other schools. Now, the cut-throat competition might be seen a motivator for students to push themselves. In my view, it’s not a healthy environment for my teenager, but to each their own.

Many choose to sacrifice, be house-poor to make sure their kids got to hang out with wealthier families, that’s their choice. Some of us chose to have extra money saved up for emergencies, college tuition, retirement, etc… and our kids attend one of those “scary” high schools.

Also, nobody will care where your kid went to high school when they are job hunting.

-Signed, current UVA parent


Wealthier families with kids at Justice high school? I live in Seven corners with kids at Justice. My kids said they don't know any wealthy kids at Justice, and that the vast majority of them are on FARMS.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 08:31     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


Not sure what you mean by bottom feeders but you may want to look at the acceptance instagram pages for various schools. It’s hardly what you describe.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 08:12     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Believe what you want, but I’ve seen firsthand that good students at lower performing schools are getting accepted to colleges that they probably wouldn’t get into if they went to a higher tier, more competitive FCPS school. They stand out. Yes, most of their graduating class go to work, community college, or trade schools but those who aim for college do very well.


Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.


Sure, this could be true in some areas, but the wealthier and/or smarter kids at Justice who perform well on standardized tests are just as capeable as those with similar scores from “prestigious” schools, despite having attended the lower rated ones. So, calling certain fcps schools prestigious is just another way of saying that the parents are rich. It’s not that the quality/rigor is different from other schools. Now, the cut-throat competition might be seen a motivator for students to push themselves. In my view, it’s not a healthy environment for my teenager, but to each their own.

Many choose to sacrifice, be house-poor to make sure their kids got to hang out with wealthier families, that’s their choice. Some of us chose to have extra money saved up for emergencies, college tuition, retirement, etc… and our kids attend one of those “scary” high schools.

Also, nobody will care where your kid went to high school when they are job hunting.

-Signed, current UVA parent


Actually, hate to burst your bubble, but most people don’t really care where you go to undergrad either. Prestige in a grad school is more important.

So, it’s cute that because you’ve excelled at the game with the rules that you’ve defined that you consider yourself an expert, but frankly it’s just not compelling to many of us.

I don’t begrudge you your views, congrats having a kid at uva, but the fact that you think everyone shares your same goals is a bit sad

And people who think they know what is best for other people’s kids are the most annoying.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 08:10     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Believe what you want, but I’ve seen firsthand that good students at lower performing schools are getting accepted to colleges that they probably wouldn’t get into if they went to a higher tier, more competitive FCPS school. They stand out. Yes, most of their graduating class go to work, community college, or trade schools but those who aim for college do very well.


Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.


Are you saying that smart kids from non-prestigious schools should not be admitted Ivys or UVA because they will encounter challenges? I am sure these kids have had to deal with a lot of challenges in their lives already. I guess they will have to go home over breaks and work at their family’s restaurant and not get to summer at the Cape. They won’t have all the connections their peers have, but that doesn’t make them unqualified to be there. Being able to graduate from one of these top universities is life altering for these students, and their families. I am sure they can put up with a few challenges.
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 08:03     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Believe what you want, but I’ve seen firsthand that good students at lower performing schools are getting accepted to colleges that they probably wouldn’t get into if they went to a higher tier, more competitive FCPS school. They stand out. Yes, most of their graduating class go to work, community college, or trade schools but those who aim for college do very well.


Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.


Sure, this could be true in some areas, but the wealthier and/or smarter kids at Justice who perform well on standardized tests are just as capeable as those with similar scores from “prestigious” schools, despite having attended the lower rated ones. So, calling certain fcps schools prestigious is just another way of saying that the parents are rich. It’s not that the quality/rigor is different from other schools. Now, the cut-throat competition might be seen a motivator for students to push themselves. In my view, it’s not a healthy environment for my teenager, but to each their own.

Many choose to sacrifice, be house-poor to make sure their kids got to hang out with wealthier families, that’s their choice. Some of us chose to have extra money saved up for emergencies, college tuition, retirement, etc… and our kids attend one of those “scary” high schools.

Also, nobody will care where your kid went to high school when they are job hunting.

-Signed, current UVA parent
Anonymous
Post 06/15/2025 07:44     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Believe what you want, but I’ve seen firsthand that good students at lower performing schools are getting accepted to colleges that they probably wouldn’t get into if they went to a higher tier, more competitive FCPS school. They stand out. Yes, most of their graduating class go to work, community college, or trade schools but those who aim for college do very well.


Students from lower-performing schools often face significant challenges when they reach competitive colleges, such as Ivy League institutions or UVA. For example, the top golfer at Justice High School likely wouldn't outperform even the lowest-ranked golfer at Langley High School. People often downplay the impact of wealth and academic resources, but these factors play a major role in the gap between high- and low-performing schools. Just saying.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2025 21:51     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


They also send students to UVA, Va Tech, William & Mary, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Yale, etc. in numbers greater than one would think. It’s easier for good students to stand out at smaller, lower performing schools, and the students probably have compelling stories that AO’s like.


Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Believe what you want, but I’ve seen firsthand that good students at lower performing schools are getting accepted to colleges that they probably wouldn’t get into if they went to a higher tier, more competitive FCPS school. They stand out. Yes, most of their graduating class go to work, community college, or trade schools but those who aim for college do very well.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2025 21:27     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


They also send students to UVA, Va Tech, William & Mary, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Yale, etc. in numbers greater than one would think. It’s easier for good students to stand out at smaller, lower performing schools, and the students probably have compelling stories that AO’s like.


Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.


Sure, compared to schools with higher percentages of wealthy families, lower tiered schools college admissions can be “underwhelming”, but students with similar family incomes, end up at similar universities, despite their school’s perceived prestige. The AP curriculum is the same at all FCPS schools.

The only benefit would be that a Langley might have five sections of Calc BC vs maybe only two at Herndon. My kids went to Herndon and got 4s and 5s on their AP exams, as did many of their peers. Do most students take AP courses at Herndon? Of course they don’t, but those that do, can do well if they have family support and do not have to work 20+ hours a week to help their families out.

Anonymous
Post 06/14/2025 21:19     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


HHI and cultural traditions also influence where kids from, as you call them, “bottom feeders”, send their graduates. Some TJ students go to GMU. I am sure they were accepted into “better” universities.
Anonymous
Post 06/14/2025 21:14     Subject: FCPS High School prestige ranking
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Much of this conversation is totally absurd given the fact that many students from “high performing” schools and “low performing” schools are accepted into the same colleges/universities.


Actually, students from low performing schools seem to have an advantage when applying to competitive colleges and universities.


Not at all. The bottom feeders mostly send kids to NVCC, GMU, and VCU.


They also send students to UVA, Va Tech, William & Mary, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Yale, etc. in numbers greater than one would think. It’s easier for good students to stand out at smaller, lower performing schools, and the students probably have compelling stories that AO’s like.


Nah, suburban myth. Admissions from lower performing schools are underwhelming, even with the success stories. What's exceptional at the lower performing schools is routine at higher performing schools.