DCUM Forum

Anonymous

01/10/2023 17:34 Subject: Re:Best middle school in arlington

I'd recommend Falls Church City over Arlington. IB from K-12. Much smaller schools. Great student outcomes including test scores, graduation rate, etc. Not real diverse, meaning about 65% white, but about as diverse as top schools in Arlington and Fairfax. Much more capable of handling and preventing bullying, and students and staff are very welcoming. Lots of state dept kids there. Close to two metro stops and also bus lines. Walkable to many restaurants, businesses, parks, community activities, library, community center. Borders Arlington so about as close to DC as the schools you already mentioned would be. 2/2 rentals are not that far out of your budget area, here's a few examples from Zillow today:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/444-W-Broad-St-UNIT-206-Falls-Church-VA-22046/82740650_zpid/

httpd://www.zillow.com/homedetails/104-S-Spring-St-Falls-Church-VA-22046/12228321_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/b/northgate-at-falls-church-falls-church-va-5Z3nwk/#unit-2087941071

Anonymous

01/10/2023 17:14 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

Anonymous wrote:

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume you are prepared for the sticker shock of what it costs to live in these areas you are targeting?

Since we don't have any experience of the US, we are basing ourselves on our requirements. Meaning looking for a school our child will be happy to go to and since no car at the start, a walkable region and easy access to metro and public transportation. Any recommendation is most welcome.

You're going to want a car. Budget for a car, if not two.

+1 Or increase your budget to live in the most walkable/metro accessible areas. Those are mainly going to feed to either Hamm or TJ middle schools.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 17:09 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

fran83 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume you are prepared for the sticker shock of what it costs to live in these areas you are targeting?

Since we don't have any experience of the US, we are basing ourselves on our requirements. Meaning looking for a school our child will be happy to go to and since no car at the start, a walkable region and easy access to metro and public transportation. Any recommendation is most welcome.

You're going to want a car. Budget for a car, if not two.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 16:17 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think experiences at schools are often random. Often it just depends on individual teachers and peers. If you happen to get a demanding teacher and become friends with students who have high academic standards for themselves, you can get a great education at an overall mediocre school.

This. Bullying can happen everywhere but neither of my kids (now in 12th grade and in college) have experienced it throughout APS and I don't recall any of my friends with kids in the schools complaining about it with their kids. I asked DD about it when she was at TJ MS, when there had been a news report about bullying at Kenmore and she said she'd never heard of it being a problem there. She had a wide range of friends, as did DS, and they both did well there and at W-L.

+1

There are a lot of social shifts in MS and some kids might feel left out by those changes, but neither of my kids or their various friends experienced bullying in MS. I’m sure it happens in pockets but it wasn’t a widespread issue.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 15:46 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

Anonymous wrote:I think experiences at schools are often random. Often it just depends on individual teachers and peers. If you happen to get a demanding teacher and become friends with students who have high academic standards for themselves, you can get a great education at an overall mediocre school.

This. Bullying can happen everywhere but neither of my kids (now in 12th grade and in college) have experienced it throughout APS and I don't recall any of my friends with kids in the schools complaining about it with their kids. I asked DD about it when she was at TJ MS, when there had been a news report about bullying at Kenmore and she said she'd never heard of it being a problem there. She had a wide range of friends, as did DS, and they both did well there and at W-L.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 14:03 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

This is probably obvious, but expect to pay more for housing that’s walking distance to a metro station.

fran83

01/10/2023 13:10 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

That budget will pretty much put you in Kenmore/Gunston zones, though you might find a few in other zones.
FWIW I wouldn't stretch too hard to get in to the wealthiest schools, I think it can be tricky to navigate being a "poor" kid at a wealthy school.

Haven't found many options on zillow and redfin. But saw the courthouse plaza at around $3100. Is that a good price?

Anonymous

01/10/2023 13:03 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

fran83 wrote:
Do you have a budget in mind?

Initially we said not more than $2500. When we were considering Vienna and Mclean we had several options. But it seems we will have to reconsider for Arlington. Searching on redfin and Zillow. Looking at the best options for 2 beds-2 baths.

Might be $3k+ for a unit in a building with a lot of amenities. I’ll take a look later to see if anything jumps out.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 13:01 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

I think experiences at schools are often random. Often it just depends on individual teachers and peers. If you happen to get a demanding teacher and become friends with students who have high academic standards for themselves, you can get a great education at an overall mediocre school.

Anonymous

01/10/2023 12:56 Subject: Best middle school in arlington

fran83 wrote:
Do you have a budget in mind?

Initially we said not more than $2500. When we were considering Vienna and Mclean we had several options. But it seems we will have to reconsider for Arlington. Searching on redfin and Zillow. Looking at the best options for 2 beds-2 baths.