Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really appreciate all the inputs!
I added Woodson and Chantilly to my list but has some concern about the size of the high school. I do see a lot trailer classrooms from map. Mclean will be a stretch for me even I am going to buy a townhome there. The housing px is crazy! Oakton does seem to have a good balance of everything: new facility, diversity, expensive but not super crazy home px.

Tear down houses go for $1m+ in McLean.

But there are also McLean-zoned houses under $1M that are not tear downs. There just aren’t as many of them as in some areas and they go quickly if they are in decent shape.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 McLean.

no question. McLean if you can afford it.

Why? Any evidence that they'll end up at a better school there? Nope.

Excellent peer group. Strong STEM. Lots of Asians.

Again- no evidence that their outcome would be any different

You want to suggest there’s “no evidence” because people can’t say the same kid wouldn’t have had the same outcome at different schools.

But that’s too exacting a standard since the same kid isn’t going to graduate from multiple schools. In the real world people make decisions based on the data that is available, not the absence of data. And when people look at the information that is available they see that schools like McLean are looking darn good.

As are Madison and Oakton. Not sure where you’re getting impression that Mclean is much better

There are multiple posters on the thread, but I never said McLean was “much better.” It has its strengths, and they appeal to many people. As have Madison and Oakton. And I’ve also been among those who’ve pointed out that, if OP really wants to cap his housing budget at $900K, he’s probably going to have more options looking further west - for example, in areas zoned to Oakton, Chantilly, Woodson, or Fairfax.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really appreciate all the inputs!
I added Woodson and Chantilly to my list but has some concern about the size of the high school. I do see a lot trailer classrooms from map. Mclean will be a stretch for me even I am going to buy a townhome there. The housing px is crazy! Oakton does seem to have a good balance of everything: new facility, diversity, expensive but not super crazy home px.

OP, Chantilly is large, but the kids seem to adapt. It has been large for many, many years. My kids graduated from Chantilly and we were happy with it.

The boundary is rather compact, so it is close to anyone who lives in the boundary. This makes a huge difference if your kids take part in activities.
The Asian community is quite large, too. And, since McLean mom mentioned it, there are plenty of Asian grocery stores and restaurants.
There are some neighborhoods in the Chantilly community that are a little less expensive and most all of the elementary schools are very good.. The Middle schools are excellent.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really appreciate all the inputs!
I added Woodson and Chantilly to my list but has some concern about the size of the high school. I do see a lot trailer classrooms from map. Mclean will be a stretch for me even I am going to buy a townhome there. The housing px is crazy! Oakton does seem to have a good balance of everything: new facility, diversity, expensive but not super crazy home px.

Tear down houses go for $1m+ in McLean.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Really appreciate all the inputs!
I added Woodson and Chantilly to my list but has some concern about the size of the high school. I do see a lot trailer classrooms from map. Mclean will be a stretch for me even I am going to buy a townhome there. The housing px is crazy! Oakton does seem to have a good balance of everything: new facility, diversity, expensive but not super crazy home px.

OP - Oakton is best per your requirements - it has substantial Asian population and can accommodate any level of academics and clubs/extracurricular activities. The top group of kids at Oakton is very interchangeable with the top group of kids at McLean or Langley etc... plus the school is post-renovation and has enough students that class schedules are not limited no matter what each of your 4 children will choose for the course selections. Langley has more limitations for scheduling. Plus the Asian grocery stores (5+ within 2-4 miles of driving) and shopping is much better around Oakton as well as the variety of housing options. You can't go wrong with Oakton.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 McLean.

no question. McLean if you can afford it.

Why? Any evidence that they'll end up at a better school there? Nope.

Excellent peer group. Strong STEM. Lots of Asians.

Again- no evidence that their outcome would be any different

You want to suggest there’s “no evidence” because people can’t say the same kid wouldn’t have had the same outcome at different schools.

But that’s too exacting a standard since the same kid isn’t going to graduate from multiple schools. In the real world people make decisions based on the data that is available, not the absence of data. And when people look at the information that is available they see that schools like McLean are looking darn good.

As are Madison and Oakton. Not sure where you’re getting impression that Mclean is much better

Being close to an indoor Rec center is also nice.

OP here. Really appreciate all the inputs!
I added Woodson and Chantilly to my list but has some concern about the size of the high school. I do see a lot trailer classrooms from map. Mclean will be a stretch for me even I am going to buy a townhome there. The housing px is crazy! Oakton does seem to have a good balance of everything: new facility, diversity, expensive but not super crazy home px.

Anonymous wrote:I’d look into private schools.

Not with 4 kids

Private schools in this area can easily be $50k plus, per kid, per year. OP said he has 4 children, that’s a ton of $$$.

I’d look into private schools.

Any SFH that’s 900k and zoned for McLean HS is going to be sold to a builder as a tear down before it ever gets to the MLS. I’d pick one of the other schools you mentioned, don’t think you could go wrong with any of them. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 McLean.

no question. McLean if you can afford it.

Why? Any evidence that they'll end up at a better school there? Nope.

Excellent peer group. Strong STEM. Lots of Asians.

Again- no evidence that their outcome would be any different

Pp here. I have 3 Asian kids. My oldest is also shy, plays tennis and is STEM focused. He has a great group of friends. My two younger kids are very social. I have really not encountered any snobby people at the schools. You really can’t tell who is rich or not. Sure, there aren’t many/any poor kids meaning kids who live below poverty. The school is full of MC/UMC kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 McLean.

no question. McLean if you can afford it.

Why? Any evidence that they'll end up at a better school there? Nope.

Excellent peer group. Strong STEM. Lots of Asians.

Again- no evidence that their outcome would be any different

You want to suggest there’s “no evidence” because people can’t say the same kid wouldn’t have had the same outcome at different schools.

But that’s too exacting a standard since the same kid isn’t going to graduate from multiple schools. In the real world people make decisions based on the data that is available, not the absence of data. And when people look at the information that is available they see that schools like McLean are looking darn good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 McLean.

no question. McLean if you can afford it.

Why? Any evidence that they'll end up at a better school there? Nope.

Excellent peer group. Strong STEM. Lots of Asians.

Again- no evidence that their outcome would be any different