Anonymous
02/19/2016 14:32
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
we live in Yorktown, but sent our kid to W/L, mostly for IB, but also because we prefer it. Our second didn't get into W/L, and we are looking into private school. YT is a great school in many regards, but it also has some downsides (as all schools do). It really depends on your child
Anonymous
02/16/2016 14:57
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
4 classroom trailers were removed last year. W-L is not as crowded now as it had been before the renovation.
Anonymous
02/16/2016 14:31
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:We are zoned for W-L and have a senior there. He is not in the IB program but has taken a mix of IB and AP classes (and generally preferred the IB classes). His experience at W-L has been terrific. Yes, it is crowded, but he's never had any issues getting the classes he wants/needs, including one year when a last-minute decision involved rearranging his *entire* schedule. His counselor made it happen with no problems. He has had some great teachers and some great opportunities. Looking forward to sending my younger kids there as well.
+1
Anonymous
02/16/2016 14:31
Subject: Re:Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread because my 8th grader has been accepted to the IB program at Washington-Lee. We are zoned for Yorktown and have a child there. Our Yorktown kid is not real studious and is still making mostly A's with a few B's. Our 8th grader is a more ambitious student who likes learning, wants to be challenged, etc. so we thought the IB program would be good for him. But now I'm hearing from people who live in the W-L district how overcrowded it is, it's difficult to get the classes you want, and they say we should stay at Yorktown. Any current W-L parents who can comment?
Before this year, did students wanting to transfer to W-L for pre-IB or IB have to meet minimum requirements, or is this something adopted more recently given the severe overcrowding at W-L?
With the recent interior renovations (soon to happen at Wakefield and Yorktown) and three lunch periods (like at Yorktown) W-L does not feel as crowded at all now. The renovations have increased the building's capacity, and students can eat lunch anywhere on campus, just not the third and fourth floors. With Generals Flex scheduling, students have the option to leave school earlier, i.e. after lunch for example.
New AP and IB courses have been added as the school population has gone up. IB film will expand to a two-year course next year. Fine and performing arts course offerings have also expanded over the past few years. Instruction has not suffered, and there are in fact more opportunities.
Agree, my student has taken advantage of the zero period this year (and will next year hoepfully) - so he gets out early every other day. He takes 3 IBs and 1 AP. An 'average' student who loves WL, the classes, sports, clubs, and the diverse community... we've been really happy with WL
Anonymous
02/15/2016 12:19
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.
Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.
Well bless your heart.
Anonymous
02/15/2016 12:17
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
We are zoned for W-L and have a senior there. He is not in the IB program but has taken a mix of IB and AP classes (and generally preferred the IB classes). His experience at W-L has been terrific. Yes, it is crowded, but he's never had any issues getting the classes he wants/needs, including one year when a last-minute decision involved rearranging his *entire* schedule. His counselor made it happen with no problems. He has had some great teachers and some great opportunities. Looking forward to sending my younger kids there as well.
Anonymous
02/15/2016 11:14
Subject: Re:Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
I don't understand the thinking in APS. W-L has both AP and IB while Yorktown just has AP. So Yorktown loses many of its top students to W-L, but W-L doesn't send many students to Yorktown and ends up overcrowded. I could understand it if W-L were a basket case that needed to be shored up or if Yorktown was overcrowded and APS was looking for ways to reduce the enrollment, but neither is the case.
Anonymous
02/15/2016 10:26
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There has always been minimum requirements/applications for transfers into W-L's IB program.
That's true. But the program had a million requirements and is really only appropriate for liberal artsy kids. Take a good look at what you htink your kid will take before signing up for IB.
I don't agree that it's only appropriate for liberal artsy kids, but I do think your kid needs to have some artsy aptitude to enjoy it. And you don't want your kid to be torn between staying in a program that's not a good fit and leaving his friends behind halfway through high school to return to his home school.
I and the PP have a different assessment about IB at W-L, but we really aren't that far apart. Take a look at what they need to do (check the box in a lot of categories) and make sure there's a path that works for your kid before signing on. You would be surprised how few of the "pre-IB kids" actually decide to do the full IB, and in my experience, those who like science generally choose not to do full IB. YMMV, but you really should look carefully.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:56
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.
Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.
Wow. The other poster said she wanted a house in those areas and said ZERO to disparage YHS hoods. YHS lady, you have serious issues.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:47
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.
Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.
Most of Arlington's beautiful historic craftsmans and colonials from the 1920s and 30s are in Lyon Village, Ashton Heights, and Lyon Park. Beautiful mature trees also in those neighborhoods.
More secluded neighborhoods like Woodmont and Dover Crystal also feed into W-L.
The high school boundaries will likely all change in a few years anyway, if not sooner.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:42
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.
Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:37
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There has always been minimum requirements/applications for transfers into W-L's IB program.
That's true. But the program had a million requirements and is really only appropriate for liberal artsy kids. Take a good look at what you htink your kid will take before signing up for IB.
I don't agree that it's only appropriate for liberal artsy kids, but I do think your kid needs to have some artsy aptitude to enjoy it. And you don't want your kid to be torn between staying in a program that's not a good fit and leaving his friends behind halfway through high school to return to his home school.
An IB transfer who chooses not to do the IB diploma can take a challenging mix of AP and IB classes. I think the minimum is three IB classes a year in order to stay at W-L.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:34
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
I don't think most people want walkability. Just means crowds, riffraff, drunk people trespassing to pass out on your porch, etc.
Most people prefer space and privacy -- you find those things up near Yorktown. Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights are all congest areas with shit shacks or overbuilt McMansions on tiny lots. But to each her own.
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:30
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Looking at homes districted for Yorktown, but is W-L as bad as the 5 Great Schools rating indicates? What is the trend there?
Also, is there a chance the high school lines could be redistricted?
No, W-L is not a bad school. We live in the Yorktown district, have one child there, but our younger child may go to W-L for the IB program. I wouldn't reject a house just because it's districted for W-L.
I'd take one! W-L feeders are the Clarendon neighborhoods with great walkability : Lyon Village, Lyon Park, Ashton Heights...
Anonymous
02/14/2016 11:01
Subject: Yorktown vs. W-L High School in Arlington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There has always been minimum requirements/applications for transfers into W-L's IB program.
That's true. But the program had a million requirements and is really only appropriate for liberal artsy kids. Take a good look at what you htink your kid will take before signing up for IB.
I don't agree that it's only appropriate for liberal artsy kids, but I do think your kid needs to have some artsy aptitude to enjoy it. And you don't want your kid to be torn between staying in a program that's not a good fit and leaving his friends behind halfway through high school to return to his home school.