Falls Church City has a great school system with smaller schools. Lot of turnover with State Dept families. Not near a metro though and pricey.

OP, you can't expect the sun, the moon and the stars from any Arlington middle school. But at least Arlington lets kids take honors classes (they call them "intensified" classes) in all core subjects in 7th and 8th grades, as of this school year. Our friends in MoCo and Fairfax haven't had the option for acceleration in the same way. Their kids either test into super-duper all gifted classes, even all gifted schools, young, or don't (most don't). My eldest, in 9th grade at Washington-Liberty this year, wasn't able to start intensified classes until 8th grade, too little too late. Our kids have gone to TJMS and it's been OK, not great, not awful. They've had some good teachers, and some lousy ones. One good thing about TJ is that their classes are the smallest overall of the Arlington middle schools, because they enroll the fewest students. But the school is around 40% reduced/free meals, a mixed bag. We hire tutors for math, English and foreign language for our kids, and not because they're behind. They get a boost from the extra attention and support they get from the tutors. When my eldest got to W-L, she found that many of the other students in her "small pre-IB Diploma learning community" (same kids in English, World History and Biology) went to Dorothy Hamm. Same for her Chinese III class - the Dorothy Hamm students had a much better Chinese teacher than the TJMS students. We did summer immersion language study after 7th and 8th grades, which paid off to keep up with the Dorothy Hamm grads waiting at W-L. You should be OK wherever you land in Arlington for MS, but not if you expect too much.

Anonymous wrote:Please post your thoughts about Swanson, for the special needs kids who just need safety and support to thrive. Thank you.

You should start a new thread with your question. No one will see it, buried here at the end of someone else’s thread. You will get more responses if you start a new one.

Please post your thoughts about Swanson, for the special needs kids who just need safety and support to thrive. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me too, desperately seeking a good middle school for my special needs child in Arlington County. Please help me. Which schools have the best programs for autistic kids? I request all, please share your thoughts and experiences. Among Kenmore, Williamsburg and Dorothy Hamm, which one has best programs for autistic kids? Thank you in advance.

Not WMS!!!

Perhaps Kenmore

Maybe Hamm

Thank you. What about Swanson?

Anonymous wrote:^^ Post in the Special Needs forum if you haven't done so already.

My son is at Swanson which is crowded and noisy so I don't recommend it if your child has sensory issues. But I have been impressed with the teachers.

Thank you so much for the response. I am new on this platform. Will try to find the special needs forum. Good teachers and parents-teacher communication is one of the most important points that I will emphasize while choosing school. Currently the home that we are seeing, has Swanson-yorktown assigned school. Please post some more thoughts on Swanson, if possible. Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:I think that you will be disappointed coming to APS from abroad. If strong academics are your focus, I would suggest looking at Fairfax or Montgomery Counties, but your commute will be longer.

Thank you. I am moving from Prince Williams County, only for the sake of my son's better school. I do not have any academic focus. Just want my son's safety at school and his improvement in communication.

Anonymous wrote:Me too, desperately seeking a good middle school for my special needs child in Arlington County. Please help me. Which schools have the best programs for autistic kids? I request all, please share your thoughts and experiences. Among Kenmore, Williamsburg and Dorothy Hamm, which one has best programs for autistic kids? Thank you in advance.

Jefferson has a autism program, I have no complaints -8th grade parent