FCPS 2010 SATs (Annandale, Centreville, Chantilly: fit in, neighborhoods, schools)

[JD984]

For those who are interested in such information, FCPS released SAT scores for 2010 graduating seniors today. Scores were basically flat in the county, as was also the case at the state and national level, but some individual schools showed improvements.

Here are the rankings based on the FCPS data (the parentheticals reflect changes in the county-wide rankings compared to last year). The top eight schools this year are the same as last year. The bottom four schools are in the only schools in the county with scores below the national average. Notably, the difference in scores between the #1 and #2 schools (TJ and Langley) is greater than the gap between the #2 and #25 schools (Langley and Mount Vernon).


1.TJ 2200
2.Langley 1812
3.McLean 1778
4.Woodson 1738
5.Madison 1734
6.Oakton 1729
7.Marshall 1690
8.Robinson 1665
9.Chantilly 1663 (+1)
10.West Springfield 1644 (+3)
11.Herndon 1642 (+1)
12.Lake Braddock 1639 (-1)
13.Fairfax 1635 (+1)
14.Westfield 1625 (-5)
15.Centreville 1596 (-1)
16.South Lakes 1578 (+1)
17.South County 1572 (-1)
18.West Potomac 1561
19.Stuart 1532 (+1)
20.Annandale 1518 (+1)
21.Edison 1512 (-2)
22.Falls Church 1505 (+2)
23.Lee 1504 (-1)
24.Hayfield 1475 (-1)
25.Mount Vernon 1458

I'm posting the information for those who are interested, so those who think such data is largely irrelevant or a distraction should ignore it. By posting the data, I don't mean to suggest that SAT scores should be the sole or even the primary measure of a school's quality.

[michgc]

Thanks for posting this. I hadn't seen that yet. I'm not sure that the gap between #1 and #2 being greater than the gap between #2 and #25 is notable. TJ is in its own league. It's not a school that kids are assigned to and should be considered separately. Taking them out the equation, Langley is the #1 school. And their scores are not too different than #2, McLean (24 points) whose scores are way different than #24, Mount Vernon (320 points).

But I do agree that SAT scores only tell some of the story. There are many other things to consider when looking at a school.

Originally Posted by JEB77

For those who are interested in such information, FCPS released SAT scores for 2010 graduating seniors today. Scores were basically flat in the county, as was also the case at the state and national level, but some individual schools showed improvements.

Here are the rankings based on the FCPS data (the parentheticals reflect changes in the county-wide rankings compared to last year). The top eight schools this year are the same as last year. The bottom four schools are in the only schools in the county with scores below the national average. Notably, the difference in scores between the #1 and #2 schools (TJ and Langley) is greater than the gap between the #2 and #25 schools (Langley and Mount Vernon).

[JD984]

Originally Posted by michgc

Thanks for posting this. I hadn't seen that yet. I'm not sure that the gap between #1 and #2 being greater than the gap between #2 and #25 is notable. TJ is in its own league. It's not a school that kids are assigned to and should be considered separately. Taking them out the equation, Langley is the #1 school. And their scores are not too different than #2, McLean (24 points) whose scores are way different than #24, Mount Vernon (320 points).

That's certainly another way to look at the data.

One thing I've noticed is that, putting TJ aside, the differences between the schools in Fairfax with the highest scores and those with the lowest scores are smaller than over in Montgomery County, and the differences among the schools in Loudoun are less pronounced than in Fairfax. It makes me think that, when people decide to live in Loudoun, they probably end up spending less time comparing schools than in Fairfax.

Here's another version of the rankings that shows how the Loudoun schools fit into the latest Fairfax rankings, based on the more recent data I could find for Loudoun schools.

1.TJ 2200
2.Langley 1812
3.McLean 1778
4.Woodson 1738
5.Madison 1734
6.Oakton 1729
7.Marshall 1690
8.Robinson 1665
9.Chantilly 1663 (+1)
STONE BRIDGE - 1655
10.West Springfield 1644 (+3)
11.Herndon 1642 (+1)
POTOMAC FALLS - 1640
12.Lake Braddock 1639 (-1)
13.Fairfax 1635 (+1)
LOUDOUN VALLEY - 1635
14.Westfield 1625 (-5)
BROAD RUN - 1619
DOMINION - 1618
BRIAR WOODS - 1613
LOUDOUN COUNTY - 1612
15.Centreville 1596 (-1)
16.South Lakes 1578 (+1)
17.South County 1572 (-1)
HERITAGE - 1564
FREEDOM - 1563
18.West Potomac 1561
19.Stuart 1532 (+1)
20.Annandale 1518 (+1)
21.Edison 1512 (-2)
22.Falls Church 1505 (+2)
23.Lee 1504 (-1)
PARK VIEW - 1486
24.Hayfield 1475 (-1)
25.Mount Vernon 1458

[claremarie]

I agree that any reference to TJ on this list is not particularly helpful, as high SAT scores in that case do not necessarily reflect the "excellence" of the school but rather the high standards for admission in the first place. My guess is that the SAT scores at TJ wouldn't be that much lower if they were administered on the first day of school to the freshman class.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by claremarie

I agree that any reference to TJ on this list is not particularly helpful, as high SAT scores in that case do not necessarily reflect the "excellence" of the school but rather the high standards for admission in the first place. My guess is that the SAT scores at TJ wouldn't be that much lower if they were administered on the first day of school to the freshman class.

That's speculation on your part and, of course, the scores at the 24 neighborhood schools also reflect the local neighborhoods that feed into the individual schools, as well as the quality of the teaching.

[michgc]

Interesting to see how the Loudoun County Schools fit in. I'm a numbers geek, so I like looking at this kind of stuff - plus I used to work in school testing. I haven't looked at the Montgomery County scores lately, but I'm not surprised that their range is larger than Fairfax. I believe that they have a greater range from rich to poor than Fairfax does. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by JEB77

That's certainly another way to look at the data.

One thing I've noticed is that, putting TJ aside, the differences between the schools in Fairfax with the highest scores and those with the lowest scores are smaller than over in Montgomery County, and the differences among the schools in Loudoun are less pronounced than in Fairfax. It makes me think that, when people decide to live in Loudoun, they probably end up spending less time comparing schools than in Fairfax.

Here's another version of the rankings that shows how the Loudoun schools fit into the latest Fairfax rankings, based on the more recent data I could find for Loudoun schools.

1.TJ 2200
2.Langley 1812
3.McLean 1778
4.Woodson 1738
5.Madison 1734
6.Oakton 1729
7.Marshall 1690
8.Robinson 1665
9.Chantilly 1663 (+1)
STONE BRIDGE - 1655
10.West Springfield 1644 (+3)
11.Herndon 1642 (+1)
POTOMAC FALLS - 1640
12.Lake Braddock 1639 (-1)
13.Fairfax 1635 (+1)
LOUDOUN VALLEY - 1635
14.Westfield 1625 (-5)
BROAD RUN - 1619
DOMINION - 1618
BRIAR WOODS - 1613
LOUDOUN COUNTY - 1612
15.Centreville 1596 (-1)
16.South Lakes 1578 (+1)
17.South County 1572 (-1)
HERITAGE - 1564
FREEDOM - 1563
18.West Potomac 1561
19.Stuart 1532 (+1)
20.Annandale 1518 (+1)
21.Edison 1512 (-2)
22.Falls Church 1505 (+2)
23.Lee 1504 (-1)
PARK VIEW - 1486
24.Hayfield 1475 (-1)
25.Mount Vernon 1458

[CAVA1990]

Any chance they forgot to score 1 of the 3 parts of the test at Mount Vernon?

[JD984]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Any chance they forgot to score 1 of the 3 parts of the test at Mount Vernon?

Nice try. The scores actually went up more at Mount Vernon this year (65 points) than at any other school in the county, even though they are the lowest again. On the other hand, more students have been taking the SATs at Mount Vernon in recent years than in prior years. Many would argue it's better to encourage more students to take the SAT test, even if it lowers the school's average scores. It's another one of those areas where schools that try to do the right thing for their students sometimes end up having it held against them.

[DC Oldtimer]

Originally Posted by claremarie

I agree that any reference to TJ on this list is not particularly helpful, as high SAT scores in that case do not necessarily reflect the "excellence" of the school but rather the high standards for admission in the first place. My guess is that the SAT scores at TJ wouldn't be that much lower if they were administered on the first day of school to the freshman class.

I agree with you. The high SAT scores at TJ are first and foremost due to the enormous intellectual capital of the students.

For all the focus on which school is best, I remain unconvinced that there is a dime's worth of difference in teaching quality from one FFX County school to the next.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by DC Oldtimer

I agree with you. The high SAT scores at TJ are first and foremost due to the enormous intellectual capital of the students.

For all the focus on which school is best, I remain unconvinced that there is a dime's worth of difference in teaching quality from one FFX County school to the next.

There's a difference between acknowledging that the test scores at TJ are primarily due to the intellectual calibre of its students and suggesting that a group of TJ freshman, rather than TJ seniors, could score close to 2200 on the SATs. In any event, the Fairfax data would be incomplete without including TJ. If TJ wasn't attracting students primarily from other Fairfax schools, the scores at those schools would be higher.