Loudoun County 2011 SAT

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by michgc

Of course some students can do well at any school. .

This data is interesting
Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Given the numbers from NYC, and from Brooklyn (lincoln, madison, and brooklyn tech, and erasmus, as well as I guess some of the stuy grads) I guess one can do well in life from a not so posh high school, and growing up without a big yard.

[Caladium]

LOL JEB. I totally agree about the posts from a few years ago. I remember cringing when I read those. Jeez the threads in this forum sometimes get carried away when it comes to this subject. It all turned out for the best, however. I agree, posting data so people can make of it what they wish is the best response--and even if the competitiveness gets silly, if it leads to more data being posted, that's a good thing. Thanks for doing it.

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

I guess one can do well in life from a not so posh high school, and growing up without a big yard.

ok, no one said a yard was the key to success. For many families in the burbs, it is just something they would like for convenience and/or sanity.

I'm sorry my comments struck such a nerve. People like what they like, they make decisions based on so many factors. Some think we're nuts to buy a 40 year old house and renovate it.

I was really just trying to comment on the personal experience of many of the families in this area I know that I think most would describe as average 30-something middle-class family.

[stpickrell]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

This data is interesting
Nobel Prize laureates by secondary school affiliation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Given the numbers from NYC, and from Brooklyn (lincoln, madison, and brooklyn tech, and erasmus, as well as I guess some of the stuy grads) I guess one can do well in life from a not so posh high school, and growing up without a big yard.

Are you trying to use the exceptions to prove something is applicable for people in the 40th-95th percentiles of life? Of course kids from TC Williams get into the Ivies, kids from NYC win Nobel Prizes, etc., etc.

But how are things in these areas for people who're closer to the median?

There's a reason people move out to Westchester, Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut, the same as they move out to Loudoun, Prince William, Frederick, and Anne Arundel.

You grew up in Brooklyn and are used to denser housing. Others here didn't, and the idea of living in an eight-story building or even a TH either screams "projects/ghetto" or "too crowded ARGH" to them in a way that it doesn't for you.

BTW, no one commented on my post where I thought that Fairfax has more extremes on either end -- hyper-achieving and very well-off parents at the upper end and less-educated new Americans on the other -- hence why Loudoun's largely in the middle between the high-end Fairfax schools and the less prestigious Fairfax schools. I'd imagine than 75th percentile in HHI is much higher in Fairfax than in Loudoun, but the 25th percentile is higher in Loudoun than in Fairfax (I'm way more certain about the former than the latter.)

[JD984]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

BTW, no one commented on my post where I thought that Fairfax has more extremes on either end -- hyper-achieving and very well-off parents at the upper end and less-educated new Americans on the other -- hence why Loudoun's largely in the middle between the high-end Fairfax schools and the less prestigious Fairfax schools. I'd imagine than 75th percentile in HHI is much higher in Fairfax than in Loudoun, but the 25th percentile is higher in Loudoun than in Fairfax (I'm way more certain about the former than the latter.)

I mentioned in an earlier post that what stands out to me looking at the Loudoun scores is how they are tightly grouped in the middle - which suggests that, when people decided to move to Loudoun, they probably spend less time drawing fine distinctions between what are very good schools, as in Arlington or Fairfax, and more time focusing on other factors such as the proximity to work, type of house, etc. I think that's consistent with your comment, though it can be taken as almost an insult to suggest that anyone in this area isn't "hyper-achieving."

And, of course, if you ever follow discussions of DC public schools, you'd find they are far more frenzied than any discussion here of NoVa schools, which reflects the far greater income disparities that currently exist (and are increasing) within the District.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

You grew up in Brooklyn and are used to denser housing. Others here didn't, and the idea of living in an eight-story building or even a TH either screams "projects/ghetto" or "too crowded ARGH" to them in a way that it doesn't for you.

crowding is a real, tangible thing. While I might someday post something about space needs, at this point Im quite happy to defer to hilsmom - more sq feet, or the same sq feet with a larger lawn, may provide tangible benefits you value, and thats great, and your choice.

If a TH screams ghetto, well thats a perception. Perceptions are subject to change. I doubt my posts will change perceptions as much as actual experiences will, but if I can help people to rethink those perceptions, I will. Thats no different from someone trying to change the perception that all suburbs are sterile (which they are not) or that all high schools with less than 1500 average SAT scores give substandard educations (which others here make the strong case they do not).

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

BTW, no one commented on my post where I thought that Fairfax has more extremes on either end -- hyper-achieving and very well-off parents at the upper end and less-educated new Americans on the other --

Except I've met hyperachieving parents in FFX with middling incomes who live in townhouses in places far from Great Falls. So I am not sure thats the driving factor. Though I am probably exposed to a less than random sample of people.

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

crowding is a real, tangible thing. While I might someday post something about space needs, at this point Im quite happy to defer to hilsmom - more sq feet, or the same sq feet with a larger lawn, may provide tangible benefits you value, and thats great, and your choice.

to be fair, the TH we were in was the size of a condo (official records had us at 915 sf, although I think the basement/den brought us just over 1000 sf). We at least doubled our space when we moved. The newer THs with garages have similar square footage to our current SFH. Our budget basically got us either a newer and larger TH or an older SFH in Fairfax. Loudoun would have given us a few more options, but it was outside my commuting comfort zone. My friend who is debating currently commutes to Tysons, so her commute would be about the same.

We can be happy for many, many years in our just over 2000 sf SFH. We have several rooms we aren't using yet. Is your post about space related to how much space people actually need square footage wise? Just curious.

This discussion is way off topic, obviously. I stand by my "wait 10 years" statement earlier regarding SAT scores in Loudoun. I think we haven't seen the effects of the rapid growth (and greater wealth) quite yet.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by hilsmom

We can be happy for many, many years in our just over 2000 sf SFH. We have several rooms we aren't using yet. Is your post about space related to how much space people actually need square footage wise? Just curious.

as you point out, this is offtopic. I would also like to keep the "ghetto perceptions" topic seperate from the "space needs and uses topic" Certainly if and when I start a thread discussing space needs, I would hope to keep it practical and helpful, and non-judgemental.

One thing I think many of us do on CD is to try to help newcomers avoid panic - to let them know that certain areas arent as crime ridden at they think, various schools arent as bad, there are commute options they may not have thought of, etc. Thats a real service we do, giving info and providing options. I would like to do something similar for different housing configurations and sizes. That of course would not be meant to indicate smaller sizes, or non-SFH configurations are for everyone, any more than anyone thinks certain high schools, or slug lanes, or older houses, or whatever else, are for everyone.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I mentioned in an earlier post that what stands out to me looking at the Loudoun scores is how they are tightly grouped in the middle - which suggests that, when people decided to move to Loudoun, they probably spend less time drawing fine distinctions between what are very good schools, as in Arlington or Fairfax, and more time focusing on other factors such as the proximity to work, type of house, etc. I think that's consistent with your comment, though it can be taken as almost an insult to suggest that anyone in this area isn't "hyper-achieving."

I think you're right about Loudoun. Another factor is that the boundaries are still fairly fluid in the east... just wait until the drama starts with the boundary process for the new Ashburn-area high school. I live a 15-minute walk from Briar Woods HS and there's no guarantee that my kids would go there when they're old enough, because of the growth in the population (not just new residents - as hilsmom mentioned, the high school demographics are shifting because the bajillion babies and toddlers that were here when we moved in 8 years ago are growing up). You can live across the street from a high school and not necessarily count on your kids going there.

I think people feel pretty comfortable sending their kids to most of the LCPS high schools; there are also not many private high school options here, which may also reflect lack of demand and comfort level with the district as a whole.