Best NURTURING Schools within range of a commute to Fairfax?

[petekledaras]

any info on rippon middle school in woodbridge, va

[handy man88]

Originally Posted by movingtova

MARSHALL High School in Falls Church has great reviews on greatschools.net. Should it be considered in the same class as the others previously mentioned or not?

No, but Marshall HS does offer an IB program.

[handy man88]

Originally Posted by movingtova

Loudoun County sounds interesting and so tempting, but it seems that the other posters thought it would be an inconvenient commute for us (to western Fairfax right off of the 66). With the traffic being so bad, we ruled it out. Wise?

We're concentrating on the Vienna, Falls Church, Oakton area -looking at homes in the best school pyramids. Slim pickings- but there are a few options. We might start out in a rental.

Vienna is at the top of my list, but Oakton is just so darn close to work. i like a pretty urban feel. (Trader Joes within 5 minutes would be my preference ) Are these cities similar in that way?

If we go to Oakton, we're zeroing in on Waples Mill as the elementary. Any Waples parents who can rate the kindergarten program?

Other "holy grail" schools for us -Kent Gardens, Haycock, Cunningham Park, Wolftrap, Archer

We might have to add Fairfax and Burke to our list to see what possibilities that opens up, but we'd rather not. That's just our impression. Is that right?

Keep reading that Western Springfield High (?) is a good one - worth considering? Should I add it to my previous list of high schools or not?

And finally, a question about the Fairfax Parks & Rec - are the community programs (classes etc.) easily accessible to residents in pretty much all ciites of the county, or are there certain cities that don't have facilities to participate? It was mentioned that Falls Church has it's own school district. Does the city have access to the Park & Rec ammenities?

In Falls Church is not only Trader Joe's, but also Whole Foods and the uber upscale Balducci's.

Keep in mind, the closer you are to DC/Beltway, the more likely your home/investment will hold up its value.

Homes in Loudon and PW County are dropping in value.

[handy man88]

Originally Posted by saganista

I would think it wise. There are certainly plenty of nice Loudon areas, but why buy a commute?


They are all vaguely similar, but none of them is urban. Falls Church is a little denser than the other two. Oakton was developed considerably later than Vienna, and is currently a bit of a mess, as they are renovating the major downtown shopping center. Should be done soon. As for Trader Joe's, from the Waples Mill area, you would follow Jermantown Road into Oakton. It becomes Blake Lane south of 123 (or 'the 123' if you prefer...the use of 'the' in front of route numbers is not typical in NoVa). Blake Lane becomes Pickett Road south of 50, and then it's a straight shot over to 236, which is where the closest Trader Joe's is. Not 5 minutes...maybe 15. If you were in Vienna, there is another one that might be closer on Route-7 between Tysons and downtown Falls Church.


Waples Mill is a nice area. Lots of trees, lots of space, lots of wildlife. At least for now. Curvy, hilly, two-lane roads...stay alert. Don't know about the elementary school, as it's hard to judge one from the outside. The only one that might raise an eyebrow with me would be Haycock. I think I'd try to sneak over the line into Kent Gardens, if I could. ClareMarie would know better than I whether that impression should still hold.


Couldn't hurt to look, but I don't know how much more you'd be adding. Fairfax is a tad more 'urban-like' than Oakton, otherwise the areas are all at least similar.


West Springfield is a perfectly good school in a perfectly nice area, but I don't see where you would actually be gaining anything except commuting time over Oakton or Madison.


Anyone at all can use any of the county Park & Rec facilities. If you are a county resident, you get reduced fees for all the things that have a fee. Falls Church is not a part of the county.

Western Falls Church is part of Fairfax County.

[greeniebean]

Originally Posted by handy man88

Western Falls Church is part of Fairfax County.

Falls Church City is independent of any county (zip 22046). Outside areas do have a Falls Church mailing address, but fall outside of the city boundaries. Falls Church City does have its own Rec & Parks Dept. though on a much smaller scale than anything Fairfax County offers. FCC also has it's own library, though has reciprocal agreements with Fairfax Co. to use their libraries for free.

This thread is over a year old, so it feels silly to bring it up again.