Need great schools, commute twice a week to Pentagon (Arlington: homes, high schools)

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I should clarify: 550K will get you a 2BR in N. Arl but probably a 3BR in western McLean (I think).

I don't think there are many SFH in McLean under $550K. At that price, you're really looking at an older 3-BR townhouse or a condo in an apartment building. It's why I thought the OP had a pretty good handle on some of her options in identifying the Woodson HS area as a possibility, if she wants a SFH that feeds into a comparatively small HS (for Fairfax) with high AP/IB participation that's not too far from McLean and the Pentagon.

[Carlingtonian]

JEB, it appears you're right, if one restricts the search to 550K and under (ignoring the likelihood that some sellers asking 600K may drop their price--though who knows by how much.)

Here are a few examples, to give the OP ideas. (These ones that say 4BR have *tiny* bedrooms.)

One in N. Arlington

A different one, also in Arlington. (Sale pending, but it gives you an idea. We actually checked this one out for a friend--great location but tiny BR and no basement.)

One in Falls Church.

And Vienna.

Edit: Here's an even better one in N. Arl than those other two. (Walk to EFC Metro, if you can ignore the noise from I-66 when you're in the backyard.)

The more I look at the map and what's available for that budget, the more it seems like Vienna is where they'd be happiest: easy commute to Herndon and not completely terrible to the Pentagon; great schools; lots of families; and larger homes for that amount of money than you get in N. Arlington.

[MidwestWorkMom]

Good thoughts, everyone.
And Carlingtonian, thanks for the links -good examples. Here's one example--do you think this is a further commute than I am looking for-- it's in Annandale with Woodson HS:
4609 QUARTER CHARGE DR, ANNANDALE, VA Property Listing - For Sale - MLS# FX7849963 - ZipRealty

Sorry the link didn't post. I'll have to learn how to do that on this site!

[Carlingtonian]

Happy to help! (No sweat on the link; all you do is select the word or phrase you want the link to appear within, then click on the chain/earth icon at the top, paste in the link, then hit OK.)

We have friends who live right around the corner from that house in Annandale, just on the other side of Toll House Road. They love it there. And reportedly, there's a bus to the Pentagon right nearby! Plus you have great, very woodsy biking trails right there. I don't know how the commute to Herndon would be, however. The neighborhood has a lot of federal people. Seems to be friendly; the guy next door made small talk with me when I went to my car for something. Plus, Woodson HS is near the top of the SAT list.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by MidwestWorkMom

Good thoughts, everyone.

The house you are looking at is pretty close to me. There is a commuter parking area at the corner of Wakefield Chapel Rd and Braddock Rd, right by Canterbury Woods Park. The express bus stop to the Pentagon is right there.

It's a fabulous neighborhood!

Adding links to the WMATA bus route maps - the 17 stops at the Canterbury Woods commuter lot and the 29 loops through the NOVA Community College area.

[MidwestWorkMom]

Carlingtonian, Thanks! That's nice to hear. I'll dig a little deeper into the commute distance. Might put that one on our list to check out - if its still avail in a few weeks when we come to town....

[Kabi]

I'd recommend Fairfax or Burke area. Schools are great. FYI Robinson Secondary ranked 88th in the nation by US News World Report and 5th in the State of Virginia
[url=http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/districts/fairfax-county-public-schools/james-w-robinson-jr-secondary-school-20455]James W. Robinson Jr. Secondary School in FAIRFAX, VA | Best High Schools | US News[/url]

You can take MMTA bus from anywhere in Burke or Fairfax straight to Pentagon. There are two slugging lines (free ride share to use the HOV lanes during rush hours) in the area. One Rolling Valley park and ride and other one is in Springfield. If you live in Burke and use a slugg line in Rolling Valley Park & Ride you can get to Pentagon in 30 min. (in normal traffic).
Great schools/neighborhoods. Great place to raise kids. Good luck with the move!

[MidwestWorkMom]

Kabi, I was considering Burke and Robinson schools, but their size doesn't feel like a good fit for my DD.

Does anyone have thoughts about huge vs smaller schools, and how new kids fare socially and academically when dumped into a big school?

High School Wish list: Don't need a strong athletic program, want to be in a community where just about everyone is going on to college; location where other students will live within a few miles of each other, rather than scattered across a large area. Would like school to have strong AP program, and, ideally, a strong debate team.

Housing Wish list: $600k or less, SFH. Wish we could find older home from the 1920s- but it appears that there are no older affordable homes to be found.

Some other folks have weighed in on this already, and I appreciate their input. Any additional thoughts based on my "wishlist criteria"?

[claremarie]

I would look in the City of Falls Church (zip code 22046). A popular real estate website list several small older homes in the City right around the $600K price point. The high school is small and well-regarded, with some of the highest test scores in the area. Everyone lives within a few square miles, and although there are plenty of sports opportunities, academics are clearly the priority for most families. You may get lucky, and find a (very small) SFH in your price range. If you can make the house work, everything else you want will be there.

If that doesn't work, there are plenty of larger SFH choices in Burke. Yes, the high schools are immense, but on the plus side there are always new kids coming into these schools, from all over the country and the world, so it might actually be easier for your kids to find a niche than in smaller school like George Mason in Falls Church where many of the kids have been attending school together since the first grade.

[Fern435]

West Springfield High School might be an excellent fit for your student. It has several outstanding teachers there--a history teacher there was named Virginia's history teacher of the year, and their AP biology teacher won a national teaching award 2 years ago. It is not as big as the other schools that have been mentioned, and there are some nice homes in your price range in the Cardinal Forest neighborhood off Carrleigh Parkway. There are enough new families in NoVA each year that being new to a school is generally not a problem.

Three Metro bus lines run along Old Keene Mill Road, including an express bus to the Pentagon and one to the Franconia/Springfield Metro.

We do not own a house in that school zone, but we did rent in the area for 4 years. It's a good fit for someone who is moving from the Midwest.