Which school pyramids are considered "desirable" in Fairfax County? (buying, best schools)

[tankdude]

I think the facts speak for themselves and in no way did I ever "bash or casually denigrate" Marshall. If you took it as such, not my problem, as I always stayed neutral on that school.

[JEB77]

OK - so I'll simply highlight some of the positives of the Marshall pyramid that may at times get lost:

1. Relatively small school with dedicated faculty and principal that provide students with high degree of personal attention.

2. Strong and improving SAT scores (Class of 2008 was # 6 out of 25 Fairfax County high schools based on August 2008 data published by FCPS).

3. Strong performance by students on state SOLs, as recognized in 2008 by the Fairfax Caps organization (composed primarily of parents whose children attend Chantilly, Madison, Oakton, and Westfield) (#5 out of 25 Fairfax County high schools according to Fairfax Caps "report card").

4. Awarded "Silver Medal" in latest US News & World Report rankings (together with Madison and several other Fairfax high schools).

5. Largest number of IB diplomas awarded of any Fairfax County high schools with IB program.

6. Over 100 students from neighboring high schools, including Madison, Falls Church, Langley and McLean, voluntarily "pupil placed" into Marshall.

7. Strong feeder schools - including Freedom Hill, Shrevewood, Stenwood, Westbriar and Wolftrap Elementaries, and both Kilmer and Thoreau Middle schools.

8. High percentage of graduates receiving advanced diplomas and going on to two- and four-year college programs, including graduates attending leading Virginia universities as well as the Ivies and other top private colleges, including Princeton and Penn.

9. Availability of some electives not widely available at other FCPS high schools, such as Chinese.

10. Great diversity, with students drawn from literally dozens of countries around the world.

There's plenty to like there and at other schools in the county as well.

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by JEB77

OK - so I'll simply highlight some of the positives of the Marshall pyramid that may at times get lost:

1. Relatively small school with dedicated faculty and principal that provide students with high degree of personal attention.

2. Strong and improving SAT scores (Class of 2008 was # 6 out of 25 Fairfax County high schools based on August 2008 data published by FCPS).

3. Strong performance by students on state SOLs, as recognized in 2008 by the Fairfax Caps organization (composed primarily of parents whose children attend Chantilly, Madison, Oakton, and Westfield) (#5 out of 25 Fairfax County high schools according to Fairfax Caps "report card").

4. Awarded "Silver Medal" in latest US News & World Report rankings (together with Madison and several other Fairfax high schools).

5. Largest number of IB diplomas awarded of any Fairfax County high schools with IB program.

6. Over 100 students from neighboring high schools, including Madison, Falls Church, Langley and McLean, voluntarily "pupil placed" into Marshall.

7. Strong feeder schools - including Freedom Hill, Shrevewood, Stenwood, Westbriar and Wolftrap Elementaries, and both Kilmer and Thoreau Middle schools.

8. High percentage of graduates receiving advanced diplomas and going on to two- and four-year college programs, including graduates attending leading Virginia universities as well as the Ivies and other top private colleges, including Princeton and Penn.

9. Availability of some electives not widely available at other FCPS high schools, such as Chinese.

10. Great diversity, with students drawn from literally dozens of countries around the world.

There's plenty to like there and at other schools in the county as well.

This issue and the beating of Marshall's drum is more dead than Abraham Lincoln. Give it a rest.

[franjaja]

Originally Posted by tankdude

That should only apply to new home buyers, and, it should be capped at at least 1 mil for the house.

Otherwise, it'd be like the Republicans giving tax breaks to multimillionaires....not those that need the breaks.

. . . and how is this new? I mean tax breaks to multimillionaires . . .

[tankdude]

Originally Posted by franjaja

. . . and how is this new? I mean tax breaks to multimillionaires . . .

Change is coming, unless your interpretation of "change" is a bunch of Clinton retreads.

or,

Putting forth an executive order where outgoing cabinet workers can't work for lobbyists, but former lobbyists can come back to work for you...

[Tone509]

This thread is detailed enough without getting sidetracked on issues more appropriate for our Politics and Other Controversies forum.

Back to topic, please...

[observer-379]

Originally Posted by JEB77

OK - so I'll simply highlight some of the positives of the Marshall pyramid that may at times get lost:


8. High percentage of graduates receiving advanced diplomas and going on to two- and four-year college programs, including graduates attending leading Virginia universities as well as the Ivies and other top private colleges, including Princeton and Penn.

Fairfax county does have a number of good schools to choose from, and this discussion has been very informative. I am curious about the destinations of Marshall High school graduates. How many of the graduates went to universities such as Princeton, Yale or Harvard over the past 2 or 3 years? Thank you.

[Tone509]

Originally Posted by observer-379

Fairfax county does have a number of good schools to choose from, and this discussion has been very informative. I am curious about the destinations of Marshall High school graduates. How many of the graduates went to universities such as Princeton, Yale or Harvard over the past 2 or 3 years? Thank you.

You may get some anecdotes here on that question... but I'm thinking that someone at Marshall High School itself may be willing to show you their track record.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by Tone509

You may get some anecdotes here on that question... but I'm thinking that someone at Marshall High School itself may be willing to show you their track record.

I can only offer anecdotes. I believe last year's senior class president at Marshall went to Penn and there is a junior now at Princeton who graduated from Marshall (and was an all-Ivy League running back last fall); the school also sends lots of students to U.Va., Virginia Tech, William & Mary, James Madison, etc. There were also graduates last year who planned to attend Oberlin, Northwestern and NYU, among other schools.

In general, TJ will send a much higher percentage of its graduates to Ivy League schools than any other FCPS high school. After TJ, I expect Marshall pretty much holds its own with the other Fairfax schools (except, perhaps, Langley and McLean, since there are a lot of Ivy League graduates living in the Langley and McLean attendance areas, these children tend to be high-achieving, and "alumni children" still have a slight advantage during the admissions process at most of the Ivies).

[mississippimagnolia]

Way back in this forum, there was a discussion comparing Montgomery County Schools (MD) with Fairfax. We moved to Montgomery County a year ago after hearing about how wonderful the schools were. We have been beyond disappointed and have made the decision to move again to get our kids out of the schools here in Montgomery County. We're moving to Burke this summer. There is simply no comparison.