Burke/West Springfield/Fairfax Elementary Schools - help (Laurel, Forest: townhouse, neighborhoods)

[ralphsbreeze]

We are moving to Northern Virginia in a few months with a 4 year old and are trying to figure out the Elementary school situation. Our focus areas are Burke, West Springfield and Fairfax but it seems (even in Burke) you don't necessarily get a Burke school with a Burke House (e.g., Revensworth comes up instead). And, although the schools are supposed to be the best, many rank at below the 50% level on the Virginia state ranking list (and I'm wondering what is making these schools fall so much lower, like Ravensworth, Kings Park, Terra Centre, Rolling Valley and Silverbrook).

Here's a list of what seems good - any help/input on any single one of these schools would be greatly appreciated. Of course, we'll visit them when we are there but relocation does not give you much time.

In Burke, Cherry Hill and White Oaks seem good. Terra Centre not as good (heard they bus discipline problem kids in and score lower 50%).

In West Springfield, West Springfield and Hunt Valley seem good, not sure about Orange Hunt (although I was told this is the school parents want their kids in). Also seems Ravensworth and Kings Park are not great.

In Fairfax, see a few houses with Laurel Ridge, Fairview, Oak View - not sure about these. Others that seem good were: Willow Springs, Wakefield Forest, Bonnie Brae and Olde Creek.

[tgbwc]

Most of these schools are good. I have worked at Orange Hunt for 15 years and my wife works at Hunt Valley. Feel free to message me.

[Fairfax Mom]

Laurel Ridge and Oakview are excellent schools - people move into neighborhoods just to get into these schools.

[car54]

Terra Centre does indeed house an Alternative Learning Center. Kids kicked out of their base schools are bused there.

BUT, their classes are held in trailers outside and they are strictly forbidden to have ANY contact with the "regular" TC kids.

In other words, don't worry about Terra Centre!

[va2ga]

I work at Keene Mill which is the Gifted and Talented Center for Ravensworth, Kings Park, Rolling Valley, Cardinal Forest, West Springfield and, of course, Keene Mill. I can tell you a little about those schools. Ravensworth sends few students to our school but because it has a language immersion program (I believe Spanish) parents may just choose to keep their kids in that program and not do the GT center. Kings Park is the only K-3 school in the county. All students in that area go to KPES for K-3 and then Kings Glen for 4-6. We get tons of kids from that school. The parents seem to love that school. Rolling Valley sends a few kids but that school is not as well thought of. My own kids went to Cardinal Forest and it was great but there have been several administration changes there since so my experience would probably not be yours. West Springfield is a hidden gem. That is a very small school with a close-knit community feel. Because it is so small, it doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

In Burke, Cherry Run is a good school as is White Oaks. White Oaks is also a GT Center. (Sometimes that is good, sometimes that is bad. There can be subtle divisions between the community-based students and the GT based kids.)

Hunt Valley and Orange Hunt are both good schools in very family friendly neighborhoods. Oakview is great too.

Another thing to consider is that some of these schools feed into Robinson Secondary or Lake Braddock Secondary which are large schools housing grades 7 -12 (although the middle school grades are separated from the high schoolers.) Some of the schools feed into tradition middle school, separate high school (Irving MS, West Springfield HS). I don't know if you have a preference but it is something to consider. I know it is overwhelming but these are all good schools and the differences can be subtle between them. Bottom line is, if you are involved with your child and your child's teacher, they would excel at any of these schools.

[CaseyMac]

Good Morning:

Let me share a bit of my story here. Was brought home to a townhome in Cardinal Forest in 1985 and then moved to a single family home in Kings Park in 1987 as a 20 month old. My parents made the move real quickly and without much consideration due to a variety of factors. What ended up happening was they did not realize that Kings Park, although in Springfield, (like many neighborhoods in Burke), feeds into Lake Braddock for grades 7-12. What ended up happening was them having to pay for private school from grades 7-12 so that I could have a normal middle school/high school situation.

LB and Robinson works for many people, but you must know about it and how you and your spouse feel about this before moving in. I am obviously against it, but I do recognize and respect that it works for some. It's just in our family, we would have never moved into this home had we known and done the research on this. My parents assumed that we were still close enough to Irving MS and West Springfield HS to go there, but that was not the case.

In any event, welcome to our area. The further into Burke and West Springfield, the better it gets. Watch out for transient townhouse communities. If you want a single family home, Orange Hunt/Huntsman Boulevard is a true gem! The closer you get to Braddock Road and the Beltway the more transient it can get. Best of luck to you!

[tgbwc]

You may also want to consider 1/2 day vs. full day kindergarten.

[housewatcher]

Hello,

I want to mention that I believe at Lake Braddock, the Middle and Senior high students are not separated. As I understand it (second hand), the students have separate classrooms in the same halls and are on the same bell schedules. Some activities (gym classes?) may be separate.

Anyone with firsthand knowledge?

[Fairfax Mom]

The further you get into Fairfax and Fairfax Station - the better.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by va2ga

Bottom line is, if you are involved with your child and your child's teacher, they would excel at any of these schools.

Exactly! Excellent point!