Need more info on Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria (Fairfax: low income, 2013)

[jml5466]

We will be transfered to Ft. Belvoir this summer and are interested in the Kingstowne area of Alexandria so that we can avoid a nasty commute. Problem is that I've heard bad things about Hayfield Secondary School (on this site and off). Some of the reviews are old and I'm wondering if they are outdated since the school has been remodeled and the boundaries have changed. Anyone know what the school is like NOW (academics as well as safety)? How about the area immediately surrounding it? We're looking at a house off of Old Telegraph Rd. Any comments?

[MattVA]

My wife graduated from Hayfield in that late 1980's. Our children will be attending there in a few years. We have many friends with children there-all of them like the school. Hayfield has had no more incidents than any other shool in the county. It is located in a very safe and attractive community. We live off of Telegraph Road in Newington and love the area. Other family members continue to live in communities along Telegraph Road.

I'm the President of our civic association and the chairman of the deacon board for my church (located on Telegraph Road as well). I would strongly encourage you to look at our community and our great school. The neighborhoods along Old Telgraph Road are wonderful, established community with lots of families.

[slduvall]

I second the comment about Hayfield. I live in Kingstowne and if we stay here my daughter will go there. I work on Telegraph and many of the people I work with have children who attend Hayfield. They have nothing bad to say about it. One has one child that went to TJ (which is the BEST HS in the whole country) and they don't have a problem with Hayfield for their other kids.

The problem on this site and others is that this area has more than its' share of GREAT schools. So in comparison there are others that are better, but that shouldn't reflect poorly on schools like Hayfield. With the addition of South County the population at Hayfield has gone down. There is nothing to say that won't change again, as boundries do tend to shift around depending on population demand.

The neighborhoods along telegraph are pretty nice, but due to the fact that telegraph is currently a two lane road that can cause problems if you are trying to make a left out of your neighborhood without a light.

[The Dissenter]

Even though i think TC Williams is the best HS in the Alexandria addresses, Hayfield is very much good too. My friend graduated from Hayfield and is attending UVA @ Wise and doing alright.

[Yankeesfan]

My friends whose kids attend Hayfield really like it. Here are the details from the county school website:

FCPS - School Profiles - Hayfield SS

Prior to the opening of South County High School, kids from the Fairfax Station area were bused past several other high schools to attend Hayfield because that's where there was room (and the school was crowded as a result). Parents from that area understandably disliked having their kids travel such a distance away from their neighborhoods. When South County was built, people fought to get into it because, again understandably, the idea of a brand-new school was very appealing. So that's where some of the negative image of Hayfield arose; it had more to do with geography and boundary disputes than the school itself.

[JD984]

The enrollment at Hayfield HS declined immediately after South County was built, but there was a subsequent redistricting that has boosted the size of the freshman and sophomore classes. The current enrollment is 1965 students and projected to increase to 2042 by 2013.

It is great that there are Hayfield boosters that can speak to their children's or friends' actual experience at the school. Unfortunately, in Fairfax, the School Board not infrequently takes actions that damage the reputations of schools. When it establishes school boundaries that look like gerry-mandered congressional districts, and creates attendance "islands" outside the normal boundaries, it often reflects the efforts of particular School Board members to grant favors to particular neighborhoods or keep certain neighborhoods out of a particular school. Some of the negative perceptions about Hayfield arose not only because parents in Fairfax Station understandibly wanted their kids to attend a new school closer to their homes (South County), but also because there was a perception that some neighborhoods (not Kingstowne) that logically should be assigned to South County were instead assigned to Hayfield, while other neighborhoods that should be assigned to Lake Braddock were assigned to South County. Fortunately, most parents, teachers and children generally rise above the School Board's shenanigans and make the best of the situation.

[Yankeesfan]

Well-said, JEB77!

[Skapov]

Well, I just checked schooldigger.com and Hayfield Secondary is ranked 243rd out of 306 public high schools in VA, which puts it in the bottom 20% statewide. And so if you've no problem with your kid being in the bottom 20, then Hayfield might be a-okay!

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Skapov

Well, I just checked schooldigger.com and Hayfield Secondary is ranked 243rd out of 306 public high schools in VA, which puts it in the bottom 20% statewide. And so if you've no problem with your kid being in the bottom 20, then Hayfield might be a-okay!

Schooldigger.com may have to be taken with a grain of salt. TC Williams is rated 303 out of 306 and i know of more than 3 high schools in other parts of the state that are a lot worse.

[jml5466]

Thanks so much for your posts! The school profiles link was very helpful. It appears that Hayfield does NOT have significantly more violence than anywhere else in Fairfax county (unless it is going unreported). I also looked at schooldigger.com and those results are concerning, of course. Why does Hayfield perform so poorly compared to the rest of the State? It doesn't seem to be in a low income area. Although test scores are an important factor, I don't think they tell the whole story, and that is why I'm asking for personal experiences!