Arlington schools vs. Fairfax schools

[arlingtonChris]

Originally Posted by OrangeFish

I have heard from folks involved with FCAG that Arlington students that attempted to get in to TJ had math skills that were nowhere near where they needed to be to test well for TJ, never mind attend for four years.

Not sure how your sources could have determined this. The test that I took to get into TJ was basically an IQ test. Lots of spacial relations questions and such but there were definitely no advanced math questions. Not sure how anyone could have determined that a whole region of students was under qualified from a math perspective. Arlington has it's own quasi-magnet school - HD Woodlawn (it's consistently rated the top non-magnet school in NV). Sure it's lottery based but it still seems like the student body there represents some of the best and brightest in Arlington. Given a choice between winning the lottery to Woodlawn which is local, or sending my child on an hour long commute each way to TJ, I know i would choose Woodlawn. This blanket statement about Arlington students having inferior math schools sounds like BS to me.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by irvine

My mistake about swimming and diving. Thanks for correcting me. Fairfax proposed cutting indoor track and and girls gymnastics this past January because of an influx of students and a reduction in state aid, according to the Post. I don't know if either sport has been officially cut. But if Fairfax cuts a sport, Arlington usually follows suit.

In response to OrangeFish, I have no reason to disagree with you and I can't comment on the current quality of middle school math in Arlington or Fairfax so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. However, Arlington students are admitted annually to TJHSST.

I think there is a lot to like about both jurisdictions. My overall impression is that the Arlington system, due to being smaller, does seem a bit more humane and less bureaucratic. At least as the high school level, there are fewer schools, and the schools themselves are generally smaller than most of the Fairfax schools.

I also get the impression that neither the teachers nor the parents in Arlington are quite as concerned with standardized test scores. In terms of comparisons, Yorktown is about on par with Oakton, W-L is about on par with West Springfield, and Wakefield is similar to Mount Vernon.

I don't think there are a lot of Arlington kids at TJ, but neither have I heard that the Arlington students who do go there are in any way ill-prepared for the rigors of Jefferson compared to students from other jurisdictions.

Student groups in Fairfax have lobbied the School Board for decades to establish a "quasi-magnet" in Fairfax similar to HB Woodlawn in Arlington. The School Board has never been particularly receptive to the idea, for a host of reasons.

[seiketsu]

Originally Posted by Azmordean

I just can't believe people spend this much time worrying about every little minutiae. I mean, really. Trying to decide if Arlington or Fairfax is better, in terms of public schools, is like trying to figure out if Harvard or Oxford is more well regarded.

Bottom line, in my opinion: MOST of the NOVA school districts, especially fairfax, loudoun, arlington, and PWC, will provide children an excellent education and amply prepare them for college, given proper parental support and other factors. With these districts we are talking mostly marginal differences in quality that are probably pretty meaningless outside of statistics.

This. Except I would go so far as to say ALL of NOVA's schools provide an excellent education. Heck, even DC and PGC schools aren't that bad. I grew up in one of those states that's always at the bottom of every list (except maybe "fattest people"), and my high school was lucky to graduate a handful of people who could actually read. Then I went to one of those fancy schmancy northeastern colleges. And guess what? I did just fine.

Basically, if you are an involved parent and/or your kid is not a complete loser, the school doesn't matter. A kid who isn't interested in learning isn't going to learn in Best Fairfax School. A curious kid will challenge himself and expand his intellect even in a school out of Dangerous Minds.

I find it amusing that people will argue over whether a school that is ranked only number 17 in the ENTIRE COUNTRY could provide a decent education, and whether it is worth spending a million dollars on a home in the district that's ranked number two so your kid won't suffer the indignity of being a complete failure and not getting into Harvard.

I mean, if you *really* cared about what college your kid could get into, you wouldn't be living in the DC area. You'd be living in rural Idaho. Because the Harvards and Dartmouths of the world LOVE to diversify their student bodies like that.

[claremarie]

One more thing about Arlington v. Fairfax -- a few years back, Arlington shifted its bell schedules to give high school students a later start to their day (and elementary students an earlier start). That also means a later END to the high school day. For some families, this would be a significant difference between the two jurisdictions.
Otherwise, I think that their similarities far exceed their differences, and you can go with the neighborhood that you like.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by arlingtonChris

Not sure how your sources could have determined this. The test that I took to get into TJ was basically an IQ test. Lots of spacial relations questions and such but there were definitely no advanced math questions. Not sure how anyone could have determined that a whole region of students was under qualified from a math perspective.

As I stated in my post -- this is not information from me but from FCAG, specifically focusing on admittance into TJ and not focusing on the TJ exam. Many parents have posted that the TJ exam is hardly challenging to many, if not most, students, which seems to jive with your description of the test.