Oakton High School versus Langley High School (Chantilly, McLean: appointed, real estate)

[camer]

Hello,

We're relocating.

Which high school would you recommend and why?

[saganista]

They are both top-of-the-line schools, quite highly rated. Langley serves kids from McLean and Great Falls. These are very upscale areas, so you are going to have a lot of monied kids and not so much diversity. Oakton serves kids from a less wealthy (but still quite well-to-do) and more diverse community stretching from the west side of Vienna, through the south side of Oakton, then north of Fairfax and on out to north of Chantilly. Both schools are well appointed and sit on attractive grounds. Oakton HS is just down the street from the Vienna Metro station, making dropoff at school on the way to work a possibility for some. Some folks might see more difference between the two, but subtract out the snootiness advantage that Langley might have (deservedly), and I wouldn't see so much to separate them. It would come down to parsing degrees of excellence in my mind...

[camer]

Originally Posted by saganista

They are both top-of-the-line schools, quite highly rated. Langley serves kids from McLean and Great Falls. These are very upscale areas, so you are going to have a lot of monied kids and not so much diversity. Oakton serves kids from a less wealthy (but still quite well-to-do) and more diverse community stretching from the west side of Vienna, through the south side of Oakton, then north of Fairfax and on out to north of Chantilly. Both schools are well appointed and sit on attractive grounds. Oakton HS is just down the street from the Vienna Metro station, making dropoff at school on the way to work a possibility for some. Some folks might see more difference between the two, but subtract out the snootiness advantage that Langley might have (deservedly), and I wouldn't see so much to separate them. It would come down to parsing degrees of excellence in my mind...

THANK YOU! I shall keep Oakton at the top of my list. I'm too old for snootiness. The less the better.

[claremarie]

It really comes down to where you want to live. Langley is one of those "sought-after" schools that real estate agents highlight in their brochures, but if McLean works better than the Oakton area for your family, don't worry about the "snootiness" factor at Langley, since many of those families will be sending their kids to private schools in any event.
Langley, McLean, Oakton, Madison are all excellent schools. If you're considering communities served by these schools, you can make your decision based upon other factors (proximity to workplace, housing styles, cost, etc.) rather than making the school the determining factor.

[camer]

Originally Posted by claremarie

It really comes down to where you want to live. Langley is one of those "sought-after" schools that real estate agents highlight in their brochures, but if McLean works better than the Oakton area for your family, don't worry about the "snootiness" factor at Langley, since many of those families will be sending their kids to private schools in any event.
Langley, McLean, Oakton, Madison are all excellent schools. If you're considering communities served by these schools, you can make your decision based upon other factors (proximity to workplace, housing styles, cost, etc.) rather than making the school the determining factor.

Thank you once again. May I ask you what the commute time would be into GWU Med Ctr from these communities? I hear traffic is awful. My husband would be leaving @ 6 - 6:15 AM. I understand there is a Metro in Oakton? How long would that take? We're coming from Newton, MA: our real estate looks similar in the communities you mentioned. But we're looking for smaller, quieter (Newton is 18 sq miles with a population of 80,000). Oakton seems to fit that profile.

[JEB77]

Originally Posted by saganista

They are both top-of-the-line schools, quite highly rated. Langley serves kids from McLean and Great Falls. These are very upscale areas, so you are going to have a lot of monied kids and not so much diversity. Oakton serves kids from a less wealthy (but still quite well-to-do) and more diverse community stretching from the west side of Vienna, through the south side of Oakton, then north of Fairfax and on out to north of Chantilly. Both schools are well appointed and sit on attractive grounds. Oakton HS is just down the street from the Vienna Metro station, making dropoff at school on the way to work a possibility for some. Some folks might see more difference between the two, but subtract out the snootiness advantage that Langley might have (deservedly), and I wouldn't see so much to separate them. It would come down to parsing degrees of excellence in my mind...

I'm with Saganista on this one. Langley has slightly higher test scores, and Oakton sports teams often excel in district and regional competition, but the differences really aren't significant enough to drive a decision where to buy a house, particularly when compared to other factors such as commuting. Also keep in mind that Fairfax is a county-wide school system, so there is always the possibility of redistricting (the western portion of the Oakton HS district, in particular, has been adjusted frequently).

[athousandlogins]

There is a Metro station in Vienna, which is right next to Oakton. You can use this site to figure out how long your commute would be on Metro from any given address:

Metro - Rider Tools - Trip Planner

[camer]

Originally Posted by athousandlogins

there is a metro station in vienna, which is right next to oakton. You can use this site to figure out how long your commute would be on metro from any given address:

metro - rider tools - trip planner

thank you!

[claremarie]

From my old house in McLean, right off the GW Parkway, that commute would be a piece of cake, especially at 6 am. 20 minutes, maybe less. Actually, pretty much any commute is bearable at that early hour.

[camer]

Originally Posted by claremarie

From my old house in McLean, right off the GW Parkway, that commute would be a piece of cake, especially at 6 am. 20 minutes, maybe less. Actually, pretty much any commute is bearable at that early hour.

You just made my day.
How about the reverse commute leaving @ 6 pm?