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I've heard mixed opinions on South Lakes. I don't think it's a bad school, in fact a motivated student would end up doing very well there. But some students can fall through the cracks. What do you have against Loudoun Schools? People I know move to Loudoun specifically for the schools. The reason Loudoun has such good schools is they went out of their way to encourage teachers to move here about a decade ago, when Fairfax County was becoming unaffordable.
Also, families moving to Loduoun these days tend to have multiple degrees and put a high emphasis on education. Most people moving here work at high tech firms and the Janelia Research Center. Their kids tend to be collge-oriented, and at the local schools the top students have plenty of competition.
Normie - I don't have anything against Loudoun schools at all (and I've recommended Loudoun neighborhoods and schools to other posters on other threads). But I think motivated students can succeed at South Lakes, and that unmotivated students can fall through the cracks at Loudoun schools as well. In general, families in both Fairfax and Loudoun tend to be well-educated and to place a high emphasis on education. But, if South Lakes were in Loudoun rather than Fairfax, its test scores (SAT scores per College Board) would place the school in the top half of Loudoun high schools. [In Fairfax, South Lakes is tied for #16 out of 25 high schools.]
I realize that, in posting such data, I run the risk of coming across as seeking to fuel rivarlies between counties or as obsessed with test results. That's not my intention, so I apologize in advance if it comes off that way. However, the not-infrequent barbs at a school like South Lakes - which by state and national standards is very good - do leave me wondering at times whether the same digs would be leveled against SL if the student population were just a little more affluent and a little less racially diverse.
In any event, I'd encourage the OP to look for temporary housing somewhere closer than Loudoun if her husband is going to be working downtown. Someone recently suggested Falls Church - that is another option worth careful consideration (although posters will again chime in that some parts of Falls Church are preferable to others).
But the corporate apartments tend to be away from lower density residential and close to retail, office, and major roads. There should be apartments near both East Falls Church and West Falls Church metro stops. Both stations are close to the W&OD trail and the parks. The West Falls Church station may be the closest to schools.
But the corporate apartments tend to be away from lower density residential and close to retail, office, and major roads. There should be apartments near both East Falls Church and West Falls Church metro stops. Both stations are close to the W&OD trail and the parks. The West Falls Church station may be the closest to schools.
I think the East Falls Church metro is pretty close to Tuckahoe Elementary in Arlington and the West Falls Church station is not too far from Haycock Elementary in Falls Church (which feeds into Longfellow Middle/McLean High). These are both nice areas.
The apartment complexes in the immediate Tysons area are also zoned for high-performing schools, but it's not really as family-friendly an area, unless your family lives to shop (plus there will be Metro construction for the next few years around Tysons).
The OP didn't mention Falls Church, but the Oakwood corporate apartments on Sycamore/Roosevelt might be a great choice if available. It's walking distance to the East Falls Church Metro station and located within the City of Falls Church, which has an excellent small school system. Also walking distance to the W&OD bike path, and within easy reach of shopping, restaurants, libraries, parks, community swim/tennis clubs, etc. It's also walking distance to Eden Center, the Vietnamese shopping center that has had gang issues in the past, but it's my understanding that things have greatly improved there.
I could have provided more than one example, but only one was necessary to show that you were wrong. There are a handful of Vienna neighborhoods, such as Colvin Forest, zoned to Langley. If you live there, the schools your kids attend is not an obscure fact.
And by the very definition of "a handful" makes the word "obscure" very appropriate. I'm sure you would agree that out of all high schools that serve Vienna, Vienna sends the fewest to Langley and McLean.
BTW, nobody said the "schools your kids attend" was "an obscure fact."
And by the very definition of "a handful" makes the word "obscure" very appropriate. I'm sure you would agree that out of all high schools that serve Vienna, Vienna sends the fewest to Langley and McLean.
BTW, nobody said the "schools your kids attend" was "an obscure fact."
It's conjecture on your part.
I don't think there's much reason for you to belabor this. I pointed out in a prior post that residents of Fairfax County with Vienna mailing addresses are zoned for a number of high schools, including Langley. You then made an assertion that no one living in Vienna is zoned to attend Langley. You were incorrect. If you don't like having that pointed out, it's probably better to get your facts right in the first place and not get bent out of shape later.
I would not necessarily agree that, out of all the high schools that serve Vienna, Vienna sends the fewest to Langley and McLean. Langley, yes. But as far as I'm aware the number of Vienna students attending McLean (which draws predominantly from students living in McLean and Falls Church) is about the same as the number attending South Lakes (which draws predominantly from students living in Reston). Do you have data that shows otherwise? If so, perhaps you can share it.
I don't think there's much reason to belabor this. I pointed out in a prior post that residents of Fairfax County with Vienna mailing addresses are zoned for a number of high schools, including Langley. You then made an assertion that no one living in Vienna is zoned to attend Langley. You were incorrect. If you don't like having that pointed out, it's probably better to get your facts right in the first place and not get huffy later.
You should probably get off that little shetland pony. It's totally unnecessary.
Nobody disagreed with your example, but it's clear that Vienna sends very few kids to Langley and McLean compared to the other Vienna high school options, thus making it obscure.
That is probably what makes Vienna a desirable place to live because of schools like Langley, McLean, Madison, and Oakton which is why I suggested Vienna to the person who started the thread.
And your point about "If you live there, the schools your kids attend is not an obscure fact," is again, irrelevant and clearly from left field.
Last edited by live_strong28; 05-18-2009 at 08:39 PM..
The OP didn't mention Falls Church, but the Oakwood corporate apartments on Sycamore/Roosevelt might be a great choice if available. It's walking distance to the East Falls Church Metro station and located within the City of Falls Church, which has an excellent small school system. Also walking distance to the W&OD bike path, and within easy reach of shopping, restaurants, libraries, parks, community swim/tennis clubs, etc. It's also walking distance to Eden Center, the Vietnamese shopping center that has had gang issues in the past, but it's my understanding that things have greatly improved there.
This area sounds like it could work well for us. One of my husbands coworkers actually lives in Falls Church just not to sure if east or west.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JEB77
I think the East Falls Church metro is pretty close to Tuckahoe Elementary in Arlington and the West Falls Church station is not too far from Haycock Elementary in Falls Church (which feeds into Longfellow Middle/McLean High). These are both nice areas.
The apartment complexes in the immediate Tysons area are also zoned for high-performing schools, but it's not really as family-friendly an area, unless your family lives to shop (plus there will be Metro construction for the next few years around Tysons).
We don't really live to shop so we would have to look really close at the Tyson's area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lchoro
But the corporate apartments tend to be away from lower density residential and close to retail, office, and major roads. There should be apartments near both East Falls Church and West Falls Church metro stops. Both stations are close to the W&OD trail and the parks. The West Falls Church station may be the closest to schools.
you are right in that the corporate apartments are close to retail, most people on temp assignment eat out for every meal and like to walk to whatever they need to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JEB77
Normie - I don't have anything against Loudoun schools at all (and I've recommended Loudoun neighborhoods and schools to other posters on other threads). But I think motivated students can succeed at South Lakes, and that unmotivated students can fall through the cracks at Loudoun schools as well. In general, families in both Fairfax and Loudoun tend to be well-educated and to place a high emphasis on education. But, if South Lakes were in Loudoun rather than Fairfax, its test scores (SAT scores per College Board) would place the school in the top half of Loudoun high schools. [In Fairfax, South Lakes is tied for #16 out of 25 high schools.]
I realize that, in posting such data, I run the risk of coming across as seeking to fuel rivarlies between counties or as obsessed with test results. That's not my intention, so I apologize in advance if it comes off that way. However, the not-infrequent barbs at a school like South Lakes - which by state and national standards is very good - do leave me wondering at times whether the same digs would be leveled against SL if the student population were just a little more affluent and a little less racially diverse.
In any event, I'd encourage the OP to look for temporary housing somewhere closer than Loudoun if her husband is going to be working downtown. Someone recently suggested Falls Church - that is another option worth careful consideration (although posters will again chime in that some parts of Falls Church are preferable to others).
Thank you so much to all for your input, you have definately given us some direction and ideas on where to look. If this detail happens it will probably be a very fast turn-around so I am trying to do my homework ahead of time. The most difficult thing I have found is trying to figure out what the schools would be for the corporate apartments we could live in. We are looking at Oakwood Apts, Marriot Excustay, and Corporate Apts.com, we have to find a company that accepts the per diem rates as payment in full, and hubby's gov' cc. I must say these corporate apartments clean up in NOVA/DC depending on the time of the year, they can charge up to $6990 per month. That is mind-boggling to me. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he gets this, then it is adios NM, hello NOVA at least for a year or two.
Another question, would it be safe to assume that for the most part the schools in NOVA are heads above the schools in NM? I see alot of posts on here about how one area is better than the other in regards to school but when you come from a very poor state with very little money for education I would think just about any school in NOVA would be much better. My boys all do really well in school and I am hoping that they won't have any trouble adjusting or that they are not behind.
Don't know anything about schools in NM, but we recently moved to a small midwestern city and found that the most expensive private school in town was not as academically advanced as the Fairfax Co schools our kids used to attend.
Most school performance is driven by demographics; northern Virginia is full of highly educated, high-achieving professionals, and the schools are very well funded. Even the less "sought after" school pyramids are likely to be considerably better than your current public school system.
Another question, would it be safe to assume that for the most part the schools in NOVA are heads above the schools in NM?
Don't know what the schools are like in your part of NM, but FWIW when my brother moved here from Los Alamos, NM, their son had a little bit of a struggle at first and needed tutoring in one of his courses. It didn't take him long to catch up, though. By the time he'd finished high school he won a scholarship to Yale, so in the long run I think that extra push he had when they moved here gave him good study habits.
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That is mind-boggling to me. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he gets this, then it is adios NM, hello NOVA at least for a year or two. 
