Moving to Falls Church with large family - schools? (Reston: crime rate, house)

[Serenah]

My DH and I are looking to relocate from Northern CO back east to NoVa. Specifically, Falls Church. We have 4 kids, and excellent schools are a high priority for us. We will both be working in Falls Church. So, my questions are:

1) What is the crime rate like? We live in a city of approx. 180,000 and it's a college town with its' own fair share of sporadic gang activity, shootings, break-ins, etc. But we use common sense (lock doors on homes, windows, vehicles, have a security system installed in the house, etc.) and I have never felt 'un-safe' in our area.

2) Does anyone know if there are good Core Knowledge schools? We have the kids (15, 13, 10 and 5) in a very good charter school here, complete with uniforms. I'm looking for something along those lines for them to transition into.

3) What is the housing like? I am certain it is more expensive there, but with both of us working, we could probably afford a home in the 700Kish plus range.

We are hoping to live close to work so we don't have to fight the traffic we have heard about. I am originally from the East Coast (South-Central PA), so the hot summers are familiar to me. However, DH and the kiddos have always been in the West.

Any tips? Thanks so much for your time.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by Serenah

My DH and I are looking to relocate from Northern CO back east to NoVa. Specifically, Falls Church. We have 4 kids, and excellent schools are a high priority for us. We will both be working in Falls Church.

The City of Falls Church has a separate school system from Fairfax County which includes some unincorporate parts of FC. Popular opinion seems to be that there are no "bad" schools in that immediate area. Few overall in Fairfax County.

1) What is the crime rate like? We live in a city of approx. 180,000 and it's a college town with its' own fair share of sporadic gang activity, shootings, break-ins, etc. But we use common sense (lock doors on homes, windows, vehicles, have a security system installed in the house, etc.) and I have never felt 'un-safe' in our area.

Your common-sense solutions will be all you need. The few semi-challenged areas here are far from where you will be.

2) Does anyone know if there are good Core Knowledge schools? We have the kids (15, 13, 10 and 5) in a very good charter school here, complete with uniforms. I'm looking for something along those lines for them to transition into.

I have no idea what Core Knowledge is. Charter schools are not necessary in pretty much all of Northern Virginia. There are a number of private schools where uniforms may be standard.

3) What is the housing like? I am certain it is more expensive there, but with both of us working, we could probably afford a home in the 700Kish plus range.

$700K should get you an average/above-average SFH right in Falls Church. Your money might stretch out slightly further in Reston and Herndon - and even more so in Ashburn/Sterling/Leesburg over in Loudoun County - but you'll have to decide whether commute convenience or house amenities are more important.

And it will be a little more humid than South Central PA but there will be less snow so it will be an adjustment for all.

[Serenah]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you.

Core Knowledge is a specific curricula that has gotten high reviews here in the Rockies.

I didn't know that NoVa had such good schools - this is also great news for us as education is primary for our kiddos.

Thanks so much for replying so fast.

[claremarie]

The City of Falls Church is extremely small -- just a few square miles -- and few large employers are located within the city boundaries. Most businesses and many homes with a Falls Church mailing address are actually in Fairfax County communities adjacent to the City of Falls Church. Many families pay a premium to live in the City in order to take advantage of the highly-regarded school system and the easy access to DC (two metro stops are located nearby). There is one school at each level, and it is the smallest school system by far in the DC metro area. Because there are virtually no poor families in the system, the students score very well on standardized tests. There are some downsides to a smaller system, including fewer specialized course offerings at the high school level.

You will not get as much house for your money in the City as you would in other communities, especially those outside the Beltway. A $700K SFH will be at least 40 years old, and may have only a 1-car or no garage. Most yards are good-sized, but some are more along the lines of a postage stamp. If you prefer newer, or bigger (more than 4 bedrooms), you will almost certainly need to consider looking further out.

Most families find that the public schools meet their needs, but there are some excellent private school options in the area.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The City of Falls Church is extremely small -- just a few square miles -- and few large employers are located within the city boundaries. Most businesses and many homes with a Falls Church mailing address are actually in Fairfax County communities adjacent to the City of Falls Church. Many families pay a premium to live in the City in order to take advantage of the highly-regarded school system and the easy access to DC (two metro stops are located nearby). There is one school at each level, and it is the smallest school system by far in the DC metro area. Because there are virtually no poor families in the system, the students score very well on standardized tests. There are some downsides to a smaller system, including fewer specialized course offerings at the high school level.

I assume you are referring to average standardized test scores here, and were not suggesting that students would perform poorly if some of their classmates happen to be of lesser means. And, of course, some students may be poor, but also very bright, and score highly as well.

The small size of the Falls Church City system also makes it less attractive to some parents whose children are good athletes, since the sports teams generally do not compete against other close-by, larger schools with strong programs. Instead, they frequently travel considerable distances to play other small schools in more rural parts of the state.

[Serenah]

Thank you, Claremarie!

With a family of 6, we will need 4 bedrooms or more. We are hoping for a bit more land, so I think we'll focus our housing search further out. I sincerely appreciate the feedback; it is incredibly helpful.

[Serenah]

Jeb:

Our kids, in particular, are not very athletically inclined compared probably to most kids. The focus is more on academics, so we are just looking for a very good school system. I have heard that NoVa has schools such as this in abundance. My DH and I, however, prefer the autonomy of a school system that employs either strict dress codes or uniforms.

Thanks so much.

[claremarie]

If you want an example of private schools offering serious academics (and uniforms), here is an independent Christian school in Falls Church with a Great Books-type focus:

Trinity School at Meadow View is a Christian Junior High and High School in Falls Church, VA

Most, but not all, of the private school options in northern Virginia are Catholic or Christian, but there are some secular schools. The tuition at the non-parish schools is on the high side, however.

[JfromReston]

Here are a few options you may want to consider.

10306 SADDLE VIEW CT, VIENNA, VA 22182 - HomesDatabase
1842 CLOVERMEADOW DR, VIENNA, VA 22182 - HomesDatabase
1397 PARK LAKE DR, RESTON, VA 20190 - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-LAKE+FAIRFAX+PARK+ESTATE-RESTON-VA-MRIS-FX7331705 - broken link)
1399 PARK LAKE DR, RESTON, VA 20190 - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-LAKE+FAIRFAX+PARK+ESTATE-RESTON-VA-MRIS-FX7352254 - broken link)
1315 WESTHILLS LN, RESTON, VA 20190 - HomesDatabase
11019 BURYWOOD LN, RESTON, VA 20194 - HomesDatabase
1111 CHALLEDON RD, GREAT FALLS, VA 22066 - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-LEXINGTON+ESTATES-GREAT+FALLS-VA-MRIS-FX7192483 - broken link)
1037 SPRINGVALE RD, GREAT FALLS, VA 22066 - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-NONE+LISTED-GREAT+FALLS-VA-MRIS-FX7345532 - broken link)
10208 BRENNANHILL CT, GREAT FALLS, VA 22066 - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-HICKORY+CREEK-GREAT+FALLS-VA-MRIS-FX7327796 - broken link)

[Serenah]

Again, my sincere thanks Clare and JfromReston. This is so helpful! I wasn't aware of the HomesDatabase site. I spoke to DH, and he is also wanting to consider Chantilly. Any insights on Chantilly?

Thanks!!