Hello Virginia (Burke, Reston, Chantilly: rentals, condo, townhouses)

[puffle]

I haven't lived in Fairfax County for three years and we may be moving back. We would be renting for a few years and have a 13 year old going into high school. We are looking at Chantilly, Burke, Fairlakes area, Reston. I have seen several rentals in Reston but years ago was told to stay away from South Lakes High due to gangs and poor teaching. What is it like now? How does it compare to the other areas I mentioned in terms of schools and safety? My other question is about Loudon County...Ashburn? Rentals and good high schools? Any help would be appreciated!

[lcbsweetpea]

Hi Puffle,

Burke is a good area, and if recall Braddock High School is excellent! My next choice for you would be Ashland, Loudon County. It's a growing community, very upper class and schools so far (GOD forbid nothing happens), are excellent with high standards, as Fairfax County Schools also.

I hope that this has helped a bit. Good luck in your choice and moving back here.

Lauren

[dullnboring]

As you know as a former resident, Fairfax County Public Schools are generally regarded as among the best in the nation. South Lakes High School is a middle of the road performing school WITHIN that system which would make it a good or great school anywhere else, but within Fairfax County, it carries a bit of a reputation. It is by no means a bad school, just one that isn't AS good as some of the other schools if that makes any sense. Seeing as how Reston was initially designed in an integrationist model, in an effort to integrate people socioeconomically, there is more low-income housing in Reston so therefore the local schools pull more students from disadvantaged backgrounds that many of the surrounding high schools (the difference particularly marked because many of South Lakes' rival high school happen to be among the best within Fairfax County, so it is even more of an anomaly). As such, there are drugs and gangs within the school, but truthfully, those are in every school now and in fact, drug use is far more prevalent in wealthier "good" schools than in poorer-performing more urban schools. It's a dirty little secret that many parents don't like confronting. In my opinion, if your child is going to be involved in drugs or gangs, they will be whether they go to South Lakes or Ballou (bad school in DC) or Langley (top school in Fairfax). Similarly, if they are good students geared towards academic success, they will succeed wherever they are. It's all about the opportunities laid forth and afforded by the schools, and South Lakes gives the same opportunities, the same counselors, the same AP courses, the same extracurriculars, etc. as other "better" schools in the area; just with a higher exposure to students of different economic levels.

I live in Ashburn and have posted frequently about it on this forum. I recommend doing a search on my posts with the word "Ashburn" included. The gist of things however is that Ashburn is Wisteria Lane. It is your quintessential cookie-cutter suburbia. Lawns are all freshly-trimmed, trees evenly spaced in traffic medians, bike paths, soccer fields, minivans, the works. The schools are good; not quite as up to par as neighboring Fairfax, but they're getting there, and one benefit is that thus far, the schools are nowhere near the mammoth size of those in Fairfax County, although that will surely change fairly soon if the insane growth in the area keeps up.

[claremarie]

You can get a lot of data on schools from the Fairfax county schools website, or from greatschools.com. Some schools have better reputations than others, almost entirely based on test scores and how many students get accepted to elite colleges (which, of course, is largely a reflection of the socioeonomic standing of their parents). All of the high schools in the Fairfax communities you are considering are pretty big, which is great for providing the widest range of sports/academic/art offerings, but can be bad for middle of the road students who are overlooked because they are neither extremely gifted nor learning disabled/behavior problems. If you have an extremely motivated and able 8th grader, try looking for a high school that offers the IB program -- this would provide him or her with an instant community.

[puffle]

Thanks everybody for the info. Not really into the Wisteria Lane thing....already live in it here in S. Cal. I just couldn't believe how inexpensive the townhouses are in Ashburn compared to where I live. I live in an attached two bedroom condo under 1300 sq. ft. built in the sixties for $2119! I saw beautiful townhomes in Fairfax and Loundon for $1495 that are newer a larger. Price is all relative to what you are used to obviously!