Relocating to Fairfax area- best schools etc. (Arlington, Centreville: crime, home)

[peytonk]

Relocating to Northern Virginia from California. My husband will be working in Falls Church and we have three young children. Suggestions for the best quality of life, schools, community? Thanks!

[seldomseen]

Falls Church has a stellar public school system, and NoVa alone is in the like top 2% of best public school systems in the United States. Some schools will obviously be better than others, but for the most part you can't go wrong with NoVa's public school system. Loudon County also has a nice school system too, and is still within a relatively reasonable commuting distance to Falls Church.

[stacylee926]

Most of the Fairfax schools are great.
I prefer Centreville and Chantilly as they are very family oriented areas with lots of shopping, restaurants and things to do. Close to major highways and access to the rest of the DC metro area. The commmunities are 'newer' -as the area really started to build up 15 years ago as families moved further and further away from DC. There is still new building going on in those areas too.

Traffic is BAD, but the Metro is a great alternative. I lived in Centreville for 9 years before moving to SE VA 3 years ago. My kids were very happy in those schools. My son has a learning disability (related to reading only) and I was VERY pleased with the way Fairfax county gave him extra help when needed.

If it weren't for taxes and traffic, I might still be there.

[claremarie]

The answer to your questions will depend upon your housing budget. If by the "best schools" you mean those with the highest test scores, these will be generally found in the most affluent communities, though most of Fairfax County's schools are pretty good. The most affluent communities, of course, have the most expensive housing, but if you can afford $800K + for a house, it's hard to beat McLean and the City of Falls Church for amentities, quality of life, and easy access to DC via car OR metro. Centreville and Chantilly are nice enough, but a long haul from DC and Falls Church.

[5stones]

Living right in the city Falls Church would be nice. (ah... to work and live in the same town!!) Schools are very good.
use sites like great schools. com or school matters .com also look at newsweeks top 1000 HS. all have good info to sift through.

McLean is the most $$$ but excellent schools.
Arlington is another place to consider as well.

Yes, centerville, chantilly and southriding are all very nice places but you will have alot of traffic to deal with. But those are good options if you can't swing the housing prices in the the beltway.

[dottieG]

Hi,
Living right in Falls Church would probably be most ideal depending on your housing budget. You may want to consider Oakton or Vienna as well as other neighborhoods close to Falls Church. If you are looking for a community that has amenities you may have to move farther out. Of course McLean is wonderful, but pricey. Consider this, the closer you move to the District, the more housing will cost. You have so many options to choose from that you'll go mental if you don't really work on a needs and wants analysis and do some additional research on schools, crime etc. Hope this is helpful.

[sweaty]

As a native and a public school teacher in Fairfax County, I decided that Wolftrap Elementary in Vienna is the best school for my kids.

[zenetanar]

Go to the FCPS website (FCPS Home Page Redirect Page) and check out the school's performances, including the middle schools and high schools they feed into. I taught in Oakton/ Vienna and they have wonderful schools -- pretty close to Falls Church, too.