How difficult to get into private schools in Fairfax area? (Lynchburg: 2013, house)

[alex...]

I realize this is a very broad group of schools, so perhaps I can narrow it down a bit. We would prefer a non-denominational school that teaches children of middle to high-school age.

Are admission standards quite high? Very long waiting lists?

And yes, we understand how good Fairfax public schools are. But a particular area we are interested in living in has a middle school we are not too crazy about. So we are considering alternatives.

Thanks for your help in answering my admittedly broad question.

[LynchburgLover]

I think you'll get more answers if you are a lot more specific. There are quite a few independent schools and the range of difficulty varies by reputation.

It also makes a huge difference which part of Fairfax. If you are living in Franconia, going to Maderia, for example, could be a commuting nightmare. And, quite bluntly, it depends on your budget. Flint Hill, Maderia, etc are extremely expensive and extremely competitive. If you are looking at some of the smaller, less "prestigious" schools, it might be easier.

Maybe you could toss out a few of the schools you are looking into and people could give you feedback. I don't know if it is still out there, but there was a small, yellow softcover book available in local bookstores. The title is something to the effect of "Iindependent Schools Guide to Washington DC". That would give you an idea of tuitions, class size etc.

Good luck.

[HokieFan]

LynchburgLover gave great advice.

Also, if you're looking to enroll for the 2012-2013 school year, you are already behind the ball. It's the end of "admissions season" and most schools have already made their decisions although there may be some schools who can/will accept late applications.

[heatherm941]

High School range schools seem pretty competitive and wait lists are common. Like Hokiefan said, if you are applying for 2012-2013, they have already made their acceptances, so you should narrow down your list and start calling for availability as soon as possible

[slim04]

Originally Posted by alex...

But a particular area we are interested in living in has a middle school we are not too crazy about.

You'd be surprised how few non-religious private high schools (or combined 6-12 or K-12) there are in Northern Virginia. I think most of them are very hard to get into like Potomac, Flint Hill, and Madeira (girls school). These are pretty elitist institutions. The parochial schools run the gamet in terms of selectivity.

There are more non-religious private schools that terminate at 8th grade (Langley School, Burgundy Farms, Browne, Congressional, etc.) and it is hit or miss, as it really depends on the attrition at the school.

So unless that house is near a big Catholic middle and/or high school where admission isn't that selective, it can be a total crapshoot where you can get in. That public middle school might be your best option, so you should be comfortable with that before buying into that neighborhood to save you a lot of headaches in the future.

The other thing you should know is if you are trying to do a public transfer, do a lottery, or apply to a magnet school, those decisions come much later than most selective private schools require you to sign a 1 year contract obligating you to pay tuition. So it is hard to use private school as a backup if you don't get into a public school alternative to your zoned school.