Which county has better schools- Prince William or Arlington?

[MrKite]

Originally Posted by HereinVA

MrKite,

Have you taught in other public school sytems in this area as well? Could you please explain how it is different in those districts? Thanks!

No, I've taught only in PWCS in VA. My guess is that all public schools suffer from the same problems I described above, but I could be wrong.

[MrKite]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

And MrKite, aren't all Virginia school systems "teaching to the test?" That has been a complaint across all counties ever since the SOLs have been in existance. Is PWCSC doing worse in that regard than, say, Arlington, or Fairfax?

Like I said in my first response, I haven't taught in other districts in VA, so I can't say for sure, but I'd say, like you, that it's a problem plaguing all (or most) public schools at this time. No Child Left Behind needs to get left behind. :-)

I will agree with you that economics plays the most important role in the school. If you've got a lot of economically challenged kids, then they are challenged in other ways. You are going to see less of that in Fairfax and Loudon because all the "money" is living there. Not sure about Arlington.

You're probably right about that, but I think that even Fairfax County and Arlington County may have their lower-income areas, too, such as Alexandria south of the beltway and South Arlington.

And that describes the biggest differences between the eastern and western PWC schools--money and lack of diversity. Are we really fooling ourselves to believe that the teachers on the western end of the country are THAT much better?

Manassas has some lower-income areas, and that's in the western part of the county.

[Smoke_Jaguar4]

If you're looking at PWC to save money on housing, you'll need to consider two other factors:

- First, your commuting costs will go up, in some cases considerably. There are a lot of 'small costs' that will eat away at whatever you save upfront on your mortgage/rent. Some people will find their savings negated or even wind up spending more living further out.

- Second, expect your husband to be absent from the family an additional two to three hours per day as he commutes between work and home. In the long run this will impact your quality of life, your relationship, and your children.

Addressing your original question, let's turn it around and ask what would you consider "good enough"? If a school does its job of educating kids in a safe environment, and your kids have the capacity to learn with good support at home, then you'll do well wherever you go.

[Middlin]

In this area, you can't really compare whole entire counties to one another. High and low performing schools occur within all counties. Arlington County has about 25% of PWC county in terms of number of students and schools.

In terms of deciding between these two counties in terms of commuting into DC, there is no comparison. PW would easily take 3 times longer in terms of time. Housing, however, could be 50% less.

[JD984]

As others have noted, it's a bit strange to ask about Arlington and Prince William, but not Fairfax or Loudoun, since Fairfax is between Arlington and Prince William, and some of Loudoun is as close to DC as some of Prince William.

As between the two counties, others have already made the most important point, which is that broad generalizations about the counties' respective school systems don't take you very far.

Smoke Jaguar made some interesting points about the potential benefits of a shorter commute. It's generally very hard to overstate how grueling commutes can be in this region. Having said that, it's an intensely personal decision as to what type of neighborhood may work best for your family. Some people do not find the thought of living in Arlington appealing, since home lots tends to be on the small side, housing tends to be expensive, there are a large number of post-college graduates in their 20s who set the tone in some areas, and there is perhaps more tension in some Arlington neighborhoods than elsewhere in the region between people who want to preserve older neighborhoods as they were and those who want the unfettered ability to tear down older properties and build large new houses in their place. On the other hand, many others value its proximity to DC, its vibrant and redeveloped commercial areas, and its superior access to public transportation.

Conversely, some would consider a daily commute to DC from PWC (or, that matter, Loudoun or western Fairfax) almost unbearable, while others find it a more than acceptable trade-off in exchange for a newer, more spacious home in a good school district in a place like Gainesville or Haymarket.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Conversely, some would consider a daily commute to DC from PWC (or, that matter, Loudoun or western Fairfax) almost unbearable, while others find it a more than acceptable trade-off in exchange for a newer, more spacious home in a good school district in a place like Gainesville or Haymarket.

And as I just pointed out on ComputerGuy's thread, you can live "out" and make some concessions. My choice was to work 6:00AM to 2:30. My commute to PWC is super-smooth, and when my kids were younger, daycare was all on the front-end of the day and I was home for all activities and practices in the afternoons.