Prince William high schools (Lynchburg, Manassas: 2013, houses, layoffs)

[Grsz11]

I was at an event at Patriot High School and amazed by the size of that school. And its in the middle of nowhere. Where are all these students coming from? Better question I guess is what schools were they in before. I know Brentsville is considerably smaller than the other schools, but was it bigger before? Same question about the new high school...where will these students come from? Are Hylton and Forest Park so over capacity to need to accomodate 2000 students?

[gomason]

This is where the kids come from.

Patriot High School serves the Gainesville area which is probably the fastest growing part of Prince William County.

[justtitans]

I would imagine that the new high school will pull some students from Woodbridge High as well as it is close to their boundary and over capacity.

[Middlin]

I can tell you haven't driven around Bristow/Gainesville if you think it's in the middle of nowhere and wonder where these kids are coming from.

The boundary change drew kids from Battlefield HS (Haymarket) that live in Gainesville, kids that went to Stonewall Jackson in Manassas and Brentsville HS. All of these HS were over capacity.

The neighborhood that is closest to the school is Braemar which has over 2,000 homes. The same boundary for Patriot HS has 5 elementary schools and 1 middle school which is vastly over capacity. If you count each ES at a modest 800 kids and I know Marstellar has 1600 kids.....you can do the math and see that this area is in desparate need of another HS, not to mention MS.

The next HS in PW is slated for the eastern part of PW.

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by Middlin

I can tell you haven't driven around Bristow/Gainesville if you think it's in the middle of nowhere and wonder where these kids are coming from.

This is true. Came in on Bristow Road from Dumfries Road and its mostly rural the whole way. Its a great area though.

[CleoShahateet]

We live in Bristow and it has developed fast since 2009 when we moved in. Just drive down Linton Hall Road towards 29 and you will see all the new developments, the VA Gateway Center and loads of houses. Take a look at Piney Branch Elementary School on Linton Hall which is one of the schools that at this point is in the same district as Patriot HS. It is Huge and at capacity (or over) and that one was only completed in 2011.

[Forehead]

We live in the Woodbridge High School area, though my kids are still pre kindergarten age. I'll say this much; I don't know if we're going to stay down here or move back north, but if we stay, I hope they eventually redraw the regions, as far as athletics and other competitions go. I still can't believe the "Northwest Region" extends so far down I-81 that you have to travel 4+ hours just to get to a game. I remember Woodbridge having to go play Franklin County in football one year, which is on the other side of Lynchburg. Wonder how many parents made that trip?

[Ben 'n Jen]

Just 3 yrs in and Patriot is already over capacity. It isn't going to get better soon either. 375 more homes being built just down Vint Hill Road in the Avendale development. They may end up zoned for Brentsville, but redistricting plans are still being discussed.

[MrsEvie64]

I live in Gainesville and my oldest is in the 4th grade, and I'm already concerned about how tremendously overcrowded Patriot is going to be if they don't build a high school in Gainesville in the next few years.

On a sidenote, those that live in Bristow but north of Linton Hall Road are zoned for Stonewall Jackson, and I know several who are trying to move into the Patriot or Battlefield zone. One person told me that property values are lower because of this. When we bought in 2010 and looking in Victory Lakes, I wondered why those houses were noticeably cheaper than the exact same houses in Gainesville. And in the end, that's why we decided not to buy there, because there is no guarantee they'd have a new high school by then. So, I think a lot of them are hoping for a new high school for their kids to go to so they're not driving into Manassas to go to school.

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by Forehead

I hope they eventually redraw the regions, as far as athletics and other competitions go. I still can't believe the "Northwest Region" extends so far down I-81 that you have to travel 4+ hours just to get to a game. I remember Woodbridge having to go play Franklin County in football one year, which is on the other side of Lynchburg. Wonder how many parents made that trip?

They started a new format this year, but because of the abundance of large schools in Northern Virginia, some in Prince William are in the "South Region" now - Woodbridge, Forest Park, Gar-Field, and Hylton. They're grouped in a conference with Colonial Forge and Stafford in Stafford County and Riverbend in Spotsylvania. But it really only matters for playoffs if they make it to the last few rounds.