Opinion of Schools Close To East Falls Church Metro (Arlington: 2013, renting)

[lsavvas]

What about schools close to East Falls Church Metro like Swanson & Yorktown?
Thank you!

[largemarge]

If the East Falls Church home has a 22046 zip, it would be in Falls Church City and fantastic schools. If the zip is 22213, it is in the Arlington Yorktown HS pyramid which also has a great reputation. Tough to go wrong with East Falls Church schools. I also have concluded that it can still be a great investment. We all know the Silver line will do wonders for the area, but the development and buzz seem to not yet have caught up.

[largemarge]

When looking for a home in Falls Church City (proper, as the last poster said), you cannot just go by zip code. Most of Falls Church City, as opposed to Fairfax Falls Church, is in 22046. However, there are some Falls Church City homes/condos in 22042 and 22043. In addition, there are many homes in 22046 that are in Fairfax Falls Church. I suggest to differentiate between the two localities and school districts, you look for homes serviced by George Mason HS and Mary Ellen Henderson MS. Or, look for an MLS# that begins with FA, not FX for Fairfax. Many buyers are looking for a home in Falls Church City because of the combination of small town, metro access and good schools. Currently, the George Mason HS and the very selective Thomas Jefferson are the only two Northern Virginia high schools ranked in the 2013 Newsweek's Top 100 high schools. George Mason is currently ranked #64 in the country. If you want to send me a private message with any other questions about Falls Church City, please do.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by largemarge

When looking for a home in Falls Church City (proper, as the last poster said), you cannot just go by zip code. Most of Falls Church City, as opposed to Fairfax Falls Church, is in 22046. However, there are some Falls Church City homes/condos in 22042 and 22043. In addition, there are many homes in 22046 that are in Fairfax Falls Church. I suggest to differentiate between the two localities and school districts, you look for homes serviced by George Mason HS and Mary Ellen Henderson MS. Or, look for an MLS# that begins with FA, not FX for Fairfax. Many buyers are looking for a home in Falls Church City because of the combination of small town, metro access and good schools. Currently, the George Mason HS and the very selective Thomas Jefferson are the only two Northern Virginia high schools ranked in the 2013 Newsweek's Top 100 high schools. George Mason is currently ranked #64 in the country. If you want to send me a private message with any other questions about Falls Church City, please do.

Considering, for example, that many homes in 22043 and 22046 feed into the McLean and Marshall pyramids in Fairfax County, which are also among the best in NoVa and convenient to Tysons and the West Falls Church Metro, I'd take this advice with a grain of salt. There is certainly more to that area than the East Falls Church area of Arlington and Falls Church City.

[largemarge]

I was not attempting to address the other very good HS pyramids in the area- I have just too often seen buyers (and realtors) not understand the complexities of the various places that have "Falls Church" associated with them. Unfortunately, it happens regularly that a realtor lists a Fairfax Falls Church home as being in Falls Church City. Examples: FA8256040, FA8193879, FA4772462, FA2620962. Imagine buying or renting a place you think is in one district, only to find that it is in another. My intention was not in pointing out George Mason's current ranking (which you are correct that any ranking needs to be taken with a grain of salt) but to caution buyers about being complacent and not verifying MLS information themselves.