Are Falls Church schools underrated? (Arlington, Alexandria: real estate market, new home, neighborhoods)

[JD984]

Originally Posted by fcyolo

You are disillusioned to believe that sleepy hollow is the same as it was in late 80s, it has gone down hill. Besides lake barcroft falls church high and stuart pyramids are the rated as the worst in the county. There is no doubt intelligent children may take advantage of the big fish in the small pond situation but those schools will not prepare your child as well as the other well rated schools.

The home prices, poverty and esol levels mirror the sentiment that in falls church the best schools pyramids are as follow

George Mason High
McLean
Marshall

Falls Church high and Stuart are considered subpar and no where near any of the above three schools.

Besides singling out pimmit hills which appears you have a personal issue with the facts are

Pimmit hills was a crap hole but the current trend with new houses being built is evidence that it has turned around and is on the uptick.

Can't say the same for any of the falls church areas zoned for stuart or falls church except for mosaic which caters to non families.

PS

I think falls church city is the best

I know a number of current Stuart students and recent graduates. They are not only bright and accomplished, but also much kinder than you are, and you will never hear them say that the poverty and limited English-language skills of some of their classmates interfered with their own ability to learn. One of them graduated from Stuart this spring and is Harvard-bound.

They also write much better than you do. Starting with your first sentence here, in which you use the word "disillusioned" incorrectly, you have committed an all-out assault on the English language that cries out for an apology. I would probably pay more attention to your criticisms of schools like Stuart and Falls Church if you appeared to have the same skills as a typical sophomore or junior at either school.

[fcyolo]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I know a number of current Stuart students and recent graduates. They are not only bright and accomplished, but also much kinder than you are, and you will never hear them say that the poverty and limited English-language skills of some of their classmates interfered with their own ability to learn. One of them graduated from Stuart this spring and is Harvard-bound.

They also write much better than you do. Starting with your first sentence here, in which you use the word "disillusioned" incorrectly, you have committed an all-out assault on the English language that cries out for an apology. I would probably pay more attention to your criticisms of schools like Stuart and Falls Church if you appeared to have the same skills as a typical sophomore or junior at either school.

I don't make it personal it's an investment matter.

[FCNova]

I think it's interesting when people buy cars or other consumer goods they scrutinize every detail, but when looking at school districts they're supposed to be 'kind' and not care. I feel confident that my kids would do ok at Stuart but I wouldn't send them there if I could help it with the other options available.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by fcyolo

I don't make it personal it's an investment matter.

Yes, I understand. You seek to maximize your own investment by tearing down other areas. Too bad you can't make a more persuasive case for it. At various times, some of the areas that you've denigrated like South Falls Church, South Arlington, and Annandale have done quite well. You pick and choose the market statistics that make your preferred area look better.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by FCNova

I think it's interesting when people buy cars or other consumer goods they scrutinize every detail, but when looking at school districts they're supposed to be 'kind' and not care. I feel confident that my kids would do ok at Stuart but I wouldn't send them there if I could help it with the other options available.

You don't buy a public school district, so the analogy to a consumer good is flawed. You buy a house in a particular location, with certain amenities, that is zoned for a particular school district at a specific moment in time, subject to change.

[fcyolo]

Originally Posted by JEB77

You don't buy a public school district, so the analogy to a consumer good is flawed. You buy a house in a particular location, with certain amenities, that is zoned for a particular school district at a specific moment in time, subject to change.

The price of the home reflects the quality of the schools, why do you think langley and mclean schools have the highest home prices?

[JD984]

Originally Posted by fcyolo

The price of the home reflects the quality of the schools, why do you think langley and mclean schools have the highest home prices?

How exactly do schools have home prices?

Interpreting your question as I assume it was intended, the perceived school quality has an effect on home prices, but the other characteristics of an area also have an impact on school quality. It is not a simple, one-way street, as you assume.

So, for example, you will find neighborhoods in South Arlington and Alexandria City that are quite expensive, although Wakefield and TC Williams have below-average test scores, and you will also find neighborhoods in Great Falls and Herndon towards the Loudoun border zoned for Langley that are less expensive than closer-in neighborhoods zoned for lower-ranked Marshall, even though the houses might be the same size on even larger lots of land.

Pointing out that, other things being equal, the house in the higher-ranked school district will cost more money is not exactly a new insight. What is more relevant is that things are rarely equal, and people therefore have to make trade-offs. And what you're trying to do is tell them that they have fewer choices than they actually may have, because some of the schools supposedly aren't good enough. It's illegal for realtors to engage in such steering, but it's another day at the office for C-D posters.

For the most part, people who solicit advice on C-D are sensitive to force the conventional wisdom. I get that completely, and understand why you don't want to move to an area and then end up in some conversation shortly after you arrive with some co-worker who arches his or her eyebrows when they find out you're sending your kid to a school that, gasp, has below-average test scores. Been there, done that. I will simply keep adding here that I've personally met kids who've gone to Falls Church and Stuart recently, and they were good, bright, college-bound kids who were none the worse for wear.

[fcyolo]

Originally Posted by JEB77

How exactly do schools have home prices?

Interpreting your question as I assume it was intended, the perceived school quality has an effect on home prices, but the other characteristics of an area also have an impact on school quality. It is not a simple, one-way street, as you assume.

So, for example, you will find neighborhoods in South Arlington and Alexandria City that are quite expensive, although Wakefield and TC Williams have below-average test scores, and you will also find neighborhoods in Great Falls and Herndon towards the Loudoun border zoned for Langley that are less expensive than closer-in neighborhoods zoned for lower-ranked Marshall, even though the houses might be the same size on even larger lots of land.

Pointing out that, other things being equal, the house in the higher-ranked school district will cost more money is not exactly a new insight. What is more relevant is that things are rarely equal, and people therefore have to make trade-offs. And what you're trying to do is tell them that they have fewer choices than they actually may have, because some of the schools supposedly aren't good enough. It's illegal for realtors to engage in such steering, but it's another day at the office for C-D posters.

For the most part, people who solicit advice on C-D are sensitive to force the conventional wisdom. I get that completely, and understand why you don't want to move to an area and then end up in some conversation shortly after you arrive with some co-worker who arches his or her eyebrows when they find out you're sending your kid to a school that, gasp, has below-average test scores. Been there, done that. I will simply keep adding here that I've personally met kids who've gone to Falls Church and Stuart recently, and they were good, bright, college-bound kids who were none the worse for wear.

The upper/middle class families zoned for TC will go private like St Stephens or will leave before elementary school. Not including the Lake Barcroft and Old Town Alexandria areas (where kid's go to private), expensive does not properly describe the other areas you have stated.

I am not familiar with what parents do in Wakefield but the few friends I in south arlington left right before elementary school.

It's wonderful that you have personally met a few "good, bright, college-bound kids" in Falls Church and Stuart, that is a poor sampling of the over all picture.

Here is an unbiased listing of the best and worse schools in virginia, notice that the Falls Church High, Stuart, South Arlington and Alexandria areas you tout score poorly. All of the schools are in the bottom including Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Graham Road, Beech Tree Elementary, Bailey’s, Randolph and Jefferson-Houston...

2015 SOL tests: Best and worst Northern Va. schools on reading, math and more - WTOP

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by JEB77

You don't buy a public school district, so the analogy to a consumer good is flawed. You buy a house in a particular location, with certain amenities, that is zoned for a particular school district at a specific moment in time, subject to change.

School districts rarely change in most established neighborhoods, so you really are buying the school district along with the house. The analogy is accurate. If people care so greatly about every detail in their car or TV purchase there's nothing wrong with being 'unkind' and caring about your child's school.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by fcyolo

The upper/middle class families zoned for TC will go private like St Stephens or will leave before elementary school. Not including the Lake Barcroft and Old Town Alexandria areas (where kid's go to private), expensive does not properly describe the other areas you have stated.

I am not familiar with what parents do in Wakefield but the few friends I in south arlington left right before elementary school.

It's wonderful that you have personally met a few "good, bright, college-bound kids" in Falls Church and Stuart, that is a poor sampling of the over all picture.

Here is an unbiased listing of the best and worse schools in virginia, notice that the Falls Church High, Stuart, South Arlington and Alexandria areas you tout score poorly. All of the schools are in the bottom including Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Graham Road, Beech Tree Elementary, Bailey’s, Randolph and Jefferson-Houston...

2015 SOL tests: Best and worst Northern Va. schools on reading, math and more - WTOP

You make frequent assertions without the facts to back them up. This is another example.

As for the Stuart and Falls Church students, I've reported on the students I've met. If you want to cite examples of bright, motivated kids with parental support who've fallen by the wayside because they attended Stuart or Falls Church, please do so.

I am not touting any areas. I am responding to posters like you who tout areas, and suggesting that those looking at housing options in NoVa have more choices than they may think, and should not be dissuaded by posters like you who are shills for particular neighborhoods like Pimmit Hills.