Relocating from Fairfield County, CT to Northern Virginia.... (Burke, Reston: mortgage, houses)

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by NewCmom

Thanks everyone! Nice homes JfromReston..... I really like the first two!
My husband and I both are glad to hear all these areas have good schools. I really do value having places accessible to me, even though walkability isn't as important to me as it used to be. I would just like to have basic things such as a gym, organic grocery store and parks near by. We have 2 dogs!! What are the best dog parks around here?

From the information I've gathered I'm looking into McLean/Great Falls. I crossed off Arlington from my list because I would like to have land

How much land do you want? If not a huge amount, you could look into the Country Club neighborhood of Arlington in 22207 and your husband would have a shorter commute, and stores, etc., would be a bit closer. Not too many large, 4+ million $ houses in Arlington, however.

Here's a house with an acre of land in Arlington - price is below $3 mill.:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...7_M57734-21900

[JD984]

Originally Posted by NewCmom

Thanks everyone! Nice homes JfromReston..... I really like the first two!
My husband and I both are glad to hear all these areas have good schools. I really do value having places accessible to me, even though walkability isn't as important to me as it used to be. I would just like to have basic things such as a gym, organic grocery store and parks near by. We have 2 dogs!! What are the best dog parks around here?

From the information I've gathered I'm looking into McLean/Great Falls. I crossed off Arlington from my list because I would like to have land

Your best bet is the Langley Forest neighborhood in McLean. I think all the homes JfromReston posted were in that neighborhood/area.

[Deluusions]

I think the OP would prefer McLean considering New Canaan is more like McLean than Northern Arlington. She would probably value land more than walkability. I may be wrong but I'm just guessing here.

OP I would look into the McLean area! Very nice public school and private schools. Also family friendly as well with big homes/lots. Also the Great Falls area as well but it's a little bit pricier than McLean I believe. Although with your budget I think you would be okay. Langley Forest is a nice area like the person above stated as well good luck

[Mnseca]

Mclean or no Mclean, if you can afford 4.5 mill then if I were you I would certainly send my children to private school instead. Most of the FCPS hype is just that - hype. Even the best public high schools are not as good as the privates; not even TJ.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

Mclean or no Mclean, if you can afford 4.5 mill then if I were you I would certainly send my children to private school instead. Most of the FCPS hype is just that - hype. Even the best public high schools are not as good as the privates; not even TJ.

There are no private schools in the DC area that have anywhere near the number of high-achieving students or STEM-related opportunities as TJ. None.

And, of course, privates aren't all cut from the same cloth. The top privates in the DC area will have smaller class sizes and facilities that no area public school can match, but some privates are academically weaker than the McLean public schools (Langley/McLean/Marshall).

Probably most people in this area who could afford a house that expensive would send their kids to privates, but not all would. And even those who do may pay attention to public school districts, since it impacts the real estate values generally in that area.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by JD984

There are no private schools in the DC area that have anywhere near the number of high-achieving students or STEM-related opportunities as TJ. None.

And, of course, privates aren't all cut from the same cloth. The top privates in the DC area will have smaller class sizes and facilities that no area public school can match, but some privates are academically weaker than the McLean public schools (Langley/McLean/Marshall).

Probably most people in this area who could afford a house that expensive would send their kids to privates, but not all would. And even those who do may pay attention to public school districts, since it impacts the real estate values generally in that area.

I don't think that is correct, actually. Moreover, if you look at admissions to the Ivies, TJ is far behind the big privates.

[Ffxdata]

Originally Posted by JD984

There are no private schools in the DC area that have anywhere near the number of high-achieving students or STEM-related opportunities as TJ. None.

And, of course, privates aren't all cut from the same cloth. The top privates in the DC area will have smaller class sizes and facilities that no area public school can match, but some privates are academically weaker than the McLean public schools (Langley/McLean/Marshall).

Probably most people in this area who could afford a house that expensive would send their kids to privates, but not all would. And even those who do may pay attention to public school districts, since it impacts the real estate values generally in that area.

Agreed. I went to private schools. Not all are created equal. Especially that many of the private schools in this area are parish or church run and vary in their quality.

Most of the top notch schools are in the district, as I understand it. I can certainly understand sending your kids to a great public school nearby rather than complicating your life by having to commute or pay a driver to send your child to the district every day.

[Deluusions]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

I don't think that is correct, actually. Moreover, if you look at admissions to the Ivies, TJ is far behind the big privates.

No it is not, considering my niece goes to one of the "big" privates..... PVI. Her and her friends aren't that bright..... TJ is one of top rated schools in the country. Don't kid yourself....... FCPS isn't hyped either. Don't know why you're always bashing fcps schools..... Many kids that go to TJ end up at Ivy League schools.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

I don't think that is correct, actually. Moreover, if you look at admissions to the Ivies, TJ is far behind the big privates.

Yes, that is true; but TJ is a STEM school, and most Ivy League schools specialize in liberal arts. You'll have less applying there because of their inherent focus towards math, science, and technology.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

I don't think that is correct, actually. Moreover, if you look at admissions to the Ivies, TJ is far behind the big privates.

TJ has the largest cohort of smart kids of any school in the DC region, if not the country - 163 National Merit Semifinalists in the Class of 2016, and average SAT scores of 2182 for the Class of 2015. Do you think that's the case at, say, Bullis or Flint Hill?

It might be that the most selective DC-area privates like Sidwell have a higher percentage of students admitted to Ivies, but (1) they are much smaller than TJ, (2) there usually are over 25-30 TJ seniors every years who do go to Ivies, and more are accepted, and (3) going to an Ivy may not be the best choice for a TJ student interested in STEM who gets a scholarship to attend a school like MIT or Carnegie Mellon, or enroll in the honors programs at state schools with strong STEM programs.

And, the neighborhood schools in many parts of NoVa are just as good as some of the area privates that aren't as rarefied as Sidwell or St. Albans.

This is a bit of a tangent, but the key point for the OP is that her kid(s) likely would have excellent public and private school options in this area, with her budget.