Arms Race To Remain In Middle Class (Arlington, Roanoke: 2014, house)

[capitalhockey]

I was reading an article in the Atlantic (link below) that describes a financial cycle of housing and education spending for middle class families. People are earning good salaries but the majority of money is being spent on housing to get into good school districts for their kids, which in turn drives up demand and home prices. They are trying to give their kids the best track for success in life with better education. The cost of constant cycle of financial juggling is lower savings. I think this applies to Northern VA since we have a largely educated demographics and housing costs reflecting school zones.


When does the cycle stop? Even if the kids have successful careers as adults, won't they do the same for their kids in order to remain in the middle class?


The Circles of American Financial Hell - The Atlantic

[The Dissenter]

I think we are going to reach a point where parents would be more willing to take their chances in more so-so and mediocre school districts because that would be all they can afford. This in turn will make the mediocre school districts look more attractive and have economic ramifications for that district.

[NOVA_guy]

In Fairfax and Loudoun are there really any schools to avoid? I know Fairfax has a very small pool but I think overall the good schools outweigh the bad.

I definitely see this happened in Prince William though. The homes that are in a nice or decent neighborhood and zoned for good schools are not only gone almost instantly and but also with bidding wars. Even nice homes that are in OK neighborhoods, if they're zoned for bad schools they tend to sit longer.

[car54]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

In Fairfax and Loudoun are there really any schools to avoid? I know Fairfax has a very small pool but I think overall the good schools outweigh the bad....

There's not a bit of difference among Fairfax County Schools. Same administration, same curriculum, same teacher hiring standards, same everything. Only the students vary. If you want to keep your kids away from "them"...you gotta dig deep and buy a house where "them" don't live, at least not in large numbers.

But if your kids' head is screwed on straight, it doesn't matter which K-12 school they attend....they will succeed.

[Ffxdata]

"The fact remains that schools don’t matter as much as people think. That isn’t to say that schools don’t matter. They certainly do. But school factors are vastly outweighed by out-of-school factors, which account for roughly 60 percent of achievement outcomes. Relative to family background characteristics, school factors pale in comparison, explaining only about 20 percent of achievement."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...es-to-college/

Of course people will argue against this until they are blue in the face.

[Hal Roach]

Most don't realize that the "Gifted" programs are often smoke and mirrors used to prevent families from moving their kids to private/charter schools. Once they graduate from college; where they attended high school is almost as relevant as what kind of smart phone they use. Plenty of dysfunctional at Mclean and Langley. Some of those girls are 15 going on 30, while the boys are 17 going on 12. No one wants ghetto schools, but the middle of the road options make the most economic sense. Actually, if you want your kid to get into UVa/Wm-Mary, your best bet is to move to Roanoke or Midloathian. It's much more competitive for those from from NoVa, and the top schools, even more so.

[BOS2IAD]

Originally Posted by NOVA_guy

In Fairfax and Loudoun are there really any schools to avoid? I know Fairfax has a very small pool but I think overall the good schools outweigh the bad.

I definitely see this happened in Prince William though. The homes that are in a nice or decent neighborhood and zoned for good schools are not only gone almost instantly and but also with bidding wars. Even nice homes that are in OK neighborhoods, if they're zoned for bad schools they tend to sit longer.

In LoCo, the Park View cluster schools have declined over the last 10 or so years.

[lqda4]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

Actually, if you want your kid to get into UVa/Wm-Mary, your best bet is to move to Roanoke or Midloathian.

Very true.

[ffx rez]

I think this article and the original by Gabler have good discussion points, but so often from what I see, most people just use 'good schools' as a euphemism for no black and Hispanic kids. A good majority of the home seekers that pass through this site for 2 or 3 posts are only looking at North Arlington, Falls Church City, Vienna, Ashburn, Aldie, and points west and only want to hear about homes there. It's impossible trying to convince them of living anywhere else.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by ffx rez

I think this article and the original by Gabler have good discussion points, but so often from what I see, most people just use 'good schools' as a euphemism for no black and Hispanic kids. A good majority of the home seekers that pass through this site for 2 or 3 posts are only looking at North Arlington, Falls Church City, Vienna, Ashburn, Aldie, and points west and only want to hear about homes there. It's impossible trying to convince them of living anywhere else.

I think people can be quick to ascribe improper motives to other people. With the exception of TJ and Langley, every high school in Fairfax County is at least 10% Hispanic, as are the three main high schools in Arlington (don't know about Loudoun).

The public school systems in the DC suburbs are, for the most part, different from those described in the Atlantic article. For the most part, they are big school systems run by large counties, so every school can provide the same basic services. Where they tend to differ is with respect to the level of parental involvement in their children's education and the extent of their extra-curricular programs.

In comparison, the Atlantic article was referring to schools in states further north, where every town or borough may have its own school system. Some people like that approach better, because it's less bureaucratic. But it does lead to situations where the schools in one town are well-funded and the schools in the next town over are barely scraping by. In that situation, the pressure to live in the expensive town with the well-funded schools is greater. People in this area will pay a premium to live in areas assigned to the highest rated schools, but at the end of the day it's not that big a deal if you decide to live in, say, Fairfax rather than Vienna, Springfield rather than Burke, or Leesburg rather than Ashburn.