Public schools (Arlington, Alexandria, McLean: to buy, elementary schools, college)

[NoVaNewbie3000]

we are looking to make a move to the Vienna area and we're looking at the public school ratings - there seems to be differences between the great schools ratings seen on Zillow and the usnews ratings. How significant is this? Should it make a difference for example if our child goes to Marshall road elementary vs. Vienna vs. Mosby? Or if there are significant differences between Marshall vs. Madison vs. McLean?

We aren't from the area so have no idea what to expect


Thanks!

[natyloo]

I noticed a big discrepancy between the us news & world reports high school ratings from this year as compared to last ... I'm not sure how their scores are "figured out" and if there might be some skewing of the data. Personally I was comparing their ratings on Loudoun schools they rated very highly last year & now they aren't even in the top 100! Weird.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by NoVaNewbie3000

we are looking to make a move to the Vienna area and we're looking at the public school ratings - there seems to be differences between the great schools ratings seen on Zillow and the usnews ratings. How significant is this? Should it make a difference for example if our child goes to Marshall road elementary vs. Vienna vs. Mosby? Or if there are significant differences between Marshall vs. Madison vs. McLean?

We aren't from the area so have no idea what to expect

Thanks!

Any schools attended by children living in Vienna should be good.

As for the differences between Great Schools and US News ratings, Great Schools ratings are based entirely on the results of standardized state subject-matter tests (called the "SOLs" for "Standards of Learning" in Virginia). The US News ratings are based on more factors but, insofar as Marshall, Madison and McLean are concerned, turn on the number of students at each school taking college-level (AP or IB) courses in high school and receiving passing scores on the year-end AP or IB exams. Madison and McLean have AP (Advanced Placement) classes; Marshall has IB (International Baccalaureat) classes.

[NoVaNewbie3000]

Thanks for your input -

As for the elementary schools - do these ratings even matter if they are feeding into Marshall or Madison high schools anyways?

Do any parents send their kids to private school thru elementary then have them go into public high schools since they are so good?

[Hal Roach]

It's kind of taboo, but the % of students enrolled in Free/Reduced Lunch Program reports are readily available on the internet with a Google search. Likely more reliable than the highly politicized "gifted" numbers. Look at the SAT scores for the high schools. It used to be schools were rewarded for having high numbers of students in AP classes. Then they realized few were even taking the tests; let alone passing it. Solution: Ghetto schools like Stonewall Jackson and likely Marshall,, too, starrted IB programs to showcase the advancement of a small slice of the student population, and distract attention from the shocking lunch numbers. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

It's kind of taboo, but the % of students enrolled in Free/Reduced Lunch Program reports are readily available on the internet with a Google search. Likely more reliable than the highly politicized "gifted" numbers. Look at the SAT scores for the high schools. It used to be schools were rewarded for having high numbers of students in AP classes. Then they realized few were even taking the tests; let alone passing it. Solution: Ghetto schools like Stonewall Jackson and likely Marshall,, too, starrted IB programs to showcase the advancement of a small slice of the student population, and distract attention from the shocking lunch numbers. Lather, rinse, repeat.

For those numbers you really don't need to search. Go to the FCPS site and look at each school's profile.

Fairfax County Public Schools - Schools and Centers Directory

[BMWZ4RUlz]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

For those numbers you really don't need to search. Go to the FCPS site and look at each school's profile.

Fairfax County Public Schools - Schools and Centers Directory

Does anyone have any tips for good places (that don't require $1Million to buy a home) in the Alexandria/Fairfax/Arlington area? Thank you kindly for your time.

[Fallout Zone]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

It's kind of taboo, but the % of students enrolled in Free/Reduced Lunch Program reports are readily available on the internet with a Google search. Likely more reliable than the highly politicized "gifted" numbers. Look at the SAT scores for the high schools. It used to be schools were rewarded for having high numbers of students in AP classes. Then they realized few were even taking the tests; let alone passing it. Solution: Ghetto schools like Stonewall Jackson and likely Marshall,, too, starrted IB programs to showcase the advancement of a small slice of the student population, and distract attention from the shocking lunch numbers. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Marshall? 17% lunch rate is shocking? Plus, Marshall's district is being gentrified like crazy.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by NoVaNewbie3000

we are looking to make a move to the Vienna area and we're looking at the public school ratings - there seems to be differences between the great schools ratings seen on Zillow and the usnews ratings. How significant is this? Should it make a difference for example if our child goes to Marshall road elementary vs. Vienna vs. Mosby? Or if there are significant differences between Marshall vs. Madison vs. McLean?

We aren't from the area so have no idea what to expect


Thanks!

I don't know about the usnews rankings, but greatschools, while it cannot be considered a true judge of how good a school is, does give you a quick picture of the school demographic. The reviews can also be telling, but don't trust them completely. The lower the score, the higher the population of low-income students. The higher the score, the richer the community. There are positive and negative things about each extreme, and the ones in the middle. Your safest bet is to start with where you need to live for your commute, then consider what you can afford, then narrow it down from there. Research the schools individually. Touring the school will be very helpful.

[Mnseca]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

It's kind of taboo, but the % of students enrolled in Free/Reduced Lunch Program reports are readily available on the internet with a Google search. Likely more reliable than the highly politicized "gifted" numbers. Look at the SAT scores for the high schools. It used to be schools were rewarded for having high numbers of students in AP classes. Then they realized few were even taking the tests; let alone passing it. Solution: Ghetto schools like Stonewall Jackson and likely Marshall,, too, starrted IB programs to showcase the advancement of a small slice of the student population, and distract attention from the shocking lunch numbers. Lather, rinse, repeat.

You don't need to search Google. FCPS lists detailed demographics and test scores for each school on its website.