School, neighborhood advice for Burke and West Springfield

[Flasnows]

We would like to stay around or under $550k for a 3 bed SFH. I don't know whether to lean toward Burke or West Springfield. Is one preferable to live in as far as getting to other places, family activities, etc. Looks like a bit more inventory in WS.

I had seen some good things about Sangster including thei test scores and ranks, but then read some reviews that teachers are quitting left and right due to principal/vice principal. Any insight?

[Vectorhead]

Originally Posted by Flasnows

We would like to stay around or under $550k for a 3 bed SFH. I don't know whether to lean toward Burke or West Springfield. Is one preferable to live in as far as getting to other places, family activities, etc. Looks like a bit more inventory in WS.

I had seen some good things about Sangster including thei test scores and ranks, but then read some reviews that teachers are quitting left and right due to principal/vice principal. Any insight?

West Springfield has easier metro access than Burke. Both have easy VRE access. Your budget is fine for WS and probably for Burke as well, although I'm not as familiar with Burke. Really, the two areas are very similar and both are very nice.

[HomesForAllVA]

As Vectorhead above said, both WS and Burke are comparable in not just access and location but in home prices as well.

I wish you the best of luck in your move!

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by HomesForAllVA

As Vectorhead above said, both WS and Burke are comparable in not just access and location but in home prices as well.

I wish you the best of luck in your move!

Burke has less houses overall and is more spread out which helps explain why their is more inventory in west Springfield. The area of Wakefield is nice and very convenient to the VRE and 495 but not the metro.

[Hal Roach]

I've never met a Floridian, who wouldn't be challenged at 90% of the schools in FCPS....and the same goes for their kids. We left Miami in '63 (for Springfield) and were far ahead of our cousins in Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale. I would look at the free school lunch numbers for the individual schools, though. WT Woodson area might be worth a look, too.

[goosemom]

I lived in West Springfield for 2 years. I had a kindergartener at Orange Hunt, and we really liked the school. The principal was great and registering was simple. Not really a bad neighborhood or school around there at all. Orange Hunt has German as their immersion language, and some other schools have Spanish. Sangster is just around the corner by the South Run rec center, and I have a good friend who's little girls go there. I can ask details but I know it's a good school. I really liked that whole area, and Burke is right next door. A commute from WS or Burke would be about the same to George Mason, but it's faster to get to Alexandria from WS. Keene Mill Rd can take quite awhile in traffic just to get to the highway though. Like I said, the rec center is close to both areas, and so is Burke Lake which is really nice for kids/families. You've also got about 3 big shopping mall areas in about a 20 minute circle from Burke and West Springfield (Fair Oaks, Springfield Mall, and Potomac Mills in Woodbridge) and then there's the Kingstowne area which is just down a bit from Springfield Mall. (There's a great playground and splash park near there!).