Woodbridge area elementary/middle schools to avoid? (Dale City, Montclair: apartment, house)

[davidnyc]

We moving to the Woodbridge/Montclair area next month (June 2017). We are staying with friends until house sells or if doesn't sell, we may just have to do an apartment temporarily.

We are looking at homes that are zoned for the following high schools: Colgan, Osbourn Park, Forest Park and would do Woodbridge if we find a house we definitely love in that zone.

But there are so many elementary and middle schools that are zoned for those high schools. Any elementary or middle schools zoned to the high schools above that should be avoided? If so, why?

Thanks.

(PS=> I am pulling up the school data sheets, but just want a jump start so, I don't have to look through every school data sheet. Also, I don't really trust greatschools ratings as much, but understand their ratings are a good start/guide)

[ChristineVA]

If you buy a home that is zoned for the high schools listed, you will pretty much do okay. The exception *may* be Osbourn Park (or rather the middle schools that feed to OP). I am unsure of them, but some could be sketchy.

If you find a home in Woodbridge that you *love* think really hard about it. I have a home in Woodbridge and my kids started out in a Montclair elementary school (wonderful) but we were zoned for Rippon Middle and Potomac High School. We ended up going the private school route at that point. I should have just moved.

[davidnyc]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

If you buy a home that is zoned for the high schools listed, you will pretty much do okay. The exception *may* be Osbourn Park (or rather the middle schools that feed to OP). I am unsure of them, but some could be sketchy.

If you find a home in Woodbridge that you *love* think really hard about it. I have a home in Woodbridge and my kids started out in a Montclair elementary school (wonderful) but we were zoned for Rippon Middle and Potomac High School. We ended up going the private school route at that point. I should have just moved.

Thanks. I am being very careful. I have noticed that you really, really have to look at the full feeder pattern and hope a change doesn't occur in the future. There is no crystal ball to tell the future, but just have to do my best.

Curious.... what private school?

[kww]

Look into Benton Middle, which has kids that would eventually end up at Colgan (or Forest Park if the home is in Montclair etc)

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by davidnyc

Thanks. I am being very careful. I have noticed that you really, really have to look at the full feeder pattern and hope a change doesn't occur in the future. There is no crystal ball to tell the future, but just have to do my best.

Curious.... what private school?

Even though we are non-Catholic, we ended up using Aquinas for middle school and Paul the VI and John Paul for high school.

We wished and wished for a boundary redraw for us and even though lots of new neighborhoods got built, we never shifted.

[johnsonkk]

As your backup of woodbridge high ( in lake ridge) don't know of any elementary or middle schools to avoid. Woodbridge has changed since losing a third of the students to Colgan but many of those were good students. The relief of over population has been a welcomed outcome.

[davidnyc]

Originally Posted by kww

Look into Benton Middle, which has kids that would eventually end up at Colgan (or Forest Park if the home is in Montclair etc)

Benton also goes to Osbourn Park and Forest Park. Therefore, one middle school feeds three different high schools.

I am making the feeder patterns on a spreadsheet and it is very confusing if you don't lay it out. For example, Penn ES feeds into Benton MS and Beville MS. From Benton can go into Colgan HS, Osbourn Park HS or Forest Park HS. Beville feeds into Colgan.

Granted these are all good schools, so probably doesn't matter really in the long run and who knows the zoning pattern in 7 yrs when my oldest finally goes to high school.

[kww]

Originally Posted by davidnyc

Benton also goes to Osbourn Park and Forest Park. Therefore, one middle school feeds three different high schools.

I am making the feeder patterns on a spreadsheet and it is very confusing if you don't lay it out. For example, Penn ES feeds into Benton MS and Beville MS. From Benton can go into Colgan HS, Osbourn Park HS or Forest Park HS. Beville feeds into Colgan.

Granted these are all good schools, so probably doesn't matter really in the long run and who knows the zoning pattern in 7 yrs when my oldest finally goes to high school.

Yeah this part of PWC really is a bermuda triangle of school zoning. I wasn't aware Beville fed into Colgan, which is crazy as Hylton is probably half the distance

[ChristineVA]

Is Beville really okay? I feel like it's in a fairly sketchy area of Dale City.

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by davidnyc

Benton also goes to Osbourn Park and Forest Park. Therefore, one middle school feeds three different high schools.

I am making the feeder patterns on a spreadsheet and it is very confusing if you don't lay it out. For example, Penn ES feeds into Benton MS and Beville MS. From Benton can go into Colgan HS, Osbourn Park HS or Forest Park HS. Beville feeds into Colgan.

Granted these are all good schools, so probably doesn't matter really in the long run and who knows the zoning pattern in 7 yrs when my oldest finally goes to high school.

The online mapping has the ability to click school " levels so you can more easily see which school district covers which neighborhoods.

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