Relocation to Fairfax county VA (Arlington, McLean: home, job market, private school)

[Middlin]

I would focus more on your wife's commute as she will be home with the kids all week. Where in DC will she work, what type of hours will she have?

[Vin100]

Originally Posted by Abraham Walker

If you're going to put Burke and Lorton into this conversation it's best you determine what is your prioroty.

Is it the distance to work?

Is it school rankings?

Is it creature comforts and lifestyle amenities?

Real estate will suggest places they are familiar with because it makes their job easier. It would be in your best interest to guide the real estate to fit your criteria over allowing them to influence your location decision.

It looks like you're not that concerned or sensitivity about school ranking because one of the commenters suggested the best high schools in the area and you mentioned Lorton or Burke.

Are you attempting to stick to a budget and ruled out the top schools in the area?

Are your friends closer to the Burke and Lorton area?

If making your money stretch is apart of your decision making process, West Springfield school district gives you the biggest bang for your buck with regards to maximizing the school ratings and purchasing/renting the largest home your dollars can afford.

If you find a rental you like in the West Springfield area, use the Fairfax County Boundary Locator to ensure the school goes to the desired Elementary School and High School you're interested in at this time.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks Abraham Walker for the reality check. Indeed it seems we are getting confused with the Virginia thing and thus the reason for asking for suggestions on this forum.

One of the prime reasons for considering Virginia is that one of the admission consultants suggested that Virginia colleges give preference to Virginia residents while DC/ Maryland colleges do not. We were almost prepared to rent a home in NW DC considering high rating of Wilson High School and proximity to my wife's job, however, we have been now dissuaded by friends that living in DC is not very easy. Moreover, the rentals are more expensive and residents dont get preference to college admissions. My daughter will be moving in her senior year , and since this is a difficult time to move, we want to give the best chances for a good college admission.

Schools are quite important to us. The reason I mentioned Burke and Lorton was that the high schools there were also ranked 7/10 like the schools in Vienna (McLean schools are better ranked per GreatSchools). We feel that a reasonably good school should be fine since most of my daughter's LORs would be from her old school. Its more important to have a school that can give a good transition atmosphere to a new student.

The next important thing is commute for wife to DC. Today morning we googled the commute from Vienna, Burke and Lorton to her work place. Vienna was 58 min, Lorton 1hr 8 min and Burke 1 hr 5 min.. hence Vienna wins in this case. And for sure its a more lively place to live than other towns.

How about Arlington? How are the schools there? Renting a townhouse in Arlington decreases the commute to DC by 15-20 min. Any thoughts about that? We have almost decided to rent for the first year and then see where we stand.

[Vin100]

Originally Posted by Middlin

I would focus more on your wife's commute as she will be home with the kids all week. Where in DC will she work, what type of hours will she have?

My wife will be working at Children's Hospital in DC would have regular hours 8-5:30 most days, with some busy call weeks in the year.

[Middlin]

I would suggest really looking at school differences. College readiness, % of students who graduate, A/P course participation instead of just looking at the great school rating. Overall test scores can really skew these results. You know your daughter and the environment she can thrive in. Compare the schools and see where the differences really matter to you. Working at Children's, I vote for N Arlington

[Hal Roach]

Originally Posted by Vin100

Thanks Abraham Walker for the reality check. Indeed it seems we are getting confused with the Virginia thing and thus the reason for asking for suggestions on this forum.

One of the prime reasons for considering Virginia is that one of the admission consultants suggested that Virginia colleges give preference to Virginia residents while DC/ Maryland colleges do not. We were almost prepared to rent a home in NW DC considering high rating of Wilson High School and proximity to my wife's job, however, we have been now dissuaded by friends that living in DC is not very easy. Moreover, the rentals are more expensive and residents dont get preference to college admissions. My daughter will be moving in her senior year , and since this is a difficult time to move, we want to give the best chances for a good college admission.

Schools are quite important to us. The reason I mentioned Burke and Lorton was that the high schools there were also ranked 7/10 like the schools in Vienna (McLean schools are better ranked per GreatSchools). We feel that a reasonably good school should be fine since most of my daughter's LORs would be from her old school. Its more important to have a school that can give a good transition atmosphere to a new student.

The next important thing is commute for wife to DC. Today morning we googled the commute from Vienna, Burke and Lorton to her work place. Vienna was 58 min, Lorton 1hr 8 min and Burke 1 hr 5 min.. hence Vienna wins in this case. And for sure its a more lively place to live than other towns.

How about Arlington? How are the schools there? Renting a townhouse in Arlington decreases the commute to DC by 15-20 min. Any thoughts about that? We have almost decided to rent for the first year and then see where we stand.

It is harder for kids from NoVa ro get into the better state universities, otherwise there would be a disproportional amount of Novans. But it would carry weight out of state.

[Vin100]

Originally Posted by Hal Roach

It is harder for kids from NoVa ro get into the better state universities, otherwise there would be a disproportional amount of Novans. But it would carry weight out of state.

Are you saying because most of the children in NOVA are brilliant and from very good schools hence they end up competing among themselves?

[Vin100]

Originally Posted by Middlin

I would suggest really looking at school differences. College readiness, % of students who graduate, A/P course participation instead of just looking at the great school rating. Overall test scores can really skew these results. You know your daughter and the environment she can thrive in. Compare the schools and see where the differences really matter to you. Working at Children's, I vote for N Arlington

How do we compare schools of Arlington (esp Yorktown high) vs Fairfax county (Vienna/ Mclean)?
Is living in North west Arlington (Yorktown High district) similar to living in Vienna?

[Hal Roach]

Originally Posted by Vin100

Are you saying because most of the children in NOVA are brilliant and from very good schools hence they end up competing among themselves?

The SAT scores are higher.....probably has more to do with the concentration of college educated adults in Nova, especially compared to the rest of the state. There was a story in the ComPost a few years about a guy from Robinson Secondary who was rejected at JMU...it wasn't his first choice (where he was also rejected), and he may have been slack on the essays..but he was a National Merit semifinalist, and that was a big wakeup call. The state schools became even more popular during the financial crisis, for pretty obvious reasons.

[Middlin]

Originally Posted by Vin100

How do we compare schools of Arlington (esp Yorktown high) vs Fairfax county (Vienna/ Mclean)?
Is living in North west Arlington (Yorktown High district) similar to living in Vienna?

Plenty of information on school profiles, etc for schools in Arlington County and Fairfax County. I wouldn't pick a school because of a Great Schools rating.

I used to live in Arlington but way before kids and lived in Fairfax near Vienna metro for many years. The two areas have a lot more in common than not. Arlington is just that much closer to DC and that alone would give it preference for me. A lot of what is going to make a good quality of life is the commute, especially as your wife will be a single parent all week.

[Vin100]

I agree... we are also leaning towards Arlington especially the Yorktown High school area. Main reason is the commute, even though the rentals are quite high there.
We plan to visit McLean and Arlington High schools in Mid April to see how receptive they are and the courses offered.