Advice! Moving from Sterling to Vienna/McLean (Annandale, Oakton: homes, neighborhoods)

[Thinking-man]

Hoping some practical advice please.
we have a 4 bedroom 3.5 bath SFH in sterling on .25 acres.
I work in McLean and make the daily commute which is not that bad (25-30 mins early am).

we are moving primarily for better schools. current schools are 5/10, 6/10, 7/10 and the areas in vienna and mclean we're looking (not all areas in vienna qualify), schools are 9/10, 10/10, and 9/10. we have 3 kids that are 7, 7, and 4. I wanted to make the move before the kids get too into their school cycle (older ones start first grade this sept...so although we will likely have to change schools - move would happen in november timeframe i think, i think the impact will be minimal)

I'm looking at vienna primarily....near the wolftrap area.....at home in the 1.1M to 1.25M which sadly, gets us into something that's comparable to what we are in currently (maybe a bit bigger and nicer looking). It would be a stretch but I can pull it off financially I believe.

I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice or things to consider that I may have overlooked. i'm trying to consider everything before pulling the trigger sometime this year (current plan at least).

[JD984]

Just be aware that you can live somewhere with a Vienna mailing address and be zoned to a bunch of different high schools: Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Langley, South Lakes, and Falls Church.

Near Wolftrap, the areas zoned for Madison, Marshall, McLean, South Lakes, and Langley HS are all fairly close to one another. The Madison neighborhoods are further south towards the Town of Vienna. The Marshall neighborhoods are in the middle and have many of the newer homes. The McLean areas are further north and closest to Wolf Trap (the performing arts center, not the elementary school). The South Lakes areas are further west. And then there are just 2-3 neighborhoods just off Route 7 zoned for Langley. Getting to Marshall HS from that area during peak hours can be a bit of a pain because you have to go through Tysons. Obviously, you should check the assignments for individual properties.

[Thinking-man]

Originally Posted by JD984

Just be aware that you can live somewhere with a Vienna mailing address and be zoned to a bunch of different high schools: Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Langley, South Lakes, and Falls Church.

Near Wolftrap, the areas zoned for Madison, Marshall, McLean, South Lakes, and Langley HS are all fairly close to one another. The Madison neighborhoods are further south towards the Town of Vienna. The Marshall neighborhoods are in the middle and have many of the newer homes. The McLean areas are further north and closest to Wolf Trap (the performing arts center, not the elementary school). The South Lakes areas are further west. And then there are just 2-3 neighborhoods just off Route 7 zoned for Langley. Getting to Marshall HS from that area during peak hours can be a bit of a pain because you have to go through Tysons. Obviously, you should check the assignments for individual properties.

Yes. Absolutely. One of the first things i check on a property is the school allocation. Zillow shows sll 3. Thank you for the note.

[Old Dominionite]

Originally Posted by Thinking-man

Hoping some practical advice please.
we have a 4 bedroom 3.5 bath SFH in sterling on .25 acres.
I work in McLean and make the daily commute which is not that bad (25-30 mins early am).

we are moving primarily for better schools. current schools are 5/10, 6/10, 7/10 and the areas in vienna and mclean we're looking (not all areas in vienna qualify), schools are 9/10, 10/10, and 9/10. we have 3 kids that are 7, 7, and 4. I wanted to make the move before the kids get too into their school cycle (older ones start first grade this sept...so although we will likely have to change schools - move would happen in november timeframe i think, i think the impact will be minimal)

I'm looking at vienna primarily....near the wolftrap area.....at home in the 1.1M to 1.25M which sadly, gets us into something that's comparable to what we are in currently (maybe a bit bigger and nicer looking). It would be a stretch but I can pull it off financially I believe.

I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice or things to consider that I may have overlooked. i'm trying to consider everything before pulling the trigger sometime this year (current plan at least).

Given that you're asking for advice, I'm going to respond by asking you this question: are you actually assessing school quality and basing a move from Sterling to Vienna/McLean on GreatSchools ratings alone? If I were you, I'd do a little more research into your current schools and the schools you're targeting before uprooting your family.

You might already be doing this type of research, but it isn't clear in your post.

[Thinking-man]

Originally Posted by Old Dominionite

Given that you're asking for advice, I'm going to respond by asking you this question: are you actually assessing school quality and basing a move from Sterling to Vienna/McLean on GreatSchools ratings alone? If I were you, I'd do a little more research into your current schools and the schools you're targeting before uprooting your family.

You might already be doing this type of research, but it isn't clear in your post.

Thank you. No, I'm not doing that research. I wouldnt know where to start....
I'm simply looking at the school rating...which i know change each year, but often not significantly.
I went to Langley HS, so i know the quality is great. But didnt go to cooper or any other other middle/elementary schools in the area. So some first hand experience, but....

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Thinking-man

I went to Langley HS, so i know the quality is great.

hmmm....my High School was great, too, but I wouldn't automatically assume it is still great, so many years later.

[Thinking-man]

Originally Posted by spencgr

hmmm....my High School was great, too, but I wouldn't automatically assume it is still great, so many years later.

but it's consistently rated 9/10 year after year......i'm not just assuming.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Thinking-man

but it's consistently rated 9/10 year after year......i'm not just assuming.

Why are you putting so much value into one specific website ranking?

[Thinking-man]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Why are you putting so much value into one specific website ranking?

which website are you referring to?
the schools in the areas of vienna i'm looking at, as well as mclean, are consistently in the top 5 in all the VA schools rating websites i've looked at.

[Middlin]

I think you need to understand where the ratings are coming from (available on the website) and do some research using school profiles and understanding what type of environment you think your kids would thrive in, etc).


I don't know what the price differential that you're looking at, but take a good look at Annandale in the Woodson HS pyramid.