Fairfax or Loudoun County schools??? which is better !! (Lake Ridge, Herndon: buying a house, neighborhood)

[ShrutiGupta]

Hi,
I have been living in Herndon for over 3 years now . Everyone is saying that Fairfax county schools are better than Loudoun. is it true? I m planning to buy a house .Where shoud i buy in Fairfax or loudoun?
Everyone is saying Fairfax is better but i think its costly too.According to education of my kids, which one is better? We saw some houses in fairfax. The prices have not decreased of good schools houses but in lodoun u can get pretty cheap now as compared to fairfax.
Dont know what to decide? Houses are old too in Fairfax . Loudoun is pretty new and clean but not sure about schools as so many schools are getting opened each year.
Can anyone please help????


Thanks in advance,

Shruti

[FindingZen]

Comparing Fairfax County Public Schools to any neighboring districts is a bit unfair since FCPS is considered to be one of the best in the country. That said, from what I observed here Loudoun County schools are no slouch themselves. I'm sure that there are others here that can fill in the details/exceptions.

Don't forget to consider your commute, if that applies, in your housing decision. Putting your kids in the "best" schools may not be worth it if you're not able to see them.

[ShrutiGupta]

My son he got admitted in Hunter Woods Magnet school . that has made the decision even harder as were almost ready to buy in Loudoun. But , now everyone is saying find one house in Fairfax only as hunter woods is a good school . But house in fairfax is very old and pricey too. same price u can get a new home in Loudoun with 6-7 rating school.
Dont know what to do???? Found agood home in Fairfax but still thinking loudoun is better..

Cna anyone please HELP...!!!!!

[novanative75]

They are both excellent school districts, but I am partial to Fairfax. It is one of the top school districts in the country and has been so for a long time. A lot of Loudoun is new. That being said, they are both excellent school districts, you really can not go wrong.

[Yankeesfan]

Really you need to look at the specific schools for the neighborhood you are interested in. I don't know anything about Loudoun schools but even though Fairfax County schools are highly rated overall, there are some underperforming individual schools.

[sundevil85]

I vote for FCPS. Fairfax's proximity to DC gives it more of an international flair. Most of those folks at the Pentagon are well educated, and their kids usually go to FCPS. There are other less known differences. The students from FCPS use better grammar.

Look at the test scores.

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by ShrutiGupta

My son he got admitted in Hunter Woods Magnet school . that has made the decision even harder as were almost ready to buy in Loudoun. But , now everyone is saying find one house in Fairfax only as hunter woods is a good school . But house in fairfax is very old and pricey too. same price u can get a new home in Loudoun with 6-7 rating school.
Dont know what to do???? Found agood home in Fairfax but still thinking loudoun is better..

Cna anyone please HELP...!!!!!

I was hesitant to respond to you since I have only lived in the area for seven months. However, I have been traveling back and forth to the Nova area from Massachusetts and Florida for over 20 years. I have siblings who live in Fairfax County and Montgomery county (MD) some of the best school districts in the county. We live in PW county (Lake Ridge) and we actually considered Loudoun Cty at one point.

Our decision to live in Lake Ridge was based mainly on a family friendly environment (we have a 4 year old) and there are many,many young families here who lived in FFx at one time or another or currently work in FFX. Many highly educated families are in this location as well, as some of the schools in this area are very good. Yet, I do agree that FFX County still has the best school system.

That being said, I do agree that FFX County's education system surpasses many other counties in the nation. If your son was selected to the Hunter Woods Magnet school, I really think it really would be beneficial for you to live in FFx unless you can find a comparative school in the Loudoun Cty area.

Many parts of Loudon Cty are beautiful, clean, and the homes are gorgeous, however, this opportunity for your son may be once in a lifetime. Good luck with your decision.

[claremarie]

Your son's life happiness will not depend upon which perfectly adequate suburban elementary school he attended. Of course, you should think twice about a school with borderline test scores -- these schools are generally filled with lots of lower-income/ESL kids whose special needs can overwhelm those of higher-achieving students. But you're probably not considering such a school. So long as the high school in the pyramid has decent SAT scores, and regularly sends its graduates to the sort of colleges you believe will be a good match for your son, then buy the house that best suits your family's needs and your commute. Magnet schools are great for some kids, but if Hunter Woods will severely restrict your housing choices, or require your son to spend a long time on a school bus, then it might not be worth it. He'll be out of elementary school before you know it.

[5stones]

The students from FCPS use better grammar

OH my Lord, what a generalized statement.
I would send my child to Potomac Falls HS (Loudoun county)well BEFORE I would send Them to Herndon HS. Proximity to DC is moot...they are about 10minutes apart.

Yes, Fairfax has long had the excellent rep it deserves...But NOT all FCISD schools are equal. It has it's poor performing schools as well.
Loudoun county schools are nipping at the heels of Fairfax, There are some EXCELLENT schools in Loudoun.

Ashburn has some of the highest preforming schools in the district and it's very close to Herndon.

SO, I agree with clairemarie...look at the HS and the neighobrhood etc... where you work and how far you want your commute to be. etc... buying a housae is a huge decision and you don't want to do that based on one elementary school.

[MovefromFla]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Your son's life happiness will not depend upon which perfectly adequate suburban elementary school he attended. Of course, you should think twice about a school with borderline test scores -- these schools are generally filled with lots of lower-income/ESL kids whose special needs can overwhelm those of higher-achieving students. But you're probably not considering such a school. So long as the high school in the pyramid has decent SAT scores, and regularly sends its graduates to the sort of colleges you believe will be a good match for your son, then buy the house that best suits your family's needs and your commute. Magnet schools are great for some kids, but if Hunter Woods will severely restrict your housing choices, or require your son to spend a long time on a school bus, then it might not be worth it. He'll be out of elementary school before you know it.

I agree completely. Claremarie, your comments about " buying a house which best suits your family's needs and your commute" is so much more important than which magnet school a student will attend in elementary school. I bet you this applies to many families grappling with the decision as to where to move to in Nova.