Best Elem. Schools in S. Riding, Chantilly, Reston & Tax Question (Fairfax: appointed, real estate)

[autiger01]

What are the top elementary schools in South Riding, Chantilly and Reston?

Does anyone know much about the new community The Villages at South Riding, zip code 20152? Is this in a good area?

What are property taxes in VA? I know they are 1.1% of the home price in MD, but curious what they are in VA?

Thank you so very much for your help!!!

[car54]

I can only address the tax question.

Real estate tax is calculated by the "tax rate" per $100 of assessed value.

In Fairfax County, the tax rate is currently 92 cents per $100 of assessed value. Weird, huh?

The tax rate changes regularly and look for it to go (way) up soon in response to the falling assessments.

Here's a cool site where you can check assessments, etc.

Fairfax County

[tarp]

All the public elementary schools in the areas you described should be excellent. The level of teaching will be comparable between all of them. Don't let test scores fool you, because you should only be concerned with your own child's test scores. Fairfax County schools are widely considered to be excellent, among the best in the nation, and all the schools in the county are fine. Loudoun ("South Riding" is there) is a runner-up.

[claremarie]

Actually, you do need to be concerned about test scores. Low test scores generally means a school with a high population of needy students -- low-income, immigrant, or both. The focus at these schools will necessarily be on raising the scores and dealing with the many non-academic needs of the school population. "All of the schools in the county are fine" is a gross generalization, as some are considerably less "fine" than others. It pays to do some research on the schools before plunging into a home purchase.

[leichenggolf]

I found the rate of Brookfield Elementry School is 3 on greatschols.net. Is it that bad? I plan to move to Chantilly because of schools. Anyone can give me the right answer?

[Denton56]

You can look at each school, scores, demographics, etc at FCPS Home Page Redirect Page

Yes, a score of 3 is bad.

Be VERY careful in Reston, most of the schools there are not as good as other areas.

[becwells]

Originally Posted by autiger01

Does anyone know much about the new community The Villages at South Riding, zip code 20152? Is this in a good area?

We live a couple of blocks over from The Villages - we're in the Amberlea townhomes at South Riding. It's a wonderful area for young families, albeit a little "sleepy" and far from any bustling activity. That being said, they are continuing to build up the area - East Gate Marketplace (heading east on Rt. 50) is in the works, and there are plans to develop the new Arcola Center at 50 & Loudoun County Parkway (although I don't know when that will actually happen). So stores/restaurants etc are being added slowly.

My husband and I are loving South Riding more and more. At first, we were disappointed we were so far from all the hustle and bustle of the city, but now that kids are in the works, I think we'll be grateful for the quiet. It's a great area for kids and families - quiet, safe, friendly, lots of other families, nice homes. If you have an elementary-aged kid, and are happy being in a relatively quiet area, you will like it very much!

[becwells]

Oh, and if you're thinking about the Villages at South Riding, you need to look at Loudoun County schools, not Fairfax.

And Loudoun County real estate taxes are $1.245 per $100.

[kevinm]

I live near that section of South Riding. I always thought you do not have a choice which elementary school your kids attend. Your public school is determined by what street you live on. We have a brand new elementary school that just opened right across the street from Freedom High School.

[novajs]

In Reston, Sunrise Valley Elementary is considered one of the best in Fairfax county. Some recent ranking has it #8 in the entire commonwealth. Hunter Woods elementary is a magnet school. Many parents want their kids to go there.

The tax rate of .92% is likely to go up to 1.04% for Fairfax county.