Yorktown H.S., George Mason H.S., or Mount Vernon H.S. (Arlington: middle-class)

[arneyabroad]

Hi all,

I am looking for some experience-based feedback on four high schools, in three different districts. We have just arrived to the area, and we're trying to make a final decision as to where to settle. We have one child, a 14 year-old beginning high school SY 09-10. Yorktown and Washington Lee in Arlington are in the running because they seem like good schools, and the area feels like a good fit. George Mason High School for the same reasons. Mount Vernon seems like the odd man in the running...My husband will be at Fort Belvoir, the school has the full IB program and has a principal that seems to be turning the school around. A crew team would be a big plus, and George Mason is the only school that doesn't have one, to my knowledge.

Does anyone have personal experience with these schools? I have seen test scores, awards, and limited parent/student comments on other sites, but don't feel like I've gotten the "real" picture on any one school.

Thanks a lot!

[claremarie]

Mount Vernon has some of the worst test scores in Fairfax County. Although that doesn't tell you the whole picture, it should cause you to think twice before considering sending your child there. The IB program is often touted as a "school within a school" in an effort to persuade middle-class parents to send their child to a school with a lot of needy and low-performing kids (who will not qualify for that program). But the IB program is not necessarily a good fit for every student, even very able ones, and you won't really know how well it's working for your child until it's too late to make a different housing/school choice.
The other schools you are considering are ranked among the best public high schools in the nation. Mount Vernon is simply not in the same ballpark.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Mount Vernon has some of the worst test scores in Fairfax County. Although that doesn't tell you the whole picture, it should cause you to think twice before considering sending your child there. The IB program is often touted as a "school within a school" in an effort to persuade middle-class parents to send their child to a school with a lot of needy and low-performing kids (who will not qualify for that program). But the IB program is not necessarily a good fit for every student, even very able ones, and you won't really know how well it's working for your child until it's too late to make a different housing/school choice.
The other schools you are considering are ranked among the best public high schools in the nation. Mount Vernon is simply not in the same ballpark.

I hadn't commented on this thread, because the OP had asked for information from posters with "personal experience" with the three or four schools in question - which I'm not sure either of us has.

I would agree with you that, when IB programs were first started in FCPS (and perhaps Arlington as well), they reflected an effort to keep middle or upper-middle class families in schools such as Mount Vernon with comparatively higher percentages of minority and/or lower-income students. But I do not believe they are touted today as "schools within a school," any more than McLean HS "touts" the range of its AP offerings and the students who take AP courses tend to associate with one another and attend the same classes. The suggestion that the schools themselves promote the idea that IB students are kept separate from non-IB students is one with which I think the schools would disagree. That may be the case in other schools in the country with IB "academies," but I really don't think that is how the IB programs are held out in Fairfax.

In addition, you suggest that "needy and low-performing kids" won't "qualify" for the IB program. This implies that there is a pre-screening process for IB classes. For better or worse, I believe the pre-IB and IB courses are generally available to the students who wish to take them. Some students may not do well in those classes, and they or may not be "needy and low-performing," but it won't be because they didn't "qualify" for the IB program.

[arneyabroad]

Thanks, Claremarie. Do you have any info to elaborate on Yorktown, Washington Lee, and George Mason? They all look like great schools, on paper. George Mason has some disgruntled student postings on other sites, which concerns me. I am looking for a school environment that encourages more than good test-taking strategies. A school where the kids are engaged and interested.
I really appreciate your time and input. Thanks again.

[arneyabroad]

Thanks, Jeb 77. I didn't know that the IB program was brought into the area school districts for that reason. I did notice that most of FCPS lower-performing schools were IB schools, and that they were mostly in more socially and economically diverse areas of the county. I was confused at the concept, really, because I have lived in Europe on and off from my teen years through my twenties, and the IB diploma is very common for college-bound students there.

[claremarie]

Those are all good schools. I know families with children at all three, and their similarities are probably greater than their differences. George Mason is probably the least and W-L the most socioeconomically "diverse" of the three, with Yorktown falling in the middle -- that is because the City of Falls Church is tiny and has virtually no low-income residents. The Falls Church school system is the smallest in the area, which has its positives and negatives. My guess is that, because of the relatively stable population in Falls Church, there will be fewer brand new students in the 9th grade class at George Mason than at the two Arlington schools; that may or may not be a factor for your child. You could probably get that information from the websites or the school offices.
I think that you will find all three schools are focused on test-taking, since that is the unfortunate reality that the public school systems currently deal with. I wouldn't pay much attention to disgruntled student postings -- most kids like to complain about their schools.
You will have many more housing choices in the Yorktown and W-L districts than in Falls Church (remember that not every address with a Falls Church postal code is actually in the City of FC). You could really let your decision be driven by the commute or housing preferences, and be comfortable with any of these schools.

[irvine]

I know both W-L and Yorktown very well. I grew up in North Arlington and attended W-L in the late 90s. Both have strong academic reputations spanning many decades. The US Dept of Education has awarded both schools the Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence. In terms of the student population, both schools receive students from the wealthiest areas of North Arlington north of Lee Highway. The major difference is that Yorktown is more uniformly upper-middle class and has a slightly preppier reputation, while W-L, especially since boundary changes in the 80s and 90s, draws a portion of its student body from more modest and ethnically diverse areas of South Arlington. (When I was in high school, people often compared Yorktown to Walt Whitman HS in Bethesda, while W-L was sometimes compared to the more urban and diverse, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.) But, as claremarie wrote, I agree that the similarities are greater than the differences, and most students come from highly educated families with high expectations for the public schools.

Teachers at both North Arlington schools set very high standards, especially in the AP and IB programs. While registering for "advanced" classes is much easier (i.e. open to more students than in past years) I can assure you that the subject matter is not "dumbed down." Academic standards are very high. W-L does offer complete AP and IB programs. Students in the IB or pre-IB program at W-L can reside in any part of Arlington County, and so, a large number of incoming 9th graders are out-of-boundary students. (busing is provided)

In terms of facilities, both schools are currently being rebuilt, with W-L nearing completion this summer. At a cost of about $100 mill each, the new campuses will have new indoor swimming pools, improved athletic fields (Yorktown's were completed last year), smartboards in every classroom, better landscaping, etc.

Varsity sports include riflery, gymnastics, lacrosse, and the more common ones. You mentioned crew: W-L has the oldest high school rowing program in the DC area. Both Yorktown and W-L have very strong crew programs, and it is the largest varsity sport at both schools. I suggest you check out the crew team websites for more information! W-L is the only high school crew team that rows out of the Potomac Boat club in Georgetown. Most local schools use Thompsons Boathouse nearby. The rowing program at Mount Vernon is not as strong as W-L's or Yorktown's.

BTW, the new principal at George Mason HS in Falls Church was an assistant principal at W-L, and a Yorktown alum.

If you have a hard time deciding between the schools, definitely arrange to visit them. It might come down to a neighborhood you like, and not necessarily the school.

[irvine]

More notes on Arlington schools (to complete the picture):

Both Yorktown and W-L have a "Senior Experience" program where graduating seniors can spend the last few weeks of the school year away from school, exploring a career or pursuing other interests upon approval from the program director.

While Wakefield in South Arlington has lower test scores than the two North Arlington high schools, because of higher poverty levels, it has a strong academic program that includes a unique independent study requirement. (An unrelated Independent Study elective is offered at all the high schools) During their senior year, students present their work to a jury for review. Wakefield also received the College Board's 2006 Inspiration Award for overcoming social and economic disadvantages in creating a successful academic environment. I have many friends who attended Wakefield and they have have nothing but praise for the school. Unfortunately, the busing the school system provides to W-L for out-of-boundary students has encouraged some families in neighborhoods zoned to Wakefield HS in South Arlington to apply for IB transfers, simply to avoid sending their children to Wakefield.

But as clairemarie wrote in a previous post, Mount Vernon (and similar schools like Wakefield) are not in the same league academically as the others you mentioned, in terms of national rankings. W-L and Yorktown have been ranked among the best in the nation for decades, since at least the 1950s when Time magazine did high school rankings.

Like I said in the previous post, you might want to contact administrators at the schools to arrange visits. I know that W-L and Yorktown used to allow prospective transfer students to visit the school for a day and attend classes. That might still be the case.

[Skatergirl]

On a non-academic note, the school is going through major renovations. I think it will be a 2+ year process. W & L has completed all major renovations.

My son was in the crew program last year at Yorktown and it was really poorly managed. The morale was in the gutter. They were short staffed, and it showed. Some parents were pitching in to help train the kids. Many parents complained. My son was adamant that he did not want to continue this year. I know some boys that did stay with the program and they can't wait for it to be done. The staffing issues still haven't been fixed. Very dissapointing program.

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by arneyabroad

Thanks, Claremarie. Do you have any info to elaborate on Yorktown, Washington Lee, and George Mason? They all look like great schools, on paper. George Mason has some disgruntled student postings on other sites, which concerns me. I am looking for a school environment that encourages more than good test-taking strategies. A school where the kids are engaged and interested.
I really appreciate your time and input. Thanks again.

For what it's worth---a few years back, us News & World Report named George Mason H.S. the best in the nation (#1 of the top 100 high schools).