Where to live for good schools (Alexandria, Burke: apartments, rental, crime)

[SumnerRain]

My hubby is going to be working on Belvoir in February, his hours will likely be 8a-4p. From what I could tell he is going to be at the very northern tip of the post, he's a government contractor. He does not mind up to a 90 minute commute (each way), but we cannot compromise when it comes to schools. Next year we will have a freshman in high school, a kid in middle school and a kindergartner, so I need to find an area where they have good k-12 schools, so most of Woodbridge is out. I would also like to have a house/townhome with rent under 2k a month, and we need 4 (or more) bedrooms. We also have large dogs, so apartments are out. He travels about 50%, up to 1 year at a time with his job, so I need someplace where I will feel safe raising our 4 kids alone. He liked Manassas a lot, but I am not sure that would fit our criteria. Having cheap rent for a larger home is much more important than being close to work, but on the same hand if I can find what we need closer, I will be happy too.

[OrangeFish]

I would look in the Woodson High School district in Annandale, so the elementary school would be either Canterbury Woods or Wakefield Forest, and the middle school would be Frost. The toughest part of your requirements list will be the large dogs as many home owners prefer small dogs, if they allow any dogs at all.

[SumnerRain]

Wow, I think we may have to go farther out than that... the only thing I could find under 2k a month were 3 bedroom apartments/townhomes with 1100sf. I have 4 kids, not sure I could put them in something that small.

[Ashburnite]

You might try Prince William County. It's growing quite a bit and might be more affordable. Bristow has some new neighborhoods that are pretty affordable for the area. It's a bit farther away than some other options like Burke and Centerville, though. Either of those two might be worth looking at, too.

I don't know anything about the schools in Manassas but in general there are some parts of Manassas that are nice and some that are not so I suppose the schools would depend on where you chose to live.

[ChristineVA]

If you don't like schools in Woodbridge, you aren't going to be any better off in Manassas, so I'm not sure of your logic there.

The K-12 schools in Woodbridge are not awful; however, they do not rate as high as Fairfax on test scores mostly likely due to affluency and diversity. This does not mean that the teachers are not teaching the same curriculum as Fairfax schools, it means that there are many more challenges in the Prince Williams County schools due to lower economic status. Not sure how you feel about that. Otherwise, Prince William has some great programs at the high school level and some schools that are better than others that are worth investigating without immediately writing the area off. The area does seem to fit your rental amount requirements.

FWIW, my older child did have an issue with the public high school in Woodbridge but I know SOOOO many other kids who did extremely well in these schools and have gone on to great colleges. If your child is a motivated student and knows how to behave, they can get a very good education here.

[FindingZen]

Although you mostly discounted Woodbridge, its Lake Ridge section has received a lot of positive press on this forum. There are others here who can fill you in more on school and housing specifics.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by SumnerRain

Wow, I think we may have to go farther out than that... the only thing I could find under 2k a month were 3 bedroom apartments/townhomes with 1100sf. I have 4 kids, not sure I could put them in something that small.

For $2100:
5016 RED FOX DR RED FOX FOREST ANNANDALE VA - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-RED+FOX+FOREST-ANNANDALE-VA-MRIS-FX7072844 - broken link)

4174 ELIZABETH LN TRURO ANNANDALE VA - HomesDatabase

8721 STARK RD WILLOW WOODS ANNANDALE VA - HomesDatabase (http://www.homesdatabase.com/home-listings-WILLOW+WOODS-ANNANDALE-VA-MRIS-FX7122511 - broken link)

[Denton56]

Annandale? I would not say that the schools there are great. They aren't.

The problem is that to get into a great school district that usually means a more expensive neighborhood. It's going to be extremely difficult to find a house to rent for $2,000 in a good neighborhood with good schools.

[OrangeFish]

Originally Posted by Denton56

Annandale? I would not say that the schools there are great. They aren't.

Oh. I forgot. The schools aren't in Vienna or McLean. At least your postings are consistent, Neen.

Both Canterbury Woods and Wakefield Forest are great elementary schools, as is Frost Middle School and Woodson High School.

[MattVA]

I would suggest the followng communities: Kingstowne, Island Creek, Hayfield, Newington, Raceway Farms, Mt. Air, Rose Hill-all are within 15 minutes of your husbands job. The area has many parks. lwo crime and pretty good schools (I have an 11 (6th Grade) and 8 year old (3rd grade)at Island Creek Elementary). Very convienent to Old Town Alexandria, I-95, Metro, etc.