Alexandria Private Schools- Should I send my kids to them in certain parts of Alexandria? (Arlington: lower-class)

[cleopatra]

We may be moving to the Beverly Hills, Jefferson Park, Braddock Heights area of Alexandria. The school ratings look pretty bad. Do most people who live there send their kids to private school? I'm looking at Elementary schools right now. Any opinions would be great-thanks!

[The Dissenter]

I attended Alexandria city public schools for two years and graduated in 2006. I think the system gets a bad rap because of its test scores aren't as high as Arlington or Fairfax. The reason for this is beacuse the system has a large number of ESL students. In the Alexandria part of Fairfax County, the schools have even more issues. I feel the education is of a very high quality in Alexandria City and I went to a highly loved school divison in VA before i moved to Alexandria in York County. A number of students do go to private school, but it is not like PG county schools in MD or DC where you have middle and even lower-class kids going to avoid the public schools at all costs, a lot of Alexandria parents have ample amounts of money and feel their children are too good for any public school. Alexandria schools are known to have a lot of diversity. T.C. Williams has students from at least 40 diff countries. T.C. Williams is opening a new high school this year and it looks great after going by it yesterday. Students from that school get accepted from high-quality colleges. I even got accepted at Howard (didn't go) and one minority student got into Yale. You may also want to look at Seminary Valley which has Patrick Henry Elem. which is really diverse. So i don't think you should be worried about the public schools in Alexandria.

[cleopatra]

Thanks for your opinion. I would love to avoid private schools if possible. They cost a fortune and both my husband and I grew up in public schools in other areas.

[claremarie]

Test scores don't always tell you how good a school is, but they do a great job of telling you about the socioeconomic characteristics of the students. If the test scores are bad, and the school is located in an upper middle class neighborhood, then you know that many of the neighborhood parents are sending their kids to private schools. Whether you join them depends a lot on what you want from a school, and whether your children can thrive in a classroom with students who have a lot of learning challenges (as reflected in their low test scores). If you are moving this summer, it's most likely too late to enroll them in a private school for the fall, so the question might be moot.

[Yankeesfan]

I think discipline, behavior, and character issues are important parts of a school environment. I suggest spending some time observing the students as they leave the school -- how they dress, how they interact with each other, what kind of language they are using, how they speak to the adults who are around, especially at the junior high and high school level.

[LauraH831]

You are able to call the school office and request a tour of the school in the area you may be moving to. They will allow you to come and observe the classrooms during the school day. PM me if you want more information about the different elementary schools in the city. Both of my sons go to public elementary.

[brittmonde]

I am looking for any opinion anyone has on Immanuel Lutheran School located in Alexandria, VA.