<p>When are changes from the boundary study going to take effect? Just wondering, because her daughter will be a junior. They wouldn't take place next year, right? Sometimes they won't move seniors...not saying that they won't, but there's a chance they might not. </p>
<p>Though I agree that everything considered, West Springfield sounds good.</p>
<p>The boundary changes won't take place before she graduates. It's such a long, drawn out, complicated process, especially for high schools, that even if they do it this summer, the changes wouldn't take place until her senior year. And FCPS has a rule that allows Juniors/Seniors to remain at their current school, mostly due to the fact that those are when most students are taking AP/IB and its unfair if a student begins an AP/IB diploma, then can't finish it if they get moved to a school that doesn't offer the program. Even sophmores can elect, as long as they proved it would hinder their academics if they were forced to move. My brother's (a 7th grader) class has been informed that they will most likely be the earliest class that would be affected.</p>
<p>And honestly, you really can't go wrong if you're at any of those schools.</p>
<p>The only problems i've heard about W. Springfield is racial tensions between certain groups. But, its easibly avoidable if your daughter can stay away from those sorts of problems. But, not a good choice if you think she might sway the wrong way in high school easily. Again, FCPS students are good or bad due to the school, but can only be measured by how they take advantage of what's offered.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up! My daughter is a rising sophomore, so hopefully that'd prevent her from having to move schools if the area is eventually redistricted...but it's still something to consider as far as resale goes. That's one of the reasons someone suggested staying away from South County SS. I guess they just finished sending off a bunch of their middle schoolers... Would you all concur?
Also, motherdear, thanks for suggesting West Springfield. It's in the top four or five we're looking hard at right now...although I'm waiting to see what pops up in the real estate market in the next few weeks. At this point, I'm concentrating on LBSS, West Springfield, Woodson, and Chantilly - mainly because I prefer AP for my daughter (I'm familiar with both AP and IB) and because those look like the areas where we can actually afford a decent house.:)<br>
In any case, all of you have been wonderful to take the time to give your advice. Keep it coming!</p>
<p>Also look at Prince William, there are slug lines for car pooling and most everyone in the county has some military connection. There is a Tricare clinic in Woodbridge and Quantico is close by. We have a 2 O-6 marines who have lived in PW for 4 assigments going back and forth between Pentagon/DC and Quantico.</p>
<p>In all reality there are not any bad schools in NOVA area, Fairfax county has so many kids who apply UVA it is a bit easier coming out of a non Fairfax zip code. Also at my son's school in his AP Eng Lit there were seven O-6s, five O-5s and one O-7 in of all services uniform at parents night open house.</p>
<p>Thanks afa81 for the suggestion. We lived on base at Quantico for two years in the early nineties, so we're pretty familiar with Prince William County. And I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said we've had dozens of friends standing in those slug lines over the years! Howver, my husband has been in the Marine Corps 27 years and should be (note: I said should be) retiring one of these years...With that in mind, we feel we should be farther north in case he ends up in a civilian job in, say, McLean. But thanks - it was a good thought.</p>
<p>The problem with boundary studies even if you have an older hs'er is resale value. There have been 3 in the last 3 years in Southern FFX CO area due to the opening of South County Secondary. Neighborhoods that get redistricted to a hs that is considered "lesser" have a harder time getting houses sold than when they were in the "better" school district.</p>
<p>My neighbors' kids and my kid had a very positive experience at OUR FCPS and we would fight tooth and nail if there was any chance of getting redistricted to any surrounding school. The nearby schools aren't bad schools, we just want the school for which we bought the house.</p>
<p>But in reality, the schools that are affected are Westfield, Herndon, South Lakes, and possibly Oakton. With such few schools affected, its unlikely huge drastic changes will be made. Instead, a neighborhood here and there might be added to South Lakes, and Westfield might see some shifted to Herndon. In honesty, the move shouldn't be huge, just because the School Board knows that high school redistricting is EXTREMELY messy, and it causes everyone trouble. The whole South County redistricting, multiple times, was due to the fact that they didnt include enough the first time, then they increased it the second time but development made that number too high, so now its about right. FYI, Lake Braddock was affected I think atleast once, because I had a friend there who was ****ed about it because they were taking away about half their track team =P
Frankly, you could move anywhere in FCPS districts and face redistricting. Between everyone moving to Loundon to the huge amount moving into FFX, the population is always changing. My school my junior year had 900 freshman, 800 sophmore, 400 junior, and 600 seniors. The next year, a 1000 member class replaced the 600, and apperently a ~500 member class is replacing the 800 graduation. Numbers will always flunctuate, its just a matter of finding a school right for you. There is ALWAYS a way to beat the redistricting in FFX simply because they know its a pain in the butt. So I wouldn't base your decision on that.
Also, as for housing, housing in general in FFX has seen a recent slump. Houses in my neighborhood used to go for $800,000-1.2mil. Now, no one can sell. And if her husband is looking to retire, maybe it will be good to have a house they love, a school they love, and a place to finally settle down in. And if she's a rising sophmore, she'll be able to protest to stay at her school because she'll be a junior, atleast, before the changes take place. And she hasn't mentioned any younger siblings, so beyond this D, school won't matter. So, honestly, I think the redistrciting should be the least of her worries.</p>
<p>Yep, this is the last of them...children, that is. Moves, well, I'm not so sure about those.:) The problem, as I see it, is that my husband hasn't figured out what he wants to be when he grows up. And you can't be a fighter pilot forever, you know... So I try not to make any long term plans - I just want my daughter to be able to stay in this VA school until she graduates!</p>
<p>You may consider renting, the market is still dropping here. Most of the area has seen a drop of 7-10% and they expect it to drop more in the next year. (hate buy that 800K house and have it drop another 80K in the next year) With the BRAC, most jobs will be moving to south county and PW. Most military contractor jobs will be moving to Fort Belvoir out of Crystal City and Rosslyn to be close to who they serve, another reason to rent.</p>
<p>Prince William has doubled in population since the last time you lived here. The only thing that is still the same are the names of the roads. The last US census had Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William all were in the top 10 per capitia income. </p>
<p>Some areas are more afflunet then others, that can be a consideration for your D. That why I mentioned the brats at my S's school more accepting of the "new kid".</p>
<p>Aren't the schools affected kind of like "peer" schools (re: house resale). Maybe with the exception of Herndon, I don't really keep on top on these things though. I mean I could see if it was a Langley neighborhood moving into the Falls Church district, but Westfield and South Lakes seem about the same to me. Could be wrong though. </p>
<p>The boundaries for my school and the nearby schools don't necessarily make sense. Some neighborhoods put up political fights a couple decades ago and the districting has never changed. The neighborhood DIRECTLY BEHIND my elementary school does not go there...literally these laws have direct boundaries with the school. But the county buses them to another school.</p>
<p>Princedog - did you attend Herndon?</p>
<p>South Lakes is more the poorer or farther ends of Reston. The real money in Reston has a majority actually at Herndon, which raises ofcourse huge fights about the Herndon/SL redistrciting. As for Westfields, its primarily white suburbs, but the demographics are spread out a bit to keep diversity. Its all about FCPS wanting to meet numbers. Great numbers at WF, good at Herndon, lower at SL. Do the math.</p>
<p>Also, I agree with the rent idea. With a huge military presence in NoVa, lots of families rent their houses if they know they'll be returning in 3-5 years. I have a neighbor that moved to Hawaii and are renting out their house currently to a military family (Pentagon worker...I think...don't see too much of him, especially now at college), and their former renters were State Dept. employees that went from Pentagon to Pakistan and back here, and before that was Michael Ruffin from the Wash Wizards...he destroyed the house apperently, sooo military families are apperently preferred now. So I would definently look into that =)</p>
<p>Michael Ruffin doesn't seem like the kind of cat to destroy a house... but what do I know.</p>
<p>I don't think either the school redistricting nor the Metro extension to Dulles will be an issue in the next three years. I would not weigh either issue heavily in your decision.</p>
<p>The metro extension is going to be completed in two phases. The first phase is going to extend out to Wiehle avenue in Reston, will last several years, and should not affect the Dulles toll road at all. Ground could break on that project late this year, but in my opinion that is highly unlikely. </p>
<p>Also I don't think the project at any stage is ultimately going to be that disruptive to local traffic.</p>
<p>His house was apperently a shack compared to his true home wherever that is (Chicago i think?) When he left, every piece of furniture they had bought was sitting out on the curbside for trash pickup, it was pretty funny. But the house needed major repainting, carpeting, and some basic patching/fixing of appliances , fixtures, railings, ect. I saw the house about a month after the second couple had already done some work on it and it was obvious that it was previously a mess. Nice guy, saw him about 20 times in the year he lived there. His wife was real cute, and they gave birth to two twins that were adorable. He had 4 kids with this wife, and apperently 3 back in Chicago. So, typical pro athlete I guess. </p>
<p>And yes, he was really tall. =p</p>
<p>Ya never know what your going to get in NOVA. I once looked at a house in the Wash-Lee HS district where Warren Beatty and Shirley McLean previously lived...</p>
<p>Wash-Lee is an Arlington County HS.</p>
<p>True, but close to the Pentagon, Foreign Service Institute and State Department</p>
<p>If you like Fairfax County schools, the "best" schools, test-score wise are Langley (McLean), McLean HS, James Madison HS (Vienna), and Woodson HS (Fairfax). They are about 10-15 miles west of DC, and their student bodies are between 1,800-2,100 kids. I won't mention TJ because it's a magnet school and they won't accept incoming juniors I believe. Robinson, Westfield, and Lake Braddock are all good schools but have student bodies at over 3,000 each. The only bad part about homes in Fairfax County is price, where a regular sized 4 BR house (2,500 sq. feet) in McLean can cost nearly 1 million bucks, but the same house 25 miles west will be a mere fraction of that. </p>
<p>You also need to be aware that not every high school in Fairfax County is a super performer on the SAT's, etc. Schools such as Stuart, Falls Church, and Mount Vernon are all close to Washington, DC, and are Fairfax County's "low performing schools", but even their scores are around national averages. Diversity also can vary greatly. For example some schools have a very high concentration of White students, but others have high concentrations of Asian students (mostly Koreans and Chinese) and others with Hispanics. You can't really judge any school until you see it for yourself.</p>
<p>If price of homes become an issue, you may want to move to Loudoun County, Virginia, Fairfax County's western neighbor, which is where Dulles Airport is (and further west). Homes are cheaper there, and they have a good school system too. There is no clear "best" school, but it is sprawling like crazy, and their schools are smaller since they split schools often, but it means less competition too if that's a factor. Loudoun schools are about 20-50 miles west of DC depending on which school it is.</p>
<p>You said your daughter is a cheerleader, and if she's real good at it, you may want to consider moving to Stone Bridge HS's zone if the commute isn't too much (eastern Loudoun County). They won the AAA state championship three years in a row.</p>
<p>FYI-Centreville made the top 10 schools in Virgina. Don't know what that's based on, but we've been very happy with the education both our children have gotten there. My oldest son is a junior at the Naval Academy (got into UVA, VA Tech Honors (Engineering School), Penn State Engineering, Main Campus and our daughter was just accepted in Nov. ED to William and Mary.</p>
<p>My husband's job (Navy) took him all over the Beltway so he's commuted just about everywhere. Now he's working in Crystal City and takes the VRE (Virginia Railway Express) from Burke. He leaves Crystal City at 5:40 and he's home by 6:40. No stress since he's on the train.</p>
<p>Who is your daughter? Claire R?</p>
<p>Okay, atrmom, I guess I'm a little slow...How does your husband make it door to door in one hour? I'm assuming you still live in Centreville, yes? Does he drive to the Burke VRA station? Please explain. We're still considering both Centreville and Chantilly areas, but thought the commute would be much longer than you're talking about.</p>