Langley High School

My daughter does not have a bad experience with the social life at Langley; let me say that first and foremost. That said, this school is a pressure-cooker of the worst kind. My child is a straight-A student. Not good enough. Must take honors. Straight As there? Not good enough, must take APs. Oh, and don't forget your extra-curricular, etc. These kids are pushed both by parents and staff alike to work the equivalent of two full-time jobs. The administration seems to care about stress, but they really don't. If they did, they would adhere to the country regulation on homework - 2 hours ACROSS disciplines a night. I brought it up, was told by administration it was PER CLASS. When I pointed out what "across disciplines" means, it then became "I can't control the teachers". Excuse me? I have consulted with friends in the area. One psychologist friend who treats eating disorders told me ALL her teen patients come from Langley. ALL!! Think about that before you send your kid here. South Lakes in Reston has an excellent reputation now. Might be a better place.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is one of the best in the country. Most of the reviews on here are from people who had a bad experience with the "social life" of Langley. I have graduate of class of 2011, and all i can say is if you want to do well in school and get a great education, you should go to Langley. They offer 21+ Ap classes and countless honors, more than enough interesting electives and classes to keep you busy and competitive, as i dont recommend taking more than 3 at one time. The stress to get into a good college and grades is pretty intense and overwhelming, but you are competing with 500+ other people in your class. Depending on the classes you are taking the teacher will very from a easy regular laid back teacher, to an uptight AP European studies teacher. You will be 110% prepared for college as most of the teachers out it, which is true that i now go to VT. Some other reviews mention that wealth is a huge factor, i am not going to lie, it is. People compare the clothes, and cars that your peers have, but in my experience that has never stopped someone from not fitting in or making any friend. However, if you are a normal person who wants to do well, this is best school.
--Submitted by a student

I graduated from Langley in 1987 and the recent comments are strikingly similar to my personal experiences when I attended Langley over twenty years ago. Now that I am raising two kids of my own, I use Langley as a benchmark for what to seek/not seek in my own childrens' experience. If your child comes from a very wealthy family and is academically driven, Langley's culture and academic offerings would probably be a good fit. However, if your child is academically average and an otherwise "average kid," it will be hard for your child to flourish. He or she will sit on the social periphery and get written off by the teachers. This is a niche school for socially elite, academically gifted students.
--Submitted by a parent

The quality of the teaching at Langley is below average. Most teachers are not creative and they don t really care. There are many bright students here who can teach themselves from the text. The majorities of teachers here do not inspire a love of learning in the students or give students real confidence in their abilities and encouragement to achieve. This is not meant to degrade the teachers. The system is a bureaucracy and it s broken. The reason the SAT scores are above average is because many of the parents are highly educated, able to tutor their kids or are paying lots of money for tutors and SAT prep. There is an extremely high amount of drug use and drinking. If you think this is a good school then it because you have not been exposed to what a true quality education is. If you have an average student and send them here they will remain very average and not realize their full potential. Great schools take average students and inspire them. This school does not.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a graduated from Langley High School over 15 years ago. I was reading the recent reviews and it is sad to say that nothing has changed from when I attended the school. I hated everything about the school. Yes, I received a good education but looking back and not having good memories of high school is sad. It is sad what wealth can do to people. I was looking at a school district for my own kids as I my family will be relocating there from the northeast and after reading these reviews I am going to put more focus on finding a top-notch private school.

The school is great academically, but difficult socially if you're not in the "popular" clique. While the teachers are great and like seeing the students excel and prepare for college, the students themselves have no idea what reality is. Most kids here are rich, and have been spoiled their entire lives. People here seem to be materialistic and quick to judge. The transition from Texas schools to Langley hasn't been the smoothest for me. The competition for such good grades, meeting so many new people and making friends, and adjusting to the new environment has hurt my grades. However, I hope to make my next years at Langley more enjoyable than my first year.
--Submitted by a student

Great. The academics are good. That'll get you in, but what about interaction skills in college? No one here knows how to communicate like a normal being, let alone their constant judging of other people. NORMAL people don't analyze others that much....who has time? What really ruined it for me and a lot of others is the social life here. Take it or leave it, everyone who says the social life here sucks, is 100% right. To sum it all up, some people here need a REALITY check and know that when they go off to college, it's not all about your image and popularity or what clothes you have, or most importantly, WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH. No one cares, not now, not ever. Please, get a life other than Langley. I wish I went to McLean, thank goodness I'm out of Langley. Oh, and the teachers are exactly like the kids. It's pathetic in all honesty.
--Submitted by a student

Clearly the best public high school in the region and one of the best in the country. Despite the "brain-drain" effect of Thomas Jefferson Magnet High School in Fairfax County, Langley has survived as an incredible comprehensive public high school offering the best in academics, international diversity, athletics, and extracurricular opportunities.

This school offers good academic classes (Honors, AP) but the social part of this school is absolutely horrible! its all based upon how much money you have, and what clothes you wear. If you dont have gucci purses, and prada shoes you will be labeled a poor loser. Which is really sad. This school needs a student attitude makeover.
--Submitted by a student

(1)As a former LHS student, I am shocked at some of the negative responses from other Langley graduates, students and parents. Some of the comments on this board are completely fabricated or exaggerated. Yes, there are cliques. Yes, the workload is difficult. Yes, high school kids will experiment with drinking. These are inevitable activities that happen in high schools all across America. The cliques are particularly not as bad as everyone is describing on here. There is definitely an 'in-crowd', but as long as you even attempt to get involved you can find your niche. I think it is ridiculous that students transfer rather than work through their social troubles. They are taking the easy way out instead of learning how to improve their communication and social skills. I was involved with cheerleading, student government, and multiple other activities and clubs; regardless of the diversity between them, I was able to find friends in and be accepted by each of these groups.
--Submitted by a student