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Fairfax County and Loudoun County Public Schools
Proudmom76 March 17, 2011
I will be relocating to Northern Virginia this summer. I will like to know more information about the schools in the Chantilly, Centreville, Fairfax, Aldie, and Ashburn areas of Fairfax County and Loudoun County. Can someone please answer the following:
Which high school would you send your child or recommend to others....Centreville, Westfield, Chantilly, Fairfax, Freedom, Briar Woods, or Broad Run?
How is Brookfield Elementary School in Chantilly?
Is Fairfax, Westfield, Freedom, and Centreville great schools because I've read negative things about them?
What elementary schools would you recommend in Chantilly, Aldie, Ashburn, Fairfax, and Centreville? What elementary schools would you avoid?
What elementary schools have the best programs for gifted and talented children?
How is the gifted and talented program at Loudoun County compared to the GT Program at Fairfax County Schools?
How is Willow Springs Elemenatry School in Fairfax County?
What are the pros and cons about Loudoun County Public Schools?
What are the pros and cons about Fairfax County Public Schools?
Is it really worth it to pay the extra money on a house to send a child to school in Fairfax versus Loudoun County?
I'm so nervous about this move and I really need truthful information from teachers and parents who have experiences with these schools. The reviews on Great Schools are just to vague for me. Yes, I have already read the SOL scores on the school websites. Test scores could only tell so much about about a particular school. So,if you could provide me any other helpful information about the schools in Fairfax or Loudoun Counties, I will appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!
mctalzeme April 14, 2011
I would personally not recommend Fairfax or Loudoun Counties. Overcrowded, huge schools mean your child will not have opportunities to participate in ANYTHING. Your child will have to be a pro by about 4th grade to participate in any sports, musical groups, etc.
In my personal experience, the intake experience for Fairfax County is ridiculous and overly burdensome. Your child will also have difficulty getting into any special or needed programs because all of that is allocated the previous year. There is also no welcome or prep for new to the district, so the learning curve on how to get things done is very steep.
We have lived in the DC metro area/northern Virginia off and on for over 20 years. My children are now in high school and university. We just moved back here and I would highly recommend Manassas Park (not Manassas City) schools. They are a hidden gem. Much like Falls Church City, a separately incorporated town in the middle of Fairfax County, Manassas Park is small and has it's own school system.
My son is attending a high school of less than 800 students that recently received a ranking OVER Fairfax County schools. It's a highly diverse student population, but very high performing. Because of the smaller size (many high schools in northern Virginia are in the 2500-3000 student range) my son has access to just about any activity or program he would be interested in. We received a lot of personal assistance from the school staff upon arrival and my son is fitting in very well and has acclimated very well. It's like living in a small town, but with all the advantages of the big city and suburbs.
In addition, this area has significantly lower cost of housing, the same commercial amenities, is no further from DC or any of the other popular cultural centers than Loudoun or outer Fairfax, and offers excellent public transport. We are 20 minutes from Dulles Airport (depending on traffic), about 20 miles from DC, and I can walk to the commuter train to DC.
Fairfax County has the name recognition, but Prince William County (the county in which Manassas Park is located) has long been neck and neck with regards to student performance and school amenities. We are very pleased with our secret, Manassas Park, and would recommend it to you. The elementary school is one of the only LEEDS certified school buildings in the country (LEEDS is a special environmental designation), and is from all reports a very "cool" school.68939
