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Fairfax County Schools - How to choose the right one?

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Premier
Fairfax County Schools - choose the right one for your childFairfax County Schools are divided into 24 pyramids for administrative purposes.  The tip of the pyramid is the High School and the middle and base of the pyramid is comprised of a middle school and several feeder elementary schools.

 

For the most part, each Fairfax County Schools pyramid has only one high school, except for a few pyramids that also house alternative schools, special education centers,  plus Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (a regional school with merit-based admissions policy). 

 

Fairfax High Schools Rankings

Here are the 24 Fairfax County Schools Pyramids, listed in alphabetical order, with their Newsweek "America's Top Public High Schools" 2010 Ranking in parentheses.   The names with an asterisk have also been ranked in the US News "Best High Schools" report of 2010. 

 

Annandale    (1279)

Centreville     (141)

Chantilly        (224)

Edison           (804)

Fairfax           (182)

Falls Church   (486)

Hayfield         (567)

Herndon         (153)

*Lake Braddock (174)

*Langley        (118)

Lee                (1218)

*Madison        (144)

*Marshall        (203)

*McLean         (102)

Mount Vernon  (1516)

Oakton           (158)

Robinson        (331)

South County  (308)

South Lakes    (221)

Stuart             (446)

West Potomac (550)

West Springfield (280)

Westfield         (353)

*Woodson       (92)

 

But... how do you choose one school?  

1. By rankings (such as Newsweek's or US News' or by raw test scores; SAT, SOL, AP or IB)

2. By special programs (such as language immersion, arts, science, special education, etc.)

3. By size of school (enrollment)

4. By recommendation

 

Once you select a school, you will want to make sure to live within your desired Fairfax County Schools' boundary.

 

The old way to do it was to find homes for sale in the general area of the school and hope that it belongs in the boundary.  

 

The new way to find a home by school in Fairfax VA

The new way to find a home by school is to visit Fairfax.RightSchoolRightHome.com and search homes for sale by school. Plus, at Fairfax.RightSchoolRightHome.com you can compare high school rankings and get a Fairfax VA home affordabiliy map.

Posted by

Fairfax Right School Right Home - Marina Brito

Jon Quist
REALTY EXECUTIVES ARIZONA TERRITORY - Tucson, AZ
Tucson's BUYERS ONLY Realtor since 1996

That was a VERY Scary headline. So I clicked on the post. And now I am much calmer again. See, it sounded for a second, and only a second, that you were suggesting a particular school. But, like I said, I am much calmer now.

HUD enforcement wizards lurk everywhere.

Apr 19, 2011 07:02 PM
Anonymous
Marina Brito

Hi Jon,

Thanks for your note.  No need to be alarmed. I am very aware of our obligations to comply with the Fair Housing Laws.  Specifically, it is illegal to "steer" people onto buying (or renting) a home in a specific neighborhood, area, etc. 

Some people have translated that to mean "schools" but it also applies to zip codes, postal cities, school boundaries, census designated places, neighborhoods, etc. 

I think that the public has been underserved by our fear of staying away from anything that is remotely connected with "schools".  But we shouldn't be worried if we comply with the law,  are honest and fair, and provide public information to help the public make the right decisions. 

My purpose is to compile and present the information about Fairfax County Schools which is publicly available and help the public make a decision on their own.

Thanks again for your note. :)

Apr 20, 2011 04:52 AM
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