# Choosing a school around DC



## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Hi everyone. My family will be moving to the US (somewhere within driving distance of DC) and Im very nervous about choosing a school for my two children. They will be 9 (May) and 12 (June) next year. We would like to choose the school before the house. 
I have been told that there is no standardized curriculum in the US and this concerns me, greatly. Our children attend private school in Perth, but based on the astronomical tuition fees Ive seen whilst searching around Fairfax county, I doubt we could afford it there. Its about 8 times the cost!
Can anyone offer me some advice, please?
Also, I would be very grateful on any other advice you have about moving there. Places you recommend, decent family suburbs.....anything really. Im not entirely sure where to start! 
One other problem I seem to be encountering when looking at homes is the lack of fenced yards. We have two dogs, so Im not sure how to get around that one??


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## daygl0 (Aug 12, 2015)

All I can offer is that my cousins grew up in Silver Springs, MD and went to good schools. They both graduated from Montgomery Blair High School. They did various magnate programs within the public schools coming up depending on their interests (math/robotics vs. art). One is now at Harvard and the other is at Kenyon. They have a nice house with a yard. The home prices to me look reasonable, but I'm from CA so my perception may be way off. Good luck!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Generally speaking, the school districts in the suburbs around DC are usually pretty good. You can get information about the individual schools and districts from the local real estate agents. (In fact many agencies link school data to the individual home postings, as it makes a huge difference in house prices and rents.)

No, there is no national curriculum, but some states have state-wide requirements for the various district curricula - check the website of the state department of education for details. 

Fencing is another question, but may depend more on if you're looking to buy or rent. Some folks fence in only the back yard for the dogs, or just a specific area (a "dog run") rather than the whole property. If you're renting, there may be some issues finding a rental that will allow you to have dogs, particularly if they are large dogs. But a good real estate agent should be able to help on all fronts.
Cheers,
Bev


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

I have a friend with dogs (and kids), who's living in Vienna and her husband works in DC as well. I've asked her some questions, to see if she has any suggestions for you.
Any idea about the budget you have for your house? (as that often is the most tricky part of the story)


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Google "school district" and county/municipality. The web sites are pretty self explanatory and go into detail from curriculum to lunch menue. Contact admissions or the principal's office to get specifics in regards to testing, admission during the school year and exact geographic boundaries for the individual school. Do not rely on third party information without verifying it when it comes to schools.

Fences - some folks like them, some folks do not like them. Check into city ordnance, HOA covenants. You may find limitations from height and material to easements. Cost and maintenance can also be a factor.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

EVHB said:


> I have a friend with dogs (and kids), who's living in Vienna and her husband works in DC as well. I've asked her some questions, to see if she has any suggestions for you.
> Any idea about the budget you have for your house? (as that often is the most tricky part of the story)


Thanks so much. That would be very helpful. We are looking somewhere between $4000 and $5000 monthly.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Thats great advice. Ill take a look. Hopefully that will help point me in the right direction. Thanks again.


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

I have no idea how reliable this is, but: GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Good onya. Thanks.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Nay78 said:


> Thanks so much. That would be very helpful. We are looking somewhere between $4000 and $5000 monthly.


I asked about the rental budget, haven't heard back from here yet.
This is what she already said:
"We live in Fairfax and public schools here are very good. It's expensive to live here, and there's not much available for rent. How it works with animals and renting, I don't know. Lots of home owners will not allow pets."


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Nay78: I wanted to send you a private message, but it doesn't seem to work. Can you send one to me? (if that works)
My friend said you could contact here, and I want to share her contact details with you, as I don't want to post it on a public board.


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

A user needs to have five posts before they can PM.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Thanks for inquiring. Finding a house that allows pets isn't too had actually, so not really concerned about that. We've seen several we're happy with already. The schools are my main concern so its nice to hear that they are decent in Fairfax County. Gun laws also terrify me there! So many school shootings.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Nay78 said:


> Thanks for inquiring. Finding a house that allows pets isn't too had actually, so not really concerned about that. We've seen several we're happy with already. The schools are my main concern so its nice to hear that they are decent in Fairfax County. Gun laws also terrify me there! So many school shootings.


What do Virginia gun laws terrify you?


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

I'm sure Nay78 will explain her concern, but I imagine it means that the lack of gun laws/controls in the US generally is what terrifies her. The comment "so many school shootings" is probably a clue.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Yes, thats exactly what I mean. Everyday people don't carry guns in Australia. We had one mass shooting many years ago, so the government changed the gun laws. People just don't get shot here. Naturally, its quite unnerving for me to bring my kids to a country where people carry guns.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

OK, the good news is that people don't actually carry guns quite as much as the news and social media would have you believe. Though this does vary a bit by locale.

The not-so-good news is that, even for those of us born and raised in the US, the situation does appear to have gotten worse (admittedly my personal opinion) in the last 10 or 20 years (i.e. the time I've been away from the place). 

It's entirely possible that you can live and work in the US for many years without ever actually seeing a firearm in public. Or not. The US is a big place, and the social acceptability of firearms varies greatly from place to place. Other than that, it's a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Bevdeforges said:


> The not-so-good news is that, even for those of us born and raised in the US, the situation does appear to have gotten worse (admittedly my personal opinion) in the last 10 or 20 years (i.e. the time I've been away from the place).


Statistically, factually, the homicide rate in the U.S. is as low as it has ever been in many, many decades. Virginia's rate is statistically indistinguishable from that lower national rate.

To me it's very good news that, even with a rate lower than it has ever been in the lifetimes of most if not all Americans, most Americans (including the President) are not yet satisfied and want an even lower rate.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The homicide rate may be low, but having more than one mass shooting a day this year does kind of "focus the mind" in a rather unpleasant manner. It is, however, a big country and any one individual's odds of being literally "in the line of fire" are still pretty nominal.
Cheers,
Bev


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

The U.S. national murder rate was 4.5 per 100,000 in 2014 and in 2013 _inclusive_ of "mass shootings" (which are not a new phenomenon). Looking back as far as 1960 (i.e. as far back as fairly reliable statistics allow), only 1962 and 1963 came close: 4.6 in both years. The U.S. murder rate was double today's rate as recently as 1994 when it was 9.0. Yes, that's right: the U.S. cut its murder rate in half in just two decades. That's impressive! The rate peaked (in modern times anyway) in 1980, the year John Lennon was murdered, at 10.2.

There's just no question that, on a national basis (which correlates with state and local rates, although there is obviously some variation), America is safer than it has been in several decades. I'd certainly like it to be _even safer_, but there's been huge progress.

There have been attempts to estimate murder rates in other eras. I found one estimate that the murder rate in mid 15th century England was about 73, for example. It's very hard to find any country on our planet with a murder rate that high that isn't at war. The developed world as a whole has made enormous progress in reducing rates of violent crime at least since World War II. Hopefully that progress will continue.

"News" is something unusual, an outlier. Murder (of any scale) is increasingly becoming more unusual, hence it's bigger news when it does happen. Much is the same with plane crashes which are extremely unusual now. They used to be rather more common.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Nay78 said:


> Yes, thats exactly what I mean. Everyday people don't carry guns in Australia. We had one mass shooting many years ago, so the government changed the gun laws. People just don't get shot here. Naturally, its quite unnerving for me to bring my kids to a country where people carry guns.


Gun laws are for law abiding citizens)) Virginia's gun laws are rather strict. You can pull them off the web.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I don't think that statistics, or even the text of any given state's gun laws are really what is concerning the OP here. Compared the Australia (or most of Europe, for that matter), the guns laws in the US are pretty lax. However, there are patterns to the gun violence in the US and generally speaking, lots and lots of people live quite happily in the US without every encountering guns or gun violence directly.

You really can't (and shouldn't) live your life terrorized by the headlines in the newspapers. Yes, there are issues that need to be debated and acted upon. And at some point we have to trust (and hope) that the appropriate authorities are doing so. On any given day, you could get run over by a bus, or get nailed by a drunk driver or a falling meteorite anywhere in the world, laws or no laws. You live your life and you take your chances every day. And when moving to a new country/culture, you pick up the "common sense" rules to avoid the problems you can avoid as you go along.
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Lax? We told our movers that we would not ship guns but move them ourselves. ATF was sitting in the driveway ready for an audit when we pulled in in November. 

OP will be busy with her children's schedules, social life and exploring. News and tabloids feed off crime. It is the same everywhere. Not even in Texas will she see a gun toting boot wearing Stetson crowned John Wayne type with a gun on the hip. No open carry. In Oklahoma you see them at WallMart but mostly in denim bib overalls. 

Every country and in the US every state we lived in had rules and regulations concerning gun purchase/possession/transport/use. But again - that is for those who play by the rules. OP is not likely to explore some sections of DC that are a bit dicey.

Wishing her and her family a great time in VA/DC. We had a blast when we lived there.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Thank you. I appreciate your well wishes. I didn't intend to start a debate. I have no interest in arguing gun laws on here. Its not the purpose of this forum.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

Thanks. Our budget is up to around $4500 a month.


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## Nay78 (Dec 10, 2015)

EVHB said:


> I asked about the rental budget, haven't heard back from here yet.
> This is what she already said:
> "We live in Fairfax and public schools here are very good. It's expensive to live here, and there's not much available for rent. How it works with animals and renting, I don't know. Lots of home owners will not allow pets."


Thanks very much. We've found several houses that will be ok, but yes, they are few and far between in Fairfax, thats for sure! Im so nervous about sending my kids to the right school. Its their first time in public, first time without a uniform and first time schooling in another country. What a massive change it will be for them. I just want to make the academic side of it as good as I can.


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