moving to N. VA (Herndon/Reston area) and need some advice on schools (Centreville: low income, 2015)

[drod086]

Hi,

My family is moving to Northern Virginal soon. My work is in Reston, VA and I have 2 elementary school aged kids. We plan to rent at the beginning and I prefer to live close to work, so we're focusing on Reston/Herndon. My budget is around $1,500/per month and there can be some wiggling room.

Regarding schools, I've been told to avoid 20170 in Herndon and it's it seems Dogwood in Reston is also a school I should stay away from. My questions are

1) I've hear Oak Hill in Herndon is a good school, but there's very little rental properties close by.
2) What about Hunter Woods PS in Reston. I've heard negative comment on this school but it's ranking is very high. Also I've heard the school you're assigned do not necessarily depends on where you live, is that true?
3) is 20190 in Reston a better area than 20191 in terms of school?
4) There're quite a few apartments in Herndon 20171 area, close to McNair Elementary. Is McNair a decent school?
5) If I rent a place close to McNair in Herndon, is the noise from the airport going to be an issue?
6) Do all schools provide lunch?
7) I read somewhere that VA has vehicle tax of approximately 4%. If my car is values at $20,000, do I pay $800/year for vehicle tax?
8) which internet provider offers best deal in the area? Is it Verizon?

Are there any other suggestions that you can give? Really appreciate your help here.

[JfromReston]

I don't have answers to all your questions but have a few options for you to look at in the South Lakes area of Reston. Most feed to Sunrise Valley Elementary School that is considered one of the best elementary schools in Reston. Your budget is very minimal for finding a house suitable for a family of 4 - I hope you can find some wiggling room.

2000 HEADLANDS CIR, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
1922 BELMONT RIDGE CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
1921 BELMONT RIDGE CT, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2006 HEADLANDS CIR, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
2037 HEADLANDS CIR, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com
11156 BOATHOUSE CT #73, RESTON, VA 20191 | Listing Information | MRIShomes.com

1) I've hear Oak Hill in Herndon is a good school, but there's very little rental properties close by.

Check on MRIShomes.com for private rentals

2) What about Hunter Woods PS in Reston. I've heard negative comment on this school but it's ranking is very high. Also I've heard the school you're assigned do not necessarily depends on where you live, is that true?

I understand that Hunters Woods is a good school. Kids go to school in their district unless they get in one of the magnet or advanced academic programs.

3) is 20190 in Reston a better area than 20191 in terms of school?

6 of one / half dozen of the other - not much difference - both areas are Fairfax county schools that are generally highly regarded.

4) There're quite a few apartments in Herndon 20171 area, close to McNair Elementary. Is McNair a decent school?

I don't know much about McNair.

5) If I rent a place close to McNair in Herndon, is the noise from the airport going to be an issue?

Not much of an issue as it is east of the airport and most runway traffic is north and south.

6) Do all schools provide lunch?

Don't know - but think they do.

7) I read somewhere that VA has vehicle tax of approximately 4%. If my car is values at $20,000, do I pay $800/year for vehicle tax?

Yes there is a vehicle tax - not sure how much the % is -- I pay ~$300/year for 5 year old car.

8) which internet provider offers best deal in the area? Is it Verizon?

Don't know about deals but I have Verizon.

[marie5v]

You can find out anything you want about Fairfax schools on FCPS Home Page Redirect Page. Go to schools and centers, and then look at the school profile. They tell you demographics, test scores, etc. Demographics are what usually makes a school "good" or "bad." Higher numbers of ESL and reduced lunch (low income) students bring down test scores and generally make a school less desirable. Low percentages of ESL and low income students result in high test scores and usually high home prices.

All schools SELL lunch (but they're awful and not usually healthy). However, lunch is free only if you qualify based on income.

[drod086]

thanks very much for the above replies. Those are all very useful information.

[JCVA]

I can speak to the neighborhoods around McNair ES in 20171. We lived there in a townhouse which we really liked. However, the noise from the airport was really noticeable. Some days it was worse than others (depending on the winds) but it was always there. We lived just west of Centreville Road, between Route 28 and Centreville Road. The airport noise may be somewhat better East of Centreville Road.

[patriot201]

The noise from airplanes is noticeable when you first move here, but I now no longer even hear it.

[drod086]

thanks JCVA and patrio201 for the info.

[vidchick]

McNair Farms ES is mostly AAP now so several children go to a newer school called Coates Elementary which is west of Centreville Rd, north of Coppermine. Both schools have a very diverse demographic and nearly 60 native languages for the students. This pocket in Herndon near McNair Farms is a predominantly Hindu/Indian community.

Finding something in your budget with 3 br might be hard. If you can stretch to 1800-2000, it would be much easier. A great neighborhood is Franklin Farm. There are 2 townhome communities there so you might be able to find a rental. Also, you can try looking in Chantilly/20151 and Fairfax/22033. These would both be within a 20 min commute of Reston, and that's mostly due to timing of traffic lights. I live near Fair Oaks Hospital and commute to Sunrise Valley & Coppermine in 30 min, including preschool drop off.

As far as airplane noise it's not bad. You get used to it. The only time it is really noticeable is when the very large international flights come in which is usually mid afternoon.

All schools in FCPS provide lunch, of course for a fee. Your child will have an account you can load funds to and they use a pin to purchase their lunch. Heads up, FCPS has early dismissal every Monday at 1pm for all elementary schools. This time is used for additional meetings/trainings/administrative tasks, etc. Every. Single. Monday.

The car tax is based on vehicle value. Usually there is some tax relief so the $800 you calculated would be more like $400. My car is valued around 24k and I pay about $400.

Some parts of the area are Comcast, some are Cox. Verizon isn't in all neighborhoods but it very reliable. Just get whatever promotion is available at the time.

[drod086]

thanks vidchick. I'm currently looking for rentals in the following school area

sunrise valley elementary in reston
flint hill elementary in vienna
oakton elementary in oakton

my work is in reston, and I haven't looked in fairfax or church falls since they seems to be farther.

[KittyTwoShoes]

There are several very good private schools in that area too. I grew up in the Fairfax County area, and the Herndon/Reston area had a very very bad rep. Now that we have kids, it would have been ideal for work to live in Reston/Herndon area, but we chose to move to Loudoun County because of the schools. Herndon IS getting better, especially closer to Centreville Rd. area. There are newer, more expensive homes and townhomes in the area, which...hate to say...bring a more robust and more active in their schools and communities family and parent types. South Lakes High School isn't very good...it wasn't then and it isn't now. I personally know teachers who won't touch that school and several co-workers who moved away from the area or went private to get their kids out of there.