Sell me on the suburbs- willowsford/ashburn (Stanley, Madison: fit in, real estate)

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by mdcrim

Willowsford voted down the elementary school so I believe the school board is still looking for an alternative. That being said, that neighborhood is most likely facing several years of rezoning (the entire area down there is being moved around). The school in the neighborhood would have secured them some stability.

Yes, the school board withdrew their purchase offer to avoid a lawsuit from homeowners in The Grant. The last I heard from our school board rep, they didn't have an alternative yet for ES-31 but they really wanted to have something locked in before the boundary process for Madison's Trust ES starts this September. (Madison's Trust, formerly known as ES-27, opens in Fall 2016.) They don't want to move kids twice but it may be inevitable without a plan for ES-31 (scheduled to open in Fall 2018). What they really need is a parcel to magically open up somewhere between Brambleton and the Greenway, because Moorefield Station ES and Rosa Lee Carter ES are also both overcrowded (though not as overcrowded as Creighton's Corner ES, where Willowsford north of Route 50 is zoned, and Legacy ES).

One note: since my earlier post in this thread from February 2014, the Brambleton rezoning was approved, so now the sites for MS-9 (name still TBD after the John Ryan/Mathias Giordano naming fiasco) and HS-11 are locked in and kids in the Grant and Grange villages of Willowsford will almost certainly end up at those schools once they are open (MS-9 opens in Fall 2017; HS-11 opens in Fall 2020). On this map, the leftmost number 10 is MS-9/HS-11; the rightmost number 10 is Madison's Trust ES. The entrance to The Grant is on the west side of Evergreen Mills Rd. north of Hanson Park; the entrance to The Grange is on the west side of Evergreen Mills Rd. south of Hanson Park.

[Btingle76]

We decided to go private, at least for kindergarten, and just go year to year from then. We'll see how it goes.

[Ashley Tauzier]

Oh man that stinks. I haven't been out to the community since February and the sales office was talking about the school at that point. Hopefully they get things figured out soon. I live out in PWC and we are going through the same rezoning and new school openings right now as well.

[Btingle76]

I'm curious about the new high school- it will include Willowsford and what other communities? We are considering the Aldie side of Willowsford too and that would be John Champe High School. Just wondering how these two might compare in terms of size, diversity, etc...

[michgc]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

Yes, the school board withdrew their purchase offer to avoid a lawsuit from homeowners in The Grant. The last I heard from our school board rep, they didn't have an alternative yet for ES-31 but they really wanted to have something locked in before the boundary process for Madison's Trust ES starts this September. (Madison's Trust, formerly known as ES-27, opens in Fall 2016.) They don't want to move kids twice but it may be inevitable without a plan for ES-31 (scheduled to open in Fall 2018). What they really need is a parcel to magically open up somewhere between Brambleton and the Greenway, because Moorefield Station ES and Rosa Lee Carter ES are also both overcrowded (though not as overcrowded as Creighton's Corner ES, where Willowsford north of Route 50 is zoned, and Legacy ES).

One note: since my earlier post in this thread from February 2014, the Brambleton rezoning was approved, so now the sites for MS-9 (name still TBD after the John Ryan/Mathias Giordano naming fiasco) and HS-11 are locked in and kids in the Grant and Grange villages of Willowsford will almost certainly end up at those schools once they are open (MS-9 opens in Fall 2017; HS-11 opens in Fall 2020). On this map, the leftmost number 10 is MS-9/HS-11; the rightmost number 10 is Madison's Trust ES. The entrance to The Grant is on the west side of Evergreen Mills Rd. north of Hanson Park; the entrance to The Grange is on the west side of Evergreen Mills Rd. south of Hanson Park.

Madison's Trust sounds like a bank - not an elementary school.

[FCNova]

Willowsford is very nice. I went to a KHov event last fall in the Ashburn section. A buddy of mine just bought in the Aldie section and works in Vienna and says commute isn't bad(45 min), which surprises me but it seems to work for him. I would expect it to take longer during rush hour with how jammed every road off the tollroad is. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by Btingle76

I'm curious about the new high school- it will include Willowsford and what other communities? We are considering the Aldie side of Willowsford too and that would be John Champe High School. Just wondering how these two might compare in terms of size, diversity, etc...

Probably, although it is WAY too early to say. HS-11's boundaries will likely include some students who currently attend Rock Ridge (and maybe some from Briar Woods). Sizewise, they will all end up near or over capacity. If you want to compare the schools as they were 2014-2015:

Rock Ridge: (823 students total - new school, so no senior class in 2014-2015)
38% white, 33% Asian, 14% black, 10% Hispanic, 5% multiple
5% English language learner
17% economically disadvantaged

John Champe: (1277 students total)
45% white, 29% Asian, 12% black, 9% Hispanic, 5% multiple
3% English language learner
10% economically disadvantaged

Remember, too, that HS-9 will open in Fall 2021 in Dulles South (exact site TBD). So depending on when you plan to move and the age of your children, you could end up there instead of Champe.

Originally Posted by michgc

Madison's Trust sounds like a bank - not an elementary school.

I'll let the school board's minutes tell the story:

The committee voted to recommend that ES-27 be named Madison’s Trust. The name will commemorate Loudoun County’s place in the War of 1812 where it served as a temporary refuge for President Madison and important state papers. The president established temporary resident at Belmont and the important state papers (including the Constitution) were housed at the Rokeby estate (off of Gleedsville Rd.).

[Btingle76]

Where can I find all the new school info? Is there a website I can follow to stay current on all of the updates and announcements?

[mdcrim]

You will make yourself crazy trying to figure out school zoning in Loudoun. It is very fluid, especially in the fast growing Dulles South area. Even the established, built out neighborhoods are not immune to frequent rezoning. There's a lot of push and pull... And sometimes the zoning decisions end up in court. There is no telling what the school board is going to do with individual neighborhoods until very close to when a new school opens.

[Btingle76]

Does anyone know if buffalo trail is overcrowded for kindergarten?