Son wants to attend TJ but the commute would be very very tough (single parent, two sibs attending another school with non-compatible schedules, etc). Also, factor in after school activities and socializing and that makes it nearly impossible to predict when pick up would be on any given day. Lastly, the insanity and unpredictability of beltway traffic!
Flint Hill is private (read very expensive) but close to home and other kids’ school.
The question is this, is TJ worth making the Sisyphean daily commute to give the kid the opportunity he has earned? Or pay the bucks to buy a little quality of life for all involved, specially the driving parent who needs to hold down a job despite making the crazy commute and the younger sibs who may have ride along on the beltway for no fault of their own? :-/
Assuming these are the only two HS options at present, appreciate any constructive feedback as am stuck at an impasse.
If you can afford the private school, couldn’t you instead use some of that money to hire someone to drive him to and from TJ if that’s what he really wants to do? We’ve shared a private van service in the past with other families who had kids needing to get to the same place. Or I wouldn’t think it would be that hard to find a grad student/retiree/part-time worker who might be interested in picking up some regular extra income. That way, at least you and your other kids don’t also have to spend the time commuting.
TJ is a public school, so it has public transportation provided by the school (buses). I’ve heard that it’s common for kids to ride the bus to their local school then have the TJ bus take them to TJ.
Academically, I would argue that TJ is better- Flint Hill isn’t one of those top prep schools while TJ is arguably the best public school in the nation.
I think it depends on if your child is willing to make those transportation sacrifices, including possibly not being able to stay after school for EC, as I believe there is no late buses due to the large geographic area TJ serves. If your child does well at FH, and you can afford it, they will be on track to attend top colleges. Personally, I believe a more balanced HS experience will be had at FH. I have several friends whose children did not have the greatest experience at TJ, and don’t forget, someone graduates last in the class there too.
TJ grad here. I’m assuming if FH is near your house, then your student’s base school is in FCPS? Every FCPS student is provided a bus to TJ, and when I was there (graduated '14- so idk if this is changed), buses were provided for the other counties too. Even as a senior, I took the bus to TJ the vast majority of days. Since I lived extremely close to my base school, I carpooled to my base school with several other TJ kids in my neighborhood and the TJ bus picked us up from the school. Usually though, you take the base school bus to your base school and then the TJ bus from the base school to TJ.
Also, because TJ has 8th period for activities, the vast majority of students will leave school at the same time. Exceptions would include athletes and those involved in theater (leading up to a show). So I don’t see what the issue is with the “commute” for the parents.
I went to a private school (K-8th) for 5th and 6th grade (one that sends a decent number of kids to Flint Hill). I have to say that I enjoyed the environment of TJ much better than the private school environment. The education at TJ is one of the best in the country and I would think long and hard about passing up the opportunity.
Thanks to everyone for your input and perspectives!
The van service is an option I will explore. I have heard that families do all sorts of things depending on their locations and situations such as form their own carpools or simply do the commute themselves (as in the case of some of my friends). I wasn’t sure if public school bus service was available to us so thanks to those who mentioned that.
To guineagirl96: appreciated your TJ-grad POV. I am wondering how long the trip took from your local HS to TJ? You don’t have to share your exact location but definitely appreciate if you could share your approximate area so I can get a sense for the trip time from my area in Tysons to TJ.
TJ parent here - Tysons to TJ commute is typically against traffic so 20 minutes and there are the hot lanes. The TJ website should have information about the cluster party for your area, which should also provide you with contact information of parents in your area. You should attend the welcome night for new freshmen Tuesday April 26, 5:30 pm at the school to meet other parents. Carpools are definitely normal and every student should have bus service available from somewhere pretty near their home.