Anyone with any firsthand experience in the Fairfax/Loudon County area of Virginia? We MAY be considering a move there in the next year or so -- someplace with a fairly easy commute to an office near Dulles. I've heard some good things about Fairfax County schools (with one HS I think being the top from the National Merit Scholars list), but I'd love to hear any firsthand experience. We're used to a very small school, so the idea of public scares me a bit, but maybe it would be an improvement.

PMs are welcome, too! Thanks!

One of my very best friends is from there. She has no children and has been out of school for over 20 years, so I'm not sure there's much help there.

I will tell you though, if you do look in the area, which is a GREAT area (she was in Leesburg), make sure to check out the commute. Traffic is not your best friend if going to Dulles.

Thanks, JJsMom! We're somewhat familiar with the greater DC area and the commute. It's a big concern for us as well as the schools. I am hoping to find info from kindred spirits about the schools in that specific area so we can narrow our search area.

We live in Fairfax County.

My older DD is in the AAP program here.

Hi, I'm new here, but grew up going to school in Fairfax and Loudoun county schools. I hope you all settled on an area. My experiences were great there. It has been a long time ago, but there are tons of high achieving kids there. I just saw that the D.C. area has the highest level of Bachelor degrees and their kids' will follow in many of their parent's footsteps. Good luck. If you decide on a school, let us know.

Hi, you should check out prince william county too, in case that is not on your radar; in my experience they are amazingly up-to-date in their ideas about giftedness. Fairfax seems a bit rigid in the type of kids they take into their programs, though they are considered to have good resources for those who qualify. I do not have personal experience with Fairfax, just chat from other parents.

Montgomery co. in Md. is a primary 'competitor' with Fairfax county, so might be worth a look too.