Are magnet schools worth the commute? An article on washingtonpost.com gives us reasons to believe that they are.
For Jamahl Stokes of Prince William County, the decision to attend the Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology 30 miles away in Fairfax County came down to this quandary. Suffer more than two hours of commuting round trip for the privilege of attending one of the nation's best high schools? Or enroll in the neighborhood school 15 minutes away near Manassas?
Jamahl and other students, of course, would prefer magnet type campuses closer to home.
Now, Prince William school officials are considering a response to the pleas of students like Jamahl and others who want a prestigious magnet high school, with exclusive admissions and a special focus on subjects like math and science, but located within the county.
Some parents support exclusive magnet schools due to their "high-level math and science courses and stringent application process". They feel that these programs will help their students when applying to prominent universities.
Prince William's proposal comes two years after neighboring Loudoun County created its own exclusive magnet school, the Academy of Science. It screens students based on grades, performance on a standardized test and a creative writing sample. The school on average admits fewer than 30 percent of students who apply. Academy Director George Wolfe said it is the only public school in Northern Virginia aside from Thomas Jefferson that has rigorous academic admissions criteria for the entire student body.
Magnet schools remind me of most private schools. Students must meet specific requirements before being accepted. Students also realize that they will face challenging work and must be competitive.