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Every school has its pros and cons and students, especially military kids, thrive in different environments. The key is to find an environment that fits your child’s needs, but how do you do this when you are stationed miles away and you have to research online? Stationed at NAS Oceana or Norfolk Naval Station If you are stationed at NAS Oceana, I think you should consider sending your child to a Virginia Beach school rather than living farther away in Chesapeake or Norfolk. If you are stationed at Norfolk Naval Base, you have much more options due to its more central location. Many military ... read more

Moving to the DC area can be very confusing, especially when certain cities are covered by two different counties. The City of Alexandria is in a different county than the rest of Alexandria . Below is a description of how Alexandria and the City of Alexandria are different. Alexandria vs City of Alexandria The City of Alexandria has great walkability to shops ( Old Town ), but it’s more crowded and expensive. This area is north of the 495 Beltway and is run byAlexandria City Public schools which has some high rated schools, as well as, low rated ones. The part of Alexandria (located outside ... read more

PCSing to the DC area can be very difficult because there are so many options. Hopefully I can help you narrow down your search and identify common cities surrounding DC area . There are a few confusing areas that have the same zip codes, but are in different counties and are aligned to different school districts. Falls Church vs City of Falls Church is an example. Another example is Alexandria vs City of Alexandria . Falls Church vs City of Falls Church vs West Falls Church City of Falls Church - The City of Falls Church is not part of Fairfax County Schools. Falls Church - The part inside t... read more

Every school has its pros and cons and students, especially military kids, thrive in different environments. The key is to find an environment that fits your child’s needs, but how do you do this when you are stationed miles away and you have to research online? TIPS FOR SEARCHING ONLINE SCHOOL RATINGS Tip #1 - Research Online School Ratings Look at test scores, percentages of free/reduced lunch, and demographics. GreatSchools.org - They rate schools based on a 1 of 10 scale (* Military Town Advisor utilizes GreatSchools’ ratings) SchoolDigger.com - They rate schools based on a 1 of 5 scale S... read more

Military Online Rentals - Renting Online The term “slum lords” is typically used for poorly run management groups, which often have expensive rents and low quality housing. We like to think these companies don’t exist, but unfortunately they do exist and usually prey on military families. To help you avoid this nightmare, I have put together a few tips on how to find military rentals online. In our last two moves, we were looking to rent and both times we did not do a house hunting trip. It wasn’t feasible and we didn’t have the time. Here is what I did, where I looked, and how I started my o... read more