Last month, I spoke with a family preparing to move to Centerville. They are facing a big decision about whether to send their child to a public school or look into private schools as their child approaches middle school.

When I asked why they were considering private schools despite the Fairfax County public school district having a relatively good reputation nationwide, they replied that they wanted to verify the college admission statistics. From my long-term observation of the local real estate market, I can say that these concerns tend to arise around the same time each year.

The Flint Hill School, located in Oakton, which is a 20-minute drive from Centerville, is frequently mentioned among Korean parents. For the 2026-27 school year, the tuition for grades 9 through 12 is $56,965 per student. This includes a laptop and lunch, but uniforms, textbooks, and transportation costs are additional.

There is also a separate college advising program to assist with college admissions. This includes individual consultations with admissions officers, essay coaching, and campus tour support, creating a structured process. The school claims that graduates who go through this process feel better prepared for college than their peers.

While the tuition may seem burdensome at first glance, the story changes when you look at the college admission statistics. Recently, there have been cases of graduates being accepted to Ivy League and equivalent schools such as Brown, Cornell, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown, Tufts, and Wellesley, as well as large public universities like the University of Michigan, University of Virginia, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and prestigious engineering schools like Carnegie Mellon, Rice, MIT, and Caltech. The school has reported that in recent years, graduates have gone on to over 200 different colleges.

One important point to note is that these results are the culmination of the school's curriculum and college guidance programs developed over many years. The frequent mention of this school within the Korean parent community is ultimately due to word-of-mouth regarding its college admission results and academic management methods.

If the tuition is too much to handle, there are ways to be assigned to high schools within the Fairfax County public school district that offer advanced classes and AP courses. However, school district boundaries can change frequently based on addresses, so it's advisable to check the county education department's website to confirm which school your address is assigned to before securing a home. If you want to reference school ratings, you can check scores on sites like GreatSchools or Niche, but keep in mind that these ratings are updated annually, so it's important to verify that you have the latest information.

Now, let's move on to the real estate market. According to RentCafe data from August 2026, the average rent in Centerville is $2,366. This is a decrease of 6.67% from $2,535 a year ago. A one-bedroom apartment averages $2,156, a two-bedroom $2,471, and a three-bedroom around $3,170. For reference, Zumper reports that Centerville's rent is about 1.4 times the national median rent of $1,925. As expected near Washington D.C., it is definitely on the higher side compared to the national average.

Families moving from out of state should also consider that Virginia's property tax and insurance structures may differ from their previous residence. Since tax rates and assessment methods vary by county, it's safest to check with the local county tax office for accurate amounts. In times like these, when mortgage rates fluctuate frequently, the calculations of whether renting or buying is more advantageous can change monthly. It's advisable to get estimates from multiple lenders to compare conditions.

Ultimately, whether private or public school is the right choice depends on the child's learning style and the family's financial plan. By considering both tuition and rent together, it may become easier to outline a budget for the coming years.