If you're moving to Arlington with kids in tow, the question I hear most isn't "what's the median price?" It's "which neighborhood is actually good for families?"
After 30 years of living here and helping hundreds of families find their footing in Northern Virginia, I have opinions. Strongly held, locally sourced opinions.
Here's what I actually tell people.
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Why Arlington Is So Good for Families (Before We Get Into the Specifics)
Arlington County schools consistently rank among the best in Virginia. Arlington Public Schools (APS) operates one of the most well-funded, high-performing districts in the state — with strong AP programs, language immersion options, and schools that regularly land in the top 10% nationally on standardized testing.
Beyond schools, Arlington is walkable in ways most of Northern Virginia isn't. Kids can bike to the library. Teens can ride Metro to DC. Parents can walk to a farmers market on Saturday without getting in a car.
The trade-off is price. Arlington is not cheap. But for families who can make the numbers work, the quality of life compounds in ways that are hard to quantify until you've lived it.
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The Best Arlington Neighborhoods for Families
1. North Arlington (22207) — The Gold Standard
If you ask any longtime Arlington resident where families put down roots, they'll point north.
The neighborhoods: Old Glebe, Ashton Heights, Bellevue Forest, North Highland, Cherrydale, Waverly Hills
The schools: Nottingham, Jamestown, Tuckahoe, Taylor — all feeding into Williamsburg Middle and Yorktown High. Yorktown consistently ranks in the top 5% of Virginia high schools for college readiness and AP participation.
What life looks like: Large lots. Craftsman bungalows and solid colonials from the 1940s and 50s alongside post-2000 renovations. Sidewalks. Neighbors who know each other's names. The Westover farmers market on Sundays. Kids riding bikes to the public pool at Lubber Run.
Price reality: You're looking at $900K to $1.6M for a detached single-family home, depending on size and renovation level. The neighborhood commands a premium for good reason — the schools and the community cohesion are real, not marketing.
Who thrives here: Two-income families willing to pay up for stability. Parents who want their kids walking or biking to school. People who actually want neighbors, not just a house.
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2. Westover Village — The Sweet Spot Nobody Talks About Enough
Westover sits just inside North Arlington, straddling the 22213 and 22207 zip codes. It's walkable, has a functioning village center with a coffee shop and an indie bookstore, and feeds into strong APS schools.
The schools: Tuckahoe Elementary, Williamsburg Middle, Yorktown High. Same pipeline as the rest of North Arlington.
What life looks like: Post-war bungalows on quiet streets. A genuine sense of neighborhood — block parties are a real thing here. The Westover Beer Garden in summer. Kids playing in yards. A community feel that's increasingly rare in suburban Northern Virginia.
Price reality: Slightly more accessible than the heart of North Arlington. Detached homes range from $850K to $1.3M. You get more square footage per dollar here than in Old Glebe or Ashton Heights.
Who thrives here: Families who want the North Arlington school pipeline without quite the North Arlington price tag. First-time buyers who are done with renting in DC and want a real yard.
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3. Cherrydale — Small Neighborhood, Serious Character
Cherrydale is a small, tight-knit neighborhood in the northwest corner of Arlington that most real estate sites barely mention. That's a mistake.
The schools: Ashlawn Elementary — one of APS's most highly regarded elementary schools, with a bilingual Spanish program and a genuinely engaged parent community. Feeds into Dorothy Hamm Middle and Yorktown High.
What life looks like: A mix of Cape Cods, bungalows, and colonials on tree-lined streets. The Cherrydale neighborhood has an active civic association, community events, and the kind of block culture where kids grow up knowing everyone. Close to Lee Highway's growing dining and retail scene.
Price reality: $850K to $1.4M for detached. Cherrydale has been "discovered" but hasn't fully repriced yet. Right now, it offers real value relative to comparable North Arlington neighborhoods.
Who thrives here: Families who want serious schools without the sticker shock. People who want a neighborhood with actual personality, not just good metrics.
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4. Lyon Park / Ashton Heights — The Clarendon Corridor With Roots
If you want walkability AND schools AND to feel like you're in a real neighborhood — not just close to a coffee shop — Lyon Park and Ashton Heights deliver.
The schools: Ashlawn or Long Branch Elementary (depending on exact location), Dorothy Hamm Middle, Yorktown High.
What life looks like: Craftsman bungalows and 1940s colonials within a 10-minute walk of Clarendon Metro, Wilson Boulevard restaurants, and the Lyon Park community center. Families who live here can walk to everything but still have a backyard and a front porch.
Price reality: $800K to $1.3M. These neighborhoods sit at the intersection of walkability and family infrastructure in a way that's hard to replicate.
Who thrives here: Families relocating from urban environments who want to keep the walkable lifestyle but need more space and better schools than what DC proper offers at this price point.
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5. Fairlington — The Condo Alternative for Families
Not every family needs a detached home. Fairlington offers something genuinely rare: a historic, affordable-by-Arlington-standards, walkable condo community with good schools and enormous community character.
The background: Fairlington was built in the 1940s as wartime housing. Today, it's a registered historic district of 3,400 townhouse-style condos in a lush, tree-covered setting. It has its own community center, pool, and civic association that's been active for decades.
The schools: Abingdon Elementary (one of APS's highest-rated), Gunston Middle, Wakefield High.
Price reality: $350K to $650K for 1-3 bedroom units. For Arlington, this is genuinely accessible. The trade-off is HOA fees and some deed restrictions, but families consistently cite Fairlington's community culture as one of the best in the county.
Who thrives here: Families who want top-rated APS schools without the $1M+ price tag. First-time buyers who want community, not just proximity to schools.
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What I Tell Every Family Before They Decide
The neighborhood matters, but so does the specific school boundary. APS redraws boundaries periodically, and a house on one side of a street can be in a different elementary school than a house across from it.
Before you make an offer, call the school — not the school board, the actual school — and give them the address. Confirm the boundary. I've seen families buy a house thinking they're in one elementary school and discover afterward they're not. Don't let that happen to you.
Also: the school ratings you see on Zillow and Niche are snapshots. I've been watching these schools for 30 years. I know which ones have consistent leadership and which ones are riding a principal change. That context matters. Ask me directly.
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The Bottom Line
Arlington is genuinely one of the best places in the country to raise a family if you can handle the cost of entry. The schools are excellent, the infrastructure is walkable, and the communities in the neighborhoods above are the real thing — not just marketing copy.
My top picks for families:
- Best schools, classic neighborhood feel: North Arlington / Westover
- Best value in North Arlington: Cherrydale
- Urban lifestyle meets family infrastructure: Lyon Park / Ashton Heights
- Best for budget-conscious families who still want APS: Fairlington
If you want to talk specifics — your price range, your kids' ages, what you're coming from — reach out. I've placed 241 families across this county. The right neighborhood isn't one-size-fits-all, but I know how to find yours.
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Candee Currie is an Associate Broker with TTR Sotheby's International Realty and a 30-year Arlington resident. She has completed over 241 transactions across Arlington, McLean, Falls Church, and Alexandria.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. Equal Housing Opportunity.