137 Shepherdson Ln NE
Vienna, VA 22180

Louise Archer Elementary School has proven to be an unfortunate choice for my children's education. The school's unwelcoming atmosphere and lackluster approach to fostering a positive learning environment have left us deeply disappointed. Despite having experienced other great schools in Vienna, our time at Louise Archer has been marked by disinterest from the administration, unengaging teaching methods, and a dearth of extracurricular opportunities. Regrettably, I caution Vienna parents against enrolling their children here, especially if they value a supportive and enriching educational experience.Having experienced other exceptional schools in Vienna, Louise Archer Elementary stands out as the worst my children have attended. The school's apparent lack of concern for fostering a welcoming community has made the transition challenging for my kids. The academic experience has been lackluster, with disengaged teachers and a curriculum that fails to cater to individual learning needs. I urge parents to explore alternatives that offer a more positive and nurturing environment for their children's education.

My 3 sons graduated from Madison. They are very different students and all had fantastic experiences. Madison is a special school where the teachers really care about their students, the administrators work well beyond their scope, and the community is supportive and highly involved. We chose our home because it was in the Madison pyramid and we are so grateful our boys went there.

I feel compelled to write a review after seeing some of the recent comments. My son is now a 9th grader at Oakton but he absolutely loved his time at Thoreau. Did they have issues with vandalism? Absolutely! But so did every middle and high school thanks to a stupid TikTok challenge where kids broke soap dispensers and ceiling tiles and posted evidence on social media. This issue is not the school’s fault. I thought it was a good idea when they started locking bathrooms to ensure more adult supervision in less bathrooms. My son had wonderful teachers both years! My only complaint is that they don’t give enough homework. But he has no homework in 9th grade either so I guess this is the new educational trend. He was very well prepared for high school! Special shout out to Mr. Loht, Mr. Firestein and Ms. Shewmaker. My son talked about them in particular and loved being on their team! They made learning fun. I didn’t have the opportunity to interact with the principal, but her communications to parents were excellent and I always heard my son and his friends say they liked her. She did a lot to show the kids why it is important to celebrate cultural differences. She also met with kids to get their opinions on how to improve the school so I know kids appreciated that she cared. We never had any issues with bullying but again this is the most common complaint of any middle schooler in any school. My kid always knew that if he or his friends had issues, they could see their counselor at any time. They are really nice to the kids and my friend used to rave about Ms. Gallagher and she credited her with helping her daughter deal with anxiety and an eating disorder. I could not imagine working with 13 year olds all day, but it is obvious to me that the staff at Thoreau are skilled at working with this age group. We will always speak very highly of my son’s time at Thoreau. Hope this review gives another perspective