Pender

The teachers here are pretty good, especially the tenured ones. Unfortunately, the school's principal and assistant Principals keeps pushing good teachers out and bringing in underqualified ones. The number of good teachers that have left the past few years is startling. The community here is friendly and engaged. Overall, I give the teaching staff a 4/5, the community a 5/5, and the Principal and APs a 1/5.The Principal and Assistant Principals do not engage with the community at all, and are barely present at school events like concerts, plays, and programs. The place is still in ok shape due to great students, great parents, and pretty good teachers. However, the missing ingredient to a great environment is a School Administration that is friendly, engaged, and cares about learning and children. Sometimes there is bullying and the administration seems to ignore it or wipe it under the rug out of self-preservation. It often seems like they don't care about the students, the community, or even the teachers. Oakton, Va is a wonderful place and it's too bad that the School Administration seems to have it out for this community.

I’ve been really disappointed with this school. Many of the teachers don't seem to genuinely care about the students, and they don’t communicate well with parents. Concerns are often ignored or brushed aside, which leaves families feeling unsupported. Schools should keep parents informed and care about each child’s growth, but that hasn’t been my experience here.

Excellent teachers and excellent special education program. The school has gone through some leadership changes but the culture, community, and committed teacher corps is unchanged. We have loved sending our kids here.

This has been one of the worst elementary schools my daughter has attended to. Teachers are too hard of special needs kids, bullying, bad attitude, bad behavior, students judging other students weather their clothes are fancy. Like seriously? I am so disappointed. Everyone is so rude for absolute no reason. Never letting my daughter step a foot in this school. I would not recommend going. Teachers and the principal are just nice when parents are here. Don’t go here , its a MESS!

I am a recently graduated alumni. No words can do this school justice. It has provided me with all the tools I will need through out life (within reason :)

Our family is a proud member of the Gesher community for 8 years now. With 3 kids in Gesher at different age groups I feel very comfortable sharing they are all enjoying a very rich academic experience, by great teachers, that really give their everything for the kids to be happy and very well treated. The social environment is supportive, and the relationships and kindness between the older kids (7th and 8th graders) and the younger kids (pre-K and K) is heartwarming and beautiful. Judaism and tradition studies are amazing and given with a lot of fun. In a county where most schools are better than in the rest of the county, choosing to go private is a very difficult, but I feel our kids thrive in this school, and that is priceless.