9121 Moonac Ct
Vienna, VA 22182

I have some serious reservations about Kilmer Middle School, and quite frankly, it’s hard to see why anyone would want to send their child there. First off, the academic performance is just abysmal. The test scores and graduation rates are so low that it feels like they’re setting kids up for failure rather than success.The class sizes are ridiculously large, which means my child would be just another face in the crowd, completely overlooked by teachers who are probably overwhelmed and underqualified. I've also heard horror stories about the school culture—it’s a breeding ground for bullying and negativity. I can’t imagine subjecting my child to that.As for extracurricular activities, or the lack thereof, it’s pathetic. The options are so limited that my child wouldn’t have the chance to explore their interests or develop new skills. The facilities? Don’t even get me started. The place feels rundown, lacking basic resources and technology that are essential for a proper education. It’s like they’re stuck in the past and have no appreciation for what kids need today to succeed.And let’s talk about the teachers. The high turnover rate speaks volumes about the environment. It seems like nobody wants to stay there, which means my child would be left trying to connect with yet another new teacher every year.If my child requires special education services, I’ve heard Kilmer doesn’t hold a candle to other schools in terms of support. Why would I risk my child’s education on a school that can barely keep up, let alone provide the help they need?Overall, the entire setup at Kilmer Middle School feels like a disservice to students. I’m not going to risk my child's future by sending them to a school that seems to care so little about its students. I need to look for an environment that's genuinely dedicated to fostering talent and individual growth.

Had to transfer. I got bullied both online and in person for a rumor that started within the school. I went to my counselor for support with this situation, and she told me to talk it out, I did, and the girl started another rumor that led to me being sexually harassed (physically) by guys in the hallway. Keep in mind, this is in the same hallway that administrators "monitor." I went to my counselor again, telling her that I felt violated and I was losing the will to live, and instead of supporting me, she essentially told me to walk it off. The bullying was bad, I ended up eating in the bathroom for lunch (which by the way isn't much better, as half the time there's a group of dudes outside or inside the girls bathroom waiting to catcall someone.)If you have a daughter, give her the gift of not sending her to this school, the people here are disgusting and will rip her self-worth apart. and the administrators won't care at all. Besides the disgusting culture of racism and sexism in the school, the math department does not make up for it. My math teacher lost my unit test, gave me an F, and when I asked why I got an F she just told me she lost it and I couldn't retake it. Finally, there's a huge drug problem that the admin won't ever discuss with you. I've seen kids snorting stuff in the C hall bathroom, half of the time there's a group of guys in the girls bathroom smoking or something, and seeing that every single day messes with you. Music program is good though.

I'm writing this in the hopes that it provides others with a more nuanced snapshot of one family's recent experience with the school, as most who fill out these forms are either extremely positive or extremely negative. As context, I had two children go through Wolftrap a few years apart, finishing recently. Overall, we had a positive experience and would recommend the school. Huge pluses for us included: *** the amazing levels of parent involvement; truly, the PTA is full of rockstar parents who spend enormous amounts of time and energy creating tons of fun events that really build community, and the teachers get SO MUCH community support*** the staff focus on always doing better; when the school learned that something like 97% of the students met or exceeded the state standards as determined by testing scores, they met to discuss how to get that last 3 percent there, tooThat said, no place is perfect and that was also our experience at Wolftrap. Our major concern with the school was that quiet, well-behaved kids slip through the cracks when they have issues. Both of my children are quiet and generally well-behaved, but both had issues crop up that totally flew under the radar of the staff. One child is extremely gifted in one core subject but they are peer-level in another core subject (which is ok! peer level is ok!)... this meant that my child was not in full-time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) but was also not being challenged in the core subject in which they are extremely gifted. The school eventually agreed to pull my child out for the top level of AAP (Level IV) for the core subject that they are extremely gifted in while keeping them in regular classes for other subjects, but had I not fought for it, I am 100% certain that my child would have slipped through the cracks and not been appropriately challenged. My other child is what the district calls "Twice Exceptional" (2E), which means that they are very smart but also have a disability (such as ADHD, autism, physical disability, etc). My child struggled with their ADHD and completing their work, but did not get the support that they needed because they were not disrupting the class, bullying others, etc. In the end, would another school have actually noticed these issues on their own? As a parent, I'm not really sure. The classrooms are full of a variety of kids and the reality is that if you don't advocate for them, they might not get what they need, wherever that is.