Old Mill Estates

We have been struggling for 3 years at this school. My child is doing very well in school but is not challenged and the pace of learning is slow and not engaging. We have never really felt welcome as parents and we don’t feel the administration has ever made an effort to know my child. Some grades give homework and other grades don’t. Teacher communication differs by grade level. But I often don’t know what my child is learning or how they are doing until the report cards come out. The kids are constantly being tested on skills they have not been taught. The testing is a bit excessive. There is a lot of teacher turnover as well as a lot of part time teachers. There is a lot of non academic time including screen time as early as kindergarten. The PTA is very present and constantly fundraising. Every event is for raising money. However instead of focusing on opportunities to benefit the students most of the budget is geared toward teacher perks. They do arrange after school classes but they’re very expensive and probably a fundraiser too. The principal is overly supporting teachers over students. This school has a Japanese immersion program but the parents treat this like a separate private school. The entry is by lottery but it seems the majority of the class is made up of local kids. I believe the school would be stronger without the language immersion program. It seems to segregate kids. We don’t feel any community at this school and it’s sad because it’s a small school that has the potential but communication and family engagement is poor. There are several PTA members that are heavily involved and don’t seem to welcome newcomers.

Worse experience ever with this school . They bring your child down

Colvin Run Elementary is truly one of the best schools in Virginia. The principal, Mr. Ken Junge, along with the dedicated teachers, staff, PTO, and the broader community, create an exceptional environment for students. Mr. Junge’s passion, vision, and relentless attention to detail shine through in everything he does, and he has fostered a culture of care, excellence, and commitment across the school. Parents are very active and engaged, which makes the PTO especially strong, offering excellent after-school programs and year-round activities that enrich the school experience and make it fun!

Read the reviews because they are true. My daughter did the pre-k program and kindergarten. Academically, the school is good. My daughter did very well and excelled because they really do push beyond their grade level. However, schools should also be about community. There is no community because the school has poor communications and poor leadership. From the owner, to the dean of students, to the teachers. They are all rude and egotistical. They don’t take constructive feedback well at all and refuse to address any problems head on. The Dean of Students can seem nice, but he’s so clearly afraid to make any decisions on his own. Everyone is rigid and cold. They don’t do something as simple as parent/teacher conference and when we asked the teacher to meet so we can discuss progress, her response was that it’s not their protocol and that she has to check with the administrator first. My daughter started a new private school and it is night and day. Better communication, friendly staff and teachers, lots of activities, and everyone knows you personally and cares about your child.

The Academy of Christian Education is a wonderful school. My children went to the school for over a decade from Junior Kindergarten to 8th grade. Every academic year, they grew spiritually, academically, and socially. My son especially had major problems in reading and writing in his earlier years, but today as a high schooler, is constantly praised by his teachers for being a good essay writer and analytical reader. The skills my children learnt at ACE are helping them to this day. They have gone to other school as well after leaving ACE, but they always talk about their pleasant times at ACE and how they were treated like family by the school faculty. The teachers are a joy. They always make sure that their students are emotionally and academically okay. Students who attend ACE in elementary and middle school are well prepared for higher levels of education, including high school, and even college. One of my best decisions to this day regarding my children has been making the decision to send them to ACE.