Clarks Crossing

Amazing experiences. Teachers care. Admin cares. Special ed is top notch. All of my kids have been well prepared for middle school, in spite of some challenges. I know my kids have been loved and cared for every day.

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.

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!