9323 Branch Side Ln
Fairfax, VA 22031

My child has been here for multiple years now. Their current teacher is amazing, and our previous teacher just wasn’t the right fit for our child. They were still a solid teacher that my child enjoyed. I cannot say enough about how fabulous their current teacher is. She is beautifully managing a classroom with 6 kids above grade level and other kids who have just immigrated to the US with limited English. My child has been placed in the AAP program they need, and their teacher is actively seeking the higher curriculum needed. My child loves their classroom. They are grouped by capability with lessons geared to each group. My child does have special needs. I proactively reached out to the school prior to their first school year and everything was well addressed. Their plan has been proactively managed with things added as needed. New things tried when the need arises. My child also faced disciplinary actions. The school communications were great about what happened and how they would be addressing the challenges as they arose. I was never blamed for the behavior, expected to remediate only at home, or not part of the plan. I have been equally impressed with the emphasis on socio-emotional learning. The community is great. My child has several friends and enjoys all the school activities such as the before school programs by the PTA, the community events, and seeing friends within our neighborhood. The SACC program is fabulous as well. The staff is fantastic and dedicated to their students. Finally the rating is what it is for 2 reasons, the highest level of need in the Vienna community (serves the lowest income group) and MRES being the center for special needs in the area. I see this as a positive as a large portion of the school is of a higher socioeconomic class and being exposed to a larger community is a good thing for me.

Too many rodents. One dropped through the math teachers ceiling

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