Cora Kelly School for Math Science and Technology

I am extremely disappointed with how Charles Barrett Elementary has handled my son’s first week of preschool.My son has an IEP and receives specialized transportation. Despite school starting this week, his transportation was not properly arranged, and I was only made aware of the problem after I began calling around myself. I was told the transportation request was submitted late and that he may not have transportation until Monday. As a result, my child could miss almost his entire first week of school because of an administrative issue that I had no control over.What is most upsetting is the lack of urgency and concern about the instructional time he is losing. I am the parent, not the school employee responsible for submitting transportation requests. My son should not be the one paying the price for a breakdown in communication or paperwork between the school, his teacher and the transportation department.I have been passed between departments instead of being given an immediate solution. This is a 3-year-old child with an IEP who is supposed to be receiving services and attending school. Missing the first several days of school is not a small inconvenience it affects his education, routine, and services.I expected much better communication, preparation, and accountability from Charles Barrett Elementary, especially when dealing with a young child who has an IEP. I am asking the school to take responsibility for what happened and provide an immediate solution so my son can attend school without losing any more instructional time, but I'm sure from all of my experiences with Alexandria Public Schools this issue will not be resolved. I have sent an email to the director while also ccing everyone on the team.

My daughter attended Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School during the year 2025. In general, we believe Arlington Public Schools are good, and we wanted this school to be a positive experience for our child. Unfortunately, we had a serious incident that changed our trust in the school.One day, our daughter came home with a large bruise on her face. We immediately reached out to the school to understand what happened. We asked teachers, staff, and even met with the principal. The only answer we received was that they “didn’t know what happened.”We understand that accidents can happen and that sometimes kids might accidentally hit each other. If the school had given us a clear explanation or at least some information, we would have understood. What concerned us most was the lack of communication and the fact that no one could tell us how a child was injured so noticeably while in their care.Because we weren’t able to get a clear answer, we made the decision to move our daughter to another school. We still believe Arlington Public Schools overall are good, but our personal experience at Drew left us feeling unsure about the supervision and communication regarding student safety.

There were several instances where I felt unsafe for children at Oakridge and recently had to withdraw my son because a child in his class repeatedly touched my son in his private parts without any repercussions. The administration team is laughable. The principal wouldn’t even come into a meeting to address the sexual abuse that was taking place at HER school. Shame on her. I have called CPS and the superintendent, but I would steer clear of this school.

Our family’s ILS journey began ten years ago when we moved from a military assignment in Germany to new jobs in the Pentagon. We looked for a school in which our two young sons would be immersed in a Christian and academically challenging environment. Our comprehensive search landed us at ILS. Since then, both of our sons have graduated from ILS and their sister is halfway through her time. The ILS community has truly been a blessing for our family. We have found that ILS is more than just a school—it is a place where parents and faculty come together to build a rich environment for our children. In addition to a solid academic foundation, our children learned to show genuine love and respect to those around them, an outcome that in many ways is more important than academic success. We attribute much of our children’s maturity and academic excellence to their time at ILS. If you are considering a classical Christian education, we recommend ILS. We believe it has been an investment in our children’s future that will pay dividends in their own families and communities. Chris and Jen Mulder