George Washington Middle School

This school is focused on the lowest performing students. If your child is average or above average then you can expect that their day will be filled with worksheets. The staff also don't work together well. Students aren't grouped for instruction at their. The classroom instruction is what the lowest students are able to do.

We moved from Orange County in California and we are overwhelmingly pleased with Jefferson Houston. We see our children thriving. The principal knows and greets all students by their first name! The classes are small allowing teachers to give attentive care. The electives are once a week! In California we were lucky if they had P-E or art twice in a month. And the middle school art program is phenomenal. We highly recommend Jefferson Houston.

I was happy with the school in 2020 during the pandemic, a weird time for all of course but the kindergarten teacher did an inedible job with the circumstances. My only reservation before was the principal but now with the new principal and new AP the environment feels refreshed and the enthusiasm is palpable.

Matthew Maury is now Naomi Brooks Elementary School. My child likes the school better than I do, but I’m happy she’s happy. There is very little communication between parents and teachers outside of teacher conferences. Now with Covid, you basically don’t step foot in the school. There’s opportunities for parents to be involved (which I am), but that involvement is PTA related and really doesn’t provide insight into what’s going on with your child. I’d say each year, you probably talk to the teacher less than 60 minutes total (and I attend everything). If your kid is average/high average, it seems that no one really encourages their strengths. If there are are concerns issues, they don’t seem to think outside the box, instead they stick to their party line. I don’t know everyone’s situation, but I think this is part of why I’m seeing many families leave for private school.

Our daughter is in 2nd grade and has attended MVCS since Kindergarten. All her teachers have been wonderful -- attentive to her and responsive to any concerns we have. The dual language program was difficult in virtual school but she is accelerating again now that they have been back in person full time this year. We speak English at home, but multiple native Spanish speakers have commented to me that her accent is incredible. The early grades so far have not focused on homework, which we love -- kids receive books to read and are encouraged to do math activities, but no formal homework is assigned. Our daughter tests well, reflecting the great teachers at this school. MVCS has particularly focused on Social Emotional learning since the pandemic started, and the kids have a lot of tools for recognizing and regulation emotions, particularly stress. We hope this focus remains in place for the long run, as we really like it.

Potomac Crescent Waldorf School was the soft and nurturing landing spot my family aimed to find when sending our oldest child to school for the first time five years ago. My two other children have since begun their journey at this nature-based and screen free school as well, and we continue to wholeheartedly believe in the programs it offers. The teachers are dedicated and warm, and are specially trained in Waldorf education.

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