Barcroft Elementary School

An elementary school with an IB program. The school is incredibly diverse. The teachers work hard and care for the kids.The principal and assistant are also fantastic. They did a great job before, during and after covid.

The name of this school is now Alice west fleet. It moved here five? or so years ago in to a brand new building and changed its previous name Patrick Henry to Alice West Fleet. I think it is because the name is not changed here that there are no reviews after 2017. My son has been going to this school for just over a year. I find the teachers are good, they are dedicated, experienced, supportive and engaged with parents, at least in our experience. The administrators are also welcoming and responsive to parent inquiries and concerns. However I found they are not strong in addressing kids bullying. Even though, they responded to concerns from a few parents, they didn’t take strong action so the problem was not fully resolved. I am afraid if such problem persist the school is not well equipped to address it decisively. The advanced academics (gifted) program also seems less challenging and engaging to students enrolled in the gifted program. Over all though, the school environment is welcoming and the education is good with a well diverse student community. In fact I feel the 5/10 rating it is given here I doesn’t do it justice.

Unfortunately, my son experienced an unfortunate incident and no action was taken. Furthermore, to make matters worse, they accused my young child of lying. Additionally, there is a severe lack of supervision during lunchtime, with no teachers present, and the communication with parents is extremely poor. Even though I’d diverse there is no comunicación with the parent what so ever. Bad school, if I could give zero I would.

I went to this elementary school 5 years ago, my experience there was horrible the staff had no idea how to deal with bullying and as of now the same principal is still there. When i went to the counselor everyday the staff did not care. I had my 4th grade teacher throw away my food because "it smelt bad" which was what i was gonna eat, this teacher still works at the school. I had told teachers about my bullying experience yet the teachers agreed with the other side and the principal said "She's getting out of hand" this is really upsetting to hear as a 4th grader. The principal had at least 10 years of experience of working at the school at the time which tells me she "knows how to work with children" Please if you see a parents review do not listen as I was a child at this school and some children do not want to speak out and tell they're parents active problems.

I can not express how horrible for a kid to be in this school Discrimination , Bullying, disrespect and very lady stuff 2023 special need student was beaten and teacher was jailed My son with Autism was detained in a room for months because he cry they did not even bother to inform us Principal useless teacher behaving like teens Education level even below and no one take responsibility We sold our home to move from that school It was a nightmare for our kids and family Please do not take your kid there or you have to follow daily before they destroy his ability of learning I hold FCPS responsible for that behavior because they never act to correct things and make them right We pay taxes to create a jail for children instead of a school

St. Thomas More is a wonderful community that provides students with a strong educational and spiritual foundation; provides parents with the peace of mind in knowing their children are in a safe, nurturing environment; and provides families with a sense of camaraderie and connectedness. We are pleased with our decision to send our child to STM and highly recommend the school to other prospective parents.

When the pandemic caused Arlington to opt for County-wide virtual learning, we noticed an immediate social withdrawal when our then nine-year-old, an only child, was glued to her ipad. Due to the isolation our small family experienced, we craved a community school that would help bridge the awkward gap between elementary and middle school. The fact that OSLS bravely defies the norm by limiting device-led learning and bans cellphones should have more parents knocking on their doors. In fact, there is a waiting list for a few of the grades. Although we're not members of Our Savior Lutheran Church, we feel absolutely welcome when we attend services to hear our daughter sing with the school choir which is run by an energetic motivated teacher. No, you won't get after-school sports or the plethora of other activities the public schools offer, but Arlington has no shortage of extra-curricular activities for our kids. You'll also have peace of mind knowing that a child that might not thrive in an overcrowded public school can soar in a nurturing, small, very affordable private school. The basic khaki pants and polo shirt uniform eliminates that societal push to make tweens feel like they have to dress like the older kids or latest fashion trends splattered all over the internet. The later start time is also a blessing since kids at this age biologically need more sleep. We're living in a strange era where religion is being ignored in many of our states while the world is becoming more divisive due to religious conflict and idealogy. Whether you're Christian or not, the fundamental lessons being taught at OSLS are unlike what you will get at any school in this area. Furthermore, if you have a self-motivated musician or athlete, those kids will have more time to dedicate to their passion without having to choose between the school team vs. a travel team or the school orchestra vs. the amazing youth orchestras in our area. I wish that I had been lucky enough to have a school like this when I was growing up. Don't let a couple of self-serving negative reviews deter you from exploring the absolute gem of South Arlington.