Greenbrier Elementary School

As other parents noted, I'm disappointed to see Greenbrier's low Great Schools rating. It's a fantastic school with caring, supportive educators. Due to my husband's job, we were able to request admission to any Charlottesville City School. Greenbrier has such a good reputation in town that it was an easy decision even though it means 20-25 minute drive one-way to get the kids to school. Both my Kindergartener and 2nd grader have had excellent experiences.

I echo the last three positive reviews. This is an excellent school whose rating is not reflective of the quality of education that the children receive. We moved here from out of state and this school is head and shoulders above the experience we had there. The teachers and staff truly care about their students, the principal is very involved and always upbeat, and families are engaged in the education of their children. We couldn’t have asked for a more caring and compassionate environment, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have actively recommended this neighborhood to individuals moving to the area purely because of this school. Do not let the ratings mislead you. This is a high-quality school where children are supported and encouraged to excel.

Our children loved this school! There were so many ways to connect with the school community and get involved. We always loved the fall festival, frog jog, afterschool clubs and the international picnic that helped us celebrate the amazing diversity this school has to offer!The teachers are experienced and caring. I don't think there was one classroom I wouldn't have been happy to send my children too. You can just tell they all love teaching every single child in their class.

Love this school!! The teachers are amazing. My child started at Greenbrier in Kindergarten and has developed a solid academic foundation. The environment and community at Greenbrier are everything a parent could hope for in an elementary school. The school is very active with regard to assemblies and fun/educational evening events too (aside from COVID) due in part to a very dedicated PTO. The principal is engaged and offers great support to the teachers and students at every learning level. Lots of resources and creativity at this school to help the students. Greenbrier is a wonderful school!

Greenbrier is an incredible school. The school rating on this site dropped precipitously with a change in how the criteria are weighted, specifically due to different student groups progressing at different rates. Greenbrier participates in a program in which they welcome refugees. These students often arrive with little or no English and minimal understanding of US society or technology. They must first develop a foundation in basic language and cultural literacy that they can build on. It is not realistic for them to jump in and progress at the same rate as students who have grown up in the United States. They make tremendous progress, but traditional academic metrics do not capture this progress over the first couple of years while they are learning the basics that aren't on standardized tests. Greenbrier does an amazing job of supporting and advancing disadvantaged students and refugees. They should be rewarded for this, not punished with a low score. At the same time, Greenbrier provides a holistic and rigorous academic experience with tailoring for average and high-achieving students. The teachers, principal, and administrative staff are highly engaged with the students and parents. Greenbrier has a strong sense of community with incredible social and educational events in the evenings (outside of COVID times). Teachers know most or all of the students, even those that weren't in their class. The parents know each other and each other's kids. The PTA is dedicated and effective. For PE, they have a mountain bike program for all kids. It's truly a wonderful school. When we moved to this neighborhood, high-quality schools was our biggest priority. We and our kids have loved Greenbrier and our friends in the neighborhood feel the same.