Laurel Ridge Elementary School

My child experienced neglect here. Came home starving every day, teacher was throwing out the food and not allowing enough time to eat. Child suffered severe anxiety from this school. Had issues coming home soaked in urine from not being toileted or diaper change. Issues with other children hurting my child and the school not reporting it and attempting to cover it up. Do not send your child here if they are nonverbal or unable to communicate what happened. Teacher refused to communicate with parents about whether basic needs were being met for my special needs child. IEP was not followed or developed at all. Teacher was openly gas-lighting parents about the severity of the child’s condition. They refused to give child resources that they had available at the school and were not at capacity, based on the teachers ‘belief’ that the child was ‘fine’. The child has 3 different diagnoses from a neurodevelopmental pediatrician and the school refused to accept it. The school attempted to blame the parents as if it was a behavioral issue ‘at home’. Teachers denied seeing any behavioral concerns, but there was physical evidence that it was occurring. Parents observed child at school and child was presenting maladaptive behaviors. Childs academic progress worsened here, and teacher attempted to present it as if the child got better and acted as if she cured my child’s conditions. 0/10 would not recommend.

The current administration of the school has raised significant concerns among the teaching staff. There is a serious lack of support for teachers, leading to a negative impact on the learning environment for students. Furthermore, staffing shortages have resulted in a hostile and unprofessional atmosphere. In a particularly distressing incident, the administration terminated a teacher resident, despite the ongoing teacher shortage, further exacerbating the already critical issue of insufficient staffing. The school has been without a guidance counselor for the entirety of the 2023 academic year, as the administration has been slow to fill the position. This has had a detrimental effect on students, who have been left without the necessary support and resources to address their social and emotional needs. Students in crisis have been ignored or redirected to unqualified staff members, leading to continued difficulties both at school and at home. As a result, students have been testing significantly below grade level in a number of areas, particularly reading and writing. The administration has implemented a grading policy designed to artificially inflate grades, in an effort to obscure the poor performance of students. While report cards may appear satisfactory, assessment testing conducted by the Fairfax County education authorities demonstrates that the school is behind the curve in terms of student performance. The administration has sought to blame this underperformance on Covid-19 and remote learning, rather than accepting responsibility for its own shortcomings and ineffective policies. In conclusion, the current administration of the school has failed to provide the necessary support and resources for teachers and students, leading to a negative impact on the learning environment. Its policies have resulted in inadequate staffing and a lack of necessary resources, including the absence of a guidance counselor for the entirety of the academic year. Furthermore, the administration's attempts to artificially inflate grades only serve to mask the reality of poor student performance. It is imperative that the administration takes immediate steps to address these issues and implement effective solutions.

I used to go to this school. This was not the best school nor bad school there is some things that I suggest they need to work on but overall I made good friends just wished it was a bigger school.

We’ve been at Bonnie Brae for the past couple years and are so happy with everything. The teachers are all wonderful and engaged, the administration is responsive and supportive of families and staff, and there is strong community engagement and so many great activities! They are also a purple star school so there is lots of support for incoming military families.