Herndon Elementary School

I never understood why this school had such low scores. We lived just behind this school, and our son went there for kindergarten until we moved out of the country the following year. The staff was amazing. Our son was at the age he was nervous to go in most mornings, and a counselor volunteered to walk him from the door to his room daily. She said once he was in class, he was fine. This was during covid, so we couldn't walk him ourselves. Our son learned a lot that year, but we also practiced with him at home a lot too. There were a few days the parents were allowed to come in and sit with the class for an hour and he always seemed happy and seemed to get along well with the students and teachers. Our son had some behavior issues (he was hitting) and the counselors met with us and helped us work through a plan, and it worked. Also, in an effort to keep pace with other STEM curriculum, every kid in school gets a laptop - even the kindergarteners. In short, this school is awesome. I recall shopping for our house in this district and being worried about the low scores, knowing our son would go here. But it ended up being a great experience. Our son's friends still attend, we still keep in touch with them, and they are still happy there. I think it's important to work with your child at home too to make sure their reading/etc stays on track, but that would go for any school. I think our sons success was due in part to the school and the home studying.

I was in this school but some of the teachers were kinda mean to me

I have 2 children that have attended the past 6 years and are in the Spanish immersion program. They love going to school everyday. The teachers communicate well with us weekly. They have walk-and-roll monthly, a community garden, after school programs, safety patrols, reading buddies, movies outside on a big screen, book fairs, band and chorus. The principle truely cares about the kids. Great community feel. My kids are learning a lot!

My son attended Aldrin for seven years (grades K to 6). There are great teachers at Aldrin, especially those that have been there for a while: Ms. Bullen, Mr. Woodring, Mr. O'Day, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Hansen. My son learned a lot with each of them! I'd say kids get a high-quality education at Aldrin. However, some of the best teachers retired already (e.g., Ms. Ward, Ms. Jaeschke, or Ms. Crittenden) or are about to retire. I gave only 4 stars because I think the school needs improvement in terms of equity. If you want your kids to be placed with good teachers, you need to work hard for it if you are not White or have an accent. For example, not many students of certain minoritized racial groups end up in the AAP program. I know, because my son was the only one of a certain racial background attending the AAP program full-time. If you are a parent of color or immigrant or both at Aldrin, be ready to be a strong advocate for your child!

Dranesville is a wonderful place for kids. Had kids there since 2015. Teachers are top notch who dedicate their lives to kids, and are there very early and stay very late to be prepared. Special education staff works their butts off to meet the needs of every kid in that building. Any reference to test scores may just not be educated as to the percentage of students with disabilities who Dranesville serves including several small classes of students with autism and other heavy duty needs. Many of these students are required by the state to take the SOL even though they are well below grade Level and not yet accessing the instructional curriculum. Not to mention students with English as a second language. I’m certain I wouldn’t pass a 6th grade reading SOL given in a foreign language. There’s always someone with a bad experience. Always. And they’re usually the loudest voice, that I understand. It must be frustrating. But the vast majority of parents at Dranesville are happy their kids are there. PTA works very hard.