Vienna Elementary School

This is the worst school ever. Racism is real here, and the level of neglect is extremely high.

I'm writing this in the hopes that it provides others with a more nuanced snapshot of one family's recent experience with the school, as most who fill out these forms are either extremely positive or extremely negative. As context, I had two children go through Wolftrap a few years apart, finishing recently. Overall, we had a positive experience and would recommend the school. Huge pluses for us included: *** the amazing levels of parent involvement; truly, the PTA is full of rockstar parents who spend enormous amounts of time and energy creating tons of fun events that really build community, and the teachers get SO MUCH community support*** the staff focus on always doing better; when the school learned that something like 97% of the students met or exceeded the state standards as determined by testing scores, they met to discuss how to get that last 3 percent there, tooThat said, no place is perfect and that was also our experience at Wolftrap. Our major concern with the school was that quiet, well-behaved kids slip through the cracks when they have issues. Both of my children are quiet and generally well-behaved, but both had issues crop up that totally flew under the radar of the staff. One child is extremely gifted in one core subject but they are peer-level in another core subject (which is ok! peer level is ok!)... this meant that my child was not in full-time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) but was also not being challenged in the core subject in which they are extremely gifted. The school eventually agreed to pull my child out for the top level of AAP (Level IV) for the core subject that they are extremely gifted in while keeping them in regular classes for other subjects, but had I not fought for it, I am 100% certain that my child would have slipped through the cracks and not been appropriately challenged. My other child is what the district calls "Twice Exceptional" (2E), which means that they are very smart but also have a disability (such as ADHD, autism, physical disability, etc). My child struggled with their ADHD and completing their work, but did not get the support that they needed because they were not disrupting the class, bullying others, etc. In the end, would another school have actually noticed these issues on their own? As a parent, I'm not really sure. The classrooms are full of a variety of kids and the reality is that if you don't advocate for them, they might not get what they need, wherever that is.

St. Mark Catholic School has been an incredible blessing to my family. We initially found St. Mark because we were looking to get AWAY from a less-than-great situation in the Fairfax County Public School system, but the longer we have been at St. Mark, the more I feel our family is pulled TOWARD this wonderful school. When we started at St. Mark, my oldest son was worried he wouldn't have any friends and would be the outsider as a new student; his fears ended up being completely unfounded, and at the end of the first day, he came home saying he made great friends and had been welcomed with open arms by the students in his class. He couldn't get over how he already felt he was an integral part of the school community at St. Mark -- much more so than he'd ever felt at the FCPS school he attended previously. The teachers and school administration are incredibly kind and patient with the students, while upholding strict standards for respect and education. Teachers are responsive to parent communication, and have all made clear that they view the parents as significant partners in each child's education. The care, passion, and competence Mrs. Parker (principal) and Mrs. Parks (assistant principal) have for leading the school and the students is significant and noteworthy.St. Mark has been impressive in the level of attention paid to respect, setting --then helping students reach-- high academic standards, and ensuring students are well-rounded individuals who are focused not just on themselves but on the community around them. We were pleased to learn St. Mark had one of the highest (if not ~the~ highest) standardized testing scores in the Arlington Diocese, which we see clearly reflected in the level of instruction our two children have received in all academic classes. As a contrast with their previous FCPS school (in which there was no homework), both of my children have nightly homework that reinforces the instruction they receive each day. The workload is completely manageable, but teachers have been flexible in instances where family obligations have not allowed for homework on a given night. The Parent-Teacher-Parish Organization at St. Mark is very active, and offers many opportunities for engagement. I love the school uniform, and have seen a marked difference in my kids' behavior and attention as a result of the uniform.We are thrilled with St. Mark and cannot recommend the school highly enough.