If you want criticism that's fair and realistic, here are some common complaints students sometimes…read morehave about Oakton High School: Heavy academic pressure and competition School can feel overly focused on academics instead of student balance Some students say it's harder to stand out because the school is highly competitive Older parts of the building or inconsistent maintenance complaints Homework load can feel intense depending on teachers/classes

never again experience, teachers are rude don't help students at all ESPECIALLY the band teacher…read moreAND the orchestra teacher. no matter what teacher you get depends on your grade. did i mention the band and orchestra teacher? TRASH

Unique education. My child is very happy at this school and the courses offered are excellent…read more Ignore the guy from 1989, as NSNVA is truly different now. Also the international trips are super cool.

Not sure what that guy from 1989 is saying, weird review. Anyway, the school has interesting…read moreclasses for grades 6-12.

11/6/21 On my way to my next destination, I came across…read moresome high school kids holding up signs for a arts and crafts event going on in the school. I have never been in this school and I wanted to see what this event was all about. The first thing I see upon entering is a business called Feeling Foxy Confections. The lady and I were both wearing fox shirts and we hit it off well. Looking around I saw some items but did not want to buy her product just yet. I told her I would be back later on. The next real station that caught my eye is a self publisher by the name of C.J Brightley. I am looking at a book called The Wraith and The Rose. This might be the first book I read of hers...okay, I just went back to the school and bought her book for twenty six dollars after tax. I learned that C.J Brightly has a sequel to this book coming out soon. She signed my book twice. I a very much inspired to get my books published. The next person I met is another author and book designer. He goes by the name Larry Issa. He writes children's books and has a new book that just came out. I admire what these two authors have done. The rest of the school look fine, but none of the other stations got my attention like the three table stations I saw. Stopping by W.T Woodson High School was worth it today.

Great craft fair, I'll recommend you can find great handmade items for a reasonable price.read more

Our child had a fantastic experience at Merritt Academy Summer Camp! The program is engaging, well…read moreorganized, and thoughtfully planned, with themed weeks that keep every day feeling fresh and exciting. We loved that the kids enjoy pool time, arts and crafts, gym and playground time, field trips, daily hot lunch, and snacks all included in a fun, structured environment. It's set up so children can attend all summer without getting bored, and our child looked forward to camp every day. We'll definitely be back!

Submitted application back in November. School promised to reach out to me in January for a child…read moreassessment. Didn't hear anything from them until March so I reached out to them. The answer was my child application was still incomplete. At that point, their admission process was pointless, and I was no longer interested sending my child there. However, they already withdrew my $75 back in November. Why would they take my money when application was incomplete, and they didn't perform child assessment yet. Long story short, they gave out absurd excuses and the whole process was just a mess. Big waste of time and money. Out of multiple schools I applied to, this school was by far the most disorganized, money-driven school. I highly doubt quality of education from this school. I'm glad my child will be attending other school.

this school is just so fun! i really like the teachers there they have good teaching.read more

This review is for black people considering working at Luther Jackson or black parents considering…read moreLJ as a positive learning environment for their students. This story is about a black substitute teacher. It was 1:00 PM. That was the time just written in the logout book. The substitute teacher then gave his ID badge to a short elderly white woman admin. He left the office and proceeded to the front waiting area. While in the area, he noticed that the gym students were doing some type of test so they were not in their normal PE clothes. The teacher never spoke to nor interacted with anyone during this time. It had been about 5 minutes since the teacher had left the office. The same woman he had given his ID badge to cam up to him and said that he had to sit down by the front door or wait outside. He told her that he would do no such thing and that he worked for FCPS Fairfax County Public Schools and he knew that was not a requirement of its employees. He then said that the woman was racially harassing him and that he recognized her behaviour as such. The "lady" leaves and no more than 5 minutes later police officer comes over to the teacher and asks him to leave or wait outside. He can tell that the officer is only doing what was requested of him. The teacher again refuses to leave. No more than 5 minutes go by and again 2 assistant principals arrive to continue the harassment of the teacher. They tell him he is creating a disturbance. He disagrees. In the middle of their arguing the teachers ride called and he leaves mid-argument. He had a teacher request him for the next day. The students, "Respect and like you." was her rationale for asking him to sub her science class. But he knew that the racist white admins at Luther Jackson would, and did, prevent him from ever subbing at his alma matter again. Luther Jackson is a less than ideal environment for black children. They have no support from the culturally incompetent and racist white people that make the decisions there.

Eww, eww, EWWWW!! Keep your kids away from this place! It's quite diverse, socio-economically,…read morebut in an undesirable way. The teachers and administrators are miserable and horrible. None of the kids from this school end up doing much with their lives. In my U.S. History class at this school, I was informed that "some people treated their slaves well !"... !!! Despite that you may have heard that Fairfax County Public Schools are (relatively) very good, unless you can get your kid into McLean High School (and whatever middle school feeds into it), your best option is private school.

Better than elementary school. Some teachers were nice, but some were moody af. I attended Thoreau…read morewhen the school's buildings were old and dirty. There was drama with bullying and gossip around but not as bad like it used to. The counselors can be somewhat helpful to straighten that out. However, the student population was so small it was hard to make really good friends.

This a very good school, everyone here is friendly and welcoming. Kids love their teachers and…read morestaff. Playgrounds and fields a in good condition for kids to have a great time.

My three children have attended St. Ambrose since kindergarten. The oldest is now in middle…read moreschool. My husband and I love the atmosphere of the school and our children have thrived--each child is encouraged to develop their own special gifts in a supportive environment that emphasizes kindness and respect to everyone. St. Ambrose nurtures the growth of the whole child, so in addition to academics, my children have also enjoyed learning chess, playing an instrument in band, having a role in the school Christmas play, and developing their track and basketball skills on the school's CYO teams. The teachers and staff are wonderful. They are always responsive and welcoming to parents and really function as a team. St. Ambrose is a very special place.

I went there for 3 years and my everyday was a living hell. A kid dressed as a large dinosaur…read morekicked me in the halls. I found a stick of butter on the bleachers in the gym. There are people crawling around in the ceiling. The schools mascot (Robbie the ram) is demonic and promotes satanism. It took all my strength to stay in the light of god's path while at this retched cesspool of a school. Some of the teachers were awful and the food was like cardboard. There were a lot of useless strict rules, to the point that we were all treated like middle schoolers. We were all forced to be in the cafeteria during lunch, even though at other high schools I have attended we were allowed to eat in other places like outside. I was yelled at many times for no reason. The sex in the stairwell under the E wing hallway was great. The pep rallies made me want to throw up and most people at the school were ugly and annoying. I hated this place so much it inspired me to graduate early. I also did not learn anything

This school is big and crazy insane. Crazy stuff goes on here that's like college kinda stuff. Rn…read morepeople are stealing the soap and everything other than that it's pretty good. Oh right the cafeteria food is shit.

I went to this school from a few years, and it really changed me. On the good side, I loved how we…read moreconnected with the Quran and started memorizing it early. But when it came to academics, it felt like it was all about memorizing and repeating, not actually understanding or thinking critically. The teachers are some good and some not so, this situation resonated with me. I was once accused of something I wasn't involved in, and it became a traumatic experience that affected my mental health for a long time. I was interrogated about something I had no knowledge of, pressured to admit to something I didn't even understand, and made to feel guilty for something I didn't do. The emotional toll this took on me was huge. Even after the situation was resolved, a teacher continued to imply that I "deserved" the treatment I received. While I was there, the school environment felt more about fear than safety. There wasn't much room to express problems freely, and the atmosphere was isolating, especially since the class was so small. The academic focus was heavy on memorization, but without much critical thinking or deeper learning. I think that lack of a supportive environment, both academically and emotionally, made things harder than they needed to be. I share this experience not to attack anyone, but because I believe the school needs to reflect on how it handles its students, particularly in moments of conflict or misunderstanding. No student should ever be made to feel like they're guilty without understanding why. It's something that deeply affected me and still sticks with me today. حسبي الله على كل ظالم

My experience at this private school was frustrating, overly controlling, and academically…read moredisappointing. One moment that still stands out happened during lunch when I was seated with younger students, around 9 years old. One of the kids criticized another student for eating McDonald's because it was "unhealthy" and claimed he never ate fast food. I pointed out that he was literally eating Subway, which is also fast food, and called him a hypocrite. The child started crying, reported me to the principal, and I was immediately pulled into the office. Instead of handling the situation rationally, the principal accused me of using a "curse word" because I said "hypocrite," then launched into a religious lecture about how God curses hypocrites and how I should never use that word, even if what I said was true. It felt less like discipline and more like being shamed for basic honesty and critical thinking. The school also enforced rules in ways that felt extreme and disconnected from reality. At one point I had a very short haircut, yet staff told me it was "haram" because the sides were faded -- despite the top being just as short and not even long enough to comb. It came across as nitpicking appearances rather than focusing on education or character. What made the environment even more infantilizing was the way students were treated regardless of age. I was 14 years old and still being escorted around 15 feet to my father's car by a student patrol member who was literally 9 years old. Experiences like this made the school feel unnecessarily controlling and embarrassing instead of supportive or academically focused. Academically, I genuinely have no idea what kind of education this school advertises or how my parents believed it was acceptable. Looking back, I'm extremely glad I was pulled out. The school seemed far more focused on religious studies than on building strong academic foundations, yet many of the instructors did not seem qualified to properly teach either. I remember answering extremely basic questions that any average 9th grader in a public school should know, and the students around me reacted as if I were some kind of genius. The academic standard honestly did not feel comparable to even a general education class in Fairfax County public schools. If your goal is for your child to become well-rounded, intellectually sharp, and properly prepared for higher education or the real world, I would strongly reconsider enrolling them here. Unless your only priority is having your child heavily immersed in the school's particular interpretation of Islam and religious instruction, I believe the academic environment does students a disservice rather than helping them grow.