This school has been awesome forever. It is truly a "Leave it to Beaver" school, for those of an…read moreage to remember that sitcom. I was PTA President for 2 years in the late 80's/early 90's time period. And it was one of the most special times of my life. Becky Harvey was Principal. Ed Timlin, who later was the long time Principal at Arrowhead Elementary, was Assistant Principal. They were an awesome team. The staff & teachers were top notch. One couldn't have asked for better. Parental involvement, teacher & staff care, safety, nurturing, a location steeped in the history that was the beginning of the English colonies, and classmates who are eager to excel & learn.... This and more is what you will find at Thoroughgood Elementary.

I have been holding off on this review because I wanted to provide a balanced approach to this…read moreVirginia Beach Lower School. It is my opinion that this is one of the premier city schools, but am I being subjective in a 5 star rating of where my children attend. I do think that I am being fair and I will provide some details about the school, it's history so as to back up my rating. I will also provide stats on performance which is what ultimately determines a schools success. The school is named after Adam Thoroughgood the city's founding colonist who was an indentured servant that rose to becoming one of Virginia's earliest burgesses and later, a member of the Governor's Council. In 1635, he was granted 5,360 acres in return for the transportation of himself, his wife and 105 persons. One of his "head rights" Augustine Warner, is of particular significance. He became the great-great-grand father of President George Washington. The land that the present day school and Thoroughgood neighborhood sets on is part of that original land grant by the King of England which makes this area so special. The current Principal at TES is Dr. Cheryl Zigrang in her 14th year at this position. She is the backbone to this place of learning for children K-5. Her caring attitude and compassionate attitude is contagious throughout the caring staff that she manages. Her high standards of academics and consistent utilization of the kids remembering a number of rules and manners has elevated this school of 700 students into the "Best of Virginia Beach". Dr. Z has been offered promotions to administration and turned them down as her calling is at the school she one day hopes to retire in. The building itself is one of the cities oldest, constructed in the mid 1950's. Even though old it is very well maintained by long time janitor Mr. Harold Lawrence. It is over due for a new build out and the School Board recently approved a time table of 2016-2018 for a new TES. It will be put in the present day ball field while keeping the current facility in operation through construction. How about the performance of Thoroughgood. Well let's start out with saying it is a fully accredited school in the state of Virginia. It also has received the 2012 Governor's Award for Education Excellence numerous times and is without a doubt one of the cities top schools. Of course the benchmark the state of Virginia uses is Standard of Learning, or SOL. Consistently TES is not only one of the top schools in our city, but the state of Virginia. A snap shot of one piece of data, the 5th grade writing exam. Going back to 2005 and every year to 2012 Thoroughgood has exceeded district and state standards, thus one of the reasons for the Governors Award on a annual basis. When I say this this school is awesome, it's not just lip service. We had one of our children at a pricy private school in the area and discovered this is a great value, offers just as much challenge and is safe from of the schenanigan's that other schools are plagued with. Anyone reading this review and unsure about how to go about obtaining more info it is easy. Call the school and arrange a tour that will be conducted most likely by Dr. Z herself. We love our TES Flying Seagulls.

It's really good I'm in 5th grade and the teachers there are nice they have cool stuff at PE if…read moreyour me I would put your kid in this school!

Coming to this school I was already worried due to the reviews alone (that they now have turned…read moreoff). As a parent of a child with a disability, I am deeply concerned about the way Hermitage elementary school has handled my son's right to access education. Since August 25, 2025, my son has been denied safe transportation to and from school despite repeated requests and documentation from his doctors. On multiple occasions, I provided photos, videos, and medical notes showing why the assigned bus stop was unsafe. The elemenatry school has refused alternate transportation options and admitted at one IEP meeting that cost was the reason, even though IDEA does not allow affordability as a reason to deny accommodations. I requested interim educational services (such as homebound or virtual, sending work home) while transportation is resolved, but these were also denied. As a result, my son has been out of school since September 3, 2025, with no access to his education. At my son's IEP meetings, staff often omitted my concerns, changed documentation, or fabricated records in Prior Written Notices. In one case, they started the IEP meeting without me present & continued when I requested to end & leave. The school also sent a social worker and threatened unenrollment of my children after I began filing complaints -- which I believe is retaliatory. They also Moved my other child around to different buses without prior notice or clarification of where they'd be at and didn't want to clarify regardless of my safety concerns and principal urged social worker involvement again. That same child that is also identified gifted btw who always had ap/p when transferred to this school got dps on report card with no explanation and no response to why in the same categories that had ap/p prior at other school in the same district. Every child is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) under federal law, but VBCPS hermitage elementary school has failed to meet that obligation in my son's case. Families deserve transparency, accountability, and equal treatment -- not stonewalling, discrimination, and retaliation. I am currently pursuing my case with the Virginia Department of Education, OCR, and more because this situation has gone too far. They unlawfully unenrolled my child.. Parents should not have to fight this hard just for their child to have safe access to school. What makes matters worse is the mistreatment of African American students/families, compared the high proximity of Caucasian students. If you are an African American family especially one with a disabled child, you need to look into the other schools this by far from my experience is the worst. I do not recommend this school at all.

This school is AMAZING! Their techniques are immaculate for helping children grow not only in…read morefaith, but in academics. My son was falling behind, but he has came up to speed very quickly. They have many extr-cirrular options and they also have before and after care. They are VERY AFFORDABLE for this area. I definitely recommend OVCA.

My family loves OVCA! The teachers and administration are awesome. They truly love the children…read moreand their families. This is our 1st year at OVCA. The class sizes are small, so the students get alot of 1:1 contact with their teachers. The love of Jesus is in this school. It is such a blessing to be able to be a part of the OVCA family.

As an employee, No comment. I prefer to just give no stars if I could as I do not want to seem as…read morethough my comment is bias.

This school is absolutely horrible!!! My child is deaf but was not born Deaf so she speaks spoken…read moreenglish language very well and is learning ASL. My child started KG in 2023 & it was a total nightmare. Most teacher's do not communicate with the parent(s). Regular Education classes are allowed to have children with IEP's however, only 1/3 of the class can have an IEP. In KG there were a total of 19 students & 17 of them had IEP's ,my child included. This year she started 1st grade & she HAD an AMAZING teacher who went above & beyond for all of her students but after 3.5 months, the principal decided to move her for no real reason to 4th grade. The New SPED teacher is a Liar & has turned off my child's FM system while testing more than once (my child is tested 1 on 1 due to her IEP & She's deaf) The SPED teacher verbally abuses the children (calling names like dumb & stupid) The principal does nothing & never gets back to you when you have an issue with the school or staff member(s). They do not follow IEP's. They try to sweap everything under the rug. There are a few Great teacher's & staff member's but they get bullied by the SPED teacher & the Principal. In order to provide the best public education, The principal & New SPED teacher need to go ASAP!!! They need a new principal who actually cares about ALL the students & the SPED teacher needs to go as well. There is so much more but PLEASE don't send your child there!!! I am currently fighting the IEP team to get a fair education for my child & all the other's children who attend this school. Good teacher's & staff get punished while the horrible teacher's get to keep their job without any consequences, write ups ,etc. I will never stop fighting for my child & the other children. Please, save yourself the time & energy & find a better school!!!

Our family has had the pleasure of attending St. Pius X Catholic School for 10 years now and…read morecurrently have all 4 of our children enrolled. Our kids have felt loved, encouraged, and appropriately challenged throughout their time there and have consistently *enjoyed* going to school. As parents we couldn't ask for more than the solid foundation St. Pius offers. We started our oldest (now 7th grader) in the Pre-K program years ago with the intention of determining whether St. Pius might be a good fit for elementary school. She (and the other siblings) haven't wanted to leave since! Our kids appreciate the close-knit community including their teachers and friends. We are a non-Catholic family (Protestant) and have always felt welcome. As our 3 oldest kids are now part of the amazing athletics program, our love for St. Pius has grown tremendously. Any child in grades 3-8 has the opportunity to participate in team sports and additional activities which significantly enhances their overall experience. Regarding academics, St. Pius is remarkably appropriate for any level student. We've watched Pius grads go to colleges such as the U.S. Naval Academy, Duke, etc. It would be equally beneficial for the student wanting to pursue trade school after high school graduation. St. Pius X is a local gem. We could send our kids to any private school in Hampton Roads and choose this school for the diverse student population it serves and the supportive and friendly environment it offers.

Greatest. School. Ever…read more I should know. I attended St. Pius for 8 years and "graduated" from there. Hahaha. JV

This school is a great atmosphere for children. Teachers care about their students! In Home…read moreschool Unlimited students get the individual attention they need for success. There so many extracurricular activities that appeal to children, again small groups where they can participate and succeed. My experiences include first grade and sewing classes.

Just attended mommy & me and music school for the first time this morning with my 15 month old…read moredaughter. She had an excellent time, and I can tell that she will learn a lot as we continue classes. Thanks Virginia!

all the kids here were sigmas, 10/10 school. miss kendrick was so nice. the gifted teacher here is…read morealso amazing

I love this school, this year we did so many great things. I've had so much fun in this placeread more