The middle school failed my child this school year. There's a notorious group of students that…read moresystematically bully new kids or someone outside their circle and the worst part, these students are favored among teachers. Multiple complains to the principal resulted in NOTHING! Only a check mark talk with the offenders and the vicious cycle goes on. It's a disgrace that teachers only promote their favorites to win competitions like Science fair. The middle school drastically lacked any fun or engaging events, fundraisers or activities that encouraged team work and inclusion of parents. There was only one field trip throughout the year and no promised end of year concert that even public schools have. The end of year award ceremony was unfairly selective. Throughout the year we got Zero photos from any teacher showing a school day, so it feels like this year just fell out equation with no memories to look back to. There's no graduation ceremony for 5th graders either, which they truly deserve. Since the new owner took over, the school environment (especially in upped grades) is rapidly deteriorating. And it's not surprising, the owner lives outside the country and rarely shows up. My gut feeling was right when I checked the school website before we enrolled and it was generic. And that's how this year felt, generic! A generic website with no teacher names, stock photos of students, there's nothing there that shows actual student life or curriculum or shows any photos of the teachers. This place is about squeezing every dollar they can from paying parents, while failing on delivering the fair support and equal opportunities every student deserves.

This year has been a joke for my daughter. She said she's had the worst year since she started…read moreschool. She complained about daily bullying, degrading or disrespectful comments from some kids in upper grades, because apparently, teachers combined 5th, 6th and 7th grades in the same classroom. School administration is not properly addressing the bullying issue either and I heard the new owner is missing in action, never present and it shows. We as parents were never invited to any classroom event, where we could engage with students, teachers and other parents. There's also no student counselor on site, which upper grades really need. This school needs to step up with its upper grades policies, so every student feels appreciated and having the support the need.

Fitzgarald is a very good school I am in 4th grade and i love it i have been there for 3 years I…read morereally recameod this school

My son transferred here for his kindergarten year (2018-2019) and I this is an awesome school. My…read moreson literally asks to go to school on the weekend. He enjoyed his kindergarten teacher this year and she was very attentive to his academic needs and behavior socially. She kept in touch with me when he was struggling in areas. Very secure with him going here. First time parenting is nerve wrecking and they all handle it well, especially the ladies in the front office, principle always called back within 3 hrs or less whenever I called in with a concern. If you're in this area, this is a very good school.

Love this school! Have had 3 children in this school over the past six years. Excellent…read moreadministrative staff, teachers, and PTO. The lunch staff and custodial staff are friendly and remember the kids names. The principal is in his second year at Penn. He has made a lot of changes to the look and feel of the school. The kids and parents are always welcome to talk to him at events. Great teachers at all grade levels from pre-K to 5th. I can't say enough about the staff at this school. There is a lot of parental involvement. There are a lot of events throughout the year for the students from field trips, movie night, ice cream social, science fair, reading fair, spelling bee, gym nights, spirit night at local restaurants, and more. There is a great deal of emphasis on the whole child...education, community, health and fun! I still have 3 years left and plan to keep my last two at Penn. I am a PTO member and a huge school volunteer. Penn is a great place to learn and grow.

This school is dangerous because the teachers either don't care or they are afraid of the sudents…read more My kids tell me that the students take over the classroom and use profanity and the teachers just let it happen with no concern for the few students who actually want to learn. There have been multiple gang activity related incidents and the front office staff are rude and unhelpful. The bathrooms smell like kids have been vaping in them. My kids cry sometimes knowing they have to spend another day at this school. Its really sad. Lake Ridge Middle School is much better.

They don't give you much food there's been crazy fights and there's a full crowd in the hallway no…read morewonder some people get tardy

I like this school but it has it's problems, the teachers didn't watch my special education son and…read moresaid. "Come pick up your son he hit his head." They could've prevented it but they didn't. I don't recommend putting your kids in that school. But it has its advantages. Some kids enjoy this school. They have decent lunch, there's a book vending machines or something like that. If you have special education kids I would not recommend, but if you have kids and your nearby Dumfries VA I would recommend. Thank you for taking your time to read this review.

My son went to Bel Air from kindergarten to end of 3rd grade before we moved to another county. We…read morewere really sad he had to leave. I cant say enough good things about the administration and staff at Bel Air. They are always open to listen to the parents. They do award ceremonies to reward the students for good work. They make school fun yet they enforce the rules. They have quality teachers and the secretary Ms Evelyn is so friendly. My son excelled at Bel Air. Great school!

My 5 year old started at their Montessori school last summer at 4 and is making progress …read more What I do like about the school: small classes, uniforms, structure and safety montessori curriculum in the pre - kindergarten student and teacher diversity Social-emotional Social-Emotional Development family activities throughout the school year personalize support impressive language arts and social studies in the upper levels student engagement in all levels I love Ms Williams at the kindergarten level . She's an excellent example of what a teacher should be. What I'm still on the fence about is sciences and math curriculum especially at the upper level grades No Stem program technology use for students No PTO for parent input and support Building is dated Guidelines Parent- Student handbook need to be updated to reflect the current owners/administration. Would I recommend? Definitively for the pre and kindergarten Montessori program . Students will leave here much more advanced than their peers.

I regret enrolling my daughter here. Despite committing early (touring in Feb 2024, paying a…read moredeposit, and submitting all forms), the school's lack of communication, disorganization, and disregard for basic safety and hygiene created a deeply frustrating and emotionally exhausting year. From misplaced incident reports and unaddressed injuries, to administrative errors and tone-deaf leadership, this school consistently failed to provide a safe, transparent, and developmentally supportive environment. My daughter came home with swollen lips, unexplained bruises, missing shoes, and stories of peer mistreatment -- with no formal documentation provided, despite repeated requests. These were not isolated events; I have video/photo documentation, and other parents voiced similar concerns in meetings. The director's conduct was both inappropriate and hypocritical -- once sending me a photo of my 3-year-old with paper in her mouth and demanding I "talk to her about telling the truth" over a harmless joke (gum from dad), while gaslighting parents about emails that were never sent. We were made to feel like the problem, when in reality the school's tech systems, operations, and staffing plans were simply broken. Staffing was unstable -- the lead teacher left for maternity leave with no real succession plan. Parents were informed of changes through hallway gossip before any official notice. Other red flags included: * Poor nap hygiene (child's skin broke out); * No proper underwear/clean clothes sent home; * Unsafe food handling policies; * Lost orthopedic shoes due to mishandling after an accident -- only replaced after escalation; * Inconsistent behavioral reporting, with my child being singled out for normal 3-year-old behavior, while aggressive peer behavior went unaddressed all year. The school showed a lack of respect for working parents, sending critical updates (like school closures) late at night and offering no accessible options for required events (no childcare, no virtual options, last-minute notices). They ran meetings on free Zoom accounts that cut off mid-call, used free Gmail accounts, and misunderstood basic tools like unlisted YouTube links. My concerns were dismissed, incident reports were never filed, and when I reported this to the county, I was told it was "too late." Given how long and hard I tried to resolve these issues internally -- and my documentation of events -- this only added to the heartbreak. In hindsight, I should have trusted my gut and pulled my child out much earlier. If you're a parent considering this school, please ask hard questions about staff turnover, behavior policies, safety reporting, and operational transparency. And if something feels off -- trust yourself.

theres a lot of bullying and no hoodies and kids get in tr for no reason and the music teacher…read moregives people refirls for no reason

Well, I attended this school when it first opened in 1990, and I'd say the teachers did right by…read moreme. Pay my taxes, went to a pretty cool university, now work as an engineer. I remember I always kicked butt on Field Day every year. Recess, oh how I miss the good times.

Right off of Route 1, the school is kinda hidden. It shares the same lot with an elementary…read moreschool, separated by the parking lot. I found myself here for a girls basketball game. The staff here was very welcoming. The two ladies working the ticket table were a pleasant welcoming committee. The school was super clean and the bathrooms were well maintained. Not too much to report here as my visit was contained to the gym. You could tell this school is one of the older ones in the county because of the layout of the gym with the vintage scoreboards.

horrible. my children are attending this school and they come home all upset and not happy! I ask…read morethem why and they say "the bathrooms are terrible, and the water fountains don't work, and the teachers are so mean!" just by listening from what my children have told me, I am very upset!! please do better!!

My son just finished fifth grade here and I can't say enough wonderful things about the school…read more The teachers have been great and I loved the administration too. I felt that they really cared about the kids and not just for the time they were in elementary school. They did whatever they could to se the kids up for success in Middle School and beyond.

the front staff are very rude, give unnecessary commentary, I really do not understand why they…read moreare like that.