My son (now 4 1/2) started at A Child's Place (ACP) when he was 20 months old. He started in the…read moretoddler room and has moved through the trainers (2s), Pre-School II, and Preschool III classes. While he was in the Pre-School II class, the administration turned over and a new Director and Assistant Director took over. The new Director has made some INCREDIBLE changes. Many of the mothers of the 3-5 year olds agree that ACP has seen significant improvement during our time there. Some highlights to the school include: 1) Caring administration, teachers, and staff. Anyone and everyone is willing to talk to you regarding your child, including how they are doing, any concerns you may have, and they will listen and work with you. An example of this is that they wanted to my my son up to the Pre-K class, and I was very unsure of the move. He had just gotten used to the PS-II class and was THRIVING there. His class is small and the teacher is absolutely amazing. I emailed the director, and within the hour, she called me back to discuss. We agreed that he should stay in the class and we would reevaluate in a few months. He continues to thrive in the class. 2) Outdoor play space. There is so much space and so much equipment that the kids are never bored. Kids and parents (and I'm sure the teachers) can't wait for warm days to get the kids outside to run around. 3) Special activities and classes. You pay an activity fee twice a year and it is worth it. This fee goes to bounce house rentals in the Spring and Summer, musical acts (BJ & Cody and others), Reptile shows (Reptiles Alive), Scoops 2U visits, and so much more. ACP has a P.E. instructor who comes twice a week and the kids adore him. There is music class on Thursdays as well. Outside recreation companies are available for the kids (for registration fees), including soccer, ballet, computer class, and cheerleading. 2-3 times a year, ACP holds a Parents Night Out, for a nominal fee. 4) Balancing the classes. There was a boom of kids, now between the ages of 4-5, and when they moved up from the trainers class, trying to assign them to classrooms has been a challenge. Balancing personalities amongst teachers and students has been extremely successful. "Strong personalities" (including my son) were separated from each other and paired with the right teacher and fellow students. This, again, as helped my son thrive in his environment. I couldn't be happier. 5) Parent involvement. As well as the encouragement to talk to the administration and teaching staff, ACP has several events throughout the year which include the parents. Egg Hunts, Halloween Parades, Family Picnics, Muffins for Mothers Day, Donuts with Dads, etc. This allows parents to get to know each other and to meet the kids. A few other things to address the commenters on this page. Safety/Security: I have NEVER been concerned about security. There is a strict sign-in/sign-out policy. Only allocated people are allowed to pick up your child and they have to show ID to do so. Classroom Size: Physically, yes, most of the classrooms are too small. However, the teacher/child ratio is excellent. My son is completely unaware that his classroom is crowded. There is plenty of room to play, learn and sleep. Administration: As I mentioned before, the new administration is fantastic. I, too, had concerns regarding the previous administration, but they are gone and the school is better for it. Incident Reporting: Teachers cannot see everything. They fill out incident reports, signed by the teacher, staff, administration, then signed by the parents. The reports include, what happened, how was it remedied (or even disciplined), and any additional details a parent would need. If there is a more serious incident, the parents will work with the Director and child directly. Communication: As I mentioned, open communication is encouraged. Daily reports are given every day, including what they learned, how much they ate and slept, and any upcoming information you'll need. Monthly activity calendars are given, teachers/parents email communication, and phone notices (for closings) are also used. Flyers are posted around the school for upcoming events and other notices. There is no lack of communication. As my son has aged though the school, I've loved it more and more. I started out hesitant and have grown to love it as the administration has made changes. I can't say enough about the teachers/staff either. ACP is a wonderful place for your child to grow and learn.

Wonderful and caring teachers and staff. We have loved our experience here and would recommend them…read moreto anyone looking for childcare. The teachers are so friendly and experienced. I feel confident leaving my child in their care and I know my child has a fun and happy time here!

Outstanding experience with Edlin so far. Diana and Gloria are a perfect team, balancing academic…read morerigor with organized leadership. The accelerated curriculum has challenged our daughter and enabled so much growth in her first year. We're grateful for the Edlin community and highly recommend the school.

Edlin School has been a wonderful experience for our family. I truly appreciate how the school…read morechallenges students to learn at an advanced level, encouraging them to think deeply and grow beyond the standard curriculum. The teachers are excellent, attentive, and committed to each child's success. It's clear they genuinely care about both the academic and personal development of their students. I also love how the administration works seamlessly as a team. They are approachable and proactive in creating a supportive learning environment. The combination of strong academics and dedicated teachers make Edlin a great school. I'm so glad we chose Edlin for our child. This school sets the bar high and delivers! It's also a great school for events and community that we have not seen in other private school in the area.

My brother just started his first year at Ideaventions, and it has been an amazing school for him…read more Ideaventions offers a challenging environment where he can grow as a learner and as a person. His love for physics and mathematics is nurtured there, and he is surrounded by people with a similar work ethic and drive. However, don't be fooled by the name! The school also offers incredible humanities courses that are incredibly interactive and hands-on. The school offers a plethora of clubs and events specifically tailored to the overall interests of the students, and seems to be an amazing school overall.

Ideaventions operates more like a very small homeschool or micro-school than a traditional private…read moreschool. While this type of environment may work well for some families seeking a highly informal, hands-off setting, it was not a good fit for our family. At the elementary level, we observed wide variation in academic readiness within classrooms, with students at very different skill levels learning together. In our experience, students' academic strengths appeared to reflect individual ability or outside enrichment rather than outcomes consistently supported by the instructional program. Enrollment size is extremely small, particularly in the upper grades. We were told that recent graduating classes consisted of only one or two students, which raised concerns for us about long-term sustainability, peer learning opportunities, and social development. Families seeking sports, group activities, or broader peer interaction may find this limiting. When we asked basic, reasonable questions about curriculum and placement, communication with administration felt strained rather than collaborative. We were frequently told "we are a family here," which in practice seemed to function as a way to discourage questions or parent input. Over time, this created discomfort around advocacy rather than partnership. The school structure concentrates multiple roles within a single leader (administrator, teacher, coach, and primary decision-maker). This consolidation made the environment feel insular and, at times, uncomfortable when raising concerns. Families who value clear professional boundaries, transparency, and shared problem-solving may find this challenging. While the school promotes STEM accreditation and innovation, our experience did not reflect consistent alignment with basic public-school academic benchmarks. Families considering enrollment should ask detailed questions about curriculum standards, differentiation, and how parent feedback is handled. The school is very small, has no PTA, and limited avenues for parent collaboration. This school may be appropriate for families seeking a more affordable, informal, and highly hands-off educational setting. For families who expect academic rigor, openness to questions, and a collaborative relationship with school leadership, expectations should be managed carefully. Some families may have had different experiences, but ours was ultimately disappointing.

I am a member of the class of 2025 and I want to share what four years here have felt like from the…read moreinside. The biggest problem is consistency. Rules exist in the handbook but they rarely get enforced in daily life. Students notice this quickly. When deadlines get ignored and consequences rarely follow, effort drops. Many classmates stopped studying because they know they will still pass. Instead of learning material, a lot of students copy work from each other or rely on AI tools to finish assignments and even quizzes. The environment slowly trains people to aim for completion instead of understanding. Teaching quality also varies a lot. Some teachers explain clearly and care about whether students understand. Others rush through slides, assign work without context, and move on whether anyone gets it or not. When students feel lost and no one checks in, they stop asking questions. Over time classes turn into grade management instead of education. Students memorize short term facts, submit work, and forget it immediately after. Lunch is another daily frustration. Prices are high compared to portion size and quality. Meals often feel closer to convenience food than something prepared fresh. I got sick after eating there once and several friends have said the same. The cafeteria also only has two microwaves. Because many students bring food from home, lines stack up fast. Waiting ten minutes is normal and arguments happen over who was first. I have seen people push in front of others and threaten them over a place in line. Staff rarely step in unless it becomes loud. Substance use happens more often than people expect from a private school. Students leave class claiming they need the restroom and go vape or smoke. It is common knowledge which bathrooms people use for this. Yet students almost never get caught. When problems do surface, they tend to disappear quietly. Discipline does not always feel equal either. Some students face harsh punishment while others seem protected. There are also situations where administration response feels more focused on avoiding attention than addressing behavior. Incidents get handled internally and rarely discussed openly with the student body. Because of this, rumors spread and trust drops. Students start believing rules depend on who you are instead of what you did. Tuition is another major concern. The yearly cost is close to college level unless families meet certain religious qualifications for a lower rate. At the same time, resources inside the school do not always match the price. The campus added a new building recently and money feels tight in other areas. Programs shrink, teachers leave, and students notice classes getting larger or combined. From the outside the school looks structured and high achieving. Tours highlight facilities, uniforms, and college acceptance banners. Daily life feels different. Many students focus on getting by instead of improving. Cheating is common, discipline feels uneven, and basic services like lunch and supervision struggle to keep up. After four years here, my honest view is simple. The school has potential and some great teachers, but the overall experience does not match the cost or reputation. Families looking at it should talk to current students and not rely only on appearances.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a senior at PVI in the class of '25. I am not writing this…read moreout of hate, but of experience. Most of the teachers here never enforce rules, nor do they teach in a way that students can easily understand. This latency leads to many students developing (if not already developed) an entitlement ideology, which leads to them using things like chatgpt in order to cheat on assignments and tests because they don't feel like they need to complete them. The cafeteria food is overpriced, not safe for regular consumption, and not that good. I got food poisoning one day because I had something from the cafeteria. They also only have 2 microwaves in the cafeteria for those who wish to reheat food, leading people to either over-pack microwaves or wait upwards of 10 minutes at a time to get their food. I was even threated by another student that he would "slime me" because I wouldn't give him my spot in the microwave line. They have a large drug problem, kids often get out of classes to smoke or vape or huff in the bathrooms, and are not usually caught. The only way this doesn't get out to the public is because they are scarily good at covering up the bad stuff here. During my freshman year one of the male juniors had sex with a female freshman in one of the confessionals and when the school administration found out, only the freshman was expelled and the situation was covered up. The charge what is worth of a college (More than $22k per year), unless you are both baptized and confirmed (I believe it is around $12k per year). They are in a great state of debt due to their latest purchase of a new building and will do anything (including firing a teacher) in order to avoid getting sued. All in all, do not go to this school. Its education prowess is at the same level as a regular, public high school. Most of its students cheat on tests and do not care about having sex or doing drugs at school. It costs outrageous amounts of money and will cover up any discourse in its property. It is all empty looks with nothing going on behind the scenes

My wife and I researched the Montessori preschools in this area of Northern Virginia (Herndon,…read moreReston, Sterling). MPS was far and beyond the best of those we visited. I remember walking into sunlit big room and thinking, "This place has a special feeling to it." It is a home, filled with love and light, not a storefront location with a retail feel to it. The proprietors know their craft well and have been doing it for some time. Our daughter started in their first pre-primary class and is graduating Kindergarten this year. The amount of growth she has made is tremendous...I'm actually worried that she will be too bored in her first grade classroom. In terms of pricing, the tuition is in line with other Montessori preschools in the area. Nothing shocking, thankfully, and the rates have stayed relative to the cost of living in the area. The only downside to his place was the gravel parking lot, but that has now been paved.

MPS is a godsend. It has been the greatest decision we made for our boys, who enjoy going to school…read moreeveryday and are excelling academically and socially.

My daughter goes here. Its a very small school for what I'm used to in this area. The cafeteria…read moredoubles as the auditorium and, I believe, the gym. The admins and teachers all seem wonderfully pleasant, and the kids that leave in the afternoon when I go to pick up mine all seem very happy. The assistant principal is especially sweet; I speak to her briefly most mornings. The school does seem a bit iffy on extracurricular activities. There are some; my daughter is currently in an after school art program. However, availability seems to be intricately tied to the husband/wife led PTO's funding and approval. This seems to lead to a lot of talking about activities, but little response when asked for details. We tried to volunteer for a host of activitiesast year, but never heard back. Perhaps if we went to more PTO meetings, that might change, but the one I did go to left me feeling as though the open policy was one of "come in and see how we do things," rather than "come in and participate." I don't know how common this is. We had PTAs when I grew up. Still, the school itself shows a lot of promise. I'm pleased as punch that they still provide art, music, and PE in this day and age. I feel safe sending my daughter in each morning, and even try to volunteer whenever I can.

My daughter has been going to The Boyd School Herndon for nearly 19 months. I can't say enough…read moregood things about this school. The director of this school is truly passionate about making this school the very best it can be. Any issues or feedback I have had in the past were always welcomed and resolved almost immediately. The director is engaged in your child's progress and wants to help each child meet their full potential. The teachers are wonderful, providing feedback on your child's progress regularly. I had some issues with my child at home and not only did they give me suggestions, they were willing to come and observe at my house. This is not your typical school. I am grateful that my daughter has such a wonderful environment to grow and learn.

I agree with the first reviewer about the school being closed too often, especially in the winter…read more Fairfax County Public Schools close frequently although on days that there are no reasons to be closed (the snow was already over and the roads were perfectly fine), and the Boyd School follows the Public Schools decisions. Public Schools are free so parents have to put up with it, but we pay a hefty tuition for a private school, we expect better. In addition to that, they close on many other occasions such as two weeks on Christmas, one week for Spring Break, teacher's service day, and more. My daughter is currently going there and I'm considering other options because of this. In terms of staff and curriculum, it's just okay. The teacher - student ratio there is quite high for the 3-6 year-old class (10 to 1). Considering how high the tuition is, the ratio should be lower. Overall the school is quite inflexible. If you want to cancel the contract, you have to notify them 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE, which is an awefully long time to wait if you are not happy with the arrangements there.

Send your child elsewhere. The school and principal are only interested in those who donate…read moresignificantly. Children leave the school ill-prepared for kindergarten-in fact many need to repeat the year. Several teachers have been known to go to court and testify against parents. There are many other lovely schools nearby that will nurture your children and ensure that they learn in a safe and happy environment.

This is one of the highest rated schools in the state and it is truly wonderful! As a play based…read moreand nature based school, they truly embody this philosophy. The teachers are dedicated and engaging and the administrators are friendly and welcoming. I would never send my children anywhere else!