We cannot say enough wonderful things about Bellamy Manor. Both of our children -- now a thriving…read more6th grader and 2nd grader -- attended here, and we truly believe it gave them such a strong academic and emotional foundation for success. What makes this school so special is the people. The teachers, directors, and admin are absolutely incredible and genuinely become like family. Many of them have been there for years, which says so much in a world where high turnover is so common in childcare and education. The consistency, love, and dedication they provide creates such a warm and nurturing environment for the kids. The curriculum is outstanding and thoughtfully tailored to each child's individual needs and learning style. Our children were challenged academically while also being nurtured socially and emotionally. The staff truly sees each child as unique and works hard to help them grow with confidence. Most importantly, our kids adored going there every single day. The relationships, memories, friendships and foundation they built during those early years continue to impact them positively today. We are beyond grateful for this school and would recommend it wholeheartedly to any family looking for a caring, stable, and exceptional early education experience.

All the children in my family and extended family have gone to Bellamy Manor for preschool for…read moreyears. My mixed race child is currently enrolled. I can't speak to other families experiences. Our children have enjoyed and thrived at this school. The code locked door and cameras ensure safety is a top priority. If there ever was an issue. The cameras can replay the incident to gain clarity. Over the years we have observed the staff's attentiveness, and genuine caring for each child.

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.

I sent my child here for preschool, so when it came time to choose where I would send him for…read morekindergarten, it was a no brainer. His teachers were incredible and the director, Marysue, makes sure she checks in with each student and parent regularly. I tell all of my friends, send your child to MDO for kindergarten!

My daughters experience here started out wonderfully! Her teachers were great! This preschool was…read morealso highly recommended to me. Recently my daughter stomped her foot and yelled at her teacher after being reprimanded for sitting on another child. All good! I'm all here for that. MarySue, the director, called me that day and proceeded to tell me what happened and how we can move forward and help my daughter to learn better behaviors. Then she proceeds to tell me that my 3 year old daughter is being hateful, disrespectful and that she won't succeed in her future if she does not change! She also said that she didn't want the other children or the TEACHERS not to like my child. Completely inappropriate in my opinion for a director of a preschool to speak so negatively about a 3 year old child to their parent. I think she should have just let me know what happened and come up with a plan to correct and not tell me her personal opinion in my child or what her future may or may not look like. I called to talk with MarySue about my concerns and how that made me feel very uncomfortable even bringing my daughter back there after hearing how she really felt about my child and this woman pretty much laughed at me. Stood by all of her words and told me that I was taking it the wrong way. She did not want to hear what I had to say and was not willing to take responsibility for the inappropriate comments that she made. She almost immediately suggested I remove my daughter from the school. Which by the end of our conversation I agreed this school can't handle my daughter and isn't a good fit for her so I did remove her. I'm not saying don't bring your kids here but if you have a very headstrong child I would definitely think twice about it. This has upset me so much I don't even know what to do about it. So I decided to make this review and share my experience. I'm giving a 1 star because the way that MarySue, the director, handled this situation was extremely inappropriate to begin with and then when I called with concerns the disrespect I received from her was unbelievable. She didn't even want to listen.

While the location name is vague, this location is Indian lakes elementary school. I used to play…read moreneighborhood soccer games here 30 years ago, and I would have to say that the fields do not appear to have received much attention since then. Ferrel parkway runs behind the school, so you better hope your ball does not go over the fence!! We bike here sometimes to play, but there are better playgrounds in the area, so this is not our first pick.

Oaktree Academy is a great school. He will probably end up choosing a school based on word-of-mouth…read morefrom friends, or personal experience. I doubt a yelp review will help turn the tide for you. But in case it does, the administrators and teachers here at the school really are personally invested, and really do feel the weight of responsibility to do the very best thing for your child. One of my children has attended several years ago, although we normally homeschool. It was definitely a positive experience. I know several of the teachers at the school, they are not there because it's making them wealthy, they are there because they genuinely feel called to work with smaller classes, to get to know their students, and to have a meaningful experience in the classroom.

It's easy look perfect on the outside, but everyone's true colors show at some point. Take it for…read moreme, a prior student who witnessed a lot firsthand. The school does not uphold to their "Christian standards" when it comes to behind the scenes. Very homophobic and not understanding or compassionate when it comes to mental health. I did at the school for 12 years and have seen too many situation handled extremely poorly and I am truly disappointed and disgusted by the things that they PICK AND CHOOSE to allow... I would absolutely consider their school to have an emotionally abusive environment. This school has deleted my review on their Facebook page. Seems they don't like negative feedback

I've been real happy with my experience so far. The school is clean, the teachers are great and my…read morekid is happy. My four year old boy loves his classmates and his teachers. I was impressed that they are giving us feedback on his letters. My kid never gets sick either! Last time I had him in a different daycare he was getting a cold every three weeks.

Love this school...the staff is welcoming and genuinely care about the students and families they…read moreserve....

This school honors the Bay Colony family legacies and forgets about the less privileged students. I…read morewas a student here and I was farther behind than my public school counterparts. I would suggest not sending your child here as the teachers do not help the students. Even students with a hard working ethic fail to succeed at this school. The environment was very toxic, the staff was mostly mediocre, and the lunches were terrible (cold and nasty). The lunch staff once gave us raw chicken. Read that again, RAW chicken. There was mold in the theaters as well. For 30k a year, this is not worth it. Do better.

This is homecoming 2019..half time 35-0...the buldogs are really playing....Jack Stafford , Ben…read moreLocke and Elijish Quamiley are really playing.