Springwoods Elementary School

Posted: May 30, 2026

The female Principal at the school is unprofessional and should not be working in a school setting. My son notified me that a boy hugged him and kissed him on the neck. He told me about after he came home on Monday from school. I was able to confirm the incident did happen and it was on a Friday. Either way, my son’s demeanor indicated it made him uncomfortable. After I inquired about the incident, the school called me for a 3PM in person meeting. Now, I went into it letting them know, I have no intent to address the issue because I think it was innocent, but I did want them to keep an eye out in case it happens again. The Principal then states, “Well, if you move forward with this your son will be in trouble because he initiated it because he hugged the boy first and the boy hugged him back followed with a kiss. You would not want this to follow him, will you.” So, I said, “excuse me! I come to address something to you and your strategy is to intimidate me by blaming my SON!” Then, she followed up with an email and did not accurately capture, because I corrected her, she responded back, “on your behalf, I will be initiating a formal title (blah) investigation. I called her immediately and she hung up on because I asked her if she was okay…I asked her if she was going through something personally that her response is taking it out on my son! Who has every right to come to me and I have every right to inquire. She made me feel uncomfortable. She made me feel that it is not safe to report anything. So no..as long as she is in that school, go to a different school zone.

Posted: May 30, 2026

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Posted: April 8, 2025

We loved this school while we were here. You feel a sense of family community ant the school and can tell everyone genuinely loves their job and has a passion for teaching. They support military students, special needs, gifted and more which is nice. I highly recommended this school and principal, teachers, staff and admin here are amazing!

Posted: April 8, 2025

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Posted: November 13, 2024

Posted: November 13, 2024

Posted: November 13, 2024

Great school, wonderful principal, lots of activities for families to get involved.

Posted: November 13, 2024

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Posted: May 29, 2024

They are providing an excellent and cohesive learning environment for kids.

Posted: May 29, 2024

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Posted: November 2, 2022

We just moved into the area and our kids love attending Springwoods. They are excited to go to school every day, their teachers are engaging and communicate regularly, and the staff goes above and beyond to communicate. There are so many opportunities to get involved for parents; lots of activities and ways to get involved. Really great community school.

Posted: November 2, 2022

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Posted: September 14, 2022

The administration and faculty are exceptional. They are hands-on, community-focused and are invested in the overall health (mental, physical and emotional) of its students. The teachers are really engaged and you can tell they want to be there, despite all of the changes in the last 2-3 years since covid. I am very happy to have my child attend here.

Posted: September 14, 2022

Posted: September 14, 2022

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Posted: April 13, 2021

Great school for my kids start their journey,Teachers and staff very helpful .

Posted: April 13, 2021

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Posted: September 21, 2020

Posted: September 21, 2020

They are kind and professional. They are committed to excellent!

Posted: September 21, 2020

Posted: September 21, 2020

They are doing great. They have the knowledge and experience

Posted: September 21, 2020

Posted: September 21, 2020

Posted: September 21, 2020

Thank this is one of the best school in the town

Posted: November 18, 2019

Overall experience at this school is amazing.

Posted: November 18, 2019

Posted: November 18, 2019

Teachers work hard stay engaged with their students throughout the year to make sure students reach their highest potential in regards to leadership and expanding their individual skills.

Posted: November 18, 2019

Posted: November 18, 2019

Principal, VP, Teachers, Teacher Assistants, Secretaries, everyone go above and beyond to help students and their families.

Posted: November 18, 2019

Posted: November 18, 2019

My 2nd grader tells me that two girls in his class are constant bullies to other kids, rude and disruptive to teacher as well. (Same girls who picked on him once when he was in 1st grade). Last week he said they were picking on a 1st grader on their break after lunch. My suggestion is to increase adult supervision during outdoor play, etc.

Posted: January 22, 2019

Teachers deliver effective instruction and make learning accessible for all students.

Posted: January 22, 2019

The school has great behavior system and school motto. Both have foster a loving and supportive school community.

Posted: January 22, 2019

Mrs. Mainor and Mr. Burton's passion for this school community is infectious!

Posted: January 22, 2019

Posted: January 22, 2019

Posted: January 22, 2019

Having been a part of many different elementary school communities, Springwoods by far exceeds all of them. The sense of community, the commitment to student learning and the overall positive environment is unparalleled.

Posted: July 1, 2018

Posted: July 1, 2018

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Posted: July 1, 2018

Posted: July 1, 2018

We have been at this school for 4 years, and have had wonderful experiences. Any questions or concerns were promptly handled by the administration and we have had multiple teachers advocate for the individual needs of our kids.

Posted: June 12, 2018

Ms. Buswell was an amazing teacher this year, engaged and caring. My son came home with new facts or skills he couldn't wait to share with us.

Posted: June 12, 2018

Love the Springwoods Heros Program, a great way for my child to start off his elementary school career.

Posted: June 12, 2018

Principal Mainor is truly involved, she is a problem solver and it shows how much she cares.

Posted: June 12, 2018

We had a bullying issue on the Bus and Ms. Mainor had it handled by the next day. The school counselors also did a great job. We had a solution, feedback and timely follow up.

Posted: June 12, 2018

Excellent, When I originally saw the reviews a few years ago we considered moving. We decided to give Springwoods a year and they delivered. I am happy to have my son as part of the Springwoods community.

Posted: June 12, 2018

Homework is age appropriate and not busy work. I feel my child is actually getting something out of the extra time spent.

Posted: June 14, 2017

Posted: June 14, 2017

Posted: June 14, 2017

Posted: June 14, 2017

Posted: June 14, 2017

Posted: June 14, 2017

My daughter has been at Springwoods from Kindergarten to 5th grade. She has had an unbelievably positive experience. There are many opportunities for her to make choices on what she wants to focus on. She has chosen to take part in chorus, Kindness Crew and patrols. Over the years, she has had amazing teachers who have pushed her, challenged her and loved her. I could not be happier with her experience. Springwoods is a warm, friendly school where we are sad to leave. Thank you to the staff for giving my child an opportunity to shine.

Posted: July 17, 2016

This is a wonderful school. We have a daughter with some learning differences we are learning about. We are somewhat familiar with IEP process and found the administration and teachers to be extremely supportive and responsive to our needs. Teachers are willing to stay late, come early, conference in person or by phone. Our kids are very happy and there is a strong 'community' within the school.

Posted: July 17, 2016

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Posted: June 26, 2016

Posted: June 26, 2016

Posted: June 26, 2016

Posted: June 26, 2016

This is a fantastic school. As of 6/16 not sure why it's rated a 5. We have been here for a few years and moved into this school's boundaries when it was rated a 9, only 3 years ago. It is just as wonderful a school today as it was 3 years ago. Teachers are committed, administration is involved, PTO has great activities. There is a very strong school community. If you are really considering moving into a neighborhood feeding into this school or any other, don't be fooled by subjective parental input, go to VDOE and look at the 'report card' for the school you are considering. You will see for yourself.

Posted: February 11, 2016

great school, the new principal work hard , best teachers ,the rating of this school shoul be higher than 7 !!!!

Posted: February 11, 2016

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Posted: May 12, 2015

For the person who mentioned racsism can you please notify me, I am a relative of a two students who are experiencing some major racism

Posted: September 28, 2014

This school is Fantastic! The new administration is hands on and caring. I have a 2nd grader, a third grader and a 5th grader. We have been at this school the past two years and the teachers are caring and responsive. I am grateful that we moved into this area and will be sad when we transfer out of the area next summer. Couldn't believe the negative comments on the teachers and admin. Wonder what attitude these parents/children had bc there is no way that I believe this principal and teachers could be anything but helping and accommodating. I am a former teacher and know what good admin and teachers look like. Without a doubt I can say that 80 percent of the teachers and 100 percent of the current admin are stellar. Thank you Springwoods.!

Posted: September 21, 2014

This school, it's principal, and the majority of its staff are representative of the worst that the education system has to offer. There are one or two teachers that meet the standard, the rest are relics they'd dug up from retirement. The principal should be removed, as she is not a leader and is incapable of setting a course for the school. We have experienced racism within the school. One teacher in particular only favors Asian female students, reflective of her personal tastes. The retiree teachers are undertrained and worse don't care. How anyone rates this mini prison a 5 is beyond me. Va supposedly has some of the best schools in the country, if they counted springwoods i am positive this inflated information would change.

Posted: September 19, 2014

Where to begin? Despite claiming serious changes (in actuality they have just brought their school up to the physical standards expected within the state) very little has changed at Springwoods. The school is more concerned with 'equality' than it is with the education it provides its students. Go to their home page, when half your screen is covered in Urdu and other languages, it indicates two things 1) Teaching is near impossible given language barriers 2) Kids who speak english as their first language fall behind as a result. The standards for math and english are low, there is next to no homework of value, and this system is perpetuated by a principal who is more concerned with image than actually doing her job. Our children have fallen behind as a result of attending this supposedly 'great' school. The tenured teachers are unable to learn and adjust, they are jaded, and frankly ineffective. Look at how many teachers have been hired back out of retirement, how can anyone claim this is progress? And yet the board muddles through and pretends that by updating the building the education has improved. If you want to set your child back developmentally send them to this school

Posted: September 4, 2014

Unfortunately this school has moved to being rated a 9 to a 7! We moved here based on the high rating. The administration has changed, which often adds to rating changes, but the overall quality of instruction is concerning. There are some excellent teachers there, but there are also "burnt out" teachers and either teachers who are inexperienced or just don't want to put the effort into their position. It makes us really question the administration because they all come from very mediocre schools and are inexperienced in their positions.

Posted: September 3, 2014

I have nothing but nice things to say about Springwoods so far. My son attended kindergarten there and I was thrilled with the knowledge he came away with. And the teachers/administrators were awesome - not only did they teach, but they cared. After the first day of first grade, my son came home and announced, "My teacher is really fun!" Looks like it's going to be another great year. Construction has been going on at the school over the summer and it is not completed yet. But I think it's to increase the size of the school (hopefully do away with the "trailers" in the back...) and also to upgrade the school technology. It will be nice when it's done.

Posted: July 28, 2014

We are a military family who chose to live in the area because of the great reputation of this school and we have not been disappointed! My children are now going into their 4th year at Springwoods and we have been extremely happy with their teachers and the administration. This past summer they have undergone construction making the school bigger and better. The new administration has been a welcome change to the community. Springwoods also has a strong group of parents/PTO that plan fun activities for the students throughout the year. I am a teacher at another school in the county and my kids choose to go to Springwoods instead of attend my school because they love it so much. If you are thinking of moving or buying a house in this area, I strongly recommend it!

Posted: March 13, 2014

I'm not sure why this school has received a couple bad reviews. This is by far one of the best schools my daughter has ever attended (including private schools). We have been to many schools across the nation (CA, WA state, fairfax county, private schools). In Fairfax county our daughter started receiving "average" scores on her tests after years of paid private school, which we were NOT happy about so we moved out to this area and since attending springwoods, she has scored in the top 10% of the nation. Staff and teachers are friendly. Yes, class size may be a tad bigger given the NOVA population but definitely not the biggest I've seen .

Posted: March 7, 2014

Overcrowded, old teachers, old facilities, poor leadership, and more importantly a poor learning environment. Firstly, I would like to know how this school receives 5 star reviews? What is it being compared to? Out of the four schools our children this school has been the worst. There are only a handful of teachers that actually care, the classes are dark and over crowded, and the curriculum is basic and outdated. More importantly the the leadership at the school is not strong, and more importantly not involved to the extent they should be. The facilities are outdated, and the overall learning standard is very minimal. This school could improve by removing 'tenured' faculty, make teaching a priority, and work with the school board to facilitate additional facilities for the students. The school is more concerned with its 'diversity' ration rather than the quality of the education and the experience it provides its students. If you have not been anywhere else perhaps one could understand the perception that this school is great, but it is not. There are only a handful of teachers at springwoods that are up to par, hopefully if you attend, you will luck out and get one.

Posted: February 9, 2014

I bought my house based on the school my kids would attend. I did much research in the area and Springwoods continued to come through as a top rated school. My kids are now into their 3rd year at Springwoods and I have absolutely nothing ill to say of the facility or the education my boys are receiving. The bus transportation is punctual, the office staff is friendly and helpful. The new principal is very hands on and has small kids of her own. She is understanding and gets the job done. She is such a nice and compassionate person. The teachers are so nice and love kids. I like that I am welcomed at the school by name more often than not and asked to help out and me involved in my boys education. If you are considering Springwoods, don't hesitate. You'll be glad you enrolled your kids.

Posted: September 11, 2013

nosotros somos nuevos en esta area,y es el 1er ano de escuela de mi hijo,pero desde el primer dia el llego encantado y yo como padre me siento bien ver a mi hijo comodo,aparte el personal es muy amable y siempre estan preocupados por ayudarte y responder tus inquietudes.

Posted: January 26, 2013

We are thrilled with Springwoods so far. I admit I am a tough consumer to please, and typically have a complaint. I don't have any complaints. Our first experience with school has been wonderful thanks to SW ES and their staff! My daughter's teacher is fantastic! We moved our entire life around (including the sale of our home) so our children could go to SW ES. The school is organized, positive, nurturing, and welcoming. The principal left just a few weeks back and that had me worried, to date everything has remained the same, and I am so thankful. If you have a choice in where your child can go to elementary school, in my opinion you can't go wrong with SW ES.

Posted: May 28, 2012

I consider this school to be only slightly above average. It is by no means outstanding. We moved here last summer and were extremely disappointed with the 5th grade curriculum. The reason this school is able to keep its school of excellence status is because they blatantly teach to the sol test. Both of my children spent their entire last 9 weeks studying for their standardized tests. If you are coming from a below average school, you might be pleased with this school. However, if you you are used to an above average school you will be disappointed.

Posted: March 30, 2011

My Child has really blossomed here. She came from Christ Chapel hating to read and despised homework, now she loves both! Her teacher is awesome and I couldn't be happier.