Old Donation School

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Great school! Two of my kids go there and are thriving in a way that they just couldn't at their assigned neighborhood schools. ODS meets their academic and personal/social/mental/developmental needs. Furthermore, the active PTA is exceptional--offering fun and enriching events such as Family Bingo Night, Field Day, International Fair, Fall Carnival, etc. Also, the arts program (both visual and performing) is such a great outlet for these children. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the hard working and talented teachers who are constantly creating lessons and establishing learning environments that stimulate such a unique group of students thereby allowing them to reach their potential.

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

I would not recommend this school to anyone. We have been extremely disappointed there and will be transferring our child. He is not valued there and “replaceable.” The curriculum is not special, just rigorous. It is taught almost exclusively on the chrome book. Teachers and administration only care about test scores and rankings. Administration will remind you that your child is replaceable as there is a wait list to get in. There is no meaningful communication with parents. I should have listened to my pediatrician when she said she does not like the school. If you send your kid there, keep an eye out for their mental health.

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: May 20, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

The current administration lacks executive leadership and experience. The Principal has never had his own building before this and it shows thru the lack of communication and community. I was told by the Assistant Principal that they consider parent communication a "courtesy". The teachers are excellent, but more and more leave each year. This school could be really special but that has been hampered by the Principal and his assistants.

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

ODS apparently doesn't care about their students and doesn't bother sending the buses when they don't feel like it. No notice, just doesn't show up in the morning.

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: October 3, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

We had the privilege to attend this school for 3rd grade and we loved it!! We are military so move a lot but this year was great!

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: January 7, 2025

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

Posted: July 5, 2023

The new administration as of July 2023 cares less about your concern. He has definitely placed a negative impact at Old Donation School.

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: March 28, 2023

My child is in 7th grade. The last two years at Old Donation School have been his best years of school to date, both academically and socially. The orchestra program is head and shoulders above what other schools are doing. The teachers are excellent. The opportunities for experiences like career development (my son was chosen to attend) or a full day leadership seminar or various clubs and extracurriculars are available. The bus ride is long but my son doesn't mind it at all. My only wish is that this wonderful school lasted until 12th grade! I feel my son is safe at ODS and appreciate the front desk security. The school is beautifully designed. There is a strong honor code.
My only critique is that in some classes, the seating is stools and it really hurts my son's back to sit for 2 hours a day (2 classes in the same room at different periods) on a stool, and that they have to leave book bags in lockers, as I feel like my son is jostling around his belongings vs. having everything secure in his book bag.
We will be extremely sad when our ODS days are over but they have laid a foundation that my son will continue to build on.

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: March 28, 2023

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

I have only gone to this school for one (1) year. 8th grade. The overall experience is great and I would recommend it. The only problem is bullying. It’s a problem at every school and will never not be a problem but, it could be handled better. Counselors are helpful for school related problems. Personally I would not trust them for any personal issues though. The teachers themselves are very passionate about their subject. (At least in the 8th grade osprey team). Overall this school is wonderful and better than most other schools.

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: June 16, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

There are a large number of bullies at this school and the staff refuse to do anything about it. Keep your children away from this terrible school.

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: May 26, 2022

Posted: November 28, 2021

Such a great school! The teachers help you learn and are sympathetic, but aren't afraid to push you. There are repercussions for late work and such, which motivate the students to turn in their work on time. Would totally recommend, don't know how my life would have been without it!

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: November 28, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

This school isn’t for everyone, but for those who are either extremely talented or strong willed will succeed. I previously attended here from 5th to 8th and it was pretty easy to maintain straight A’s while goofing off in class. If you can’t be confident in your ability to succeed I would not recommend this school for you, but if you are certain you will excel then take on the challenge. I took a more personal approach in success but the teachers are usually great and the administration is usually pretty competent.

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: July 3, 2021

Posted: January 31, 2020

I was a student at Kemps Landing from 2nd to 8th grade. I did well academically, and I always felt that I was challenged well and appropriately. Also, the teachers are all amazing. However, the problem with this school is in the mental and emotional repercussions that the students are affected by. There is excessive pressure to perform, and there is a culture that implies that anything less than perfect is not good enough. It is unhealthy and negatively affects students' mental health. After attending Kemps Landing, I have been struggling with self-esteem and anxiety issues. The competition is excessive, the atmosphere toxic, and life-long repercussions are staggering.

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: May 24, 2016

Posted: May 24, 2016

Posted: May 24, 2016

Posted: May 24, 2016

Definitely a one-size-fits-all approach to gifted education that we aren't too thrilled with. My sixth-grade child has gone from straight As to mostly Bs and is struggling emotionally with the requirements of this school. There seems to be so much stress, and most teachers have been unsympathetic. In addition, my child has had lots of problems jumping into advanced math. My child loves chorus class (the teacher is fantastic and we adore her methods) but right now that's about it. I hope it gets better as we progress but... I don't know.

Posted: February 26, 2016

Time is the challenge. No time to get enough sleep, have a life, and do all work. Where are the strategies, approaches, or tips to help learn? It’s definitely not like a family. But it is the best of the Beach. Why is NORVA so far ahead of VB?

Posted: February 18, 2016

some of the teachers were horrible (pretty much just math) but the majority of the teachers were amazing

Posted: February 18, 2016

sixth grade had a lot, but seventh and eighth grade had the perfect amount for me, as a student

Posted: February 18, 2016

Posted: February 18, 2016

it was great and I had an amazing experience there. it has sufficiently prepared me for high school

Posted: January 6, 2016

Challenging, caring, innovative. The school works hard to create the feeling of a community school and the administration is regularly present at afterschool and weekend activities, meeting parents and talking to students. Middle school students can participate in afterschool academic clubs and intramural-type sports. Elementary students benefit from science labs, archeology digs, oyster raising, markerspace-type projects, Rube Goldberg competitions, book clubs, and weekend leadership workshops. Students are expected to be productive thinkers and involved. We're a military family with several good school districts under our belts, and this stands out as an innovative place.

Posted: November 30, 2015

The school is challenging, but does not seem like a lot of fun. It's a good education. The Beach in general is great, but for a place were kids already enter school with a love for learning, I expected more.

Posted: September 26, 2015

Posted: September 26, 2015

Posted: September 26, 2015

Posted: September 26, 2015

The new leadership at this school has watered down the education and forced out great teachers. This is no longer a quality public education.

Posted: May 13, 2015

It can be a stressful learning environment unless you are a PTA parent or a PTA parent's child. Otherwise, you may feel afraid to speak up. But the kids are screened and that's one good thing. Maybe when the new school gets built it will be better. It's no private school that's for sure!

Posted: May 6, 2015

My children are all young adults now and the education they all received at KLMS was the best experience they received in education. It was the cornerstone of their education and established relationships with their teachers as mentors . They learned how to think out of the box, be creative, be different, there wasn't just one way of learning that was acceptable and opinions matter. There was an honor code, and that was cool they said. And the respect they had for each other in school was something they learned from their teachers who respected them as individuals.

Posted: February 17, 2015

A one-size fits all approach to gifted education, canned assignments, usually worksheets, and same projects for years. High volume of class work & homework, unnecessary for many students. Most work is not hard, a lot of busy work. It's like an endurance test to see how students perform under those conditions. Pre-screen kids to get the best in the city, so it's shocking all scores aren't in advanced range. Some mandatory SOL prep, back-to-back tests & daily review sheets to complete a few weeks before SOLs, is grueling! Focus is on overall school image, not individual gifted students, who need more than a regular gifted program, progressing. Student athletes are praised. Not all students get all A s, even those who entered with it. Great place if type A or motivated by grades. But, students, who love learning & value free-time, can continue to like learning, but may not continue liking school as much. Parent input is not always welcome, unless for PTA fundraisers, celebrations, etc. No real grading transparency. Well-mannered hard working students, teachers vary on niceness & quality. Managing workload better & positive feedback could improve student morale.

Posted: January 20, 2015

The academic program is intense, and is not for all gifted kids, it is for a certain type of gifted kid. If your child is gifted in all subjects and has little interest in anything but academics, Kemps is the school for your child. If your gifted child is remotely struggling in any subject, and by struggling I mean getting a B, and has an interest in creative activities or sports, Kemps is not for your child, and don't even think about it if your child is twice exceptional. Kemps is excellent at academics, it is not excellent at addressing the social and emotional issues that many gifted children have. Asynchronistic emotional development is common amongst gifted children and neither Kemps nor its feed school ODC has a good program to assist with that. There is a gifted child "mold" that they attempt to squeeze each student into and the children very much feel it in ODC when they don't measure up to the Kemps mold, which can affect their self esteem. Kemps kids may very well be on their way to MIT but I have to wonder about their social adjustment once they leave high school.

Posted: October 6, 2014

Kemps Landing Magnet School is truly the best middle school around. Before going there, I went to private school and actually found the quality of education to be much better at KLMS than at my old school. The teachers are great, and strive to make sure that all the students succeed. 6th grade is normally a struggle for all students, and it is not uncommon to stay up past midnight to finish homework. Despite this, KLMS has an amazing program. Although all sixth graders must take Latin, in seventh and eighth grade they have the opportunity to continue Latin, or start Spanish, French, or Japanese. For math (I'm not sure if they still do this), children who score well on a test were able to learn Algebra I in sixth grade. Overall, the classes really do prepare a child for high school. Parents, take note: do not send your child here simply because he/she is gifted and the school has a good education. Your child needs to be motivated to learn and work hard so that he/she will not fall behind in class, which is an issue that I have observed throughout my years here.

Posted: April 7, 2014

KLMS is an awesome school. The rumors of tons of homework in 6th grade are true. I'm hoping the rumor that homework decreases in 7th & 8th is equally true. My child came from ODC so we knew what to expect but it was still a bit of a transition. Your child must WANT to go to this school. My child has gotten straight A's the first 3 quarters of 6th grade because she wants it but she is stressed out a lot. KLMS definitely stretches her to her maximum potential. Orchestra alone is worth going to this school. Mr. Baird's orchestra program is incredible. My child is flourishing in his class. Even on days when we want to quit, we stay due to the outstanding orchestra program. The pre-algebra teacher is frustrating because she teaches by giving the kids worksheets to figure out instead of working the new concepts with them. The other core teachers are great. Latin teacher is great. Overall, great experience for gifted kids. It's nice that their classmates are all similarly gifted and friendships are easier in this environment for "smart" kids. Parental support is critical for success in 6th grade. I have seen huge strides in organization and work habits this year. Necessary to survive!

Posted: October 27, 2013

My child is happy and finally starting to achieve to the best of their ability. What more can I ask? Having previously been to a school where we felt that our child was not having the chance to reach their full potential - it is reassuring to see them being stretched at KLMS. Whilst not achieving the highest scores in the Grade, I can see growth, both academically and in maturity, and my child is starting to grasp important life skills, such as being proactive, organized, hard working and working smartly. Yes, we have had complaints about the amount of work and grumblings about the odd teacher. However, we know that, as the parent of a new 'middle-schooler', we would see all of those points in any school (and to a point, see it as preparation for adult life). To us, the fact that our child has good friends, is happy, achieving better than ever before and has a positive, well-adjusted outlook, tells me that we have done the right thing. I highly commend this school to you.

Posted: October 16, 2013

This school was amazing. All the teachers are awesome and everyone is friendly. This school is a calm and peaceful environment and would enter my kids in here any day.

Posted: October 8, 2013

This is my son's last year at Kemps Landing. I couldn't be more impressed at the level of excellence the teachers here deliver. If you have a chance to send your child here, do not hesitate!

Posted: December 14, 2012

There's really too much of everything at this school. They expect you to be gifted in everything. I'm not, I'm mostly gifted in the humanities, and the advanced math and science was really difficult for me. I have had 1/3 good math teachers while at Kemps Landing, and when your math teacher is bad and you are bad at math- life is hard. Expect 3 hours of homework and up to 3 tests a week Students are taking an extra class for a language. I then dropped PE to take another additional class, and it's crazy. I love the class, but it's really super hard to keep up. My self esteem is really low because I haven't had a chance to shine or excel in anything for 3 years. If you are good at math and science, you would like it because the humanities teachers know that most gifted students have a hard time with them. The students are great, and I've made lifelong friends, but the pressure is overwhelming. I think some people can do this, but not most. I'm a perfectionist, so it's hard for me to go here and not be able to always get 100%. I do well, but it's tough. Be ready.

Posted: September 11, 2012

KLMS was an amazing experience for me. I feel it has truly prepared me for High School. As far as classes and teachers go, it really depends on who you get. Most teachers really want to help the student succeed and some seem like they want to just go through the required information as fast as possible. But these are few and far between. As a previous review stated, the child going really should want to be there. This will not only make doing the work easier but the social experince as well. The great thing about KLMS is that, if you so choose, when you apply for High School Academies, many of the friends you made at KLMS will probably be going there as well.

Reviewed: April 27, 2012

This is a stand alone school where students must test to get in and be designated as gifted in elementary school. This school does not have sports so students will be bused to their home school to do sports.