St. Leo the Great School

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2022

I had an amazing experience with St Leo!!

Posted: July 17, 2020

While the school may not have a formal LD program, all teachers strive to reach every child, exploring new ways or methods to support children and their parents.

Posted: July 17, 2020

My child had a brief experience with bullying. Through collaborative work with me as a parent and my child, we were able to address the issues and resolve them. That being said, by the end of the year, my child was friends with the student who’d been teasing and bullying her! Sadly, the bully was just seeking attention that he wasn’t getting at home. We decided to focus on extra kindness and patience and he felt so loved, he was sad to leave.

Posted: July 17, 2020

Our experience with our two children has been outstanding. It’s been the best investment we’ve made into our children’s future. Our school supports creating a solid foundation for its students. First and foremost, St. Leo the Great offers Catholic Christian values that will be the foundation upon which students will build the rest of their lives. Second, St. Leo the Great has a stellar academic reputation with small class ratios. Last but not least, during the current pandemic, the school administration and staff rose to the occasion to support the transition to a virtual education faster and with greater success than our local county was able to accomplish. There are many reasons to choose Saint Leo the Great School. We have no regrets and have found a diverse community united in faith that has become our village.

Posted: July 17, 2020

Homework reinforces what is being taught in class. It’s creative and involved to challenge students and to help them develop good study habits and skills.

Posted: July 17, 2020

For the time being I can only speak about the lower elementary grade teachers as my children have experienced kindergarten and first grade. Our teachers were supportive, kind, patient and loving! They kept communication lines open, even throughout the quarantine. We feel so blessed to have been at this school when the pandemic struck.

Posted: July 17, 2020

Children are encouraged to think critically and to adhere to core Catholic moral values. Not only are they taught good values, but they take action through charity work for those less fortunate. No child is too young to learn how to serve others and to tell the truth. Our children were doing charitable projects since they started at our school. Students learn to be confident yet mindful of others and the world around them. During these difficult times, having their faith to fall back on was essential to their resilience and cooperation with safety precautions.

Posted: July 17, 2020

It takes special people to lead a parochial school. The principal is loving, kind and patient. He strives to impart fair treatment to all students, listening to all sides of a situation prior to reacting. When emotions can run high, it is refreshing to have someone who is level-headed in the office. I’d recommend parents to volunteer and become a part of our community to get the full experience and benefit. In the face of a pandemic, they did a spectacular job, all things considered!

Posted: January 29, 2020

This is a great school with a great community of families and a strong parish life.

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: August 22, 2019

My overall experience with St. Leo the Great School is very good.

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: August 22, 2019

Posted: June 6, 2018

Posted: June 6, 2018

Posted: June 6, 2018

Posted: June 6, 2018

Posted: June 6, 2018

I am so disappointed in the leadership at this school. The principal especially is very determined to keep children who do not meet certain "benchmarks" from challenging themselves to take more difficult courses and this approach is unfortunately supported by the curriculum coordinators and superintendent of the Arlington Diocese. The principal is a very stubborn person who is not willing to work with parents to accomplish the educational goals they have for their children AT ALL. There is a desperate need to replace those in leadership positions at this school and at the Arlington Diocese with more flexible individuals who are willing to work with parents to help students succeed and grow, and less rigid about making sure students who do not meet certain "benchmarks" are not permitted to take on rigorous academic workloads. Do not waste your money on this school.

Posted: June 6, 2018

Posted: June 6, 2018

I cannot give this school even a single star after my negative experience with its teachers, principal, and the curriculum coordinators and superintendent of the Arlington Diocese. Honestly, I think your children are better off in a public school where the administration actually takes the goals and wishes of parents into consideration in determining your child's course load.

Posted: June 5, 2018

Posted: June 5, 2018

Negative, stressful, unpleasant, and feel like we got nothing out of this school.

Posted: June 5, 2018

Too many worksheets and time-consuming crafty projects.

Posted: June 5, 2018

Not supportive or engaged, no communication or teamwork with parent.

Posted: June 5, 2018

Posted: June 5, 2018

Posted: June 5, 2018

There is no program for LDs in this school.

Posted: January 19, 2018

The bullying issue is a hard nut to crack. I believe that the school tries, but kids can be jerks and they are good at not being jerks in front of teachers and administrators. I think the school cares about the issue, but there are cliques and some kids are definitely not nice.

Posted: January 19, 2018

Most of the teachers are PHENOMENAL--caring and creative. However, the few who are subpar get to stick around, despite parent and student concerns.

Posted: January 19, 2018

Posted: January 19, 2018

Our principal is very caring, but tends to almost favor the underdog or perpetrators of any problems. I appreciate his belief in second chances and trying to address the underlying cause of various types of bad behavior, but it is often at the expense of the "good" kids.

Posted: January 19, 2018

The school isn't equipped and staffed with personnel to support a variety of learning differences...but I wouldn't expect it to be.

Posted: January 19, 2018

Very good! My kids are cared for and very well educated. They are learning good study habits, too. I feel they'll be well prepared for high school. The middle school teachers are especially fantastic.

Posted: January 19, 2018

A majority of the homework is reinforcing what is learned in the classroom.

Posted: January 19, 2018

We have not encountered bullying, so can't speak to this.

Posted: January 19, 2018

There is a strong focus on character.

Posted: January 19, 2018

The principal and vice principal are open to hearing from parents and respond quickly and appropriately.

Posted: January 19, 2018

My child has several learning disabilities. The school has gone above and beyond in working with me and his tutors to ensure his success. The teachers are excellent at communicating with me on how my son is doing, on a very regular basis.

Posted: January 19, 2018

We have had a wonderful experience at St. Leo. Our son LOVES the school, the teachers, and his friends there. Despite his several challenges, he has been able to be successful, thanks to their being willing to work with me to ensure his success.

Posted: January 19, 2018

There is a lot of homework, but it is a useful part of the curriculum. The teachers use homework to reinforce what is taught and allow children to hone their skills.

Posted: January 19, 2018

The teachers are very good. And, as important to me, they are kind and compassionate. They are open to communication at all times and are very responsive to parent communication. They seem to view their teaching as a vocation and are very dedicated to it.

Posted: September 15, 2017

This is a good school in many ways. Heavy workload.

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: September 3, 2017

Posted: May 10, 2017

Two middle school girls (7th & 8th grade) have left this school this academic year (in the 3rd and 4th quarters) for other Catholic schools in the area due to relentless bullying by girls in the 7th and 8th grades. Obviously the bullying (which is a word the administration will not use) is not addressed in an open and honest way with the girls who do the bullying. There are no punishments for the girls who bully. This is an unsafe emotional environment for middle school.
The father of two of the girls who do the bullying is the one who wrote the gleaming report on March 1st here on this site. That in itself, is alarming.

Posted: March 1, 2017

Yes, this is very closed monitored with teachers, counselor and if necessary the Principal.

Posted: March 1, 2017

There are different options for students with various skills and potentials. However, this is not a school for special needs.

Posted: March 1, 2017

Mr. DiPippa being the Principal gives a sound vision to teachers that reflects into a calm, but enthusiastic staff, who are willing to go the extra mile for the wellbeing of your children.

Posted: March 1, 2017

This is definitely a great asset that this school has. You can't beat this school from exactly these reasons. Now, if you put the economic factor here, where in the nation are you going to pay this low and get this great foundation for your children. It is a great investment in a safe environment.

Posted: March 1, 2017

The majority are. There is not great turnover and some of them have been there for years, which tells a lot about the school. There is minimal turnover, but as in any other place, people change goals in life.

Posted: March 1, 2017

Most of the time, the amount of homework is adequate. Understand that you need to work with your child to set the foundation in the younger years. After a little bit of hand holding if your children are focused, homework could be done in less than two hours every day.

Posted: March 1, 2017

I currently have two of my children in this school. One is an 8th grader and the other a 7th grader. Both have been there since pre-school. My wife and I read some last reviews and definitely disagree with them. This is a wonderful school very well ran. We also have friends who have their kids in other religious or public schools. You don't have an idea of the turnover of teachers and students in those places. If we talk about size, normally elementary schools that are religious would be very small and the education is lower in standards. Now, when we talk about public schools, normally the schools are bigger in size but the academic standards are definitely lower than any religious school. Just for you to know, every year St. Leo's, better to say, your kids are measured/tested against the overall public schools Every single year my children's results are above average and exceeding expectations. Now with the 8th grader, do you understand the importance of having good education? She was accepted in the top 1%. This is an excellent school, with a great Principal, Mr. David DiPippa, who is totally devoted to your children. We have two other children who are in pre-school and now will be switched to St. Leo's to start pre-school there. We strongly recommend St. Leo's to any family who is looking for high education, strong religious foundation and a remarkably united school community.

Posted: September 10, 2016

I have had two children in St leo's and I feel it was a total waste of money. The education is sub-par where homework is piled on and no teaching done. I find it very interesting that the response from the school when your child falls behind their first response is for you to get a tutor. Even the public school teachers will spend at least two days a week helping their students. They love homework but most of it is busy work and has nothing to do with what should be taught. And God help you if it is not done. The administration only give lip service to the parents and only want your money. I have never been talked down as much as at St leo's by both the teachers and staff. Don't waste your money.

Posted: April 11, 2016

Most of the faculty cannot handle the class load of 32-34 students. They spend most of their time either ignoring the class they are supposed to teach, or screaming the entire team. This school loses half of its staff at the end of each year. They rely on homework to teach for them.

Posted: April 11, 2016

They pile it on, night after night. Regardless if there are tests, or projects- just hours of homework. God forbid you miss an assignment, you get a detention and after 2 of those you get to sit out of the quarterly party. So your child gets to sit in a silent room doing junk busy work while the other students walk around partying.

Posted: April 11, 2016

This school states it is anti-bullying, but it does not follow that value. Many parents will tell you the reason their child left is because of bullying from both the teachers and the students.

Posted: April 11, 2016

There is a lot going on at this school- I would stay away. If your child is coming in after kindergarten, GOOD LUCK. The students are cliquish, the parents are clannish, the administration is ill informed and incompetent. Your child will not be a welcome addition to the school, but your money will be. Any issues at the school are generally glossed over, my child has reported physical bullying, verbal bullying, emotional distress, and yet administration cares more about the $$$ than the students. None of the teachers are competent, it's like they could not get into their chosen field so they decided to teach, if your child has any struggles, you will never hear about it from their teacher. Teacher's in middle school have little to no control over the classroom so they resort to screaming during the entire period. The school boasts a blue ribbon, but with high attrition rates from their faculty, and the small mentality and homogeneous personality of their student base, it's better to move or find an independent private school. They don't teach the values they preach. We have been at this school for years, and each year has gotten progressively worse, and every year I sit back and wonder what exactly it is that I'm paying for. Not worth it, the education there is more high stress and high volume than actual learning.

Posted: November 25, 2013

This is a great school. Yes it is tough and the dress code is strict but would you rather have your kids get a good education and associate with other good families or have them looking like punks and behaving like criminals? Take a look around Fairfax high and the choice is obvious. St Leo is well worth the 5k per year that we pay.

Posted: September 3, 2013

The teachers were nice and tried, but first graders should not be expected to do an hour of homework a night. Multiple studies have proven no benefit to homework at that age and yet, St. Leo's piles it on. Apparently in second and third it can be 2-3 hours a night. I pulled my daughter before we experienced that. I found it frustrating that the teacher could not give me a course objective for assignments and that she received more challenging books to read in kindergarten than first grade. They have lots of technical extras like Smart Boards, but I'd rather some old fashioned teaching with set objectives. I definitely didn't feel I was getting $5k better of an education than public which is why we moved to public. My husband and I were both products of Diocesan schools and taught in them as well, so we were disappointed with St. Leo's.

Posted: January 9, 2013

My kids were in Daniel's run Elementary school, I had to move them because one of my son had a lot of troubles, yes St Leo ipis very strict and there are more rules than other school, my kids are doing great the teachers are so professional and the most important think Religion is the best, I'm very happy that they've been educating by good teachers, they are safe, professionalism I give them 10 stars ;) God Bless you guys

Posted: January 9, 2013

This is a great school my kids are happy, teachers are always there with the answers for all the questions they are great ;)

Posted: September 10, 2012

The middle school teachers at this school are extremely biased, they favor The girls over boys, the front office staff are just blatantly rude when they found out I was transferring out of this school, the vice principal kept questioning us about why we were transferring. The students there were great, However there was alot of hatred and discontent towards many teachers though. There are barely any students, about 400. For pre-K through 8th grade.

Posted: July 4, 2012

I am going to put this very simply: if you love your child, do not send them here for middle school..

Posted: January 23, 2012

Great school, excellent Christian formation, great education, friendly and knowledgeable faculty. We have our two daughters at Saint Leo since Pre-School. We have seen many children of our friends and even though we are aware that most of the Christian foundation is provided at home, we are also aware that reinforcement and dedication will make the difference. We made a great decision and can see the difference with other kids even from other religious schools. Public schools were never an option, as we can see all the problems and exposure the new generations need to live in. I was shocked when I read about the parent who was not even happy with the Principal. On the contrary, the Principal, Mr. DiPippa makes really the difference. We strongly recommend this school, one of the feeders to Paul IV, another excellent Religious school in Fairfax and where my daughters will go after they graduate from 8th grade.

Posted: May 22, 2011

Last year was my last year at St. Leo's. To start, the administration is terrible. The principal doesn't even do their job so they leave it to the vice principal to do everything. They care more about the dress code than student actually achieving good grades. Also, they care more about what the middle schoolers are doing on Facebook than anything else. And I'll probably get tracked down for writing this review. Seeing as I have a limited amount of characters on this review, I can't really write about personal experiences but there is a list of MANY. The middle school teachers favor female students over male students to an EXTREME extent. The science teacher thinks it is her duty to reveal her whole personal life such as telling her students that it is THEIR FAULT that she can't watch Jeopardy and American Idol every night. Also, extremely incompetent considering it is almost June and my 7th sister has made it through only 4 chapters in their text book. They absolutely do NOT put religion as a priority. I enjoy the fact that my religion teacher last year taught about sexism and she is the biggest sexist in the whole school. I'd advise you to take your money elsewhere. 0 stars

Posted: February 26, 2011

I have had two children in St Leos if they had not changed principals my youngest would not be there. With a change in the church and the new staff at the school it is better. But I agree that it is too much run like a public school for my taste. I don't want PC I want a strong base with a Christian basis and St Leos does not do this well, When she gets to middle school will really be the test.

Posted: October 24, 2010

I was shocked to read the review from the parent who said that religion was not a priority or incorporated. We have had the absolute opposite experience. The priests are engaged with the children, my children have weekly assignments in religion - between writing reports on saints to memorizing prayers - all of my children learn a great deal about the faith and religion as a whole. Of course, even being able to mention God, Jesus and the Holy Trinity is leaps and bounds ahead of what the children are allowed to be exposed to in public school. Kudos to Saint Leo s! Keep up the good work!