The New School Of Northern Virginia in Fairfax

Posted: July 10, 2026

This school was a wonderful fit for our child. We chose the school because of its small class sizes that provide personal attention. The head of school and teachers are terrific and are invested in students' success. Even though the school is small, there are plenty of clubs and activities. This includes a number of sports teams and many performing arts activities, including an annual theater production. The school also offers two trips each year for spring break, taking students to Europe and beyond. Students and teachers all treat each other respectfully and the school promotes a spirit of kindness and inclusiveness. We could not have been happier with our child's experience.

Posted: July 10, 2026

Posted: June 29, 2026

Two kids, seven years, zero regrets
We sent both our children to The New School of Northern Virginia, and watching them graduate from here is one of the proudest things we've done as parents.
What sold us first was the size. An 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio isn't a marketing line at New School. It's the daily reality. Teachers know your kid. Not "knows their name and grade" know, but "noticed they were off on Tuesday and checked in" know. You can't fake that, and you definitely can't scale it at a traditional high school.
The teaching style fits kids who don't thrive in a one-size-fits-all classroom. New School calls it an ownership approach, where students learn to steer their own education instead of memorizing for the next test. For both of mine, that flipped a switch. One came in shy about asking questions. By senior year they were running discussions.
They educate the whole kid here. Academics, sure, and the college-prep work is real (100% of their seniors get into college). But they also pay attention to who your child is becoming. Curiosity, kindness, the ability to sit with a hard problem and not panic. That stuff doesn't show up on a transcript, and it's exactly what I wanted them to leave with.
The community is genuinely warm. Small enough that everyone knows everyone, friendly enough that the new kid in October has lunch friends by Friday. My children felt safe being themselves here, quirks and all.
Is it perfect? No school is. It's small, so the sports and activity menu is shorter than a big public school's. But for what we wanted, a place that sees each child and brings out their best, New School delivered for all of the years.
If your kid needs to be seen, not processed, tour this place. We're so glad we did.

Posted: June 29, 2026

Posted: June 26, 2026

Our daughter spent 2+ yrs at the New School of Northern Virginia. It was a Godsend and a lifesaver after a career in public school and the pandemic! She had previously always excelled at academics in public school until after the pandemic. Coupled with some physical and mental health challenges in early teen years meant she was failing some of her favorite subjects. Our brilliant, talented daughter was fading into the background and so afraid to go to school she wouldn't interact even with her closest friends. We were doing everything we could but the public school was limited in how many accomodations they would allow or could realistically support and those few accommodations were hard fought and won. The constant advocating and validating of my daughter's symptoms to both doctors and school administrators was exhausting! Although there were a number of factors that led to our decision to leave public school, even after the wonderful teachers that were involved with homebound teaching, we ultimately chose The New School of Northern Virginia because it was smaller, safer, less stimulating, more hands on with smaller class sizes and access to teachers, fascinating classes she was excited about, and more welcoming to kids that don't fit into a typical large public school setting. The teachers really cared and had the support of administration and freedom to go the extra mile to support their students as well. When our daughter took a tour of the school and spent one day there she came home excited and said she felt like she already had friends there and wanted to attend. Now she has graduated with honors and we are so thankful and relieved we made the switch. It made all the difference! Our daughter is confident and looking forward to her future again!

Posted: June 26, 2026

Posted: July 4, 2025

We have had 2 kids graduate from NSNVA- one in 2021 and the other in 2025. Both kids had truly remarkable experiences. As parents, we really love that learning at the New School is very student centered. There are many opportunities for students to choose the direction of their studies within the guard rails of an "essential question" asked by the teacher. Neither of our children thrived in the public education system where teachers are required to follow pacing guides and "teach to the test." The New School does not participate in SOL's and teachers are given the freedom to design their own curriculums. Student questions are encouraged and class discussions are interesting and fun. The Head of School likes to say that The New School is where students learn to use their minds well and we whole heartedly agree with this statement. My kids graduated with a level of media literacy far beyond their peers at other schools, they have learned valuable research skills and their reading and writing skills have grown tremendously. Both graduated extremely prepared for college. Our older kiddo is headed off to graduate school and our younger one was accepted to their first choice college. On a socio-emotional level, we couldn't feel more strongly that our kids were both seen and heard and were able to show up at school every day as their authentic selves. We couldn't recommend this school more enthusiastically for anyone looking for a more engaging educational opportunity for their child and a warm, welcoming community in which they will thrive.

Posted: July 4, 2025

Posted: July 2, 2025

Our son had a great experience at The New School of Northern Virginia. He just graduated this year. The school is very supportive of kids with all kinds of learning and social styles. It meets the kids where they are at. The small class sizes and teacher access were extremely helpful for our son. TNS is a very welcoming and accepting environment, although there can still be challenges with certain kids or teachers (but that is true anywhere). The administrators are very open to hearing about and addressing any concerns. The classes are really interesting and the kids take a lot of ownership in their education and preparation for college. I highly recommend this school for anyone looking for a smaller, supportive learning environment as an alternative to large public schools.

Posted: July 2, 2025

Posted: July 1, 2025

This was exactly the right school for my then introverted daughter who was lacking self confidence both socially and academically when she began sophomore year. Well she just graduated and what a transformation it has been! The teachers are amazing at bringing the best out of their students. The kids feel accepted and are challenged with interesting courses and taught to think outside of the box. I watched my daughter transform to prepare exhibitions, research papers, and stand up daily to address the school. She will be attending Wesleyan University after her gap year traveling and volunteering and I know she is so well prepared.

Posted: July 1, 2025

Posted: August 24, 2024

The New School is very different from other private schools in the area. It is non-profit and has a clientele of quirky students who didn't fit in well in the generally excellent public schools. Two of our kids who were amazing students until they crashed into the wall of anxiety and depression in early high school years at FCPS have thrived here. Students have actual relationships with teachers, who care deeply and are extremely accommodating of different needs while encouraging them to stretch. The classes and projects engage them intellectually; very little is done for rote purposes and I've seen my kids doing work that I didn't have a chance to practice until college; it's a true liberal arts education.

Having said that, this school isn't for everyone. The student population has a much higher % of kids on the autism spectrum than the public schools, although they generally aren't from the "high support needs" population. They are the bright quirky kids who had a hard time fitting in socially elsewhere. If you have a "cool kid" who doesn't like "geeks" / "nerds", they will be unhappy. Lots of students are queer; there's an abundance of dyed hair and diverse gender expression. I can say from personal experience that trans kids do NOT have to deal with the social pressures and abuse they experience in public schools. If you are looking for a place to "whip your kid into shape" / have high control needs, you are going to be disappointed; the teachers focus on developing intrinsic motivation and generally push students to take the lead rather than catering to helicopter parents. They are highly willing to collaborate with parents, but they won't be pushing things at you. It's also likely not the place for highly competitive kids; high achieving students can and do thrive here and get accepted into prestigious schools, but the vibe is highly collaborative and generally teachers don't leverage "fear of failure" as a motivator. It's basically the opposite of Basis Independent in McLean. There are sports, but it's really not a focus.

Having said all of that, I will echo want another reviewer said: this school saved one of my kid's life. We would go into debt to send them here.

Posted: March 6, 2024

Our son transferred here in the sixth grade after dealing with bullying in FCPS and undiagnosed (at the time) ADHD and ASD. Im not exaggerating when I say that this school saved my sons life.

In my opinion, this school is a perfect fit for middle and high school students who arent doing well academically at the high-pressure schools in Fairfax and surrounding areas. The class sizes are small, the students create their own curriculum, and the teachers work alongside students to help them excel.

There are so many private schools in the DMV area. And not every school is going to be a perfect fit for every child. But this is a perfect fit for ours.

Posted: March 6, 2024

Posted: July 31, 2023

It sounds like a great concept but we did not have a positive experience. The kids have too much freedom with very little oversight or discipline. They do not have PTA and do not like parents involvement other than maybe help with coaching sports which made it seemed like they are not being fully transparent. I would not recommend this school and recommend looking at other schools.

Posted: July 31, 2023

Posted: December 24, 2022

It is not worth the tuition. Teachers are not required to have teaching license, and some do not have much experience. They do not have resources of public schools or other private schools. Curriculum is created by teachers who do not have much experience. You are not getting quality education for the price you are paying. There are a lot of kids with mental health issues. School does not have much of a dress code and kids can wear whatever they like. There is too much freedom and bad influences in this school. I regret choosing this school for my child and do not recommend this school.

Posted: December 24, 2022

Posted: September 10, 2018

We transferred 2 daughters from public HS to New School after they complained that they were bored to tears since public spent all their time reteaching subjects for SOLs. Happy we did! With the independent skills they learned at NS, college was a breeze for both of them (Illustration and BioChemistry majors). They still thank us for sending them here!

Posted: September 10, 2018

Posted: April 3, 2017

School did not live up to our expectations. The philosophy sounded great, but doesn't work in practice. Kids are given too much freedom. They need stronger leadership, better communication with parents, and more oversight of students. It is a shame because there are a few really good teachers, but not enough to make up for all of the problems.

Posted: April 3, 2017

Lots of kids with learning differences but they aren't getting the help they need. I don't think teachers have any training on this.

Posted: April 3, 2017

I have seen little evidence of leadership. This is one of the main problems with this school.

Posted: April 3, 2017

Some teachers are very good, engaging, and hardworking. Many are apathetic and take advantage of little admin oversight. Most seem to lack basic training in the basics of teaching and developmental needs of children.

Posted: April 3, 2017

Homework load is not heavy, but expectations are not clearly communicated. Many teachers rarely update electronic grading system (PowerSchool) and do not send email updates. Parents do not know if kids are turning in assignments until it is too late to do anything about it. If teachers/admin would communicate concerns with parents, this would be very helpful.

Posted: July 17, 2016

Both of our children attend this school and we have had a very positive experience. Classes are small and our kids get all the attention they need. Our kids get pushed and are encouraged to excel. They complete each school year by giving a final presentation of all of the projects they completed throughout the year and explain how these projects developed their skills in a particular area.

Posted: August 7, 2015

My son has attended this school for just over a year and we couldn't be happier! The classes are small and engaging, and the teachers take the time to make sure he's interested in and understanding the content. We are so excited that we found The New School. If you're looking for small classes and a friendly community please consider The New School.

Posted: August 7, 2015

My son has attended this school for just over a year and we couldn't be happier! The classes are small and engaging, and the teachers take the time to make sure he's interested in and understanding the content. We are so excited that we found The New School. If you're looking for small classes and a friendly community please consider The New School.

Posted: August 7, 2015

I have never seen a more dedicated group of teachers in my life. They give up lunches and free time to work with students almost everyday. They ask excellent questions and expect students to think for themselves. They are also always trying new strategies when a student is struggling. This is partially possible because of small classes.

Posted: August 7, 2015

The homework load is different depending on the teacher. My student rarely feels overloaded though. The focus is on quality homework, not quantity.

Posted: June 5, 2015

I don't have any solid feeling about homework we were too distracted by all the other issues.

Posted: June 5, 2015

Good in the beginning, teachers are good except for one or two. The kids in the lower grades are given too much freedom. The small group of elementary students are fighting constantly and displaying inappropriate behavior. Administration is helpful at first then behaviors return. Besides one great teacher and one friend, my student hated going(very out of character). We exited in early April and this school still has not sent transcripts and medical records. I would not chose this school if your child is bright and friendly and wants to learn because most of the others don't.

Posted: June 5, 2015

The teachers were wonderful and taught in a fun and interesting way. There was only one who clearly did not want to be there and made it clear in her teaching style.

Posted: June 5, 2015

When teachers asked the group to do something or not do it there was always a group in trouble. The group gossiped and lied to each other. While some teachers would not tolerate this behavior others had the attitude of "that's how kids are- that's life". Tremendous amount of manipulation among students in elementary school.

Posted: April 8, 2014

I absolutely LOVE this school. Although it is a long drive for me, it has been worth the time and $. My son (12) is in 6th grade and so happy. More importantly, he went from being a mediocre student falling through the cracks at his public school to being a straight A student thriving and learning like a plant soaking up the attention and all it offers. Teachers are just wonderful. If your child is not reaching potential, go for it! This is my way of giving back to this site, which reviews inspired me to send my son here.

Posted: December 31, 2013

We have only been at this school since September but so far my child, who is in 7th grade, really loves it. The teachers are very creative and go out of their way to make learning interesting. The very small class size allows for more interactions by the students. The teachers are very involved with providing fun activities outside of school. And most of the in school special activities, like the talent show, Halloween party, etc. are planned and run by students with support of the Parents' Association as requested. The Office Staff are so wonderful! And everyone, Staff, Teachers and other parents have been very welcoming. Just a completely humane environment for students.

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Stonehurst	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fairfax	VA	0.6 mi
2	Barkley	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fairfax	VA	1.3 mi
3	Willow Woods	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Annandale	VA	2.7 mi
4	Shreevewood	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Falls Church	VA	3.2 mi
5	Long Branch	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Annandale	VA	3.3 mi
6	The Elms	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	3.4 mi
7	Kings Park West	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fairfax	VA	3.7 mi
8	Broyhill Crest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Annandale	VA	3.8 mi
9	Middleridge	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fairfax	VA	4.6 mi
10	Burke Station Square	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	4.7 mi
11	Cardinal Forest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	West Springfield	VA	5.3 mi
12	North Springfield	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	5.4 mi
13	Falls Church City	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Falls Church	VA	5.5 mi
14	Burke Conservancy	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Burke	VA	5.5 mi
15	West Springfield	Neighborhood/Subdivision	West Springfield	VA	5.9 mi
16	Orange Hunt Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	6.4 mi
17	Lewis Park	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fairfax	VA	6.5 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Vienna	Vienna	VA	2.9 mi
2	West Falls Church	Falls Church	VA	3.3 mi
3	Annandale	Annandale	VA	4.4 mi
4	Falls Church	Falls Church	VA	4.5 mi
5	Burke	Burke	VA	4.7 mi
6	Burke Centre	Burke	VA	4.8 mi
7	Springfield	Springfield	VA	6.4 mi
8	West Springfield	West Springfield	VA	6.5 mi

Base	Distance
Defense Health Headquarters Falls Church	3.3 mi.
Mark Center Alexandria	8.5 mi.
NRO Chantilly	9.9 mi.
Fort Myer	10.3 mi.
Henderson Hall	10.5 mi.
Pentagon	11.5 mi.
Fort Belvoir	12.2 mi.
Fort McNair	13.6 mi.
Bolling AFB Joint Base Anacostia	13.6 mi.
Walter Reed Medical Center	13.6 mi.
Coast Guard Headquarters DC	13.8 mi.
Washington Navy Yard	14.6 mi.
Marine Barracks Washington	14.8 mi.
Indian Head Naval Base	19.4 mi.
Andrews AFB	20.8 mi.
Quantico Marine Base	24.3 mi.
Fort Meade NSA	32.8 mi.
Dahlgren NSWC	37.9 mi.
Fort Detrick	40.9 mi.
US Naval Academy	42.9 mi.
Annapolis Naval Station	43.9 mi.
Coast Guard Curtis Bay	44.3 mi.

The New School Of Northern Virginia

Fairfax, VA 22031

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