Powell Elementary School

Posted: September 30, 2025

My daughter has been at Colin Powell Elementary from kindergarten through 6th grade in the general education program, and we absolutely adore the teachers and staff. They are caring, dedicated, and make learning a wonderful experience.

My son receives support through an IEP for his ADHD, and the staff have been incredibly supportive and loving toward him. They even attend his soccer games on Saturdays to cheer him on, which means so much to our family.

To parents who feel that having children with autism or ADHD disrupts the classroom: public schools are designed for all students, and Fairfax County schools, like many across the country, are currently facing teacher shortages. The staff at Colin Powell Elementary are doing their absolute best to meet the needs of every child, and we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Posted: September 30, 2025

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Posted: August 23, 2024

We had a similar experience to one of the other reviewers. The school admin seems to cater only to the Korean immersion program kids. We had issues with the AAP teacher and most of the teachers seemed burned out ( there were a few that were good). The classes were larger and were slowed down. i know multiple people who pulled their kids from the school because services were not being offered. Teacher turnover was bad for us our 1 kid had 3 + different teachers in 1 year. Kids were not encouraged to work beyond the area of training or being challenged. My daughter was actually NOT allowed to get chapter books out of the library and they forced her to read simple 1 sentence books and when I asked the teacher about her being given reading at her current reading level I was told I could do that on my own but she would keep getting the early readers though she was reading even according to their testing at a 3rd grade level in Kinder--just let her have the book! Everything was underwhelming and for those that say "you can go to any Fairfax county school they're all good" there was a stark difference between the experiences and education provided at some of our friends schools vs Powell.

Posted: August 23, 2024

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Posted: May 17, 2023

Uplifting teachers, caring staff, and parents who are incredibly involved and ready to help. Can’t beat that.

Posted: May 17, 2023

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Posted: January 20, 2023

This school is labeled as a two way Korean immersion school but that is not the case. The administration caters to the Korean population, minorities are not represented at this school. Principal overlooks the minority children living within the school’s boundary zone. If you’re not a participant in the immersion program you can assume your child will be placed in a crowded classroom, with autistic children who consume the teachers attention.

Posted: January 20, 2023

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Posted: December 14, 2022

This school was amazing. The teachers were nice and engaging. I always felt like they cared. This would be my top choice for any parent trying to find a school for their child!

Posted: November 21, 2022

/Parent
My son and daughter are attending this school. The teachers are good and the education is satisfactory.

Posted: November 21, 2022

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Posted: April 3, 2020

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Posted: April 3, 2020

The admin at the front desk are so incredibly rude and condescending. Strange...I pay their salaries with my taxes and their jobs exist to serve me and my children, not vice versa. If you are not Korean, don’t move into this school boundary.

Posted: September 29, 2017

This school allows an opportunity for students outside of the zone to be part of their Korean immersion program. They embrace learning not just of the language, but as well the culture. The school environment is very focused to the well being of the children as well their education. My daughter is now a third grader and we have seen with all the staff their invested focus and time to help the students achieve all subjects. We truly enjoy being part of Colin Powell.

Posted: September 29, 2017

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Posted: November 4, 2014

I have a son that attends this school. I think the school is well over the projected 50% of the Asian population and caters accorgingly. This school sent out a survey to find out which secondary language may possibly be taught this year 2014-2015. Soon thereafter, we learned Colin Powell wasn't one of the schools chosen. Shame on Fairfax County school district! A secondary language should be offered in all schools. And lastly but most importantly, my son is not interested in learning the Korean language!

Posted: November 3, 2014

Mr. B is the light of my soul. He has helped me in ways that i cannot repay him. Best man you will come across by far.

Posted: August 29, 2014

There is false data in the post below. I am not Asian. Our family came from Norway and Italy long ago. Per the Fairfax County School website, the ENTIRE Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Philippines, etc.) demographic is 55%. Studious, respectful families abound at Powell. Consequently, my daughter's reading, writing and math skills have vastly improved. Everyone gets along and learns from one another...a trait that is vital in a global workforce, particularly for the high-tech/Internet or medical fields and especially if one works in Silicon Valley. Extra curricular activities are the same as other Fairfax schools. We have done Girl Scouts, sports, French, gardening, Girls on the Run, Music, Grace Arts. If one desires a new activity, the PTA welcomes volunteers to lead that effort. All Fairfax County schools must offer similar class sizes, offerings, curriculum, teacher qualifications, etc. Differences are in the building, size, administration, distance from home, socioeconomic factors, AP offerings, and staff demeanor. Visit the Fairfax County School website for accurate data. To learn more about Powell, visit it or visit the principal's blog located on the school website.

Posted: August 16, 2014

This school is 80% Korean and caters to this demographic by offering a Korean immersion program for the non-speaking Korean students. The atmosphere is competitive and academic oriented with little emphasis on much else. Your children will need a good deal of after school support and tutors (most children go to kumon, etc) just to keep up. The teachers are very test and score-focused and put little emphasis on anything besides grades. There are no opportunities for sports or other non-math or non-science extra curricular activities for development. Although it is a quality education, they don't create well rounded students. I would think twice before moving into this school zone.

Posted: February 11, 2014

Amazing school. My daughter is a kindergartner in the Korean immersion program. We couldn't be more pleased!

Posted: September 22, 2013

This school is excellent I love it My son went for five years now Teachers are v good They really try to work with parents a lot to make the kids reach their potential .

Posted: June 3, 2013

This is a great school! All staff is very friendly and welcoming. I have two children in this school, a second grader and a kindergardener. The front office knows the children and the parents by name. They always slime and welcome you when you walk in. Teachers are caring and supportive. They work really hard to help each child to reach their full potential. It is a large school with a friendly warm atmosphere. My children couldn't be happier.

Posted: February 15, 2012

We got very mixed comments about this school, some parents are really disappointed, and moved their kids out of lower school level in the middle of semester. Some parents satisfied. Maybe it's depend on certain class and certain teacher. We heard about excellent teachers, very loving and devoted in some classes, but also, we heard terrible one, cold, dominate,incapable...if kids got bad luck to be in this class, it'll be a year-long suffering. Principle can help reduce this kind of negative impact, but, seems not did good job on that. Hope it can be improved! Teacher and school are so important for kids to learn and to grow happily and confidently. PTA did a great job to improve the class though.