Great Falls Elementary School

Posted: June 1, 2025

We have been struggling for 3 years at this school. My child is doing very well in school but is not challenged and the pace of learning is slow and not engaging. We have never really felt welcome as parents and we don’t feel the administration has ever made an effort to know my child. Some grades give homework and other grades don’t. Teacher communication differs by grade level. But I often don’t know what my child is learning or how they are doing until the report cards come out. The kids are constantly being tested on skills they have not been taught. The testing is a bit excessive. There is a lot of teacher turnover as well as a lot of part time teachers. There is a lot of non academic time including screen time as early as kindergarten. The PTA is very present and constantly fundraising. Every event is for raising money. However instead of focusing on opportunities to benefit the students most of the budget is geared toward teacher perks. They do arrange after school classes but they’re very expensive and probably a fundraiser too. The principal is overly supporting teachers over students. This school has a Japanese immersion program but the parents treat this like a separate private school. The entry is by lottery but it seems the majority of the class is made up of local kids. I believe the school would be stronger without the language immersion program. It seems to segregate kids. We don’t feel any community at this school and it’s sad because it’s a small school that has the potential but communication and family engagement is poor. There are several PTA members that are heavily involved and don’t seem to welcome newcomers.

Posted: June 1, 2025

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Posted: September 4, 2024

Wonderful teachers and admins with a very nurturing environment. More importantly the students are taught respect and kindness. A lot of great families and great events as well!

Posted: September 4, 2024

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Posted: September 3, 2024

We moved here two years ago, and we have found the school to be so welcoming, engaging and thoughtful. The teachers and staff want to be there and love teaching, and you can tell by the way they interact with their students as well as the parents. It is such a positive environment, and we love seeing how much our boys enjoy going to school and the learning adventures they are having. If we have an issue or a question, the teachers and Principal Harper are responsive and willing to work with parents to figure out the best options/solutions. We are very happy here!

Posted: September 3, 2024

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Posted: May 22, 2024

Admin is not present and favors certain staff and families. Students are not effectively disciplined and are often running around the school. the new aap teacher is not helpful or friendly. She does not fully answer questions and seems to be annoyed.
The sped lead teacher only tests certain families and is not effective.
Unimpressed given the amount of taxes we pay.

Posted: May 22, 2024

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Posted: June 25, 2023

We moved to Great Falls partly because of its reputation for having a great public school and feel that we need to share our deep disappointment and frustration regarding the lack of standards and follow-through exhibited by the administration at Great Falls Elementary. The inconsistency and lack of responsiveness and follow-through have severely impacted the quality of education provided. The principal's role is pivotal in setting the tone and ensuring a high standard of education. However, it is evident that the current leadership at GFES has fallen short in this regard. There is a palpable absence of proactive leadership, resulting in a lack of clear direction and a failure to implement effective policies that benefit the entire school community. This lack of leadership trickles down to the teachers and staff, negatively impacting their morale and motivation as well as allowing standards and quality education to slip. Teachers are on their phones as frequently as the students. We were told to beware of the 5th-grade teachers. I wish we would have listened.

Posted: June 25, 2023

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Posted: March 26, 2021

I am currently in high school and I could not recommend GFES enough. Hands down the best learning experience and teachers I have had thus far. The teachers are incredibly kind. The project based learning is fun and effective. I loved the environment, everyone was so kind. The programs were amazing. My little sister will be attending soon and I am so excited for her to be able to experience GFES :)

Posted: March 26, 2021

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Posted: September 28, 2017

Posted: September 28, 2017

We would recommend GFES to everyone. In fact I would not move out of this area simply due to our amazing experience at gfes that I want for all of my kids.

Posted: September 28, 2017

Homework is given to reinforce what is learned at school. My children have never had an overload of homework which I appreciate!

Posted: September 28, 2017

I have 3 children at GFES and most teachers have been effective and provide the children with a sound education and emotional support

Posted: September 28, 2017

Posted: September 28, 2017

Information is provided to parents on a routine basis. More advance notice of issues could be provided but overall happy with leadership.

Posted: September 28, 2017

I have a child with an IEP and his needs are always taken into consideration and the support has been amazing from teachers and leadership.

Posted: February 7, 2017

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Posted: February 7, 2017

More teachers try than don't, but the administration makes this impossible.

Posted: February 7, 2017

Posted: February 7, 2017

This school has a lot of issues. I have heard the new principal has made some progress, but he culture of form over function and appearance over substance is hard to defeat. We have been at Colvin Run for two years now since our eldest got into the level four Advanced Academic Program and we have been able to pupil place the other kids to CRES as well luckily. But despite loving our house, we are looking at moving to the CRES area to ensure we never have to go to GFES again. Truly, astoundly awful.

Posted: November 29, 2016

I have to admit, I'm shocked to see this school has only 3 stars since it's one of the best elementary schools in the state. I have two children at GFES, and it's an amazing school. It has an on-site Advanced Academic Placement as well as Japanese language immersion. Plus, it's a small school and has that small town feel. New principal is doing a great job. Teachers here are on par with anywhere in Fairfax County. Lots of great PTA events and parent participation. I do think there's a lot of emphasis on test scores, but to be fair, this is a county/ statewide problem, not something that's unique to Great Falls.

Posted: November 29, 2016

My kids are very sensitive to anything that could be considered inappropriate teasing- bullying. They mention it is talked about a lot at GFES.

Posted: November 29, 2016

I had a child with an IEP (special education), plus now have one in AAP (advanced academic placement) and can say that GFES provides exceptional instruction on both ends of the spectrum.

Posted: November 29, 2016

Good and friendly office staff. Nice principal, and fantastic PTA.

Posted: November 29, 2016

No bullying here. Very kind student body with great manners.

Posted: November 29, 2016

They are hands on with the kids and are able to not only differentiate instruction but add plays, music, and other fun elements to the curriculum.

Posted: November 29, 2016

Kids are given 3 days to do 2 days worth of homework. It isn't overwhelming for either of my kids, one of whom is in AAP. And I love the reading logs.

Posted: April 16, 2014

I attended this school from 1st to 6th grade, I am now in 8th grade, and I can say that this school was one of the most difficult schools I have ever seen where the teachers are unnecessarily hard on the students and treat some students like trash, me being one of them. I was asking a question while my English teacher was reading us a story and she told me to put my hand down and stop asking questions, she told me it was clear that I didn't understand the book and that the book was higher level readers only, and told me to leave the classroom, I cried the rest of the day. The teachers Favorited some students and gave them passing A's when I put in much more work then they did and all I got were C's. This school is the epitome of unfair treatment! The teachers treated us like we couldn't learn anything. When I passed all of my SOLs I couldn't even be happy because my teachers were to busy harassing me. Overall This school was trash, DO NOT SENT YOUR KIDS THERE!

Posted: February 26, 2014

GFES has a young Principal who is going on his second year at the school and has not yet found his stride. I believe he wants to produce a school with good test scores but isn't sure how to go about doing it. This is due to inexperience. He is easily swayed by any parent who is giving him positive attention. The PTA coffers are low due to low morale in the parent body. One of the Principal's ideas, which the PTA has agreed to, is to put money towards an online math tutoring program that the students can do at home. Hello, we can do online math programs for free. No one needs to put $7,000 dollars towards a low end online math service. Many parents don't even know that this is where their money was spent. The teachers at GFES are like anywhere else in the county. Some are great and some are average. What usually sets the school apart is the parent involvement both in time and money given to the school. Both have come to a quick halt due to the poor administration. Let's hope that this Principal quickly grows up or moves on. He is holding the school back from being more successful. I have had children at the school for over 10 years and this is my 3rd Principal.

Posted: January 9, 2014

We moved to this neighborhood for the benefits of foreign language immersion classes, but GFES leaves much to be desired. The teacher is far more concerned about student performance on SOL tests and instructs mostly in English so that the material would be 'understandable.' Anyone who knows the principle behind 'immersion' learning (I was a teacher myself) knows this makes mockery of the approach. The new principal is responsive, but seems unable to make the teacher change her classroom style, despite numerous parent requests like mine that greater attention be paid to language immersion -- for example, using class materials in the target language, or learning Kanji. With time we have learned that most of the Japanese parents have gotten the word and send their children to Fox Mill, which enjoys strong support from the principal and parents for extra-curricular cultural events. As schools go, GFES is not bad but the 'language immersion' element, in fine American style, is highly over-sold and short on real content. We get far more value out of Kumon, Oen Network, Saturday school and other learning opportunities.

Posted: September 3, 2013

So far, this year, ( we are new to this school) I'm already pleased with how accessible and accommodating the principal was to our concerns that our normal learning abilities child was placed in an inclusive classroom with a lot of learning disabled children. He explained thoroughly that there would still be the same general education curriculum for all the regular kids just with a lot more teachers available in the room. Dispelling my concerns the curriculum would be watered down so all the kids could digest. However, he said that if I was still concerned he had made arrangements that my son could be switched to the normal classroom as well. All this before school on the first day, a very busy day I know! So thank you Mr. Lonnett for your time and effort!

Posted: December 9, 2011

In our Paents experience, this is the only elementary school where we have been plainly told by a 5th grade English Teacher who is still in Great Falls ES, that she and her collegue would like to practice their profession and teach our child, but "that their hands are tied by the principal".!!!!! The Principal, rather than providing education to all children, does indeed involve daily in an education deprivation self decided policy against some children, to get even with parents who complain about him and his known negative micromanagement of teachers activities to FCPS Board. He is harming this way some selected students education, and spends the majority of his administrative time retaliating against innocent children despite all their rights to education, and despite their parents complaints to all authorities: the Board of FCPS, the Virginia Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights, and the Fairfax County Child Protective Services for child neglects such as repetitively involving in cutting also attendents in school buses, exposing this way some students in need to physical harm during school bus transportation!!!!!

Posted: November 17, 2011

The school does not have the will to fulfill its complete role as base school for its special education students, and it routinely does not respect IEPs the school itself have signed. Also, It does not prepare adequately its neighbourhood residents for middle school as other FCPS elementary schools do and it discriminates openly against students with even mild disabiities.

Posted: April 5, 2010

Wonderful school, great new facility. My son's teachers are warm, caring and really focus on each child's needs.

Posted: April 5, 2010

Posted: January 27, 2008