Shirley C. Heim Middle School in Stafford

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	3/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Virginia Standards of Learning data from Virginia Department of Education, and using 2025 Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) End-of-Course data from Virginia Department of Education.
Student Growth	2/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Virginia Department of Education.

Posted: May 11, 2026

I have an 6th grade 11year old child My ex-wife and I are involved in every way to make sure we get her full potential but some of her teachers don't believe in advocating for your child when they have special needs yes she is in federal fund state program for autism, depression, and anxiety. They don't want parents to engage in learning or anything else. DON'T ENROLL YOUR CHILD!!

Posted: September 7, 2025

Shirley Heim Middle School is one of the best schools in Aquia because it has good teachers, fun activities, and a positive environment. The teachers care about the students and actually want to help us learn. They explain things in a way that makes sense and they dont give up on you if you are struggling the school is also fun because there are so many things to do outside of class. Sports like football, basketball, and track bring everyone together, and if you dont play sports there are still clubs and other activities to join. Spirit weeks and pep rallies make the school feel like one big group even though its cold in the cafeteria most of the times its still a really nice place to be in

Posted: September 7, 2025

It was very pleasant, sports where good, programs, ect.

Posted: June 25, 2025

Overall I would rate this school 3 stars. My 3 years spent there were not unbearable but I am so happy Im finally out. Some of the teachers are amazing but the rest are below where they need to be. The students are definitely not disciplined at all, while I did make some good friends I never want to speak to most of these kids again. Admin as a whole is just average. The food is absolutely disgusting, but that could be said for most schools in the county. While I was there we did have a good SRO (we switched like every other month minimum), it definitely didnt feel like the safest environment. I will forever cherish the memories I had in this school. I am so grateful I got to go as I built up many skills. 5/10 would not recommend. Hopefully the rising class is better (their not)

Posted: May 27, 2025

Any issues have gotten addressed. Kids like the numerous options for lunch. Its in quiet part of town with friendly staff.

Posted: March 17, 2025

I strongly advise against enrolling your child in this school. My personal experience here has been overwhelmingly negative, and it has had a significant impact on my mental health since I entered 6th grade. The school struggles to maintain a safe and productive learning environment, as teachers often fail to address disruptive behavior or ensure that students are receiving the proper instruction. Many students are allowed to be disengaged during class, which affects the overall learning experience. Unfortunately, those who are less involved in class activities tend to be the ones who face the most disciplinary action.
I urge parents to consider other options for their children, as this school does not provide the supportive, structured environment that is essential for academic and personal growth. Additionally, the quality of the school lunch is subpar, and I often find it difficult to eat. Overall, the school feels underfunded, disorganized, and lacks the resources needed to foster a positive and productive educational experience. last word xx

Posted: March 5, 2025

So nice ans nice teachers Wellington manières People

Posted: October 6, 2024

Food trash, teachers awful, barley any help whatsoever. This place was the worst and created nightmares for me, Im so glad that I graduated from that school this year and no longer have to bare with it anymore. Wasted 3 full years in there and it felt nothing more than a prison. Worst school ever, wouldnt recommend enrolling your child here and I hope the kids who have to go to this school dont endure the same awful experience I had to go through and actually get the nice teachers there.

Posted: August 31, 2024

It was terrible this school has no regards into the students learning the teacher's staff members and even the students were very wicked this school is worse Then hhpoole I fell of the Stairs once And no one not even One of my home room teacher came to help me. No matter how loud I screamed, a bunch of kids were chasing a girl for her birthday Cupcakes. and the students were very toxic about it as well.

Posted: August 17, 2023

This school is trash they 3 new principals messed up the schedule and the lunch is terrible i got food posing from one of the burger . Some of the teachers wont care people will be saying bad words all they time and they do nothing but if someone whispers in class you will get in so much trouble.
the bathrooms are never clean. They never take bulling and vaping seriously .and guess what they have to give students FAKE money to get them to behave .Teachers can never keep up with assignments. there are ants in the locker room maggots in the forum and constants spiders i saw 3 spiders n my desk at one time .

Posted: March 17, 2023

Nothing wrong with school or teacher or kids. One of the greatest ways for parents to help their children learn English is by attempting to learn English themselves. When parents are able to use English at home, more opportunities will arise for children to practice speaking and listening. Parents and children practicing their new skills together can be a great motivator.Even parents who are fluent in English can demonstrate the importance of learning by focusing on an area of improvement, such as studying a difficult novel to learn complex vocabulary or bettering their writing skills.

Posted: February 21, 2023

This school has a few good qualities, but overall isn't the best. Here are a few reasons why I only give it 2 stars:

1.The food is nasty 8/10 of the time
2. They don't take things like rape threats seriously
3. Some teachers have favorite students and let it affect other students learning
4.Teachers don't give appropriate consequences to student who do something really bad( like saying a racial slur) and give over the top punishments for someone who is whispering in class

Posted: December 12, 2022

Principals are often seen as the primary agents of change to improve student achievement and success within their school. The principal has done nothing in that regard; underhill has showed his students he does not care about their future success. Hes absolutely a letdown. He only cares about his selfish success. In addition, some students are bullies and underhill and admin do not take bullying serious which results in the in the lack of support for the students' mental health and emotional well-being that are being targeted. Interesting enough, he was cheerful when he first arrived last year and waving at the parents while directing the car rider lane but when many of the staff and administrators quit at the end of the school year and left to other schools, this school has became hopeless. We send our kids to school to become a better version of themselves but underhill stole many of the kids of their dreams. Currently we are in the middle of the school year and the principal has put in his two week notice to go to another school closer to his house. Unprofessional to say the least. In addition, there is no new principal lined up and expects the administration to take care of the unruly school.

Posted: December 3, 2022

Be aware of the new vice principal marra. She sides and favors bullies and their actions.

The job of a principal/assistant principal/teacher is to facilitate learning.

Bullies stress everyone out, undermine the collective self-esteem and safety needed for learning, cause suspicion and mistrust, and fray the culture of learning.
An administrator/teacher who favors this individual/s, is not an administrator/teacher as they are not facilitating learning.
They are not an administrator nor teacher but a bully themselves or they have a misplaced interpretation of what restorative justice is and isn't. It is not the lack of boundaries and the privileging to power of those in emotional need. It is focusing on the individual in pain without giving them undue power until they have the tools and stability for it.
Bullying should be addressed as soon as it crops up. Bullying should not be tolerated.
The 8th grade counselor fitzsimmions is in the same realm and revoked of her license. An overhaul of administration needs to occur in order for this school to be great again.

Posted: September 20, 2022

school is like jail people vape and smoke in the bathrooms.

Posted: August 2, 2022

As a student, or at least a former student, Ive had an interesting experience regarding this school. Many teachers were very helpful and able to teach their classes and help them succeed, though I wouldnt say all teachers are all that great. Many students in this school did lack a sense of discipline to a certain extent but thats what to expect of a public school. The staff do try extremely hard to have every aspect of the school to be either acceptable or perfect. From what Ive picked up I can infer that the school either is unable to or just doesnt care about its students. Overall the school can use a bit of fixing to better the experience there, but if you are in the area and have children that are going to middle school this is the school to have them enrolled in. (Shoutout to my algebra teacher(s), civics teacher, and music technology teacher.)

Posted: March 25, 2022

hate this school so much I be came emo

Posted: March 25, 2022

Posted: March 24, 2022

this school is mid yb is fosho better go to stafford me homies #spongebob da og

Posted: March 24, 2022

Posted: July 19, 2021

I worked at SHM school as a speech-language pathologist. It is the best school I have ever worked at. Mr. Jones, the assistant principal is incredibly a great leader. Ms. Lydia as well is a wonderful chairperson. The staff are amazing. I am going to miss it.

Posted: July 19, 2021

Posted: August 23, 2017

Shirley Heim MS has been a great school for my kids and my family. My 3rd child (of 4) will be starting 6th grade this fall. My daughter received straight A's for all 3 years at Heim (All in advanced classes) and my 2nd child has excelled through 6th and 7th grade. We have had great success with the leadership, teachers and staff and easily rate it as one of the best schools in Stafford County.

Posted: August 23, 2017

Posted: February 2, 2017

The staff is amazing! The teachers are phenomenal! The arts, music, and sports are well organized and great for the kids!

Posted: April 6, 2015

I became a new student at Shirley C. Heim a few months ago, and I honestly don't like the school. The teachers here aren't hard on their students at all. I took all advanced classes at my old school, but when I moved here the only advanced classes I could take were English and Math. They also don't have many elective options at this school, and if you take a language; you have to go to your high school every other day.The teachers barely give out any homework and the students there are very disrespectful and aren't serious about their work. People are always talking when they're not supposed to, which prevents the students who actually want to learn from learning. I'm a straight A student, and I usually get work that's challenging. At this school, everything is fairly easy, yet students still complain and don't do their work. I was surprised when I got 100 % on a math test and everyone got like a 70% and below. They were all saying I was probably the first person to get such a high score in their class this school year, which is very sad. I haven't been at this school for very long, but so far I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Their lunch is good though.

Posted: February 1, 2015

My complaint is that some of the teachers are overloading students with mindless activities and not fairly grading them for their fine work. The use of harshness, diatribes, and pure meanness displayed by a very few teachers toward very reliable students is appalling. Moreover, there needs to be a greater emphasis on camaraderie rather than simply making high scores on the SAT so that the school can look good. Too much pressure for young people in my opinion cause students to lack of efforts. Lastly, talented students are overlooked while participating in tryouts for sports which again causes poor morale at Shirley Heim!

Posted: September 29, 2014

My daughters and I have been at Shirley Heim for just one month and I am so pleased with the quality of support my children are receiving. The teachers communicate well, they post their classwork and grades on the web so I can check on homework and grades, and they appear to care. There is a very active PTA also that sponsors activities for the kids. Coming from another school district that was horrible, I feel we made the right choice. Thanks Shirley Heim!

Posted: August 5, 2014

This school has very poor leadership SHMS has a large number of teachers leaving EVERY YEAR, in fact some of the most in the county. This mass exodus every year reflects a feeling of discontent that is felt by the teachers and ultimately by the students. Problems in classrooms with very disruptive students are ignored by the principals who come across as afraid of boisterous parents of behavior problems. The school lost many good teachers again this year.

Posted: March 25, 2014

We just moved from this school and we were not happy here. My daughter is advanced so the extended programs were nice but there are a lot of trouble kids in this school and the teachers and staff do NOTHING about it. My daughter witnessed quite a few teachers who just YELL at the kids when they are not in the correct classes or late. Her science teacher was nice but a few kids would eat or talk when they were not supposed to and he assigned THE WHOLE CLASS, lunch detention. He wouldn't bother addressing the trouble kids and just punished everyone. Definite disciplinary issues here!

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Aquia Harbour	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	0.9 mi
2	Woodstream	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	1.6 mi
3	Aquia Harbour	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Aquia Harbour	VA	1.6 mi
4	Hampton Oaks	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	3.2 mi
5	Manors of Greenridge	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	3.2 mi
6	Amber Hill	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	3.7 mi
7	Park Ridge - The Manors	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	3.9 mi
8	Park Ridge The Towns	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	3.9 mi
9	Austin Ridge	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	4 mi
10	Autumn Ridge	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	4.1 mi
11	Eastern View	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	4.4 mi
12	Embrey Mills	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	4.6 mi
13	Potomac Highlands	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Triangle	VA	4.9 mi
14	Stonewall Manor	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Triangle	VA	5.5 mi
15	Vista Woods	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	5.7 mi
16	Apple Grove	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	5.8 mi
17	Augustine	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	6.1 mi
18	St. George's Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	6.3 mi
19	Hunter's Pond	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Stafford	VA	7.3 mi
20	Brittany	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Dumfries	VA	7.8 mi
21	Potomac Shores	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Dumfries	VA	8.1 mi
22	Ashland	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Manassas	VA	9.1 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Public Quarry at Government Island	Stafford	VA	2.6 mi
2	Stafford	Stafford	VA	4.6 mi
3	Aquia Landing Park	Stafford	VA	7.5 mi

Base	Distance
Quantico Marine Base	5.6 mi.
Indian Head Naval Base	13 mi.
Fort Belvoir	19.9 mi.
Dahlgren NSWC	21.1 mi.
Mark Center Alexandria	27.7 mi.
NRO Chantilly	27.9 mi.
Defense Health Headquarters Falls Church	28 mi.
Fort AP Hill	28.5 mi.
Henderson Hall	31.2 mi.
Bolling AFB Joint Base Anacostia	31.3 mi.
Fort Myer	31.8 mi.
Pentagon	31.8 mi.
Coast Guard Headquarters DC	32.8 mi.
Fort McNair	33 mi.
Washington Navy Yard	33.9 mi.
Marine Barracks Washington	34.2 mi.
Andrews AFB	34.5 mi.
Walter Reed Medical Center	38.9 mi.

Shirley C. Heim Middle School

Stafford, VA 22554

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