Lemon Road Elementary School

Posted: July 21, 2024

The principal's behavior can sometimes come across as passive-aggressive. Those who have interacted with her might sense that something is off. There are questions about whether she is the right fit for the role. Students are frequently sent to her office for minor reasons, suggesting a focus on controlling the narrative rather than addressing genuine issues.

Additionally, the school appears to be heavily focused on influencing students' thinking. The selection process for the Advanced Academic Program (AAP) seems inconsistent, with many students admitted without meeting the necessary qualifications, leading to imbalanced class sizes—with 25 students in AAP classes compared to 18 in regular classes.

She has the potential to be a good principal if she focuses on the students' benefit rather than her own agenda. Please consult with experienced teachers. There are teachers whom students love, respect, and eagerly look forward to attending their classes. It is quite evident who they are, and their advice should be valued.

A growing number of teachers, including the principal, seem to struggle with earning the respect of the students. They may be kids, but they can sense who genuinely cares for them. They are more perceptive than we often give them credit for. I strongly recommend that parents talk to their child every day after school and to reach out to other parents to exchange information. Your guidance is crucial for your children's well-being.

The fact that more than 10 teachers have left in the past two years is quite telling and indicates underlying issues that need to be addressed. On a positive note, the school is in a safe location, and the PTA is doing a great job.

Posted: March 6, 2024

I think it's important to note the current baby boom occurring at the school :) and with that comes a lot of moving parts, including hiring high quality long term substitutes, which are in high demand across the school district. As with any institute, there are ebbs and flows to management, but having kids at Lemon Road going on 4 years now, we couldn't be happier with the leadership, the staff, the extracurriculars, the pta, and most of all the community engagement. Everyone does their best to meet and challenge all the students as best they can with teamwork and innovative ideas. The principals have done a very good job in dealing with all the hurdles thrown their way over the past few years. It is important to look at the school as a whole and not be judged based on a snapshot in time.

Posted: March 6, 2024

Posted: March 6, 2024

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Posted: March 6, 2024

Posted: March 6, 2024

Posted: February 2, 2023

I loved my time at lemon road and I still maintain a connection with my previous teachers. Everyone was very nice when I was there and they had a lot of developing programs in place when they were a much smaller school to bring the community together.

Posted: February 2, 2023

Posted: March 14, 2022

principal bad school good! AAP teachers very nice and AAP is a good enviroment, other non-aap classes are chaotic and smell bad.

Posted: March 14, 2022

Posted: March 14, 2022

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Posted: March 14, 2022

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: June 2, 2021

I have two kids at this school and I have nothing but great things to say. The principle, Ashley Castillo is unbelievably caring and promptly addresses all our inquiries. The teachers are dedicated and caring. We might be moving and therefore will have to change schools, and I only wish we could keep our girls here.

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: June 2, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

To date, the principal of this school, Ashley Castillo, has been unable to implement the 4 day in person policy recommended by the CDC with the appropriate social distancing guidelines. Other elementary schools within FCPS have been able to do this but Ms. Castillo seems unable to respond to the concerns of parents and also does not provide timely guidance to the teachers. The quality of the online instruction has been weak and the total obsession within FCPS on decision making through the equity lens has made administrators like Ms. Castillo unable to provide in person for most of the students for fear of not providing it for a few with special concerns. So long as Ms. Castillo is at the helm here I would avoid this school and its associated housing district if you are moving to Fairfax County.

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: April 14, 2021

Posted: March 18, 2021

NOTE: This school use to rank 8 but the Great Schools ranking system changed so diversity now lowers the overall score. For how diverse this school is, it’s actually very impressive to have the majority of students meeting or exceeding state thresholds. This means that the administration is making an impressive effort to help all students achieve (when compared to the surrounding schools who have less diversity with the same resources). The current principal’s focus is on “student potential” so they aren’t just teaching to state tests but encouraging students to excel. In 4th grade, my son was reading at 5th+ grade level and was always encouraged for further growth (same situation for my other children).
—This school is a hidden gem, as it’s one of the only schools left in Fairfax County that is not overcrowded. When my son was in the 3rd grade, his class size was 18 student! The following year it was 20. I’m not aware of any class that is over 25 students. Contrast this with the nearby elementary schools in McLean with average class size of 28-35 kids!
—This is an Advanced Academic Program Center school, with 2 AAP classes per grade. Two of my children participated in this program and the teachers were very engaged and knowledgeable. Parent participation was an appropriate level (verses the intense level seen in McLean schools).
—The playground was recently updated with a lot of new play equipment and sunshades. There’s a giant hill beyond the playground & field that is amazing for sledding after school.
—School has a nice nature program, and utilizes the wooded park space behind the school for nature exploration. There’s a garden for hands-on learning. Several times they brought in therapy dogs.
—There is a very diverse student body. The school celebrates the various cultures and traditions in creative ways so students get to learn about the world firsthand. Parents volunteer as guest speakers to share about songs, tradition, food, clothing etc. In art, kids learn about heritage and explore their own roots, while learning about other people’s too.
—Principal, administration and teachers are collaborative with the PTA and parents. I did not volunteer on the PTA but I attended the events and it was an inviting group. The entire community it very giving in terms of charity events and outreach in the community.

Posted: March 18, 2021

Posted: March 18, 2021

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Posted: September 3, 2019

Posted: September 3, 2019

Posted: September 3, 2019

Kids don't get recognized for what they deserve. Only PTA highlights the events and recognizes which their kids participated in. Academically school is good, but kids get de-motivated or discouraged when they achieve something big at the state level, but even if their school doesn't recognize it as an event when the whole school participates in those events for months of preparation because PTA doesn't have a clue on it.

Posted: September 3, 2019

Posted: September 3, 2019

Posted: September 3, 2019

Posted: September 3, 2019

Because they don't know how to recognize kids' achievements, simply follow PTA. PTA just likes to encourage, advertise and recognize the events where their kids participate. Leadership should also recognize the events where their school kids achieve other than the events that were advertised by PTA

Posted: June 19, 2018

Excellent experience! Dedicated teachers who are genuinely interested in imparting knowledge and challenging students academically. The "specials" instructors (strings, art, music, tech, etc.) were all first rate!! Leadership created a wonderful learning environment where the students felt valued and were part of a tight-knit community Go Lions!

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Excellent, dedicated, teaching staff who encourage discussion and inquiry in all aspects of learning.

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

Posted: June 19, 2018

The School's 'Other People Matter' Campaign was an effective exercise in helping students understand compassion, empathy, and in the end, establish genuine friendships.

#OtherPeopleMatter

Posted: May 16, 2018

We receive weekly guides on what activities we can do at home that help what is going on at class. The kids are not forced to do it. It works well with parenting style and makes learning a fun activity. It is a school with 21st century ideas and execution. It is about including everyone and is very good for people from other countries and languages. They have been very patient with us and advanced my kid to know how to read in less than a year and the kids that came in knowing no English at all are also speaking English and learning to read and write.

Posted: May 16, 2018

The teachers are experts and real professionals. They know how to manage a class of various backgrounds and help them achieve their potential. They are also very active in school sponsored events.

Posted: May 16, 2018

There is no racism in this school and the kids express politely what they think at very early age and omit anything that could hurt someone else. The kids are super sweet and act like one whole family. They are very happy when a parent shows up to a volunteer opportunity. The kids feel very much part of their school and class differences are so eliminated versus what I saw in private schools.

Posted: May 16, 2018

The principal, vice principal, and front office staff are very active and involved with the families, children, and the PTA. The special thing about this school you don’t see elseware is that they love children.

Posted: May 16, 2018

I mentioned that above. They work as a group and help those who suffer and those who are good. I have no idea how they do it so well. We started the year with scores of 1 and 2 and 3 and now everyone is 3 and 4. Some kids parents don’t know any English. The kids feel equal.

Posted: May 16, 2018

The vice principal has it under control. He understands that kids do mistakes and that there’s is no evil in it as they are sweet little angels. The parents are informed and the events don’t reoccur.

Posted: May 16, 2018

Perfect. This is a top school. It has an active parent involvement and brilliant parents and kids. And parents serious about giving their kids a better life. The kids are all rounded renaissance children. They know about healthy relationships and good. They know their language, Maths, and history. The music and PE programs are phenomenal and are available to all. The cafeteria is amazing and they have a salad bar. The kids are healthy balanced people. Many parents are basicly geniuses and their kids win competitions all over the country. Everyone is humble and cooperative. The Science and STEM is advancing with grants the school has applied for and encouragement. The PTA and school hold two STEM nights a year. The talents are amazing. Many kids play all kinds of music instruments and everyone is clapped for and encouraged to perform at the yearly show.

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Posted: January 28, 2018

Our kids transferred from out of state and we have LOVED this school, and have been very impressed with their 504 ADHD support. Teachers are excellent. However, the art and music depts are sadly lacking, I'm not sure my kids learned any music at all :_( and we have had to pay for private art classes. With so many teacher work days etc it seems like more half the year the kids are out of school, so I'm not surprised at the huge gulf between how low vs high income students are performing academically.

Posted: June 18, 2017

Posted: June 18, 2017

Excellent school. My daughter is very happpy and is interested

Posted: June 18, 2017

Posted: June 18, 2017

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Posted: June 15, 2017

I have limited personal experience with this in grades K-6 but Lemon Road has a unique combination of having an "in-house" special-education pre-school and a private daycare all within the school building. There is coordination between the teachers of the two on students in need and the IEP team is the same as for the Elementary School overall.

Posted: June 15, 2017

Posted: June 15, 2017

Though there've been some inevitable hiccups, I've been impressed with the leadership and the teachers in their focus on the kids. My children are happy, engaged and learning!

Posted: June 15, 2017

My children (grades 3, 5) do not receive much homework at all. They have time in class to work on larger projects and sometimes take them home. My only concern is if they're developing the skills to handle more homework when that inevitably comes.

Posted: June 15, 2017

My children (now in the AAP program) have had wonderful teachers since Kindergarten who keep the kids engaged and learning through creative projects. The one teacher who did not impress us wound up teaching a lower grade the following year and leaving the school after that. Separately, I am quite impressed by the depth of the art and music programs at this school.

Posted: June 15, 2017

This is clearly a goal of the school, supported by work with the counselor.

Posted: June 15, 2017

The school went through tremendous change in the last 5 years with getting a new principal and then significantly growing the student body through boundary changes and building an AAP program. While the first couple years of this were challenging, I've been impressed with how it has settled in with a clear goal of having all the students feel like one community.

Posted: January 24, 2015

Our son transferred from Haycock and loves Lemon Road. The PTA is extremely organized and effective. The teachers are very receptive and care for their students. It is a great community!

Posted: September 23, 2014

Not the best school. Bullying is a big problem here. In addition, teachers don't do anything at all. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD.

Posted: August 13, 2014

Lemon Road started advanced academic program during 2013-2014 for the first time. I really appreciate the Principal and staff hard work for taking over new responsibility and really deliver the quality. My son is a raising 5th grader this year. I could see his vocabulory has improved a lot and his organizing skills as well. The teacher was so nice and and always encouraging the kids to learn something new by working on the projects. The Garden Club definitely added. It helped them to explore about the science. The other programs that are offered in school are great as well like science olympiad. rubiks cube competitions.

Posted: February 28, 2014

I am a former student of this school, it has a great curriculum and it may be very small but it's like a family. It's a small community so everyone knows each other and we're all friends. They have wonderful teachers and a great staff. It ties into the middle schools Longfellow and Kilmer Joyce ((which I attend)) it's not at all expensive and it's a great experience.

Posted: February 13, 2014

Lemon Road Elementary is on the smaller size but recently added an AP program and had a two story addition added to it. We've found the teachers and staff to be very helpful and most importantly our children have flourished at the school. Great diversity and challenging curriculum. We considered moving, but have stayed in the area so both kids will go all six grades there.

Posted: June 4, 2013

Great "small" community school - a real gem! The administration is amazing, the PTA is fantastic and the school is growing to be a AAP center starting in 2013-14! We relocated to Nova the summer of 2012 and selected this school due to it's smaller size and our impression from the registar. It had a new principal for 202-13, but he was responsive to parents and focused on building the school. The PTA truely is fabulous, the community student families are pretty involved, the after-school program offereings are nice and they have girl scout troops! We look forward to seeing Lemon Road progress with it's expansion and being an AAP center next year! Go Lemon Road Lions! Hope to give you a 5 star rating next year!

Posted: May 3, 2013

I would strongly recommend that school front the staff to the community! Everyone is amazing!