Wakefield Forest Elementary School

Posted: June 7, 2022

I have had three kids go through Wakefield Forest, with two still finishing up. When we started under the prior principal, I really loved the school. It was welcoming, honest, fair, and the administration listened to and partnered with parents. The current principal (who was previously the assistant principal) takes an opaque, authoritarian, and toxic approach, providing quite limited and often misleading information to parents. The principal sends out weekly canned emails, mostly pulled from the "positivity project" kit the school purchased with PTA dollars. Any individual reach-out to the principal yields a brick wall of "infallibility." My growing sense has been that children come last. It's sad that families keep eagerly moving into the neighborhood due to the school's history of being a fantastic place for kids. That school no longer exists.

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 7, 2022

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Wakefield Forest is a gem! A neighborhood school on the smaller side, it's a reason why many families choose to locate here. Our kids love it. Principal Prindle seems able to get to know many of the families and kids. She's proactive about communicating regularly to parents via email and social media, which was especially needed throughout the pandemic. There are some amazing teachers who are dedicated and go way above and beyond. Parents are involved, and the PTA is very active. During normal times, the afterschool offerings are quite good. Some classes are surprisingly small, others are at capacity, some classes have large classrooms, others meet in trailers. (I believe this is the case across FCPS and is to a large extent outside the school's control.) The building is approved for a major upgrade and expansion on the next bond referendum, but still the current space is kept tidy. More regular feedback on student progress required a bit of prompting from this parent. Relevant AAP services for qualified kids also seemed to require nudging. Some of the professionals have to split time between here and another school because of WFES's smallish size. I wish there was a second parent-teacher conference on offer in the spring--you get only one in the fall! Cafeteria services need improvement. There don't appear to be any major behavioral problems. Overall the kids seem very happy to be there.

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: June 23, 2021

Posted: March 5, 2020

Overall very poor experience. Advanced students are ignored until the school administered test is given. Classrooms are crowded with 29 children per teacher. Teachers are checked out and uninterested. It is difficult to understand student progress because their is no homework and teachers assure you everything is fine. However, when grades are finally recorded on interim reports you realize that the conversations with the teachers were/are quite meaningless. The teachers and administration carry a general attitude of “trust me everything is fine”, but the moment you ask questions whether it be about schoolwork, bullying, or curriculum, the teachers and administration become defensive or become aloof. This school needs a much higher quality staff: otherwise much will remain to be desired.

Posted: March 5, 2020

The school has a no homework policy. Parents are not able to understand student progress or areas of improvement for their child. The school administration’s excuse is that the kids are overworked in class. At conferences the teachers tell you your child is doing fine but when interim reports come home those results show the opposite.

Posted: March 5, 2020

The teachers are not effective at managing students. Some of the teachers are okay. However if your child comes in with advanced knowledge they will take a backseat to those who are learning from scratch. And they will not be placed in any pre-AAP specialized or advanced classes- despite them showing high ability. Many of the teachers are ill-suited for communicating with parents. A lot of them behave quite passive aggressively, and become defensive if a parent asks a question. The principal strongly encourages the teachers use of social media for popularity points and posting seems over the top as well. If the parents are not regular social media users then they’re out of luck for keeping up with their child.

Posted: March 5, 2020

Many parents complain that bullying is rampant and completely out of control at this school. The administration constantly fails to respond in a meaningful or sustainable way. They simply have talks with the aggressor and the bullied child, and the behavior from the bully continues. Any resolution will have to include other measures beyond the school administration if you to keep your child safe and happy.

Posted: March 5, 2020

Any issues raised with the administration will result in a lackluster attempt to resolve. So the same (or related) issue will surface over and over again because the administration is ill-equipped to handle challenges outside of school forms. If you bring up issues regarding bullying, teacher interactions, or staff concerns- be prepared to take other measures, nothing will be done at the school level. Apparently the principals also personally place the students in every year and the placements are often so poorly judged that they create more harm. If you bring this up it will be personal affront on the principal since the principal made the decision and thus no real solution will come because the principal will not accept accountability for the poor judgement. All this will be despite parents filling out forms every year explaining their children’s learning styles, character, and interests that is supposed to aide in student placement. Instead the principal holds staff meetings where they do placements and discuss family dynamics and interactions from the principal’s perspective. So by the time your child reaches their new teacher - they’re greeted with a smile or a look of exasperation and that continues for the entire school year. It is baffling but yes, preferential treatment and bias is literally ingrained in the school’s internal processes.

Posted: March 5, 2020

Posted: March 5, 2020

Bullying is allowed to fester until it results in fights. The teachers and administration are aware of issues but do nothing to keep the bully away from the bullied child. The school treats bullying as if it is par for the course, despite a full fledged effort by FCPS and VDOE to prevent and eradicate bullying in schools.

Posted: February 25, 2020

It’s overcrowded with subpar teachers and admin. Think twice it’s been a terrible experience from day one.

Posted: February 25, 2020

No HW given equates to ill prepared kids at middle school level. Feedback at middles school is WFES kids are not prepared in math.

Posted: February 25, 2020

Depends on who you get! Some are ineffective and checked out.

Posted: February 25, 2020

Posted: February 25, 2020

Entire school is focused on the elitist divide of segregating AP kids. If your kid isn’t in that bucket due to a second grade test forget any enrichment.

Posted: February 25, 2020

Don’t bother with speech or any services. Go get your own therapy

Posted: February 25, 2020

Over the top in discipline and punishment that are disparate

Posted: December 10, 2019

Looking back, all in all it was a positive experience for our family. Expectations tend to be on the high-side, but that’s not a negative, especially when considering today’s society.
Wish last year had been better, but I do feel our student was provided with a solid foundation to build on (so much so that moving to a different state provided issues due to advanced knowledge).

Posted: December 10, 2019

“No homework” policy encouraged. Research supports such, but makes post-elementary years of homework difficult in trying to establish study habits.

Posted: December 10, 2019

It’s a mixed bag. Of the 7 years (K-6) my child attended, 2 teachers provided a negative experience, 4 absolutely positive, 1 average.
Leadership professional in handling one negative teacher; not so much for the other. I must note that even if you don’t see the corrective actions happening immediately, be aware you may find yourself later realizing it was addressed, then again you may not.

Posted: December 10, 2019

I must say, you will be hard pressed to find a school that tries harder to incorporate these qualities into its students. In few situations where students did not reflect one of these qualities they still possessed the other two.

Posted: December 10, 2019

Long time principal retired and long-time AP took position. Positive changes made for the most part. Took some time for staff to adjust.
Do wish the heads of County provided higher pay so teachers could live in community.

Posted: December 10, 2019

Operative word being EFFECTIVELY. Keep track of whether or not progress is being made and don’t allow fudging of data. Looking back, I suspect the school doesn’t mind a few SPED students, but they might be pressed for enough staff to support. This leads to exhaustion and maybe even resentment. If the lead teacher is on-board, chance of positive experience is greater.

Posted: December 10, 2019

This is where WFES excels. Experienced one situation of elementary-level bullying/picking. I was comfortable with and able to address issue with other parent who responded positively, but when I requested the school’s assistance it was then effective. That says a lot about a school and community.
Ethnic population is highly diverse and this provides students with high tolerance of cultural differences. BRAVO!

Posted: July 30, 2019

Posted: July 30, 2019

This school did a tremendous amount of damage to my child. It took more than a year for my child to recover.

Posted: July 30, 2019

Posted: July 30, 2019

Posted: July 30, 2019

Lip service. No real effort at inclusion is evident.

Posted: July 30, 2019

Posted: July 30, 2019

Posted: February 25, 2019

terrible solving problems and with teaching. Just terrible

Posted: February 25, 2019

They don't send homework for the kids to work on

Posted: February 25, 2019

Posted: February 25, 2019

Posted: February 25, 2019

Posted: February 25, 2019

Posted: February 25, 2019

My brother got home crying because his teacher wouldn't listen to his experiences.

Posted: May 1, 2017

I love the school. People in the office are always trying to help and teachers are doing their best. My son is really learning and enjoying being in there.

Posted: February 9, 2017

Posted: February 9, 2017

Posted: February 9, 2017

Posted: February 9, 2017

Posted: February 9, 2017

Posted: February 9, 2017

We have two children who have attended Wakefield Forest for a few years now. We bought our home hoping Wakefield Forest would be great for our kids and it has exceeded our expectations so far. It is a relatively small K-6 school where all students are known by name and there is a very positive school culture. There is a new principal this year, with the same caring, dedicated, stable staff. The new principal has brought a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) focus that stresses innovation and creativity. Which teacher you get each year matters but there are many good teachers each with different styles that can provide a good fit for your child. There is a supportive PTA and there are abundant afterschool options, an advanced academics program, a Strings and Band program during school, a mindfulness program, 1 to 1 computing, a coding initiative, STEAM lab, and outdoor classroom.

Posted: May 31, 2015

The administration spends more time planning parties than paying attention to what the teachers are actually doing in the classrooms. While there are some FANTASTIC teachers at the school, there are also some HORRIBLE ones. I know that this happens in every school, but when the school is as small as WFES, the administration has to be more involved. When we first came to WFES, I would have rated them 5 stars... the longer we are here, the more I see, and the less I like.

Posted: October 31, 2014

When reading the previous reviews of Wakefield Forest, I had to respond to the negative comments regarding this GEM of a school. As a military family, my children have been in numerous schools. None compare to this school. The administration and staff are top notch! I am amazed each day as I walk into WFES and see the caring environment my children have the opportunity to experience on a daily basis. As far as the education goes, look at the test scores and you can see the level of teaching expertise that is in this school. Yes, test scores fluctuate as tests change and demographics change and this school continues to achieve overall growth. There is more to the elementary experience than homework and extensions! Those things can be done at home by any parent who wants more. I challenge you to step inside WFES and see what goes on in any classroom on a daily basis and then you will see why children are allowed time to be children when they return home. The amount of work these children accomplish each day is more than enough to warrent a break when they get home to just be kids! Thank you WFES administration and staff for loving my children as if they were your own!

Posted: July 17, 2014

I believe that this school needs serious work as far as the administration and educational staff our concerned. They do not listen to parental advice, there is not nearly enough homework and NO study materials that come home so they parents actually know what they children are working on and can support them at home. The administration tends to side with teachers before making an intelligent conclusion based on facts. I am so disappointed in the education our kids are getting from here and have had to take it upon ourselves to supplement with outside sources. I am all for helping supplement the kids education but I feel like I am home schooling them at times! The faculty tends to focus only test scores and have difficulty in identifying bright kids who may have not taken the test or tested lower due to other reasons. Communication in performance is a huge issue and severely lacking. Teachers methods and planning are totally outdated and may have worked when class sizes were smaller but not now! I would think twice about sending your child here.

Posted: November 2, 2013

I am a former teacher from this school. Many reviewers have commented on the wonderful staff and experiences at WFES and I agree they have remarkable teachers. But wonderful stops there. The teachers are so bogged down with pointless meetings to inform the less than stellar admin about student progress or testing DRA that they have little time to plan and often aren't in class to teach. If your child has ESOL services they will not be getting them. That teacher (and reading, guidance and tech teachers) are like personal assistants to the principal. The only reason students learn here is because teachers go above and beyond at the expense of their health, family and wallets. If your child had a positive experience thank the teacher who made it happen despite the terrible policies and admin at this school.

Posted: August 27, 2013

I thought I should update the teacher to student ratio. There are 28 children in kindergarten and 27-29 children in each classes for 1-6th grades.

Posted: September 24, 2012

I went to this school as a student just two years ago and had a Fantastic time but when i went to my local middle school Poe it was a culture shock but over all i loved almost everyone at wakefield forest

Posted: October 4, 2011

Both my sons are at this school, and we are very happy. Class sizes are smaller than average, and the quality of teachers is very high. The PTA is very active with fund-raising which helps the school weather the current budgetary issues. My eldest son has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. The school has been excellent at accomodating his special needs and keeping us in the loop with respect to his performance and behavior at school.

Posted: May 29, 2011

We have our two daughters at this school and love it! The principal is extremely involved, knows all the kids and has lunch with them from time to time. The teachers are all outstanding - plan together so everyone in each grade level is doing the same thing. Wonderful experience - love the school!!

Posted: February 25, 2010

Having my son in kindergarten at this school has been the best experience for him. His teacher, Mrs. Uehling, is the most patient, understanding, kind and helpful teacher it has been my pleasure to know. The school has shown exceptional care as it relates to his development.