Wolftrap Elementary School

Posted: July 7, 2025

I'm writing this in the hopes that it provides others with a more nuanced snapshot of one family's recent experience with the school, as most who fill out these forms are either extremely positive or extremely negative. As context, I had two children go through Wolftrap a few years apart, finishing recently.

Overall, we had a positive experience and would recommend the school. Huge pluses for us included:

*** the amazing levels of parent involvement; truly, the PTA is full of rockstar parents who spend enormous amounts of time and energy creating tons of fun events that really build community, and the teachers get SO MUCH community support


*** the staff focus on always doing better; when the school learned that something like 97% of the students met or exceeded the state standards as determined by testing scores, they met to discuss how to get that last 3 percent there, too

That said, no place is perfect and that was also our experience at Wolftrap. Our major concern with the school was that quiet, well-behaved kids slip through the cracks when they have issues. Both of my children are quiet and generally well-behaved, but both had issues crop up that totally flew under the radar of the staff.

One child is extremely gifted in one core subject but they are peer-level in another core subject (which is ok! peer level is ok!)... this meant that my child was not in full-time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) but was also not being challenged in the core subject in which they are extremely gifted. The school eventually agreed to pull my child out for the top level of AAP (Level IV) for the core subject that they are extremely gifted in while keeping them in regular classes for other subjects, but had I not fought for it, I am 100% certain that my child would have slipped through the cracks and not been appropriately challenged.

My other child is what the district calls "Twice Exceptional" (2E), which means that they are very smart but also have a disability (such as ADHD, autism, physical disability, etc). My child struggled with their ADHD and completing their work, but did not get the support that they needed because they were not disrupting the class, bullying others, etc.

In the end, would another school have actually noticed these issues on their own? As a parent, I'm not really sure. The classrooms are full of a variety of kids and the reality is that if you don't advocate for them, they might not get what they need, wherever that is.

Posted: July 7, 2025

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Posted: May 28, 2025

We have been hugely disappointed with this school. Their communication is very poor and there is no regulated form of communication so you have to guess what is going on from word-of-mouth, random emails, some use text messages and hardly any use the ‘schoology’ website. One teacher we have experienced doesn’t bother marking work. The resources they use are often incorrect or contain mistakes. It’s ’death by worksheet’ and really uninspiring. On top of this, if you dare raise a concern with staff, they will become very defensive and patronize you.

Posted: October 19, 2024

Excellent school, faculty and parents. I have had two sons in this school for years who enjoyed it. The academic program is excellent and I especially appreciate how they make advanced academic programs tailored and available to all students who demonstrate ability. Other schools don’t have that offering or you have to send your kid to another school. The sixth grade teachers also talk to the seventh grade teachers to be sure your child is prepared for seventh grade. They also have fun and creative events like plays and “Wolftrap under the stars”, pizza bingo, field days, etc. A very solid Band and Orchestra as well. Thank you Wolftrap for 8 great years.

Posted: October 19, 2024

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Posted: October 17, 2023

We have not had a good experience. The teacher will box your kid into a category and that follows the child throughout the Wolftrap years. Not fair!

Posted: October 17, 2023

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Posted: March 18, 2018

excellent school - very involved parents and teachers. Great community

Posted: March 18, 2018

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Posted: March 6, 2017

Great school! Awesome community! Strong education. It would be even more great if my kids had foreign language study option with the classes more than once a week.

Posted: September 25, 2015

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Posted: September 25, 2015

Excellent school, very caring faculty, great facilities and an involved parent base. I am very pleased with Wolftrap.

Posted: May 21, 2015

I have a 1st grader at Wolftrap. We are extremely pleased with her learning environment. A very involved parent base and a wonderful staff make this a fabulous school

Posted: May 7, 2015

I feel so incredibly blessed that my children attend this school! The teachers are incredibly dedicated, make learning fun, and truly care about the kids. I know that class size in an issue, but that is the fault of the county and has nothing to do with the school or administration. The principal is great at communicating and the kids adore her. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities with the PTA and a lot of community involvement. They have an excellent before and after school activities program which has a large offering of classes. I could not be happier with the quality of education my children are receiving!

Posted: September 10, 2014

Telling people not to move into this district is a little bold. I hope people who want to move into this area will visit Wolftrap to see for themselves. We have put 3 children through and they are all performing well above grade level. If you are unhappy here then homeschooling or private seem to be your best options. The overcrowding is a county issue which most schools are dealing with. They are so used to advanced students that it can be difficult to get services for a student who needs accommodations. Hopefully, they are getting better in this area.

Posted: August 28, 2014

I am so dissapointed in this school. They classes are over crowded 30 students in one small class, with lack of space and qualified tearches. They took a special ed teacher and assigned her to a first grade class because there was a shortage of teachers. The number of students out number the school capacity and teacher ratio. The curriculum is below average and there is no follow through with homework or student progress. I bought my home to be in this school district...what a waste of money and time/effort. In fact, fairfax county school as a whole is over populated and is going down. IF you are thinking of moving into this district for the school..don't. You will regret it.

Posted: June 24, 2014

Compelled to comment after reading the last review. We were very impressed this year with how the principal (only in her second full year in the role) dealt with large class size issue in the second grade. 8 new second graders registered the month before school started making for very large class sizes. She worked with the County and internal staff to come up with options and was able to hire and add a new teacher to reduce the class sizes. The teachers have all been great. We have not used any external tutors or extra help and our child was able to qualify for the AAP program and has excelled at school.

Posted: June 23, 2014

School is very overrated. Has a very wealthy student population of almost primarily English language speakers so of course they test well. Parents can easily afford to pay for tutors and extra help which leads to the very high test scores. Every classroom we have encountered has been overcrowded. Most of the teachers have done the minimum for our child, with the exception of one wonderful 1st grade teacher. School is also not accommodating to children with two households, principal has out right said she will only do the bare minimum of what the county requires. There is no follow through on having children complete assignments or take any responsibility for schoolwork. A big disappointment.

Posted: May 26, 2013

I feel compelled to comment after reading the previous posts. The oversize class postings were primarily due to too many children in the 4th grade AAP class this year. The AAP teacher is so dedicated that she offered to help teach math to this grade in addition to all of her other duties. The class sizes and textbooks have to be addressed at the county level and hopefully the new superintendent will be receptive. The new principal is great and most of the teachers are very dedicated. Most of the teachers are taking AAP training or are already certified. There are so few children below grade level that the school is able to offer the AAP science and social studies curriculum to all 3-6th graders. The school uses their assistants wisely to offer flexible groupings in math and reading.

Posted: May 21, 2013

As a parent and former teacher I was excited to place my children in this highly rated school. I was shocked when I realized the gifted program was flooded with students. They allow 34 + students in a class and have no plans to hire more teachers or add a trailer as a classroom. They can't afford text books for the students. A pacing system has been put into place to accommodate the large numbers and no texts books. Parents are hiring tutors and teaching at home to make up for the lack of education they are receiving in the classroom. I placed my children in a private school and they are excelling. The difference in expectations and curriculum being taught is night and day. We met some wonderful people at Wollftrap and I hope Fairfax County gives them the school they deserve.

Posted: January 25, 2013

Wolftrap has changed. Many classes are 30+ in many grades, some are in excess of the VA state law size limits. Large class sizes are here to stay. Also, the new principal is changing the AAP program due to the very large % of AAP students. What exists now is cramming them into oversized classes and not providing fully certified AAP staff or full program academic services. I agree with the older posting and ratings from 2010 but not today's reality. Beyond the AAP issue is that some teachers are just "going through the motions" of teaching and need to retire. It is sad to watch the decline of this school.

Posted: December 12, 2012

I have two children at this school. We have been happy with the teachers and staff. However, the class sizes are too big. My daughter's class has been on average 30 kids for grades 1 to 4 and it does not appear anything is going to change going forward. My son's class is 27 kids. I have no doubt that such a large class size is detrimental to the kids' school experience and learning progress.