Fort Belvoir Elementary School in Fort Belvoir

Category	Rating	Details
Student Growth	6/10	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: November 21, 2025

The office staff at this school is abysmal. They do not check id cards unless they feel like it. They often respond to requests with, "1 minute" or "we don't do that". They bark at parents when they have questions or concerns.

I just sat in the office for 15 minutes waiting for my child and they only randomly asked people at the door for an id check. This is after I once had 1 of the office workers assure me they "check them every time".

They are just terrible.

Posted: October 9, 2025

This place has been a horror for us since being here. I knew it should've followed my intuition before sending our kid here. They say they will work with you, but do the opposite. Just seeing how the structure is there, the teachers do not have the capability to handle a classroom setting. They give you more negatives than positive. They are so quick to call about any little thing that happens. If I were going to give any recommendation, please send your child elsewhere!

Posted: December 4, 2023

This is by far one of the worst schools that my child has ever attended. They condone bullying , and have no policies in place . Ive spoken to many other active duty families and heard their horrors. Lots of reports filed against this school on fort Belvoir through Fairfax and the police on base . All public knowledge and absolutely awful. If you have the option to , send your child elsewhere.

Posted: September 18, 2023

The school is awful . Whatever you do, just send your child off post .

Posted: March 14, 2023

Location: It's safe because its on base. They check ID with every person that comes in.
Learning: My daughter is not excited going to school. She used to be, but after her incident with another student who bit her, it changed.
Teachers: First grade was better than second grade. The first grade teacher was more engaging and the second grade is less.
Safety: The students on the bus and the second graders curse, there is little no regulation on the cursing, the kids are sick don't keep a safe distance or stay at home. The students like to bite each other and the discipline is not well known. Bullying does happen here.
Family Engagement: The teachers message through the app, which is nice but unfortunately, the teachers like to avoid parent teacher conferences like the plague, and there is no following up. The teachers don't send homework home or really mention how your student is doing unless you reach out and PRY it out of them.
Front Office: Very Snippy and short answered people. Do not sound happy when they pick up the phone.
Will I recommend this school to others? No.

Posted: December 2, 2021

The primary school is a chaotic daycare and nothing more. Students do not listen to the teachers and arent made to. The lunch room is full of kids who climb on the window sills, scream, cuss, wrestle. The class rooms are no better from what Ive seen. The teachers spend their days re-directing bad behavior and little time is left for actual teaching/learning. Our children are so behind after attending this school and are now working twice as hard, with the help of us as well as a tutor, to catch up. They came home with zero foundation to complete the very little/simple homework they were given. When reaching out to the teachers to ask what we could focus on at home to help- we were told to buy some books and figure it out. Not impressed at all and was all to happy to know they wouldnt be returning for a third year come time to leave the area. The positive change we have seen in their academics since not being there is overwhelming.

Posted: December 2, 2021

This school has always been helpful. Little to no homework. My kids loved it

Posted: December 2, 2021

Posted: August 5, 2021

Fort Belvoir Primary (younger students) has turned into an amazing learning environment with the change of administration, teaching staff, and office staff in 2018. My 3 children learned so much from the caring adults at Fort Belvoir Primary and we couldnt have asked for a better start to their schooling. Its obvious the staff love the children as even during the covid closure, teachers delivered materials to our home. Sadly we are getting ready to PCS and my youngest wont get to spend his last primary year at Fort Belvoir Primary.

Posted: August 5, 2021

Posted: March 19, 2021

Hanging out with the military kid really helped. Its a school that is protected by base/military security. I feel like its the safest school I've seen. Military has an option to go to Mt Vernon or Hayfield so not all the kids are with your kid all though high school. My kid was a little ahead academically, but lacked manners. Once he started hanging out with the other kids there he changed. Maybe what I was doing was working or maybe he was just getting older, but he wanted to help out more often and he seemed real excited about school. The before and after case is also on base. in the base daycare, my four year old was learning the basics Japanese and Arabic. I have to say I was pretty impressed.

Posted: March 19, 2021

Posted: March 15, 2021

Talk about safe. its on a military base. its gota be ranked as one of the safest schools there is. many of the teachers are military spouses and the school has everything available for the kids. they also have a cool program where the dads take turns coming in and help the teachers. I got to do it and I thought it was awesome. it also made my son and daughter feel pretty good too. Getting involved in the school programs are a really good way to see the full picture of whats going on. it was good to see how the kids work with each other and be part of the learning process. They even have a really well run morning show completely run by the kids.

Posted: March 15, 2021

I'm not sure what some of the bad comments are. the school was great for my kids. the children there have a really good sense of community. the majority are military families. The kids seem to have a great deal of respect of adults. it reminds me of the school I went to.

Posted: March 15, 2021

Posted: October 24, 2020

This is an awful school. If youre trying to be a teacher, DO NOT WORK HERE. They DO NOT hire enough people of color. They allow students to run the school. Theres no discipline. Its an absolute circus. WORST SCHOOL IVE EVER BEEN IN!!

Posted: October 24, 2020

This school is a zoo!!! Children always running away and hiding and eloping.

Posted: October 24, 2020

They have favorites and one assistant principal is out to get some staff. Another is just has no manners. Talks in condescending tone. Shes new!

Posted: October 24, 2020

Posted: February 12, 2019

Many parents complain :( more than 3x I heard about kids who thought about suicide.

Posted: February 12, 2019

My son is not being challenge enough.

Posted: February 12, 2019

7 - my son loved all his teachers but besides his experience I count what I hear from other parents and I also believe theres room for improvement in the front desk regarding call parents when kids are taken to the principal or it any trouble.

Posted: February 12, 2019

Teachers makes kids work hard in class and send them with light homework.

Posted: February 12, 2019

We loved all the teachers our son had. Very supportive and present in his development.

Posted: February 12, 2019

Posted: October 30, 2018

My child was bullied terribly in kindergarten and nothing was done about it.

Posted: October 30, 2018

The school is too crowed and in complete chaos for kids to develop a strong character.

Posted: October 30, 2018

There is no leadership at all from what we have seen.

Posted: October 30, 2018

It has not been a good one so far. Just going in for a visit in the morning is jaw dropping. Just chaos, kids crawling on the floor in the hall way and walking on their knees, no order in the class rooms at all, barley any of the children listen to the teacher when it was time to clean up when they had music. I can't see how any child can learn in this type of environment. Unbelievable chaos is all I have to say. At the end of morning announcements kids have to shake hands, as I saw this their were children who just had their hands in their mouth and fingers in their nose, great way to spread germs.

Posted: October 30, 2018

We have 1 child in this school and he started kindergarten there. His kindergarten teacher was great. He is now in first grade and the teacher he has now I believed is just overwhelmed with the amount of students she has and can't handle it.

Posted: February 25, 2018

We have two kids where one completed Kindergarten and 1st Grade and the other 4th and 5th Grades while at Fort Belvoir. The school is amazing with wonderful teachers and great leadership! Our kids are in no way behind in their new schools this year. We would highly recommend FBES to anyone!

Posted: February 25, 2018

Posted: September 5, 2016

I've met numerous teachers here and they are very nice and helpful. Including the new principal who started this year.

Posted: September 5, 2016

I'm not sure regarding this topic. I don't believe so for kindergarten. I can check back after the new year.

Posted: September 5, 2016

Very generous and helpful staff. They are very helpful anytime I go in with a question or concern.

Posted: September 5, 2016

The addition of the brand new upper elementary school has fixed the crowding issues! Excited for my Kindergartnet to start the new year.

Posted: August 2, 2016

I feel that both of my children did not receive what they needed throughout the school year. The classrooms are way too crowded 26 to 30 children per classroom is entirely too much. I had to reteach both of my children over the summer to ensure they are not behind for the upcoming school year. I hope this next school year will be much better. Such a shame how this school has declined within the past 2 years.

Posted: November 5, 2015

As soon as you walk in the door it is obvious this place is nothing but chaos. The front desk staff is not welcoming at all- in fact, they look down in the hopes you will not ask them anything that requires them to work (one directly to the left when you walk in is down right rude- the one that takes IDs from visitors). The teachers are inefficient, uncaring and forgetful. Our daughter had a miserable experience in kindergarten here (we stayed in the hopes that it was an isolated incident) and continued to have a terrible experience until we decided to put her in a different school. We have had our child let off at the bus stop when she was supposed to be left at school numerous times, had bullies that inflicted physical harm to her that would not be handled because it was "just the bullies learning style", had teachers fail to follow her IEP, and had items dropped off at the front desk that were never delivered to her (LUNCH). This is BY FAR the worst experience we have had at any school. Perhaps it is because the school is WAY to packed or perhaps they just need to "clean house" and hire employees that actually do their job.

Posted: May 31, 2015

They spend majority of the day (year) prepping the kids for testing. Homework is abundant and majority is things they "don't have time to finish" in class due to crazy test prep pressure.

Posted: May 31, 2015

The administration are terrible. A handful of Teachers are there that truly care about teaching and the welfare of the students.

This school is by far the worst school I have ever seen or been involved in.

Posted: May 5, 2015

I have a son in 6th grade. We were so excited this year because we found out he had been placed in Mrs. Ordile's class. From everything we had heard in the community she was the top teacher. She was kind and caring and knew how to maintain a positive classroom. Mrs. O had high standards for her students and always encouraged them to put their best effort into everything they did. My son has never liked school but with Mrs. O's phenomenal expertise in teaching he loved school and his grades sky rocketed. Sadly, we received news in December that Mrs. Ordile would be leaving for personal reasons. As parents we were disappointed to see such an amazing educator leave a school that was lacking in her passion and positive attitude about education. Following her departure my son had several subs before the school hired Ms. Millonig. Ms. Millonig is not a bad teacher but can't be compared to Mrs. Ordile. We feel that our son is not being prepared for middle school at the same level he was in the beginning of the year. Since the 3 years we have been at Fort Belvoir there has been a lot of turnover with good teachers, which makes me question what is going on behind the scenes!

Posted: January 22, 2015

We moved to the area this past summer. I have a son in kindergarten and Fifth grade. I was concerned with the reviews I had previously read but I have not experienced any issues or concerns so far. My son's kindergarten teacher is amazing. She provides developmental and age appropriate teaching strategies for individual children and makes kindergarten fun. My son's fifth grade teacher has seen that my son struggles with organizational skills and has worked with him to improve is attentiveness and he is excelling this year. Please, do not be concerned about sending your child to this school.

Posted: September 13, 2014

This is the second year my son has attended Fort Belvoir Elementary School. We have had a great experience thus far. His Kindergarten teacher was amazing and so is his First grade teacher this year. My son has health problems which require me to go to the school twice a day to care for him and everyone in the school has been nothing but accommodating. When I had issues with things that were going on I never had to wait to get them sorted out. The principle and assistant principle saw me right away I think I waited 5 minuets tops. The ladies in the office are so kind and have done everything possible to make my visits each day as smooth as possible. It is a large school with lots of children and parents so yes the office can be hectic at times but I think they manage well.

Posted: September 12, 2014

My school is Fort Belvoir Elementary. I currently have two of my children attending, I strongly believe this is an exceptional school. Last year my children attended first and third grades. The teachers in these two grades provided a excellent education opportunity for my children. The afterschool program of STEM and the additional tutoring enhance the overall experience. The teachers stay late beyond their required contract hours preparing plans and sharing ideas on how to nurture and develop their students minds for their utmost capabilities. The difficulties I have seen encounter there derive more from parents believing their rank (or should I say their spouse's rank entitle them to special considerations outside the very rules put in place for the security of our children. If parents spent more time with their children developing their reading, writing and math skills at home and less time indulging their own enjoyments on their computers and iphones then their children would be better prepared for the world.

Posted: September 8, 2014

Sadly with the new principal arriving last year the school has rapidly declined. The office staff doesn't really care. They are too busy chatting each other up. Most of the teachers just don't care. For each grade there are good teachers. This school has had revolving doors when it comes to the staff. Every year you see new teachers. One teacher last year informed that ,"Parents are NOT allowed to park and walk their children into the school." Needless to say she also got slapped. One of the counselors asked what was going on. I informed her that I had walking my son in to the school for over 2 yrs. and now some "new" teacher thinks she's going to tell I can't? Wrong answer. Then with the new principal, your children can not hand out birthday invites ( we give them to whole class). No homemade anything, must be individually wrapped & store bought?! And the parents are discouraged from taking their kids to class in the mornings. Followed with , why are you here? , for what reason , where, and you can't do that , the teachers don't want to have to deal with parents before school.

Posted: September 7, 2014

If I could control the rating the school would not even receive 1 star. First and foremost this is a horrible school. The new principal could careless about the interest and education of the students who attend. She knowingly allows teachers to mistreat children even when the teacher admits to it and it's beyond all rules to act in such manner. Some teachers honestly should no be teachers especially those with children entering kindergarten. Time to take this to higher levels.

Posted: July 27, 2014

I have two children who have attended kindergarten and first grade at Fort Belvoir Elementary. Both of my kids are excelling and enjoying the classroom/school learning environment. Their teachers were phenomenal; I don't know how they do it! Based on this website, I was afraid that the student body was too large, discipline was a problem, and the education was lacking. That is not so! There is a large library for them to use, even parents are welcome! There is nothing lacking - science lab/STEM programs, art, music, PE, and the normal subjects. My kids LOVE it at Fort Belvoir and they certainly are high performers. The teachers and administration care for the students and it shows.

Posted: July 18, 2014

This school is completely overcrowded and the staff have just given up. With the exception of about 1/2 of the Teachers, the school is just not good.

Posted: May 8, 2014

I have never experienced any other schools but we love our daughters teachers so far. Kindergarten and first grade. We haven't had any problems and I love how organized they are. It makes me feel good knowing my daughter is in a safe environment. She is ahead and will be tested for advanced classes for next year and I feel the teachers are giving her the work she needs to push forward. We are even thinking about extending here just so she can have another year in this school. And that alone says alot because we don't care for the area at all.

Posted: April 28, 2014

Fort Belvoir elementary school is overcrowded. The staff in the front office are rude and make the simplest task difficult. The new principal does not have a grip on the school. She doesn't return calls and her vice principals aren't picking up the slack. The teachers that my children had have are less than stellar. If your child is advanced they are too busy to bother with them My daughter spends way too much time reading at school because she is bored. My son, on the other hand, could use a little extra help and his teacher gets frustrated easily and leaves nasty comments on his homework. This school needs an overhaul.

Posted: February 11, 2014

This is my child's second year here. Her 2nd grade teacher was great and patiently explained things when we had questions. My child is weak in math, but the teacher worked with her to improve. Her 3rd grade teacher is good, but I feel rushed by her. Conferences have been helpful. The school seems better this year under new leadership. Monthly newsletters are a new, informative feature. It seems not all children are recognized in areas where they excel and individual attention is rare. One evening last school year, I received a call from staff who rudely told me that my child was waiting to be picked up. My child is bussed to and from before/after care and has never done kiss-n-ride. When she realized the mistake, it was blown off. This year, when I called to check the status of a conference that I requested, I was told that one had been scheduled that I missed. I had been basically sitting by the phone waiting for someone to get back to me about it, so I know I didn't miss anything. When it was realized there may have been a mistake, again, it was blown off. I don't think the school is that bad, but it does depend on who you deal with. There is certainly room for improvement.

Posted: January 24, 2014

Poor Leadership. Administration only cares about kids whose parents are highly military ranked. Your child will left behind. They do not care for students who are not gifted.

Posted: July 29, 2013

My daughter attended Fort Belvoir Elementary for kindergarten and 1st grade 2011-2013. We had a GREAT experience at this school. She had Ms.Murphy and Ms. Shroff and they were both AMAZING teachers . My daughter got a little behind a few times they went out of their way to make sure she got the extra help she needed. I was also provided with extra tips on how to help her at home. The staff were great with informing me right away with any issues with my daughter . Unfortunately we had to move and ate now on the hunt for another great school with amazing teachers like this one .

Posted: May 25, 2013

This school was not the ideal situation for our student. We are used to very good schools with teachers dedicated to differentiating and strong knowledge of teaching. Didn't find it there.

Posted: May 25, 2013

Our son went here for only one year--thank goodness we pcs'd after one year. I am a former teacher, and what we found at Fort Belvoir Elem was below average teaching and leadership. Our son's second grade teacher did not have recent knowledge of ed research, teaching strategies, etc and didn't differentiate. Our son was not challenged at all; he was very bored. He was also exposed to inappropriate language and behaviors daily. It was an overall disappointment.

Posted: April 28, 2013

I had 2 children in this school for under 6 months, very disappointing. My 4th grade student's teacher was very mean spirited, even went so far as to tell my child that she didn't want him at that school, nor in her class, and was glad he was leaving. My 6th grader failed to be challenged, admitted into the advanced program (I had to sign an approval for to allow him to participate, still have a copy of it), I was then told that he wasn't in the advanced classes, never was. My child was bored beyond belief. Very disappointing school atmosphere.

Posted: February 11, 2013

My daughter only went to this school for two months before we changed her to another school. The students are not challenged, the staff is rude, the teachers don't seem interested in the individual child. The behavior and language of the other students was not the environment I wanted my daughter to be in. If you are planning to move on base and have elementary age children, please consider some of the other schools available in the area.

Posted: May 5, 2012

I had children in this school for seven years. As long as there were no issues with my children's behavior, it was great. Unfortunately, the administration talks a good game, but won't follow through. After discussing a plan of action that both the parent and staff member agrees to, the staff member turns around and does something different with the child, as far as discipline. The parent only finds out about this when they try to follow through with what they had agreed to do (via the conference with the staff member) and the child reveals that what the parent was told would happen at school did not actually happen. This makes it impossible for the parents to instill consistency and respect for authority with their children. The school is illequipped to deal with dicsiplinary issues.

Posted: November 16, 2011

I think this school was fantastic, I was a student here for 5th grade and while being here, the teacher's and faculty were very friendly and they did their job very well. I am currently Graduated and I just wanted to let you parents know that, your child will learn alot at this school and will have a great time. There is always something to do at this school and the activities they perform will inspire your child.

Posted: June 26, 2011

This school is very large, and you never ever see the principal. The school as a whole does not seem very organized and it seems to be a revolving door of teachers. However my kids have always had great teachers that worked hard to provide a good educational experience for my kids. Probably the best teacher is Ms. Barber a 6th grade teacher. My child has a learning disability and never liked school. After having Ms. Barber his confidence is high and he is working on grade level (something he never has done before). She truly has a gift! I also must praise Mrs. Pena a 5th grade special education teacher who worked hard with my child as well.

Posted: November 3, 2010

Fort Belvoir Elementary school has been a wonderful school for my children. I have three children at the school ranging from preschool to sixth grade. We've had some amazing teachers and some not so amazing teachers, but overall it has been a great experience. I love that they have inclusion classes for the special needs kids and the special ed teachers have been great. I will be sad to leave this school behind. The previous reviews about the principal are true, she is never around the school and really sweeps issues under the rug, but I assure you that the rest of the staff isn't like that. The PTO is probably the best you will ever see.

Posted: April 27, 2010

Fort Belvoir Elementary is a great school. Teachers, faculty, staff, and volunteers do a fantastic job and the encouragement and skill that they have shown to our kids, and as parents, we have seen first hand that they are providing a top notch education for our kids. Including children, like our youngest, who requires a special needs class, are the best that we've seen and we couldn't be more thankful for the job that they, and all the educators at FBES, do everyday.

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Fort Belvoir Housing	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Fort Belvoir	VA	2.4 mi
2	Wessynton	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	3 mi
3	Riverside Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	3.1 mi
4	Kingstowne	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	3.1 mi
5	Terra Grande	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	3.3 mi
6	Springfield Oaks	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	3.3 mi
7	Hayfield Farms	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria/Kingstowne	VA	3.5 mi
8	Grove at Huntley Meadow	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	3.6 mi
9	Greenwood	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	3.7 mi
10	Huntley	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	3.8 mi
11	Lorton Station	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lorton	VA	3.8 mi
12	Stratford Landing	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4 mi
13	Riverside Gardens	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.3 mi
14	Hollin Hall Village	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.4 mi
15	Plymouth Haven	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.6 mi
16	Gunston Cove	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lorton	VA	4.6 mi
17	Newington Forest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Springfield	VA	4.7 mi
18	Oakbrooke	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.8 mi
19	Wilton Woods	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.8 mi
20	Waynewood	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	4.9 mi
21	Collingwood on the Potomac	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Alexandria	VA	5.1 mi
22	Cardinal Square	Condominium/Townhouse	West Springfield	VA	5.1 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Mt. Vernon	Alexandria	VA	1.9 mi
2	Kingstowne	Alexandria	VA	3.3 mi
3	Daventry	Springfield	VA	4.8 mi

Base	Distance
Fort Belvoir	0.8 mi.
Mark Center Alexandria	7.6 mi.
Indian Head Naval Base	9.4 mi.
Bolling AFB Joint Base Anacostia	10.6 mi.
Defense Health Headquarters Falls Church	10.7 mi.
Henderson Hall	10.8 mi.
Pentagon	11.3 mi.
Fort Myer	11.6 mi.
Coast Guard Headquarters DC	12.1 mi.
Fort McNair	12.3 mi.
Washington Navy Yard	13.2 mi.
Marine Barracks Washington	13.5 mi.
Andrews AFB	15 mi.
Walter Reed Medical Center	19.6 mi.
NRO Chantilly	19.9 mi.
Quantico Marine Base	21 mi.
Dahlgren NSWC	26.9 mi.
Fort Meade NSA	33.7 mi.
US Naval Academy	39.7 mi.
Annapolis Naval Station	40.7 mi.
Coast Guard Curtis Bay	45.2 mi.
Fort AP Hill	45.8 mi.

Fort Belvoir Elementary School

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060

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Fort Belvoir Elementary School

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060

School Ratings

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