John Adams Elementary School

Posted: July 29, 2025

This is a failed experiment in woke nonsense. They care more about attendance and gender identity questions than anything else. Neither of my kids teachers were certified in Virginia. They are going elsewhere this year.
This is a great school if you don’t speak any English and have no intention to learn it.

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 29, 2025

Posted: July 14, 2023

This is a good’s School, a help my daughter out with her work

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

John Adams Elementary School It’s the worst thing happen to my child life ,the don’t care about kids with autism and parent concern

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 27, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Terrible school for kids with special education. They put them in literally closet like rooms with very small space. Congested and suffocated and they expect growth and progress from them. I am very disappointed by this school for their treatment of kids with autism.

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: January 26, 2023

Posted: February 11, 2020

Teachers don't stress the students out with a lot of homework. This actually a good idea. Students ahould be completing the majority of work at home. It puts a strain onparenta trying to figure out Math homework.

Posted: February 11, 2020

Posted: February 11, 2020

Posted: February 11, 2020

Posted: February 11, 2020

Posted: February 11, 2020

Posted: February 11, 2020

8 out 10. I like the staff and the principal.

Posted: June 27, 2019

We finished another great year at John Adams. Wonderful teachers, caring community, responsive administration. Our child is thriving!

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Posted: September 28, 2018

Despite the chaotic afternoon pickup, we have had fantastic caring teachers for both children that provide an outstanding bilingual education. So many teachers go above and beyond. Incredibly lucky to have Ms. Kingcade and Mr. Luther as principals. You can't beat this school.

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Posted: July 25, 2018

Couldn’t be happier with the dual language program! Large school, but the program makes it feel small like a small cohort. Parents are investing. Most teachers have been enthusiastic. Administration is responsive. There is a small window for children to easily learn another language. As a bonus here, your children experience the value of diversity. Save your private school money for middle school. Although rumor has it the middle school is talking about adding a dual program.

Posted: February 27, 2018

I do not have criteria for give an option.

Posted: February 27, 2018

Yes, the school have special education program.

Posted: February 27, 2018

I read about just one activity since 2016 in the school.

Posted: February 27, 2018

I have had excellent experience. I would like my son can continue there.

Posted: February 27, 2018

My son doesn’t receive homework. He is Preschool.

Posted: February 27, 2018

They are engaged with their job and students.

Posted: February 27, 2018

They have been teaching to share, to help each another.

Posted: March 30, 2017

My son is in the special education preK and has improved drastically in just 6 months! From 50 words in September to full phrases and sentences and its only March! Their program is excellent! Praying we can come back here next year!

Posted: March 9, 2017

We're having a wonderful experience at John Adams. The teachers and administrative staff are incredibly responsive, the Sympatico music program is excellent, and our kindergartner is thoroughly enjoying the dual language program.

Posted: September 10, 2016

John Adams has a dedicated teaching staff, few student discipline problems, and a beautiful diverse student population! This school is committed to the arts and hosts a dual language curriculum for Spanish.

Posted: July 18, 2016

I love dual language program. My children love their school, they like their teachers. Great school. Mrs. Shirley is a very committed teacher.

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Many teachers are amazing and go above and beyond to make a challenging situation productive and positive for all students. Thank you!

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

John Adams is a diverse school that exposes both the student and family to multiple cultures and languages and abilities.
- Over 1000 students including pre-K, Head Start and 5 classes of self contained special education.
- Dual Language
- EXCELLENT music program - Thanks to Mr. McCune for years of service!
- Going into the 3rd year with Ms. Lee, Principal, who walked into a mountain of challenges in this school. She is working hard and it is apparent and appreciated.

Our experience has been up and down. Overall the school teaches inclusion for all which is necessary for a school such as this. Parent involvement has been necessary for this to be effective.

Teachers come and go in droves...it is not an easy school to work in as resources are low overall.

There are amazing teachers...some not so much.

Office staff and Assistant Principals are not supportive or even helpful at times.

Posted: October 23, 2015

The staff and John Adams Elementary School is truly amazing. They provide excellent support to the students.

Posted: October 23, 2015

Posted: October 23, 2015

Posted: October 23, 2015

One of my children is flourishing in the dual language program and my second child is preparing to start kindergarten next year. My family is very happy with the excellent staff and wonderful services John Adams Elementary School provides. The teachers are knowledgeable and I feel this school is a hidden gem in the city of Alexandria. Mrs. Lee, the principal brings excellent skill sets to the school. She and the staff are providing a wonderful atmosphere for learning.

Posted: September 10, 2015

Love one of the administrators. The receptionist is friendly. Love LOVE the diversity. That was very important us. That said, most of the families are low income with little education. Most of the office staff is unprofessional. The dual language program is probably the best they have to offer. Most of the teachers in the K-2 dual program have been great with the exception of one. We drive in every day because the bus driver told our son to shut up. parking is a mess.

Posted: September 10, 2015

Posted: September 10, 2015

Posted: September 10, 2015

Posted: July 16, 2015

Posted: July 16, 2015

Posted: July 16, 2015

Posted: July 10, 2015

The teachers are constantly striving to learn new ways to reach out to the students.

Posted: July 10, 2015

The homework at John Adams Elementary scool is appropriate for my child's grade, age and class

Posted: July 10, 2015

John Adams has helped my child understand right from wrong and had instilled lifelong values of fairness and honesty through communication and an amazing staff.

Posted: July 10, 2015

My biggest concern in preparation for sending my children off to kindergarten was if they would be in the best hands possible-- would the school staff, administration and teachers be enthusiastic about teaching? The reviews on great schools and other online resources had me tentative about this decision but as I learned more about John Adams through visits, conversations with the teacher and principals, as well as parents of current students, the decision was easier than I had prepared myself for. Our son is enrolled in the dual-language program and spends over half his day in Spanish and consistently sings and speaks Spanish at the dinner table (speaks more than us and he is 5!). The new principal, Jill, moved across the country to take the reins at JA and she is determined to make the school the perfect learning environment for the kids who attend from all over the world. We couldn't be happier.

Posted: July 10, 2015

The teachers implement rigorous curriculums and as a parent have kept me well informed of my children's progress and what they are learning week to week. I've been particularly impressed with the arts program and the dual language teachers who are implementing the single classroom Spanish-English model.

Our kindergarten teacher this year had very high expectations, kept the 19 kids in the classroom well engaged, and provided the parents with weekly newsletters on the key subjects that week. The kids by no means had it easy but advanced five levels over the course of a single year in reading-- in two languages.

Despite the large size, the school is orderly and the children well behaved. You can hear a pin drop in 1000 kid assemblies. If you are looking for a lax school where the kids roam the halls and the children are given free range this school isn't for you.

Posted: July 10, 2015

My kids have daily homework in both Spanish and English and are expected to use various learning apps when they complete their assignments.

Posted: July 10, 2015

The children at the school are very well behaved and inclusive. The big kids are very kinds to the little kids and the teachers and administration to the extra mile to make this large school feel small. Parents are also welcomed via monthly PTA events and principal coffee hours.

Posted: June 21, 2015

Posted: June 21, 2015

Posted: June 21, 2015

Posted: June 21, 2015

This school can use a lot of improvement. It lacked academic challenges for my child. She did not appreciate her teacher and many times felt lack of encouragement, enthusiasm, and creativity. She does not feel happy here and does not wish to attend this school again. The after school program, Campana, needs a a lot of help. Many times I have witnessed them yelling and screaming at the children as if they are a menace , disgrace, and other such things. They should not be yelled at in such a way it is a disappointment to parents to see such treatment to the children.

I highly recommend until this school has new management and/or this school improves in quality to not enroll your child into this school. Please search elsewhere if possible.

Posted: September 27, 2014

Our son has blossomed at John Adams. We began in the dual language program last year and have found a school full of energized parents, teachers and administrators. Established members of the school mentioned that turnover problems had soured their experience with the school in the past, but this hasn't seemed to be an issue for the last several years. We're very happy with John Adams, and plan to stay involved to make the school even better in the future.

Posted: September 27, 2014

John Adams is a school on the rise, as is the surrounding neighborhood. We moved to Dowden Terrace in 2010 with a 1 and a half year old and another baby on the way and knew we would soon have to be considering schools-- public, private, parochial- so many choices. My wife and I, both products of public schools, certainly leaned toward John Adams, despite some of the ratings and reviews found here and elsewhere on the internet. Ultimately we did our research and now have our son enrolled in the dual-language program and he/we know we made the right decision, as did many of our neighbors and friends from the neighborhood. The fact of the matter is that the quality of a public school is only as strong as the will of the parents to send their children to that particular school. Every parent that chooses private over public for the reason "if only that school had better scores" is pushing that public further down the charts. More and more parents, as it seems to me, are beginning to make the choice of public education for their elementary students in the West End of Alexandria and we will all be better off for it.

Posted: September 26, 2014

This school, located in the Dowden Terrace neighborhood of Alexandria, is the best kept secret in the City of Alexandria. I couldn't be more impressed by the school-- from the small class sizes--19 in kindergarten with two teachers--to the highly regarded new Principal Jill Lee to the standing-room-only PTA meetings and principal coffee hours. This school goes above and beyond to embrace its highly diverse student body and their families--and the result is a highly involved and highly demanding school community. The dual language program has a rigorous curriculum that is only getting stronger, informed by its own coordinator and a PhD from GW who has enriched the program. My child spends 70 percent of the day in Spanish and I am amazed by just how quickly she is learning the curriculum.

Posted: January 15, 2014

This school is getting worse every year. The school used to have Honors Assembly program which encourage the students. That is no more there. We want the school to participate in the National Spelling Bee program and they do not have a clue. We need a big change.

Posted: July 3, 2012

We've had a hit or miss experience at John Adams. One child was in a classroom with some involved parents and great teachers who gave her challenging work even before she was formally classified as gifted later in the year. My other child had teachers who meant well but weren't able to focus on teaching to students of high ability, no involved parents, and students he didn't click with. The school focuses on serving a challenging population--the majority of students are low-income with parents with limited educational backgrounds, including many recent immigrants. The better students don't get much attention, and have a tendency to get overlooked in classes geared towards getting struggling students to meet SOL proficiency standards. The Spanish immersion program--which gets little institutional support--seems to be the escape valve for the brightest students and most involved parents. There is a small group of involved parents who make heroic efforts to support the school via PTA, scouts, etc., but my sense is that many families at the school are either struggling just to put food on the table or so new to the country as to be unfamiliar with these sorts of activities.

Posted: March 27, 2012

My daughter is in first grade, and this is her second year at John Adams. I have nothing but good things to say about the school and everyone I've dealt with, from the classroom teachers we've had to the nurse, social worker, and special area teachers. Despite it being a large school I always see the school personnel calling students by their names which shows that they are committed to the kids and the school. Parents complain about the Spanish Immersion program consistently, but I took the time to learn about it ahead of time to make the right decision for my child, which turned out to be a regular ed classroom. I am an educator, have been for 14 years, and as it is in EVERY school, you as a parent have to advocate for your child. It does start at home! If you send your child to school ill prepared, you will struggle right along with your child. Parents need to stop blaming the school and everyone else and take a look at what "product" they are sending out in the world.