Seneca Ridge Middle School

Posted: September 12, 2025

I’ve had a really disappointing experience with this school. The administration is unorganized and communication with parents is almost nonexistent. Teachers seem overworked and unsupported, which unfortunately shows in the classroom environment. Instead of focusing on student growth and engagement, the school feels stuck in outdated methods and inconsistent policies.

The facilities are poorly maintained, and basic resources like technology and library materials are either broken or severely outdated. Extracurricular activities are limited, and the ones that do exist lack proper structure and leadership.

Overall, the school doesn’t live up to the expectations of providing a safe, supportive, and motivating learning environment. I would not recommend it to families looking for a place where their children can thrive academically and personally.

Posted: September 12, 2025

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Posted: March 13, 2024

This school is ok but it has issues, I had one teacher last year that all I learned through him was through packets. The teachers here can be ok but sometimes a little extreme. One teacher sat by and let me get singled out and picked on and said it was practically my fault. The hallways are a mess, the food is atrocious and terrible. There are many people vaping and vandalizing the bathrooms. Because of this, the bathrooms are dangerous. There is swearing and bullying everywhere and its not a good thing. Please fix this terrible and awful school.

Posted: March 13, 2024

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Posted: January 18, 2024

Principal Cottone looks very concerned about his school. He is very pro active and communicative. Liked this school and teachers as well.

Posted: January 18, 2024

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Posted: December 11, 2023

It is really bad here the teacher some of them are very bad.

Posted: December 11, 2023

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Posted: December 3, 2023

Honestly, as a student here, it is just as bad as it seems. I have gotten bullied way too many times and the staff do nothing about it. Most teachers don't even teach. I always get B's becuase my teacher "forgot to go over that part." The food here looks like poop and gave me food poisoning. i wouldnt reccomend this school to anybody.

Posted: November 25, 2023

Mr. Cottone is the best, most engaged principal I have ever worked with. Kids love him.

Posted: November 25, 2023

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Posted: November 15, 2022

My son loves the school’s atmosphere and he enjoy each class.
Teachers are amazing and you can’t have a better principal than Mr. Cottone who cares about his students and his school.

Posted: November 15, 2022

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Posted: February 16, 2022

cool cool cool cool cool cool cool

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Posted: October 14, 2021

As a student that goes here, it's pretty good here!
Some of the old reviews mentioned that this place doesn't really care about racism and the other students are jerks, but honestly, it isn't as bad as some mentioned. Even if some of the kids can be rude, most of the teachers actually care, and racism isn't much of a problem here either. Racism is being more addressed in this school and we even celebrate other races and cultures every now and then!
Some things I don't really like about Seneca Ridge though is that some of the teachers I have tend to be a bit strict. Also, as I mentioned earlier, people can be rude. They litter a lot and I've even seen a group of them bothering and throwing around a little toad!!! >:^(
Other than some of the strict teachers and jerks that go here, most of the people you'll meet here are very warm and welcoming! I've made some very good friends here <3

Posted: October 14, 2021

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Posted: May 24, 2021

My children received a great education at this school and had fun doing it. They had some truly remarkable teachers who embrace teaching as a special calling. I'm happy for the opportunities my children had to advance in mathematics and even take classes at the high school. The school administration met with my husband and me when we had a concern about something that happened in one of my daughter's classes and matters were set straight immediately. Another daughter suffered from a chronic illness and the school councilor assembled a meeting with each of her teachers as well as the school administration to discuss her special needs. One of the teachers even cried with me as I described my daughter's challenges. I am very grateful to the staff for their hard work in making Seneca Ridge a great school.

Posted: May 24, 2021

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Posted: April 17, 2020

This school deals with all the important bullying around the community so your child is sure to be safe!

Posted: April 17, 2020

THIS SCHOOL IS THE BEST SCHOOL THAT MY KID HAS EVER BEEN TO!

Posted: April 17, 2020

This school has a awesome it has very circular.

Posted: April 17, 2020

The teachers are very kind and understanding.

Posted: April 17, 2020

The kids at this school are very kind. We only have rare inncedents. 1 kid ent to the hospital for football.

Posted: April 17, 2020

This school talks about core and leadership.

Posted: April 17, 2020

Awesome this school has a lot of awesome stuff.

Posted: May 7, 2018

Great development/learning environment. Could use some more windows.

Posted: May 7, 2018

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Posted: May 9, 2017

While a few of the teachers are fair, the majority of them take the "if you do something bad, you're not the only one who'll suffer" thing way too far. The staff will nit-pick at the small and unnecessary things, but will overlook bigger issues, varying from racist comments to bullying and fights in the hallways. In addition to this, teachers tend to hold classes several minutes after the bell rings just because one person kept misbehaving and will refuse to write late passes even for the students who were doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing, causing those respectful students to arrive late and receive unfair punishments for it. The horrible substitutes also add to the awful learning experience. The hallways are always in complete chaos during the 5 minutes in between classes. Many incredibly rude and disrespectful students run around the overcrowded locker areas with their bundles of friends while blasting loud music, blocking those who need to get to their classes, pushing and shoving people along the way. The school is also very unsanitary. The floors, walls, and even cafeteria tables are very dirty and are covered in germs and trash. There are also no windows except for in the art rooms, gym locker rooms, and the cafeteria ceiling, causing the school to be a rather dark, musty, and depressing place. If it wasn't for the very few understanding and respectable teachers, I would've given an even worse rating. Overall, Seneca Ridge Middle School is a very uncomfortable and poorly operated school.

Posted: April 2, 2017

Some 7th & 8th grade teachers here are OUTSTANDING!!

Posted: April 1, 2017

Seneca is an extremely cliquey school, some students tend to not accept the other students that are different from them. The cafeteria is very small (with about 20 kids at a lunchtable, even though it's meant for 10), the cafeteria also has a strange, musty smell that isn't pleasing. The auditorium and locker area are filled with many ants just crawling around. There are a few windows in the school, which can make it kind of depressing during class. There are also ceiling leaks theoughout the school, last year, they had to remove the ceiling tiles and the water would drip down into a trash can on the floorOne good thing about the school is that some teachers are AMAZING! They've really impacted my learning (in a good way) and I finally understand what I'm learning about. Overall, this school is okay.

Posted: April 1, 2017

Posted: April 1, 2017

Even though the school does talk about being different to the students, the students still continue to block out the ones that aren't like them/are different.

Posted: April 1, 2017

The new principal has changed a lot of things, but I don't think students are being completely impacted by it.

Posted: April 1, 2017

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Posted: January 12, 2017

-a student

My experience at Seneca has been mixed. There are some amazing teachers, especially in the 7th and 8th grade English department and the 8th grade civics department, but there were also some algue teachers. By far the grade with the best teachers is the 8th grade. Most of the 6th grade teachers, especially in history, do not teach. As for 7th grade, there is a mixture of good and bad teachers and they balance each other out. The substitutes though are awful. I had to have a sub for the entire year in 7th grade science because my teacher had cancer. The long term sub was awful, she had us just read and do worksheets from the textbook and nobody learned anything. I do not understand anything I learned in 7th grade science and am worried as to how it will effect my SOL this year. As for the administration, the new principal is okay but the new assistant principal is really bad. Everyone loved the past one who had been here the past 2 years and this new guy just doesn't cut it. The building itself is old. There are not enough lockers and the 6th graders unfortunately have to deal with these skinny D House lockers that can barely even fit a 2 inch binder. The overflow lockers aren't that bad once kids learn how to navigate around them. Although the main problem is the size of the hallways. In between classes, especially after STORM, there is some serious congestion, especially around the C House and it is awful. Just in general kids are bulldozing others because they can't afford to be late to class and there isn't room to pass, this happens a lot when there is a group of 6th graders walking very slowly while 8th graders are trying to make it to class on time from gym. The cafeteria is also much too small. There aren't enough tables which causes kids to sit to up to 7 in a section made for 4. I've had to sit where I had to turn my shoulders side and awkwardly eat sideways. While this school isn't bad, some major changes to the building and to the 6th grade and substitutes staff could be made.

Posted: August 15, 2016

i have a GREAT history teacher and MATH teacher but my PE teachers punish the whole class if 2 people do something obnoxious. ALSO i saved the best for last my keyboarding teacher!!!!

Posted: August 15, 2016

sometimes the teachers can be inconsistent for example my friend's math teacher gives packet on top of packets of homework im not even kidding but it may prepare them for high school and in some ways i dont see it as a problem

Posted: August 15, 2016

becuase the kids from sugarland and meadowland do not listen to teachers and dont care at all so they arent taught and the teachers just give up and it makes the quality of my education terrible

Posted: August 15, 2016

I am upper mid class and my education at my previous elementary school was great but in Seneca ridge middle school it was horrific. they wanted to make the school with lower funds then my elementary school and its near a not so great area and kids from the lower education elementary are starting fights and getting f's and not caring about school breaking rules and making my school education go down the toilet at the same time. There are teachers who are too lazy to even teach. Some teachers genuinely hate children and I would be so grateful if they built a new school in a better area near me and i could go there Seneca ridge is half full of kids who dont care about their education and want to ruin mine and everyone else who actually cares. For example there was a kids in my PE class and all they did was mess around and it would make it so we never got to do our lesson plan and all we did was run and strech this would occur all the time and if i was lucky i would've been able to actually learn and those kids from those 2 schools need to be taught the importance of education

Posted: June 1, 2016

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Posted: June 1, 2016

If your child is Aftican American please beware. This school tolerates and accepts racist comments.

Some of The teachers are great! Leadership is decent, but again beware.

Kids are the culprits of saying derogatory comments, but when the school shows no empathy or compassion for the child who endures it -- it becomes problematic ! They want your child to tell on each child who says a comment about their race and be bullied 10x as bad. Training should be had for all leadership and administration. A video clearly
Isn't working. The school is 8-9% African American. BEWARE BEWARE

Posted: May 1, 2016

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Posted: May 1, 2016

Seneca is a wonderful school. Most teachers are very good and sincere. Overall very good.

Posted: February 29, 2016

Seneca is beyond awful. The teachers can't teach to save their lives and pretty much everyone in the school is recommended for Honors, even though a large number of them fail classes on a regular basis.

The principal, Mark Mcdermott, turns a blind eye to every problem in the school and refuses to admit that how he's running the school isn't working. In fact, he comes out of his office about once a month, and that's just to call the teachers in from a fire drill.

The school itself is a dump. Last year we lost three ceiling tiles in the eighth grade hall in a matter of months, and nothing was done to replace them. Instead, industrial trashcans from the cafeteria were placed under where the tiles were to collect leakage from the air vents. Problem solving at its finest.
There are no windows in the school, and the hallways are about three feet wide, now that they have installed overflow lockers in every hallway. Forgot to mention: Another thing that the staff refuse to admit is that the school is overpopulated by about 100 students, instead opting to pretend that the hallways don't look like a WWE Cage Match after each class ends.

If you are moving to this area, save your son or daughter while you still can and find a job somewhere else. Or go to River Bend. Either one.

I have to admit that it boggles my mind how this school has a 4/5 community rating on this site. I would like to hear an explanation from these "Satisfied parents" other than "This school is fabulous"

Thank you.

Posted: November 9, 2014

I think that the teachers and other staff are very nice people at Seneca Ridge, but there is a lack of discipline, such as a lot of rude people in the hallways who just walk right in to you like you're a ghost to get to class. I also find it strange that some students cannot speak English at this school. It is a nice school I just wish students were more friendly here.

Posted: November 9, 2014

This is my first year at Seneca Ridge. All the teachers and staff are nice, but students are extremely rude in the hallways, which shows there is an obvious lack of discipline. Imagine walking to your locker and some girl just walks right through you like you were a ghost. I m also surprised by the number of students who can t speak English. This is not a bad school, I just wish the students were more friendly.

Posted: September 19, 2014

I am a second year student now, and I loved last year. All the teachers are nice, fair, and helpful. Especially since most of the teachers offer after school help. All the honors teachers push you hard, but it's for the best and it helps you for the next year. Although this school IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF WINDOWS!!!! If you ask your child to describe the school's appearance in one word, there's a chance they will say prison our maybe jail. I haven't met a student who has disagreed with that term. The only windows I know of are in the cafeteria and art rooms, not counting those tiny windows in the doors of the d hall. Lockers vary. The d hall lockers, though small, are personally better than the house lockers. This year, I've been hit in the head with my locker neighbor's locker door, and I accidentally dropped a shoe on her head, where as last year, although the d hall lockers were very skinny, I never had those problems. Plus since the house lockers are always crowded, you have to hold onto lockers so you don't trip on feet. Although the academics and friendly environment of this school is great. Besides the lockers and lack of windows, this would be a great school for anyone.

Posted: April 27, 2014

Is our 3rd year in SRMS My son is happy there, We have been lucky with All the teachers my son got. Bulling are issue once a while The deans & consulates are awesome. Front office secretaries are nice & helpful. We are excited for 9th grade.

Posted: February 21, 2014

My son is a 6th grader at SRMS and we know many other families who have been through Lowes Island Elem, SRMS and Dominion. This is a great school system from K - 12. Children are prepared and have an excellent track record for college admission. My son is taking accelerated Math 6/7this year and will already be taking high school credit math next year! All of his other honors classes he has excelled, including subjects that weren't his favorite. Great teachers who push students, but are also nurturing. What has most impressed me are the skills and resources provided to students to build great organization/planning to take ownership of schoolwork while providing parents (via Clarity website) the ability to monitor, without interfering. In addition, they assign a counselor to each grade that is with them through the duration of SRMS. Ms. Diamond (former SRMS grad herself) is AMAZING! Any concerns parents or students have, she immediately addresses them with thoughtful and swift action. The school, teachers and PTO have been excellent in communicating with parents. We have thoroughly enjoyed our year at SRMS!

Posted: August 31, 2013

For the person complaining about the lunch lady 1. has nothing to do with the education of the school.2. that is her job Loudoun county (as all the surrounding counties) require that a well rounded meal be served daily. If your child doesn't want the milk tell her to take it and put it to the side many schools give it to students who would like more or some donate to the LINK food bank. Students are required to have a certain amount of items on the tray, milk, entree, fruit and vegetable if you don't like it then you should send your child a bagged lunch. Don't have a rating for the school as my child isn't there yet.

Posted: June 22, 2013

This school is fabulous! My children are currently attending this school and so far, they think it's pretty well firmed. The issue is the environment, the influence and students there are poor. Sometimes, I see children cursing and fighting. My children simply ignore them so it's not a big deal though. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Posted: May 27, 2013

You try to be a good kid @ this school but the kind of kids that go to this school give a bad influence on other people turning other kids "corrupt". The lunch staff @ the cafe force a child to get one of the sides or particularly one of the lunch ladies force you to get milk so ifs or buts. At this school i see bullying as a pretty big issue one kid will give the other kid a hard time for whatever reason but the kid who is getting picked on will fight back and lots of kids cuss a lot which makes it a bad environment. But most of the staff is good and should keep on going on about what they are doing. I openly admit that before 6th grade saying was a bad word was like a sin now due to my influence i have cussed quite a bit due to peer pressure. This is not entirely their fault but now i'm trying to stop myself i hope the srms staff reads this.

Posted: June 7, 2012

Seneca Ridge has an awesome band progam run by two incredible band teachers! Too bad one is leaving to teach in Fairfax County :(. They made such a great team! I think they have good teachers for all the subjects, especially in the honors program. However, I am not at all happy with the languages - specifically French and Spanish. My son took French in 7th grade, but unfortunately was turned off by the teaching style - straight from the book. The teacher didn't incorporate technology into her teaching at all. Also, she didn't have any control over her classroom. And unfortunately, the well-behaved kids are left to suffer. In 8th grade he took spanish by a teacher who could barely speak english, so there was a language barrier to work thru, and again, she also had no control over her classroom! The science and civics teachers are excellent (at least the one's my son had). He is excited to go to high school at Dominion!

Posted: February 5, 2012

English teachers should not be allowed to eat during the entirety of the class room instruction time day after day. Also, the carpool pick up line is very inconvenient: 30-40 cars wait for 15-30 minutes to get out of the parking lot. On the positive side, this year they have actually decided that giving students homework and phasing out study guides will prepare them better for High School.