Stratford Landing Elementary School

As a transient military family, we have been absolutely thrilled with our experience at Stratford Landing. The teachers and community are the best in the area. Our kids have excelled beyond our wildest expectations here, and we are thankful for the experience. If you are considering schools in 22308, Stratford Landing is a must!
—Submitted by a parent

What a problematic year this has been for our family. No school is perfect, I understand that. However, when there are problems, the administration turns a blind eye to it. The discipline problems with many of the students is enormous. Some of the kids who attend SLES are sadly so damaged that their needs dominate the learning environment. Come to this school only if you are in the area from K-2nd grade OR if your child tests into AAP. Otherwise, it could be the worst mistake of your life. Neighborhing Waynewood does not have the magnitude of problems SLES does. Then again, they have different leadership. This school has been a nightmare. I wish there was a way to rate it in the negative category.
—Submitted by a parent

The Gen Ed program at this school is distressed. I echo the sentiments of the previous entry. The school has a practice of 'stacking' all special needs & IEP's in one class creating --a burden to the teacher. If your child is unfortunate enough to be placed in the room with all IEP's, the class will resemble what would have been Special Ed @ 15-20 years ago. It is sad that the county has created a fiasco with their 2-tiered system; AAP & Gen Ed. Instead of AAP being an elite educational experience, it is what Gen Ed should be. Gen Ed then becomes a dumping ground for profound behavior problems, learning challenges, and burdened teachers. It is no wonder that the teacher turnover at this school is so high. The 'supposed' average students are left without an appropriate peer group or educational rigor. Emails to the leadership voicing concern/complaint will go unanswered. It's a sickening situation. I applaud the teaching staff! Parents are involved. I hope that the outcry against the lack of sound leadership increases so that this school can be brought up to the level it should be.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at this school and it has been such a great "restart" of my childs elementary school years. The teachers are all Amazing, really care for their students and make learning fun! I do not care for the Vice Principal or the Principal very much, but the fact that the teachers and the other employees are amazing help you forget that not everyone is qualified for a "Higher up" position with children. The office people are a little stuck up or seem like you are bothering them when you have questions... but you can't win them all.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are energetic and positive. Test scores speak for themselves. Choir and orchestra are great.
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford is a excellent school. We have been very happy with the education that our sons and daughter has received here. The school focuses on every child - not just the gifted (our children are not in the program).
—Submitted by a parent

The Stratford Landing ES community is amazing. Parents volunteer countless hours every year to raise money, plant gardens, assist teachers and more. Additionally, the teachers and the administration are stellar. Teachers are more than willing to help parents help their children, the teachers volunteer countless hours after school to help better the school. All in all, it is a great environment for our children.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is autistic and has attended Stratford Landing for the past 2 years. We moved a mile down the road in the middle of the year and now live in the Waynewood district. We asked to keep our son at SL for the remainder of the year because change is hard on him. The principal waited 4 months to make a decision and then gave us 6 days to move our son with no IEP meeting and no time to prepare him. Her explanation for the urgency is that she has to answer to her PTA. It is a sad situation when the opinions of the PTA influence a principal's decision-making more than the concern for her special needs students.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter had a wonderful experience at Stratford Landing a few years ago and it is still a wonderful place for learning!

We have fantastic Kindergarten teachers! They really know how to teach to each child's individual need.
—Submitted by a parent

I love the professionalism and caring of the entire staff and the high standards they keep.
—Submitted by a parent

What a great place for out children to go to school. The teachers are so enthisiatic about the learning process and treat teh children with respect.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a fantastic school in a great neighborhood. The teachers are young, energetic and really encourage the kids. They are also available to the parents for conferences, meetings and by e-mail. You cannot buy this quality of education at most private schools.
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford Landing is a superb school. The teachers are committed to challenging the students and they tailor the classwork to the needs of the students. The school is very well run and has a highly involved PTA. I have several children attending this school and I have never had any major issue concerning their education.
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford Landing is a nice public elementary school. Class sizes are high and individual student attention suffers. The PTA is excellent, but the Administration relies on the PTA for things that it should be funding itself. Student correction or discipline was almost non-existent in my childrens' classes, so teaching progressed slowly. However, the teachers do the best with what they have. The Administration comes across as superior to many parents which creates a stand-offish environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford Landing has been terrific for my son and daughter. The staff has always been kind and caring. The administration leaves something to be desired though. My daughter this year has had one of the best teachers ever, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones really takes the time to get to know his students and really shows that he cares about his students. He keeps us updated always on what is going on with our daughter. He also tries to do many different things with the kids to keep them interested. We are really going to miss having Mr. Jones next year. The school needs to hire more male teachers like him.
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford Landing is an excellent school with creative teachers like Mrs. Luster. Our daughter loved the environment. There is also an excellent talented and gifted program.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is good for persons whos children have special needs or children in GT. Most staff are caring and try hard to work with parents. The school is a clean and has safe environment. We have a high parent envolvment. However I feel that if your child fits in the middle between gifted and speacial needs sometimes they are the ones who get left out. I have had my children in schools with a more difficult learning level but over all feel this is a decent school. If I had to give it a rating between 1 and 10 its an 8
—Submitted by a parent

Stratford has the best PTA that anyone could want. The parents involved are very comitted to having the absolute best opportunities for the children at Stratford. They have many academic and athletic programs available every year. They hold fundraising events to help with the budget. They also have scholarships for children in need as well as a few times through the year when they provide clothes, food and toys to families in need. Stratford does have a music and an art program. They have two music rooms and 3 music teachers. The children can learn to play an instrument in 4th grade. The art teacher is phenomenal. You just need to walk through the halls to see all of the wonderful projects that the children are doing. Stratford's test scores are some of the highest for elementary schools in Fairfax County. The entire school works together to help the children learn and grow.
—Submitted by a parent

The PTA is outstanding! Never have I seen so many activities from a PTA. This school offers an excellent music and art program. Sports are offered in this area through the Ft Hunt Youth Association...www.fhyaa.org. This school does upon volunteers, offer after school hoops and running club. Of course you always have your key parents involved, but it is suprising how many others also attend different events or offer to take a day off work to help. Our principal has been with our school 2 years and following in footsteps of a longtime principal has done a good job. I believe she still needs to find a stern center when dealing with parents. We are an inclusion school which gives my children the knowledge that all of us may not look or think exactly the same but we are the same. We will miss this school, highly reccommend.
—Submitted by a parent