T.C. Williams High School

The teachers, for the most part, are fantastic (Mr. Rankin, Mr. Keener, Ms. Freitag, Mr. Eaton, Mr. Kokonis, to name a few). They are willing to spend as much time before and/or after school as necessary to help students succeed. However, as in any school, there are issues. The school, while a beautiful facility, has become almost a police state; students have to sign in to use the bathroom, and a person who is one minute late receives detention. This has been in response to the lack of motivation among the student body; many students don't even show up to class, and yet the school gets blamed for all lack of achievement. Despite the wonderful teachers, I worry about what the school will be like in several years. I wonder if many high achieving students will eventually transfer to private or parochial schools so that they don't have to deal with unmotivated classmates, many of whom take AP classes.
--Submitted by a student

i luv TCW alot. its realli a gud school cuz its been dha school of my choice . long live TCW!!!!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

It is a good school but it does have issues. It's been in the news a lot. If you want to find out the inner problems of this school you can check out this link -- http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/education/Diverse-High-School-Battles-Low-Test-Scores-High-Drop-out-Rate-95789904.html
--Submitted by a parent

I currently attend TCW and think overall, its a pretty good school. Minus the non-stop fighting and the cliquish students. Its in a pretty safe enviroment and the teachers are really good. Well some.
--Submitted by a student

There is no discipline at this school. There are many fights. The school is terribly organized. I don't like this school, and can't wait to leave.
--Submitted by a teacher

OUTSTANDING!!! This school is one of the best high schools I Know. I personally attended and graduated from it. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have attended a high school that truely prepared me for college life. One of the best perks of living in Alexandria has to be this fabulous school. Not to mention the millions of dollar face lift it just recieved.
--Submitted by a student

This school is terrible. The students run all over lot of teachers because the teachers want to be liked. So many students don't want to learn and very unmotivated. They want to do nothing. the administration does not enforce the rules effectively.
--Submitted by a teacher

Speaking as a former graduate ('06) I was not exactly left with a good impression of High School. The Academic Programs are supurb--How many kids can say they had AP Physics taught by a Fulbright Scholar. The quality of the teachers was amazing, very well qualified teachers, but many students brought down the quality of the teachers, by misbehavior. The School also has some of a Discipline problems, fights are a commonality there, usually resulting in a police officer having to step in. And then the Laptop program, has done nothing, in my opinion, to benefit the students, even hurt them. Seldom, were the laptops used for their purpose. Overall, I think when I left, the school had alot it could improve on. On a lighter note, when the new building is completed ,I think the school quality will improve, and even out the very one sided demographic of the school.
--Submitted by a former student

I am a former student of T.C. Williams (class of 02). T.C. Williams High School is a very good school. The academic programs are challenging and rewarding. I had moved from Utah and was very impressed with the variety of classes to choose from, ranging in several different intellectual levels. I counted 73 after school clubs to choose from when I first enrolled in 99, and that number is growing. These clubs are in addition to the standard varsity and junior varsity sports teams. Recently, T.C. has made an effort to bring all students, even lower income students, up to date in technology by instituting a laptop initiative program, where each student is issued their own notebook computer as well as access to wireless internet campus-wide. Though the level of parental involvement seemed small, I felt much support and motivation from my teachers.
--Submitted by Ruth, a former student

I'm a 2006 grad and i think T.C. Williams is a very good school. I moved to Alexandria from a very high scoring VA district and was a little skeptical. I was surprised to see the quality of teachers and how much the guidance dept helped with college/career selection. This school challenged me more than my high-scoring school did. TC may not have the highest sol scores or the best-behaved students but the diversity of students and level of opportunity with their career dept makes this high school stand out in NoVA. It even has its own scholarship program and a personal laptop initative. If you live in alex. city and are sending your kid to private school you are missing out. My only problem with alex city schools is the excessive school year length.
--Submitted by a former student