Battlefield High School

Battlefield high school is fantastic because of the school's robotic coach. I think my teachers should get the raises they deserve.
--Submitted by a student

This school has a stellar robotics program that is coached by a very elite IT database teacher who not only gives her students the opportunities to use their minds outside the school, but also provides students with life lessons, leadership skills, and experiences for a lifetime.
--Submitted by a student

Battlefield is a school which has both strengths and weaknesses. Originally built as a state-of-the-art facility, it was soon realized that the building and resources were inappropriately allocated and not balanced to all student needs. Because of this the school has had to repurpose spaces. Teachers are overall competent, but many lack dedication to putting time outside of the basic requirements. The exceptions are the best in the county however. The administration is not very effective, undermining the trust of the faculty. The strength of this school comes from the students who make the school successful and continue to improve its reputation, in sciences, robotics, music, and athletics. Unfortunately despite a strong (and large ) student body, the school lacks effective traditions due to issues within the administration and faculty. Overall the school is above average, because of its test scores and extracurriculars, but these results are not the result of the school but rather the caliber of student attending the school, a factor caused by the surrounding social-economic climate.
--Submitted by a student

Battlefield HS is an incredible school, the staff does a stellar job keeping our kids safe, the teachers are very high quality, they serve our children well, as evidenced by a 98% acceptance rate to Universities and Colleges each year. The counselors are very responsive to our kids, they use email predominantly and reliably to ensure we have solid communication between office visits. The Marching Band is led by one of the very best directors in the country, and they are now National Champions due to his incredible work ethic and dedication to our kids.
--Submitted by a parent

Overcrowding at BHS was only slightly relieved with the opening of Patriot HS this past fall. The principal just received the PWCS Principal of the Year Award, and I had to laugh when I read that she is "approachable and accessible." I tried to get a meeting with her at the beginning of the school year to discuss a time-sensitive issue, and it was like the staff created an impenetrable fortress around her. I did receive some short email responses making sure my concerns were being adressed by the five or so other staff members I was directed to, but I never met or spoke with her personally. Nice.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is a sophmore at BHS and we absolutely love this school. I believe the negative comments are based on parents whose children have academic or emotional challenges that would probably be better served in a different type of school setting. Our son loves the academic and athletic programs (football, wrestling, and lacrosse). We would not dream of sending him anywhere else in Prince William County.
--Submitted by a parent

Community wise this school is great, it gives the local area reasons to go to the games and fundraising events. However, the staff severly lacks in communication skills resulting in unruly behavior from fellow students. Teachers are defensive and closed off when it comes to talking with students and quick to use disciplinary action on rather small accounts of misconduct and do not care much to fail a student. The selection of extracurriculars are outstanding and clubs like DECA give the community a positive outlook on the school.
--Submitted by a student

If you're interested in sending your child here be very wary and alert. This school has poor teacher quality who will fail your child like its their calling in life, and the administration is just as poor. Don't get me wrong my child is enrolled there and is currently involved in many after school activities that lots of colleges love to see BUT as a parent frequent trips to the school are vital teachers will NOT email you even if you staple a note to their hand that reads in big sharpie letters " Please contact me". One thing you can count on though is the teacher/administration teamwork who will try to the best of their ability keep you from making the school look bad. Teachers will tell you after they have failed your student that its the parents fault for not being involved, after not sending a single email to you throughout the school year.
--Submitted by a parent

So glad that the new HS is opening this year and we are in that district. The administration was awful and I agree with the comment about the security staff as well. The teachers were very poor communicators, which I think is reflective of the poor administration. So much potential and resources, just not enough good leadership!
--Submitted by a parent

Our oldest son was a student at Battlefield. There are some great teachers, but they also have some very poor, overly defensive faculty who seem to be there for a paycheck & not the desire to teach. The principal & leadership were disapointing compared to other schools in the County. If your child is learning diabled, locate another school as Battlefield is simply ill equipped & has proven that the focus is on the child that is doing well, not on the child that needs additional resources. Many teachers would rather fail a child having difficulty than spend the time to encourage & help a child learn. Discipline is a joke & inconsistent. The security staff is incompetent with little grasp of state law & authority. Mind you this is coming from a person with a law degree & 24 years in law enforcement. There are wonderful, polite, and friendly students at the school, however, there is a rampant drug & alcohol problem within the student population. The sports programs are on par with other schools. They have a great IT Department. Based on my experience the school was sub par & a disapointment. My two younger children will most likely attend private school as opposed to Battlefield.
--Submitted by a parent