Notre Dame Academy

I am currently a student at Middleburg Academy and it is amazing! My largest class has 15 students and my smallest has 7. With these small class sizes, I am able to learn and actually understand the material presented. All of my teachers genuinely care about the students and want them to succeed. They teach us in creative ways from acting out skits, drawing our interpretations of events, and using technology and current events to show us how what we learn is relevant in today's society. Athletics are also very strong and important here. With a sport for everyone and a no-cut policy, every student has an opportunity to participate. Many of our teams hold state titles and win many championships. The arts department is also very strong. Both visual and performing arts are taken seriously here as well as a very fun way to be expressive. We have a total of 16 clubs, so there's something for everybody. If you don't see a club you like, you can request one and there is a very good chance it could be added to the selection. Overall, Middburg Academy is an excellent school and I highly recommend it to just about anyone! For more info, go to middleburgacademy.org
—Submitted by a student

Our son is a sophomore and had a great freshman year last year despite all of the turmoil in the administration. The teachers care for the students, they communicate well and anytime I have a question/concern they are quick to answer my questions. Ms. Elizabeth Murray the new head of school has great 'ENERGY' and she brings a wealth of knowledge from her past experiences. She will be the visionary and leader to take NDA to great heights. We are excited to be a part of the renewing and rebuilding of the school. I highly recommend this school if you are looking for a place where your child will shine and be the best that they can be. We are looking to put our son in a tier one college and feel very confident that he is getting all that he needs to accomplish this goal.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son is very happy at this school. His sister will be joining the freshman class in September and can't wait to be part of NDA. The campus is beautiful, the atmosphere is wonderful and the faculty is outstanding. Almost the entire faculty is returning to NDA in the fall. The school ceases to be Catholic at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. The school is thriving under the leadership of the new head of school Libbi Murray. Students at NDA benefit from small class sizes and have 100% college acceptance. NDA students have been accepted into colleges such as Yale, Cornell, Georgetown University, The University of Virginia, The College of William and Mary, The Corcoran College of Art and Design and The Naval Academy. The school has a no cut policy in athletics and a number of students will graduate this year and play college athletics. There are wonderful Visual and Performing Arts programs. We enjoy the feeling of community at NDA and are happy that we chose this school for our children s education.
—Submitted by a parent

I was as student there for 4 years and loved it. The academics were great as were all the teachers and staff. I was more than prepared for college in all aspects, I hope to send my children there when they are old enough. Highly recommend.

My son is now a sophomore at NDA and he loves the school, its academic challenges and the ability to play in top notch sports. The quality of the faculty, coaches and staff and the culture they create are the keys to success. Walk through the halls and see the respect the kids have for each other. Look at the colleges the kids are going to: Yale, Notre Dame, Navy, UVA, William & Mary, Univ of MD to name a few. The new Head of School is fantastic and is provides a tremendous amount of positive energy for both faculty and students. The best thing to do is go visit the campus and check it out for yourself.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been thrilled from the school since day one. My son is now a sophomore and excelling in academics as well as athletics. Due to his consistently high scores on the PSATs and other standardized tests, my son has been receiving emails and mail from many top colleges since his Freshman year. In addition to extra attention he receives from top teachers (many hold doctorates and masters degrees in their fields), my son is receiving wonderful coaching in his chosen sport. Several parents, who were disappointed when Notre Dame Academy decided to break away from the Catholic Church and become a non-denominational, independent school, decided to make it their new mission to bash the school in the press and public eye. I believe, that with their new leadership in place and their dedication to providing a college preparatory education for above average children, Notre Dame Academy will continue to thrive.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was a grave disappointment. We had our child enrolled only one year. We were disappointed both in academics and athletic programs as well as extra-curricular programs. It seems the school is designed to have kids get good grades, yet not keep pace with other private schools or top public school districts. The class sizes are small and that is good. There is tremendous turnover in teachers from year to year, so I am afraid they lack consistency in knowledge transfer from year to year. Notre Dame doesn t keep up to the standards one would expect from a top college prep High School. On the positive side, they did have some good teachers who seemed to care about the kids and were dedicated to teaching. However, but the school suffers from erratic leadership. We found the school leadership to be untrustworthy.
—Submitted by a parent