Lake Anne Elementary School

My daughter is in 2nd grade and in the Spanish immersion program. I can see a difference in her language learning especially this year. She has had wonderful teachers. The hardest part is having two teachers to connect with instead of one. But, this is necessary in immersion schools. I do think the parent-teacher communication could be improved. I rarely get emails from the teacher whereas my experience with another school is the opposite with many friendly email reminders from the teacher. I have had a few bullying incidents that my daughter has had to deal with-- on the bus and at school. The counselor talked with my daughter and appeared to work it out. Overall, I think my daughter is happy and she loves her teachers. The principal is exceptional and open to talking with parents whenever there is a concern. I think it's a school that is doing a lot of things well, but is still growing and improving.
—Submitted by a parent

Lake Anne has very weak teachers and counselors who are unable to adjust to children with a different learning style. The focus is on worksheet homework. If we had options for another school, we would pursue them.
—Submitted by a parent

Lake Anne Elementary school is a great school. It teaches great things. It has strong principal and school leadership. Great teaching skills and teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I have yet to be impressed by this school. I went there when I was a kid and now my child goes there. Constant emails to the school about my son and honestly it gets nowhere. I have started looking into a different school for my child as this school is not a good fit for us!
—Submitted by a parent

What a great school. The community feel, the support from teachers, and the leadership are all superb. We left a higher-rated school to come here, and are so happy. Test scores are not everything.
—Submitted by a parent

Lake Anne Elementary delivers quality education and work habits. My child is in the Spanish Immersion program and has had no problems learning math and science in Spanish. I like the teachers' philosophy that each student should do their OWN homework and not have the parents do it . When my child can not understand his homework (in Spanish or English), he takes the responsibility to ask the teacher the next day. Lake Anne Elementary is an excellent school that supports diversity.
—Submitted by a parent

I did not like this school for my daughter. The Spanish immersion aspect of the school is great but it can also make understanding new math concepts difficult if you don't completely understand what is being said. There is way too much homework for work that should be completed in school. As a single mother working two jobs, I found this overwhelming at times for not only my daughter but myself. My daughter also had a difficult time making friends in this school. She had one best friend that one day decided that they could no longer be friends because a more popular girl wanted to be her friend. My daughter was hurt beyond belief. What are parents teaching their children????
—Submitted by a parent

The school has grown to over 600+ students in the last few years. Although staff turnover is moderate, they continue to dedicate themselves to the children and work to provide the highest level of education possible. The school is entering the first year of renovation, so the classrooms will be moved around and will require a bit more focus and adjustment for the staff and students. There will be a new AP this year as well. The school is still very diverse in population - staff and students. The immersion program will continue next year thankfully!
—Submitted by a teacher

We have a great diverse school where the teachers and students are great!
—Submitted by a parent

It's a school that fosters a great community--a real community school that is welcoming to families and filled with caring teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

Lake Anne is unfair to its special needs students. The staff collude in the preparation student IEPs with little or no input from the parents. When the IEP is presented, the FCPS contingent marches in lock step. While parent input is considered, no major changes to the proposed IEP is allowed. Furthermore, modification of existing IEPs is not allowed. In short, if I were you, I would keep my special needs student away from LAES.
—Submitted by a parent

Lake Anne is unique because it is an Arts Focus school with the CETA program with the Kennedy Center and the Spanish Immersion Program. It is a Title II school which keeps the class sizes in K-3 lower than area schools. It is a wonderful place for a child to be if the child doesn't have learning problems. Some teachers are excellent but turnover in the staff has reduced the overall experience level and makes it very possble that a child will slip through the cracks. The Spanish Immersion program is good, children with talent in Language Arts are speaking openly by 3rd grade. I'm sad to say that it is the main reason to be at Lake Anne. Kids get per week: recess 4 , PE 2 , music 2 , art 1, and drama 1. Not many other schools compare in the Arts.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children participating in the foreign language immersion program at Lake Anne. While the school is nestled in a low income neighborhood in Reston, VA. I like the fact that school has an extremely diverse student body and faculty. Special programs offered include GRACE Art and strings for the third grade students. The school boasts a new principal and vice principal. In the past year, the vice principal has submitted and received thousands of dollars in grants for school programs. Despite the fact that majority of the kids in FLE who also participate in the GT program are eligible to go to the GT center, parents elect to keep their kids at LAES for the spanish immersion. The teachers are dedicated and my children have flourished due to somewhat smaller class sizes that are a natural result of being at a FLE school. Parent participation varies by class.
—Submitted by Angela, a parent