Thoroughgood Elementary School

A Wonderful school!! The teachers and staff are caring and involved. My daughter loves going to school. The first grade teachers are very caring and involved. Regular communication with teachers and my child feels challenged and nurtured. Have a very bright child and the teachers are more than willing to work with us to ensure that she is receiving enrichment and learning. Very pleased. Tons of ways to be involved.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended TES for one year. At the time, they permitted team teaching in first grade. He thrived there. The specials (PE, art, music) were wonderful. The PTA offered excellent programs to foster family involvement. Our favorites were Family 1 mile run/walk; Fall Festival; Bingo Night. The school was well organized. The staff and volunteers were always welcoming and kind. My child was excited to go to school and learn and we enjoyed the opportunities the school provided for us to get involved. (Citizen of the Month celebrations, too) The school itself is old and shows signs of aging, but the dynamism in the classrooms keeps the atmosphere fresh and alive.
—Submitted by a parent

Parents don't seem to realize that the decisions of the teachers and principal are based off what is best for the child. This is an amazing school with great teachers and a principal who goes above and beyond to make each student feel special and reach his or her full potential. I will make sure to stay in this district until each of my kids are through elementary school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is an excellent school that takes the time to get to know the students and the families. It is a tight-knit neighborhood school with activities for children with a wide variety of interests. The principal and assistant principal sincerely care about the concerns of the parents. I have two children at the school and am so pleased with the challenging education they are receiving.
—Submitted by a parent

I have concern about the work load the children recieve for homework. The amount of projects and the overall teacher attention that the children get. Homework in just about every subject every night gives the children no down time. The required reading and projects make the family time scarce. There is no time left for any extra activies without the race against the clock. My biggest question remains unanswered with how homework effects their precious SOL scores. My child did very well on the SOL and still has at least 2 hours of homework a night.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of two children who have attended this school for the past 8 years, Thoroughgood Elementary School does a phenomenal job. They sincerely care about the parents' thoughts and concerns and how they apply in the classroom. The PTA is very involved and there are always parents in the halls and classrooms helping wherever than can. Both of my children went on to highly successful middle and high school years. One of my children had special needs and the school seemed sincere in their desire to accomadate him. Thoroughgood is an aggressive and high achieving academic school. I highly recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Thoroughgood for the past 7 years. I have been extremely happy with the quality of education at our school. We have an excellent principal and teachers who truly love to teach. My children have enjoyed so many aspects of school at Thoroughgood. They have participated in extra curricular activities such as ORFF, Soarin' Seagulls Dance, Destination Imagination, Chorus, Geography Club and Bee. We have an extremely active PTA that provide funds for many great programs and events throughout the year. Thoroughgood is one of Virginia's best public elementary schools.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved from another public school system in the State of Virginia and I am just amazed at how different the attitudes are between principals and teachers at both schools. Our previous school genuinely cared about each child. This new school carries a defensive attitude about parents observing their child in class or questioning how and why certain things are done. The teachers definately teach only to the SOL's . What a joke. The kids end up getting extra work, become bored because of the slow pace, and hardly do any hands-on learning. Everything is taught from the texts and do not allow for the joy of learning by exploring topics of interest. Creativity is very low at this school. Worst of all, the attitude seems to be coming down from the Principal which makes any changes unlikely.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a good school for the average to above average student. As a mom with two children who went through the school my first had no trouble. My second had a learning disability and they we not at all willing to work with the IEP or help her to succeed in any way.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are great, but cirriculum is focused on only one item--testing standards. Parents were told at the beginning of the year, 'if it isn't in the SOLs we don't teach it'. Teachers teach only to succeed with the SOL tests at the end of the year. Creativity, and altering the depth of a subject based on interest and student ability seems non-existent. For example, your first grader that can read like a 4th grader will be given exactly the same homework as a slow learner. In fact, all 120 or so children in the 1st grade were given, exactly the same homework. If your child is bright, she will be bored. I feel sorry that the true talent of these awesome teachers is being so confined. I would rather have my child excited about learnng than passing some state test with flying colors.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful school.
—Submitted by a parent