Woodbridge High School

Woodbridge Senior High School has disappointed me. We were impressed with what it had to offer when we moved here but have found the school only looks good on paper. I highly advise you to avoid this school if your child will transfer in from another high school out of state/country. We came from a DoDEA school in Germany. The school guidance/ administration is not educated in this type of transfer. Mostly the SOL requirements have confused them. It's been tough. My children registered for JROTC and were extremely active. We have become more and more disappointed in this program. The leadership doesn't follow school guidelines for field trips and basic safety. They also lack in any type of mentoring.
—Submitted by a parent

Woodbridge has been a very good High School for my Daughter, and she has attended two other highly rated High Schools listed in Great Schools. Due to my prior Military career (now retired), my Daughter had to transfer twice. With Woodbridge being her last School, she was still able to maintain her high grades and have a diverse group of friends that she likes. The Teachers,Staff and curriculum have all been great!
—Submitted by a parent

i read in woodbridge senior high school. now iam moving from there. i will miss it's great eduacational system. it really provides the greatest educational system.
—Submitted by a student

Woodbridge Senior High School is a great community of diverse students and teachers. I enjoyed the 20 years I taught there, and I miss the students and my colleagues.
—Submitted by a parent

WSHS has been a great school. My oldest daughter graduated fromthere and now I have two more in the school now grades 9&10. The teachers are very responsive and helpful in keeping you in touch with what your child is or is not doing.
—Submitted by a parent

My son recently started the 9th grade at Woodbridge High School and I have to say I am extremely distressed over the overcrowding of the school. I went to orientation and back to school night and it was ridiculous at how crowded the hallways were. This has got to be a fire hazard. I spoke to the school administrators and they told me the school was designed to house 1500 students, but now houses over 2600. Not only that, they have makeshift classrooms that they call PODS, which are open in the back and my son said it is very hard to concentrate in class when he can hear the teacher and students in the next 'pod'. This in my opinion is not a conducive learning environment for any child. I am very disappointed with this situation and I am considering moving to Georgia because I can t afford to move where there are good schools (Fairfax), since the prices of houses have skyrocketed.
—Submitted by J. Bradley, a parent

Much has changed at WSHS, since my oldest son (a 2001 graduated from there. He was just a number. Sometimes teachers cared, but he really just fell through the cracks. This school was too large. He became math phobic due to a long standing philosophy in the math department, that it is the parent's problem, not the teacher's when a student doesn't understand. My younger son is experiencing the same difficulties in math. The math department needs to focus on remediation, not just pass the students on without a good foundation. Unfortunately, I have to pay a tutor to teach them math. How can a student pass the VA SOL's, earn D's and F's in a subject, graduate and not have a clue as to basic Algebra, Geometry and Algebra II? In other academic areas, my second son feels that teachers care, so much has changed for the positive.
—Submitted by a parent

Both my children attended woodbridge high and loved their experience there. The education they received from wshs not only prepared them for college, it helped propel them to become highly successful adults in their careers and the relationships they foster. The friendships they made while at wshs have lasted 15-20 years after graduation and, in fact, have become more sacred! They speak fondly of their days at wshs and wish their children could go to a school that excelled in all aspects of public education. Sadly, their children live in Florida where the emphisis on education and athletic is not as great as it was at wshs. I understand coach ross is now the principal at wshs - he's a man of high character that will take wshs to new heights! May wshs continue to excel in preparing our children for life!
—Submitted by Vicki Henry, a parent

What a great atmosphere for learning and sports! The only negative I could find at WSHS would be the school is so large that you can attend the school for 4 years and never meet some members of your class.
—Submitted by a former student

Marginal education. Overcrowded. Rude, ignorant students. My son went to military school to try to get his act together. He had a 1.9 average at WHS, ended up with a 98 average at the military school. He's not a discipline problem or anything like that. Learning is not fostered in any way. My son said he was ignored or mocked in class by everyone from his teacher to his peers. Won't even go into the overcrowding. I was horrified when the underclass students brought their kids for Back to School Night. Should have realized what kind of atmosphere this was overall.
—Submitted by J Smith, a parent

We've been pleased overall with Woodbridge. There are plenty of opportunities for advanced students and most of the teachers are good (with some exceptions) Extracurricular activities are many, although support for academic clubs is somewhat lacking. The school is crowded, but that should change somewhat. There is a lot of school spirit. All kinds of kids can find their 'group' at Woodbridge.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are hit and miss. Some care, others don't seem to. School administrators have not been very responsive to concerns addressed by myself or my spouse. As a parent, I feel my child is just another number and cannot wait until he is out of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I give very high ratings to this High School. Both of my children graduated from this school, one receive a 4 year scholarship in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech, the other went to Virginia Tech in Math. One has already graduted and the other is getting a Master's degree in Biochemistry. I was a volunteer parent who awarded scholarship. I am a CM Engineer I highly recommend this schoool.
—Submitted by a parent

Although the school is a bit overcrowded, I have been extremely pleased at my children's education as a whole. A survey at the school showed that 80% (an impressive number) of graduates attend a 4-year school. I doubt my three children would be attending the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Yale University, if it were not for the excellent education they received at Woodbridge.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is over crowded and the teacher quality is marginal. The school board is totally unresponsive and inert. This is an example of herd management and a politicized school system. The school is too big and the county is still managing this schools in a 'wally and the beaver' mode. After graduation, most of the students have to go to community college to repair the damage and extending their college life cycle. There is no hope since the county and its political representatives have no intent on improvements. Advice... go to Fairfax county schools.
—Submitted by a parent

The class sizes are usually bigger than 30 in all of the academic courses. You'd also be very lucky to have a good geometry teacher.
—Submitted by a former student