Westlawn Elementary School

Westlawn is a hidden gem. My family and I moved into the neighborhood two years ago and I was a bit apprehensive because of the low rating. Boy was I wrong. My children attended APS (Arlington) before coming here and I have to say that the quality of teachers and execution of curriculum is at par with Arlington and the personalized care and attention my children have received are superior. My 2nd grader has been pooled into the qualified candidates for the advanced academics program and this did not happen by chance. The teachers and specialists carefully evaluated her and pulled her out of class to provide her with the individual instruction she needed. Homework is not overwhelming to the child or the family at that. The administration is effective and responsive to the children and parent needs. The diverse community of children and parents are family oriented, caring and friendly. The neighborhood is quickly growing as it is so close to the DC metro area and the home values are rising. I am so thrilled we came to this school.

I have 2 kids at Westlawn, and it has been an extremely positive experience. The principal is responsive, and the teachers have been extraordinary. The PTA works tirelessly to help foster a sense of community and welcoming environment. We did have one year one of my kids had to plow through with a terrible teacher-student fit, but that is inescapable anywhere. The diversity at this school is a true treasure, as are the welcoming, and nice students and teachers. Academically, my kids are in AAP and general education and I'd have to say the exploration and value on learning (and not only memorizing facts) has been a very valuable, and a difference from our years at a local Catholic school. School was recently renovated. Lots of great extra resources for encouraging academics (one of my favorites is Partners in Print, where every child who goes gets a lesson on reading comprehension or something similar with parent and siblings, free dinner of pizza, and a free book of your choice. They even offer books by diverse authors with diverse characters.) I really couldn't love this community and school more.

I have two children attending this school and I must leave a review. We move a lot so we have had a lot of experience with both private and public schools. This school and its staff are outstanding. The teachers and principal are so dedicated and loving to each child. There are a lot of ESL children, which may be the reason the scores are so low, but the quality of education and the respect and love this school provides equals if not supersedes some of the most expensive and preppy private schools. The teachers’ modest and loving approach and the wonderful , caring students this school creates makes this school top notch by any parent’s standards.

My daughter has attended 1st to 3rd grade at this school and our experience has been wonderful. The school and the principal are great about communicating with families. My daughter has loved her teachers in every grade and the school has offered after-school programs and summer school. SACC at this school was not so great at first, but that changed when the new director started in 2015-16. Now the program is very engaging and my daughter loves the activities.