St. Ambrose Dual Language School

3827 Woodburn Road

Annandale, VA 22003

17 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on December 15, 2024

St. Ambrose is a great school. My kids are thriving and enjoying themselves. I think the educational level is very good and the techniques used by the teachers to engage the students are paying off. My older son has definitely benefited from this. I love to be part of the community and my family has made great friends. I like that for a small school, we are very active, specially with sports. I can recommend the school enough.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2024

No hay palabras para describir la felicidad que mis hijos y yo hemos sentido al encontrar una escuela como San Ambrosio, verdaderamente es una bendición que mis 3 hijos estén recibiendo Aprendizaje, excelente ambiente, maestros capaces, calor familiar con las demas familias una directora dedicada, apasionada por su trabajo y que transmite el amor hacia los demás pero lo que más impacto tiene San Ambrosio es que en medio de todos sus propósitos de cada día siempre ponen a Jesucristo en el centro siendo esta la única escuela Católica bilingue en todo Virginia ayudando así tanto como a los padres como a los hijos a crear una unión más estrecha al al involucrar a los padres de familia en todas las actividades que los niños tienen en su escuela, Dios bendiga a todos los que trabajan en San Ambrosio.San Ambrosio Ruega por nosotros.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2024

St. Ambrose Preschool was an exceptional choice for our daughter, who attended three years. The director and teachers create a warm educational and spiritual environment for children to thrive in daily. Great pictures and emails are sent home from the teaching team regularly to keep families updated with all of the learning that happens in the classroom. Our daughter grew intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Her love for learning began in preschool, and she was excited everyday to go to school. She is now excelling in elementary school. We highly recommend St. Ambrose Preschool.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2024

Having had two children attend St. Ambrose Catholic School, I can confidently say it was an exceptional experience for our family. The school fosters a strong sense of community, where students feel supported both academically and spiritually. The teachers are dedicated and truly care about each child's success, making learning engaging and meaningful.The integration of Catholic values into everyday lessons helped our kids develop a strong moral foundation. They participated in regular Mass, which deepened their faith and sense of belonging. The emphasis on service projects also instilled a strong sense of compassion and responsibility.Facilities are well-kept, and the small class sizes allowed for personalized attention. Our children thrived academically and socially, forming lifelong friendships along the way.Overall, St. Ambrose Catholic School provided a nurturing environment that prepared our kids not just for academic success, but for life as thoughtful, caring individuals. We highly recommend it!
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2024

I am writing this review to share my positive experience with St. Ambrose Catholic School. St. Ambrose School has a loving and supportive community. The school presents many opportunities for parents to become involved. The teachers are kind, approachable, and committed to student success. I have found that they are incredibly in tune with each family's needs and challenges. My two sons have been with the school since their early elementary years, and they have flourished and formed deep friendships rooted in respect and service. Today's world is rampant in miscommunication and confusion, but I feel assured that St. Ambrose will help my children grow as grounded young men. I give St. Ambrose my highest recommendation.
Submitted by other on August 18, 2024

I would personally suggest you look elsewhere in the diocese to send your child. St. Ambrose does not have a school counselor and has a small resource department. The class sized keep shrinking, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. My child’s largest class size was about 23 students and now it is down to less than that. I am concerned that the school may eventually close. The do have dual language program, but that does not seem to help with class sizes grow, on the contrary, the class sized continue to decrease. The teachers that have been there for over 3 years are great, I cannot speak for the new teachers, as my children did not have them. I strongly suggest doing research into other schools before sending your child to St. Ambrose. I am glad I pulled my child and placed them in a different school in the diocese.
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2024

I was very nervous about transferring my kids from the private school they had been enrolled in for several years (and we were all pretty happy with), to St Ambrose. After 1 month there, I was patting myself on the back for making a great decision (the kids actually started thanking me for sending them to St. Ambrose 2 weeks into starting the year)! It is so wonderful to visit the school and hear my kids interacting not only with their classmates, but also with the administrators and other teachers (who know the kids by name-and not just mine!) At the beginning of the summer, our family was out in the community when spotted by the second grade teacher. She came right over to offer a cheerful hello and introduce us to her family member; which left us all smiling and the kids feeling like rockstars. My kids weren't at St A for 2nd grade/in her class, but she knew who they were and went out of her way on a Saturday to show interest in the kids. That's how it is at St A. every day! Activity-wise, the school offers lots of fun special events throughout the school year (during the school day) as well as opportunities to participate in a variety of afterschool activities. The nurse at St A is super sweet and attentive, ensuring everyone follows proper protocols. Building staff keep the school spotless and secure. On the last day of school before summer break, my kids were super quiet on the way to school. When I asked why, they said that they didn't want school to be over!!! We are enjoying the summer, but the kids are saying they are looking forward to being back at St Ambrose soon!
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2024

I've had at least one child in St Ambrose School consistently since 2005, and I've always found it to be a great school. The teachers at St. Ambrose love the students. I believe every school, no matter where you go, will have some teachers who don't mesh with some parents, but I've found those situations to be the exception rather than the rule at St. Ambrose. I've never regretted having my children there. It's been a great experience overall.
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2024

Our experience at St. Ambrose has been incredibly positive. From the moment we first walked through the doors, we felt welcomed into a warm and family-like environment. The teachers and staff genuinely care about each student, knowing them all by name and providing personalized attention that larger schools can't offer. The small class sizes have greatly benefited our children, ensuring they receive the individual learning and support they need. Additionally, the school offers excellent resources for extra help, ensuring every student can thrive. We couldn't be happier with our choice of school.
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2024

We love St. Ambrose! The teachers are so caring and the resource room has been such a huge help for my daughter, who is struggling to read. Wonderful school community.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2023

My child is still traumatized by the experience at St. Ambrose. I agree with another reviewer that suggested sending your child to FCPS instead. I've heard a teacher for younger students yelling at them as well, and it was widely accepted. Administration heard, did nothing about it. I don't yell at my child, why would I send them to school to be yelled at? My child had PTSD and severe anxiety, the principal was anything but empathetic to my child's needs. ZERO support offered at all; the school did not care in the least bit. She had an extremely cold demeanor towards us as a family, wouldn't say "hello" to me when she'd see me, just very, very cold and dismissive. The polar opposite of a Catholic/Christian. Gaslit my child, blaming the child for her own inaction. It was just disgusting and I was appalled at how a grown adult acted. Rather than have a heart for a student who was truly scared, she was more obsessed with Spanish being incorporated, and that's her power trip. On that note, she had a huge biased against those not spanish or in some way linked to spanish (language and race). She puts on a facade as if she's this caring, involved principal, but the second your child has any special needs that might reflect badly onto her, she can't be bothered with you. I'm honestly shocked she's still employed there. For the price of tuition, you should be getting far more. They don't have a reading specialist, no real counselor, very, very little resources. Another local private K-8 school has all of that for less tuition.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2022

Our son graduated from St. Ambrose and now grandchildren attend this loving school. If you want your children or grandchildren to gain the foundation of a great education with a focus on STEM, community involvement and self-esteem this is the school for you. We wanted our kids to gain the critical foundation in elementary school to love learning and not to be bombarded with woke programs or ideas when they are so young and impressionable. Learning Spanish starting in kindergarten is a huge plus.
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2021

I was at this school for a couple of years and I can definitely say it was the worst experience out of all the schools I've been to. Strongly recommend sending your child to public FCPS schools instead of this school as they have no counselor, experience, or empathy for children with disabilities. As well as the school doing little to nothing about teachers talking down to children and if anything enabling them by not holding them accountable for their actions and instead shifting the blame to the parents. I've first hand seen the way a particular teacher will yell at her young students and it is not only disgusting but insane how the school administration could allow this to be continued. The school administration does little to nothing also to concerns of bullying and will only intervene when it is out of control. Seeing my younger sibling come home from school in tears from the one particular teacher was heartbreaking. School is meant to be a nurturing and conducive learning environment where students feel safe and happy, but St. Ambrose clearly does not adhere to this expected caliber of education.
Submitted by other on February 22, 2021

I have two children and this is their first year attending this school. The faculty have dealt with the COVID restrictions in unique ways often with gusto ensuring continued in person learning. The teachers are all happy every morning and every afternoon. It is remarkable that they have remained so positive with all of the restrictions but, they have really taken up the mantle and they care about the kids learning. The teachers actually communicate. One of my gripes with Fairfax teachers was how they struggled with a mountain of kids. Often, I would email the teachers asking a question about an assignment or note they sent home and receive either no response at all or, get one three days later. The teachers here a very proactive. They will reach out to you if your kid is struggling with her nine times table to ask you to go over them in the car. They will email telling you that you kid seemed a little out of sorts during the science class today and may not have understood the material. The will email you if you child is asking a question that they think requires parent involvement. This is one of the reasons I love this school. The specialty teachers are amazing and well worth the price of admission. Specifically, the science teacher and the Spanish teacher stand out as two amazing performers. I would be remiss if I didn't quote my daughter "Mrs. Holleran may be the best teacher ever." As a parent moving from public to private, I was worried that my daughters would have trouble academically getting up to speed. The teachers put a lot of effort into evaluating my daughters and placing them correctly. The students in the class welcomed my daughters with open arms. They included them in their web study groups immediately and continuously communicated with my daughter to make sure that she was understanding and prepared. Mrs. Tejeda (Principle) is a very flexible and dynamic leader always looking to do things better and more efficient. I think her leadership is the reason we have had zero COVID transmission in the school. I recommend if you have small children that you send them to this school. My only regret was that I didn't do this the first year we arrived in Fairfax.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2017

My children are now graduated from St. Ambrose. They both attended K-8. I couldn't be happier with the school and what my children gained by attending a small, faith based school. They are now in high school and are academically prepared, and perhaps most importantly, kind and respectful young adults that no doubt was instilled in them on a daily basis at this school. I also loved Saint Ambrose because of the small size, where we really became like family with the other families. The sense of community was very strong.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2016

I have found a caring and welcoming environment. The teachers know how to be strict and get the best from the kids at the same time that they are loving and friendly. At St Ambrose kids learn more than just content information since with their example, discipline and hard work, teachers teach excellent study habits, organization and planning strategies. The leadership and staff are excellent. On top of the academics there are a lot of fun activities for the kids and their families.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2016

Our daughter had been homeschooled up until starting at St. Ambrose last year. Our experience has been nothing but terrific. The teachers are very caring and invested. The new principal is completely child-focused without being myopic. The community is a very welcoming one and encourages people to share their times and talents as well as their treasures (to include our children). I would highly recommend St. Ambrose to anyone looking for a school to encourage their child to excel in a small, loving, faith-filled environment.