E.H. Marsteller Middle School

14000 Sudley Manor Drive

Bristow, VA 20136

School District

Prince William County Public Schools
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Prince William County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on February 17, 2025

A lot of these recent reviews don’t surprise me. I went to Marsteller back in 2005. Even back then the school was not that great of a place. There was a lot of bullying and drama. It was the poor urban kids vs the rich suburban and farm kids. Discipline issues were not handled the best then. I can’t imagine how they handled now. The teachers were okay. Some were unnecessarily mean, some were too overbearing. Overall, I did not like my experience at Marsteller and wouldn’t recommend going there.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2024

The culture at this school is negative. It is not a warm and caring environment. Teachers can simply smile to make a difference. The teachers don’t teach, they play you tube videos of others teaching. There is not quality instruction, which explains the lack of supplies needed. Family engagement is limited and when there are events it is for less than an hour. I recommend the school focus on learning how to build positive relationships with the community and ways to improve instructional practices. Teachers feel the need to curve test scores because they don’t teach, just assign work for students to figure out.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2024

This school is not ok for students. This school has so many racist slurs that my son hears in the hallways and he is my innocent baby and i do not want my baby boy hearing all this nonsense language. The teachers are nice but some teachers are just not ok. Thats all but Marsteller is not ok. DONT SIGN YOUR KIDS UP
Submitted by other on September 15, 2023

This review is long because I have a lot to say. Marsteller has a negative environment overall. There are some great teachers, but also some terrible teachers. One that comes to mind was toxic, entitled, and manipulative. This teacher would mention religion not in a historical context at some points, which was inappropriate. Many have a problem with this teacher, meaning they are afraid of them because of the environment they created. Favoritism was a major problem, and some of their students would be ignored. Everything was a competition. I will not say the teacher’s name because I do not feel the school would do anything about it, and I do not want to give them away. However, I had this one great teacher who was funny, but also great at teaching. I am super grateful for this one teacher. The kids at this school are rude, entitled, and careless. Rumors are a problem. Most are disrespectful to the teachers and staff, and would not respect each other. Pretty much all the students I encountered made an environment where if you did not “fit in”, you would be alone. Therefore, I flew under the radar, so I watched the smack talk happen. Fights are an issue. I have heard about at least 5. The teachers do a good amount of teaching. Some teachers have a problem controlling their classrooms, which affected my learning. A specific (different than before) teacher had an environment where it was constant free days and barely any learning. The kids in their class were out of control. After someone getting harassed, the teacher did nothing. They did nothing until the last week of school. The dress code is too much to the point you cannot even show your shoulders. The music program is hit or miss. This school has decent clubs, and I would like to shout out the great custodians, but I did not feel safe at school in general. There was a lot of yelling from the staff. Marsteller has bad food, but it is somewhat diverse, and influences diversity. The homework amount is not too bad, and I probably spent 1-2 hours a night. The principal does not take care of problems very well, but there is one administrator who was great and helpful. The staff were contributors to the environment. The principal was passive aggressive. The busses were constantly late, with one of the busses I rode not coming on time until the third quarter. Overall, I would not recommend Marsteller Middle School.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2023

this school is terrible my kid had a teriblle time theres no funding for this school its gehtto and admin is teribble
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2022

Bad staff poor communication and might I add the racist comments that my children had to listen to from many of the staff & teachers, the principal has done nothing, I WOULD NOT recommend any children attend this bad staffed school!
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2022

Our son experienced his first year of middle school online (due to COVID). The teachers hustled and did a good job working with their classes and put in overtime to learn a new way of teaching, often when they still had their own children to help by the day's end. Administrators communicated well during the year and counselors were on target with the needs of the youth they oversaw. His second year of middle school was a good experience overall. A year of masking and all the 'abnormalities' that came with it, proved not to be a normal year. That said, it seemed some parents had a much more difficult time adjusting to the rules of a COVID school environment than the students. Our son's experience? His teachers paid attention to the needs of their classrooms. By week three of year two, our son's math teacher requested he advanced into the extended math program because he observed his abilities were beyond the learning environment. Band, orchestra, and choir were in full swing offering winter and spring programs - it was great to attend and be counted in the packed gymnasium by gathered families and friends! Our son is wrapping up his last year at Marsteller and though it's early in the school year, homework seems on par (not too much or too little), the administration sends out daily emails, buses are on time for the most part, and teachers are sending weekly email updates. The PTO tries to involve the parents, but it seems as though there is minimal parental support. Sports programs and clubs are ramping up. School lunches have been a big disappointment, but if that is all I must be concerned with, that's a win. In all, it appears that teachers and students are getting back into the grove of a normal school day. There is ample diversity at Marsteller. When I think back to my own junior high experience, I'm reminded that these years are transitional, so I prefer to keep in mind that this 'is a middle' school' experience. Having lived in this area for twenty-three years, Marsteller Middle School is doing just fine.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2022

This school underperforms for northern Virginia, especially affluent communities. The teachers are good overall, but there was a major problem during and after COVID19. Teachers were generally unprepared to deal with the lost 2020-2021 academic year. “Hey, we just have to power through” was the answer until finally the school and the county said “oops, yeah these kids are far behind in math.” Not great.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2022

very bad school with mid princible .
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2022

Bad staff poor communication and might I add the racist comments that my children had to listen to from many of the staff & teachers, the principal has done nothing, I WOULD NOT recommend any children attend this bad staffed school
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2019

Amazing staff! Teachers actually care about helping my child when he does not understand something. They also keep parents in the loop of everything going on in the classroom!
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2019

Teachers are excellent. New principal has improved communication. Very happy to have my kids here.
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2019

Overall kind and empathetic teachers who do the best they can while shouldering myriad other responsibilities.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2017

This school is incredibly overcrowded. Buses were constantly late with no notification from the school. Teachers seemed overwhelmed and many waited to record grades on parent portal until a week or two before the end of the 9 weeks. One math teacher had constant mistakes on her youtube videos and was so unorganized it left my husband and I wondering how on earth she can even teach middle school math let alone a math class for a high school credit in the advanced program. The math and science program was a complete joke, like many of PWCS specialty programs. There really is nothing special about them. The administration fails to lead effectively, because they are putting out fires with all of the problem kids; however, there are no consequences for disruptive, disrespectful rule breakers. Bullying seems to be a real problem here too. This is an out of control place where little to no 'real' learning takes place. If you want to waste 3 years of vital brain development send your children here.
Submitted by student on February 23, 2017

I don't love school. I never have and I never will, but for someone that has spent their entire middle school career at Marsteller I can proudly say that this is an amazing school. The teachers do their job, even if some give more than their share of homework. The administration is very involved and helpful. They offer many clubs, and a lot of seasonal sports. I can truly say that I enjoyed my stay at Marsteller and will miss it when I go off to high school.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2014

My child is finishing his first year at Marsteller and my second child is moving over next school year. I have to admit: I love the administration and I love most of the teachers. I am a realistic person and I know that I am not going to like every teacher/individual no matter to which school I move. But when you like all the teachers except one, I don't think the school should get a bad grade or review. Not to mention, every time I had a question or issue and I addressed it, I was immediately heard and actions were taken. My child is not a genius, but he is not dumb either! His challenges are just right and it keeps him focused for as long as you can keep a 12 year old focused. Please take it from a person who's been working in a private school for over 6 years: I want the truth a public school can offer and not the pretty stories that keep THE PARENTS happy and the money coming.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2014

I have had two kids in this school, one is still there. The teachers, for the most part, were good, though morale seems to be low. The administration, i.e. the principal, has been a disappointment. She seemingly hides in her office, does not interact with the students, parents or staff. The school website is often out of date or lacking in information that would be helpful to students and parents. As for academics, both of my kids sailed through with high grades, with very little homework required of them
Submitted by other on October 27, 2013

I am a student here at Marsteller Middle School, and I think its been a great year so far. I'm new here, but I think its good. There's drama, like any other school, dating, stuff like that, but it is really not out of control and the staff this year have gotten really strict about that stuff and enforce the bullying policy now. My grades are higher than they ever were in middle school now, I always seem to be learning something new every day, if you listen to the teachers and you're not afraid to ask questions when necessary, studying doesn't even become necessary. But I do recommend studying. As long as you are not absent all the time, turn in your homework, listen to the teachers lesson, and ask questions on where you're confused, it becomes really easy. Overall, the staff is nice and some of them have a great sense of humor, they give you plenty of opportunities to retake tests that you get bad grades on, by letting you bring your lunch in to class during lunch to retake a test. They let you do this with 98% of the tests/quizzes you take. They really care about your grades and give you PLENTY of chances to raise your grade when you get a bad one. I recommend Marsteller to anyone
Submitted by other on October 21, 2013

My teacher in sixth grade was mean to my class and she hated us (Mrs. Schmitt)
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2013

I took my child out of school after only a few months. The classroom were WAY over crowded, zero communication between teachers and parents, and they make it impossible to schedule a conference. My child was not challenged at all, I don't even think her teachers knew who she was! I pay a lot in private school tuition now but it is worth every cent!