Merritt Academy

9211 Arlington Boulevard

Fairfax, VA 22031

38 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 24, 2023

Merritt Academy was wonderful for our children over the past 5 years. We started at Merritt in the Infant room all the way to Kindergarten and we had an amazing experience! Our 2 boys enjoyed the staff and teachers, it was a little community.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2022

My 3 year old has been attending for the past 2 years, and our 1 year old has been in the infant class for several months. We cannot say enough great things about Merritt! The curriculum for infant/toddlers is outstanding - my 3 year old knows the alphabet very well, and has started writing her name. She comes home singing new songs, and shares about her many activities and friends. The classrooms are spacious and playgrounds/fields allow tons of space for field day! They do so many organized fun activities and water play.I love that we get updates on tadpoles and shutterfly photos. The teacher communication and enthusiasm have been great and we know our kids are extremely well cared for, as well as taught so many things. It truly is an incredibly caring community. There is a reason there's a waitlist!I also want to commend the school and director on their transparency during the past 2 years of Covid and the incredible safety precautions they took. We are so happy our kids are thriving here!
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2022

I am glad that we were able to enroll our child at Merritt. It has been a positive experience and the teachers have nurtured her personal and academic development, especially in mathematics, sciences, and language arts.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2022

I'm very surprised to read some of the negative reviews on here about Merritt Academy, enough that I felt I should write a review myself. I have 2 children at Merritt and they have had a wonderful experience. The teachers have been attentive and caring. We have regular communication from their teachers more than once per week. They both really love it at Merritt and even requested to stay longer in their after-school program so they could spend more time with friends. Have never had any issues with bullying. The homework is not excessive and is purposeful. My older one was in FCPS for 2 years and Merritt definitely has a higher academic standard.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2022

My so was bullied with administrative consent. We signed him up for camp and hoping to enroll him at the school. We lost a lot of money as we paid for the summer camp in advance. We withdrew our don when the situation became untenable and the principal agreed to reimburse. She changed her mind and quoted something from the ‘contract’. This school has contracts that absolve them of negligence to your child in their care. Do yourself a favor and do not trust your child to this ridiculous school situated behind a nursing home in the backwater of Washington DC. There’s no accountability the school is run like a fiefdom.
Submitted by principal on February 15, 2022

With service to families and character as core values at our school, we believe every child and family deserves compassion and respect. Merritt Academy’s Code of Courtesy sets out clear expectations for all adults and children about following the Golden Rule. We strive to teach as well as model, respect and courtesy. We understand how it can hurt when students need redirection when learning how to follow these important societal rules. It is always our hope that a child who feels they have not been treated respectfully by a classmate or other member of the school community would report this to their teacher or other adult in charge. When we witness inappropriate student behavior at school or if it is brought to our attention by anyone, we address it as a teachable moment. Direct communication from child, parent, teacher or other observer goes far to help us respond swiftly and avoid situations that may be uncomfortable for a child.It is always our goal to partner with families, along with our staff, to optimize strategies for a positive experience for each child. And it is always our hope that by working together to resolve differences, we emerge as stronger as individuals and a community.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2022

The students here are mean and horrible for a character school the students here do not show it at all.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2021

the leadership staff are rude and do not care. teachers can be rude. kids bully each other badly. especially not worth the money
Submitted by parent on October 11, 2021

Merritt Academy is proving again that it cannot hold onto well-qualified teachers and is entering another school year at a loss. If their focus was based on caring for children as they say they do, then they would raise their standards instead of their tuition. It seems like their mission is centered around making money and moving kids through to pacify parents rather than preparing children with a solid academic foundation. From a parent's perspective, I do not personally recommend Merritt Academy and will not re-enroll my children for the next school year.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2021

The administration of this school is horrible. They give mixed messages to parents. They seem overwhelmed and not able to give coherent answers. These are their two main concerns - getting enough paying heads and protecting their school. They really don’t have “values” other than the above.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2020

Our 2-year-old daughter has attended Merritt Academy since she was 6 months old, and we would not dream of sending her anywhere else. Our experience has been magical. Merritt is not only her school; it is her second home. We truly feel that her teachers love and care for her as if she were their own child. Looking back on the past two years, we realize that we as parents have learned as much from our daughter's teachers as she has. With their wisdom and patience, they helped and continue to help us through all the transitions of babyhood and toddlerhood.The environment at Merritt is as enriching as it is loving. Even for babies and toddlers, teachers treat the experience like school -- in the best sense of the word, with endless activities and experiences that are fun, creative, engaging and educational. Every day when we take our daughter to Merritt, we know that she is in a place where she will be cultivated and loved. On a practical note, the hours and holiday/inclement weather closures at Merritt are better than any day care or school we have heard of. Merritt prides itself on serving working families, and it does. We have a somewhat unusual weekday schedule, and Merritt has consistently accommodated us so that we can maximize time with our daughter. We send her to Merritt first and foremost for the loving and enriching environment, but the practical aspects have also helped us more than we can say.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2020

Awful... Do not send your children to this school
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2020

Merritt Academy has been wonderful, we've had our daughter at Merritt since preschool and she is now enrolled in kindergarten. She was given a head start in preschool because of the advanced curriculum and learning environment. As of her first 6 weeks in kindergarten, she was writing sentences and explaining to us what the solar system was and how organs in the human body work. By 3 months in, she had read 100 books on her own at home. This school offers hands-on learning for all students and field trips to the world-famous Smithsonian museums. Merritt offers character building and teaches students how to be good citizens. Merritt offers many extra curricular activities/clubs including STEAM, computer/gaming lab, art club, cheerleading, sports such as karate and tennis as well as character club. The elementary school also puts on dances and pep rally for the children as well as provides the "Tiger Store" wher students bring $1-$3.00 and are able to make purchases on their own learning how to budget and purchase things for themselves, family and friends. Merritt invites all families for festivals, and family-fun events throughout the year. The classrooms are equipped with smart boards to help teach students about technology but are also taught basic fundamental skills such as cursive writing (as they get older). Students are taught multiple languages and are given the opportunity to sign up for extra lessons (for more advanced learning). Tuition includes breakfast and lunch, which provides very healthy and delicious meals that our very picky daughter loves.The cost definitely hits the piggy bank compared to public school and we weight our decision to send our daughter here regularly, but between the teachers, the administration, the staff, the school's commitment to character and what our daughter comes home saying every day, our answer is a resounding "yes" and we know in our hearts that it's absolutely worth it. We just can't say enough good things about this school, our experience and the education our daughter is receiving. We'd recommend Merritt to anyone.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2020

Merritt Academy has been a wonderful fit for my preschool children. They love going to school, and I can see a real difference in their development.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2019

All this school cares about is making money. They don't care about the students, parents or the teachers.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2019

I've had two children go to this school. The eldest was misplaced during summer camp and none of the counselors could tell me where she had gone. It turned out she was at an extracurricular activity but somehow they lost track of her. My toddler was bit 6 times in her toddler room by recurrent biters despite my attempt to have her changed from her room and my request that consequences be implemented for repeat biters. My eldest had sand thrown in her face and one of her belongings broken by a bully that wasn't adequately disciplined despite multiple behavioral issues. We leave our children with daycare providers to keep our children safe and to protect them when we cannot. Merritt is clearly not fulfilling that expectation. After being with Merritt for 5 years, I'm disappointed to say that the good things it has to offer are being outweighed by the bad.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2018

Excellent— the communication between teachers, administrators and parents are very valuable and has helped make this an ideal learning environment for my kids. They not only focus on academics but the emotional development of my kids.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2018

We had a great experience with the pre-school and initially at the Kindergarten. We had to leave the school, half way through Kg, since teacher was over reacting to the things that are totally normal for a 5 year old kid. Unfortunately there was no communication from teacher and she just filed incident reports one after another. This was pushed to the point that my kid was losing the confidence and thinking that he can never make a good choice again. No parent wants this to be curved in a 5- year old brain!
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2017

Our daughter attended kindergarten at Merritt Academy and it was a wonderful experience. The staff is extremely kind and friendly. Because it is a small school, everyone knows everyone. There is a big emphasis on character education and it is clearly reflected in the children as they progress through their time at this school. Highly recommended! The only negative I can think of is that tuition includes lunch but the lunch does not accommodate vegetarians. If parents of vegetarian children are paying for the lunch, it seems a bit unfair to not provide vegetarian options. A better option would be to let parents opt out of paying for lunch.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2015

Our children have attended Merritt Academy for two years both in preschool and elementary. It's been a wonderful experience for each of them! The teachers are caring, the curriculum is challenging and the administration supportive. There is always plenty of activities and initiatives going on: field trips, visit to an elderly home, volunteering, etc. The PTO is also very good, they go out of their way to fund new classroom equipment or teacher training. We have to leave FFX due to a professional relocalisation and we will deeply miss the school.