Forestville Elementary School

1085 Utterback Store Road

Great Falls, VA 22066

School District

Fairfax County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Fairfax 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 parent on October 01, 2024

Administration, teachers & staff are all friendly & professional! Great community feel, too!
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2021

Forestville ES is a wonderful, caring school. The front office staff are always willing to assist with your requests. Being military we move around a lot and after enrolling in over 13 schools and daycares across my career this was the first school I experienced truly dedicated, caring staff. They helped me find the forms and emailed what I needed. They walked me through everything. While my children were attending the entire staff was so dedicated in every aspect of school from the nurse to the lunch staff. Teachers were engaged and available for assisting my children in whatever aspect they needed. They address and resolve issues quickly and effectively. The new principal seems very caring and engaged; hopefully he continues to support this wonderful school and maintain the family, caring, environment. I recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2018

Forestville is a great school. I have had 2 children go through Forestville. The teachers are Forestville provide a diversity of experiences and challenge the kids. Their AAP program is very good. Further, Forestville offers a lot of opportunity for the kids to expand their horizons beyond school such as through Odyssey of the Mind, afterschool programs, the school musical, etc.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2017

Three children have done well and continue to do well in this school. It is because of great teachers, administration and PTA. But being involved really does make a difference . And the renovation will be great. Lets just hope no more budget cuts happen.
Submitted by parent on December 20, 2016

The principal and assistant principal are professional bullies. Assistant principal actually teaches Mr. Franklin on how to ignore students' and parents' needs and concerns. Academically, the school is pretty average, nothing significant about it - teaching to SOLs, not more, not less than that. Our community deserves a much better school than Forrestville Administration turned it into during the last 3 years.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2015

Could not ask for a better school. My kids have thrived and are now moving on to middle school and they are very ready. Great AAP program. Thank you to everyone at Forestville.
Submitted by parent on December 22, 2014

My child is a kindergartner, so I can't really speak to the upper grades. I can say that I have been quite impressed with my child's classroom experience to date. My little one's teacher, Ms Kaeler, is extremely attentive and has fostered a loving and enriching environment for her children. She has instilled in them a strong sense of respect and compassion for their fellow classmates. I am also quite impressed by the special needs staff, which have played an indispensable role in my child's positive experience this year. If all the teachers at Forestville exhibit the same dedication not only to eductation, but to "life teaching," I will be very pleased with his elementary education.
Submitted by other on June 13, 2014

I am currently in sixth grade, I've been here since kindergarten. All of my seven years here have been wonderful. I have learned so many things and created so many memories and friendships. The connected that teachers create are amazing because they make an effort and it has a tremendous outcome on the student. I don't even know a single thing that I would change to make Forestville a better school. I have had so much fun here, I cannot even explain. I have so many friendships that last to this day, because I met them at this school. I don't know what has happened to other children who have attended this school but I believe that I speak for the majority of students when I say this: Forestville Elementary is a wonderful school. I would recommend it to all parents and children. If you are interested in the AAP part: I am in AAP, and I have been in since third grade, the grade that AAP starts. The program is fantastic. It allows you to learn better and quicker. You grasp the information and learn it quickly with the amazing teachers. I've had a lot of projects and all of them have been so much fun. I would recommend AAP to all qualified children.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2014

We are looking forward to the end of the school year to get out of here. All good reviews for this school are based on its glory in the past when the previous principal took care of the kids' educational needs. Today, with the new principal the school is a joke. Many good teachers have left. Most of those who "teach" there now are nothing but overly confident below average "wanna be professionals". The school's low test scores reflect this perfectly - sadly enough they do teach to SOL, and yet can't even get that right. Class sizes are huge. Our kid is BORED in classroom and has a teacher who shouldn't be called a teacher at all, as she doesn't understand basics of teaching. Their new "counselor" is totally incapable of dealing with kids or parents, when there is no issue she manages to create one. To justify her existence? The only bright side are the afterschool activities, but the news are none of them will be available next school year when the school is going to be remodeled. Overall, this is by far the worst school and worst administration in the area. Don't be fooled, keep your child away from this disaster.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2012

Forestville Is an outstanding school in so many ways. First, it offers educational programming that ventures outside of the state standards of learning (SOL) such as project based learning, advanced academic curriculum, Teachers as Leaders three year grant focusing on the development of higher order thinking skills, Renzulli Learning for all etc. Secondly it offers a wonderful education for all students, not just a select group, e.g. self contained Category B special education class, full time ESOL program, educators ranging from 30+ year veterans to early hire new professionals who are among the best in the state, "retake to mastery" formative and summative assessment policy, and other cutting edge initiatives. Thirdly, a wonderful student body is encouraged to show good citizenship through a vibrant Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program (PBIS), complete with over 15,000 Cardinal Compliments earned annually, and an adorable mascot Forest the Cardinal, plus an excellent counseling program which focuses on character development. Lastly (though there is so much more), the parents are wonderfully supportive as they put in thousands of volunteer hours annually and more!
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2012

Our children have received an outstanding education at Forestville in the seven years we've lived here. The teachers and staff are dedicated and caring. It's a welcoming environment for students and parents, and I've been impressed with the courtesy exhibited by students overall. I've yet to see a better school, public or private.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2012

Large classes. Unqualified AAP teachers. Lack of in depth teaching. More like a club for volunteers.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2011

I've been part of this community for over 10 years. In the past, Forestville treated all the students equally. Now, the goal is to make sure the SOL results coming out of Forestville are the best in the county. They teach to the SOL every single day!! According to guidelines, you don't prep a student for a SOL. Now, 3rd thru 6th graders are sent home practice runs. My 6th grade daughter was told "don't worry about that sort of math problem it won't be on the SOL!" Advanced Placement vs. who isn't is heard consistently at games, parent events, etc...some for it and others completely appalled by it. Class sizes are close to 30 or more per class. 50% of the classes are split between General vs. Gifted. Do you really think 50% are gifted learners? You don't even have to test in to the AAP as I learned recently when they 'offered' my child the chance to move "up." Ridiculous. The best teachers have either left or talk regularly about the horrific Tiger Moms vs. Weak Administration. Too much focus on the AAP is causing the General Ed children feel inferior and "not good enough." Remember, they are KIDS!
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2011

I've had three kids at Forestville, and know the school from K to 6. The teachers are committed and engaging, the front office staff is friendly and helpful, and the administration is very open. We've had a great experience at Forestville
Submitted by parent on January 01, 2011

Wonderful teachers and great PTA! We are so happy to see our child eager to go to school each day.