Mcnair Elementary School

2499 Thomas Jefferson Drive

Herndon, VA 20171

School District

Fairfax County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-2
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
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 December 05, 2024

I’m not recommending this school. There are no proper management from the teachers and teachers are not supportive.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2024

My kids go to McNair Elementary School and I have had a very good experience so far. The Principals at both the upper and lower elementary schools have been promoting a lot of family-centric events and activities to bring the school community together. My kids are always excited to go to school and cherish their everyday learning!We are lucky to have encountered many teachers who are passionate about educating our children!
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2024

McNair Elementary: Where Passionate Teachers Ignite a Love of LearningIf you're looking for a school where teachers go above and beyond to spark a child's curiosity and love of learning, look no further than McNair Elementary! My child has blossomed since starting here, and the credit goes entirely to the incredible teachers who make learning an exciting adventure.Every teacher I've encountered radiates infectious passion for their subject matter. They make even the most complex concepts fun and engaging, tailoring their approach to each student's individual needs and learning style. My child comes home eager to share new discoveries and enthusiastic about tackling the next challenge.The positive impact is undeniable. My child's academic growth has been impressive, but more importantly, they've developed a genuine thirst for knowledge that extends beyond the classroom. They're constantly asking questions, exploring new interests, and brimming with ideas.It's not just about academics, though. McNair Elementary fosters a warm and supportive environment where every child feels valued and safe. The sense of community is strong, and there are countless opportunities for students to develop their social skills and discover their talents.Never once have I heard a complaint from my child. That, in itself, speaks volumes about the positive experience they have every day at McNair. I have complete confidence that they're receiving a top-notch education in a nurturing and stimulating environment.If you're searching for a school that will nurture your child's intellectual curiosity, ignite their passion for learning, and provide a safe haven for social and emotional growth, I wholeheartedly recommend McNair Elementary. It's a truly special place!
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2023

I am surprised to read bad reviews about the school. I have been part of the school for 6 yrs and never heard of bullying. My kids enjoy the school and love their teacher. Teachers also pay a lot of attention to the kids. We need special attention and got it too. Counselor is awesome and so is the other staff.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2023

School is run on biased basis. Bullying is very common without action and teachers do not take action. Question teacher. Your child will be not considered for AAP. Worthless. Run away from area. They cannot even control daily traffic. They make kids compete illogically.
Submitted by other on June 08, 2023

No surprise that this school loosing ratings year over year. Not good school to send you child particularly if your child require special education like IEP
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2023

This review is for Upper McNair. My kid used to go to to a school in Reston but then we moved to Herndon. The difference is night and day.Don’t let the new school looks fool you, this is an awful, awful school.My son is constantly bullied and there’s constant theft, vandalism and aggression in the school. Many of the teachers are new and not very good at managing class.Every time an issue is raised nothing really happens. My kid has even been bullied by the lunch supervisors, it’s absolutely insane. We are moving out of here, this school being a major factor.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2022

Awesome teachers. Curriculum much ahead of other school. My daughter was transferred from sunrise valley to here. This is a wonder school, brilliant kids fare much better here. It promotes healthy competition.We have not had any bullying experience so far.
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2021

McNair has what is probably the worst principal in the county. They split the school into Upper and lower schools and the screwed up principal went to the upper. The lower got a brand new principal. If you are at the Upper school, anything can happen, you can’t trust the leadership, and it’s not a good environment for children. I don't recommend this school. There may be a couple good teachers, but no accountability for the bad ones. The Principal is bad and unfortunately too many teachers like kiss her a$. When the root of the tree is poisonous, you get a poisonous tree.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2020

Very bad in Fairfax county. Worst school ever. Below standard. Badly managed by principal and teachers in terms of communication what they are teaching children . -10. Principal is mean and displays rude insensitive remarks to parents and has poor judgement.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2018

I love the knowlege my daughter brings back. Stem program as early as grade 1. Communicative teachers.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2018

For special Ed this school is terrible.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2017

We've recently moved to the area and while yes, the school is large and clearly not built to accommodate so many children, an entire second building is in process. My son's prior school was very small and I was worried about how he would do, but his teacher has been wonderful. His class size is about 25 kids and I do not feel he's being ignored in any way. He is happy to go to school each day, and he's learning. That's what I hope for as a parent. I do not agree with the comments about drop-off, but we are walkers, so the experience may be different. We walk right up every morning with no issue. Pick-up is busy as well, so we have a planned meeting spot for my child. Sometimes parents need to take some initiative to work with circumstances and think of improvements, rather than simply complaining. We are only a month in, but I think the staff is working hard in circumstances that aren't perfect and garnering pretty great results.
Submitted by parent on June 26, 2017

This school is ridiculously overcrowded. There is a school 10 minutes from McNair with only 600 students compared to the 1500 students at this school. Pick up and drop off are complete chaos. The teachers try, but with so many kids we miss out on a lot. There were no all school performances, no "graduations," the principal is unresponsive (probably because she is overwhelmed). I have personally emailed the principal and never received an answer. Our five year old wrote her a letter and never received a response either. School fundraising nights/activities are out of control because of the number of attendees (which probably explains the lack of performances). The lady below is correct that the PTA is soooo expensive. This school does not deserve to be an 8. The best part of this school is the diversity. The rest needs work. Fairfax desperately needs to re-zone.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2016

I moved from another state and compared to the other school, this school has issues. Over crowed, pick up and drop off is a nightmare, expensive PTA, may be I would have looked else where if I had known of the issues before hand.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2016

My son is in 4th grade AAP at McNair. He recently moved from Coates. There are only about 18 students in his class. He appreciates the opportunity to participate a variety of challenging activities such as the Geography Bee, DBQs, Word Masters etc. He has been very fortunate to have great teachers all through Kindergarten to 4th grade. His 3rd grade teacher at Coates, Ms. Troiano was awesome. His 4th grade teacher, Ms. Paris is just the same, very responsive, even responds to emails late at night. She takes great care of her students. She emails me my son's homework while he is out sick so he won't miss the lessons. We had a great experience at Coates especially with the PTA and had some initial troubles with McNair but off late they are getting better. They are offering a lot of after school enrichment programs this Spring and it works out really well for us as my son stays at SACC after school. My son had trouble picking just one activity every day of the week from Chess to Robotics to Basketball to Guitar lessons. My son is thriving here and I wouldn't want anything different for him. FCPS has great schools and the teachers here make all the difference. The few interactions I have had with the school staff have been great as well. They really made us feel welcome on the first day of school and we were provided an individual orientation and escorted to class and introduced to the teacher. Regardless of the ratings my son had a great time at Coates and he is looking forward to two more great years at McNair.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2016

We moved from another state a few years ago so our perspective is based upon our previous experiences with different schools and school systems.My son has an IEP and this place is a NIGHTMARE for special needs children! They are simply not equipped with knowledgeable staff on our kids issues. This school is also extremely overcrowded. The only plus is diversity otherwise for special needs I cannot recommend this school. It's been a great disappointment. Communication with staff falls on deaf ears and they barely keep up with the IEPS.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2015

My daughter is a 6th Grade AAP student, and has been attending McNair for the last 4 years. We were new in the country and everyone of the teachers has been super cooperative.School is essential and the schools are doing their best to enhance the children with a level of education to compete with the world they are facing and will face in a few years.We the parents left school years ago, and are not familiar with some of the teaching techniques, it is our duty to learn, school is for the kids, they are being taught, they have to learn and understanding what they have to do, homework is not for parents to do. Instead of complaining, encourage your child to be independent and not be lackadaisical in thinking that mom or dad is going to do it.As working parents we do not always have the time to oversee the kids. Teach them responsibilities instead of moaning about how bad the school system is. Teachers are being paid minimal for the level of education required to become a teacher and what they earn for their time, patience and hard work. It is our duty as parents to support them for we sure cannot do a better job, even if some of you can, you do not have the time. Be grateful that teachers love their job and even with cut budgets still try to do an exemplary job on our kids, many who are wayward spoiled and rude, wanting to behave just as they do at home and do not like to be disciplined.Get a grip parents don't blame the FCPS, tell your kids to spend less time doing frivolous things with their electronic gadgets and focus on their school work and all the helpful sites out their to assist them when they don't understand, that includes you the parents also.Parents, let your kids walk to school, if it's 5-10 mins. away and weather permits, why do you want to contribute to the circus?Only buts, one: the cafeteria food needs an upgrade. Two, the crossings on Frying Pan Road needs flashing lights, because drivers are like road hogs, they do not stop or slow down even if kids and parents are almost at the middle of the road waiting to cross.Kudos to Mr Kelly, Mr White, Ms Stoermann, and all the other special teachers who try to make our children the best they can be as youths and into growing adults. Good Job and thank you.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2015

The Teaching: - Doesn't happen much! Its essentially "outsourced" to the parents. Teachers think the parents are committed to their children's education, so very little actual instruction happens in class (let the parents figure it out themselves) - There are 30-35 kids per class, teachers do not spend any time with anyone - Most of the new teachers do not have any patience, they shout at the children - The school recently started a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, and was expected to use personal iPads etc. for instruction, class lessons, etc. Not much of that happened. Instead, the kids just play app games during recess time on their iPads Homework Machine: - Their concept of teaching is "show a video" and give LOTS of homework, the parents will figure it out at home - Sometimes, even on Fridays and during vacation days, the students get homework! Admin Staff & PTA - Quite rude. The front office staff never smiles or welcomes the parents, they almost treat them like a burden! - The PTA is only concerned about after school camps and money. A select group of people run it, and if you even make any suggestions during the PTA meetings, they are just dis-regarded.A big problem in this school is the kiss & ride. The principal sent an email a few weeks back talking about the "new & improved" kiss and ride, but all they've done is just paint a few parking spots yellow. I am not sure how it will solve the basic issue. There is ONLY ONE entry & exit out of kiss and ride, thus creating a choke point. In so many PTA meetings, people have raised this issue, that a different exit point needs to be created, so cars and come & go in a smooth manner. But, like many other things, it doesn't seem the school administration pays much attention to what is really needed to fix the issue. Till then, it continues to be a morning mayhem and circus!
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2015

Very Rude and DOMINATING principal. Very Disappointing. I brought forth one concern and She made me feel that I am wrong. Horrible