Sunrise Valley Elementary School

10824 Cross School Road

Reston, VA 20191

School District

Fairfax County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
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 February 14, 2019

Great teachers supported by a great community
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2018

There are 28 children in my son's 2nd grade class with 1 teacher. Classes are too large in my opinion.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2017

I am hoping for some change in the leadership, especially at the Vice Principal level.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2016

Phenomenal teachers. Administration is aloof toward students and the school community. We attended this school for 4 years and always felt like outsiders. Not as friendly a school as our other elementary school experiences.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2016

SVES is a passable school, as one commentator said before "if" you have an average child. But throw a difficult child or a child with an IEP into the mix and the staff is lost and tries to get the student moved to a new classroom. If moving to a new classroom doesn't work, they will start suggesting "alternative placement. This is not just my experience but a few other parents I have know. The "new" administration is happy to work with parents so long as you don't ask them to do anything. One of my children actually laments the retirement of Dr. English and surprisingly so do I.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2015

Don't get too excited about Sunrise Valley. This new administration is not an improvement. Don't go here if you have an LD kid. If you're kid is average Sunrise Valley is OK. The principal and vice don't get kids with an IEP.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2014

SVES has an incredible faculty. For many years there had been a significant leadership problem there, but that has worked itself out. With the retirement of the prior administrator the school looks to be back on track.
Submitted by parent on September 18, 2013

This is a passably good elementary school drawing children mostly from fairly well-to-do neighborhoods. Discipline problems are practically unheard of. Teachers are friendly and competent, For the most part. The art teacher , unfortunately, does seem to lack basic classroom management skills and spends the majority of class time yelling at students. The is doubly unfortunate because students will be exposed to that year after year, in a class they really should be enjoying. On the brightside, the schoolis a center for AAP and the school does a great job of integrating the AAP students/classes with the Gen Ed students/classes so that any differences are really not noticeable. The school has a great Physical Education program and the teachers of that program really stand out. The library is exceptional. The extra-curricular activities are pretty good. Overall, I would recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2013

Looking at the negative comments, they must be written by the same people repeatedly. They use the same words. Anyway, these negative comments are obviously a couple people who had difficulty for whatever reason. Sometimes when a kid has an academic or behavioral problem people get defensive and become aggressive. We have probably all been there to some degree. Unfortunately, these few were unkind and kind of scary. SVES has been great for my kids. We have no complaints. They all love the music program and have been in band and strings. PE could be longer or more days. It would be nice if all kids were pushed and challenged more in math so they might be ready for Algebra in 7th grade. My kids have done well in math though and seem like they know more than I did in 6th grade. Reading is super important but writing could be a greater focus. Technology is used a lot although some of the laptops are extremely slow, according to the kids. The community events are fun although there do not seem to be enough. What happened to the fun fair? There are lots of clubs for kids - Girls on the Run is a great one. There is chess club and champions. Teachers are well liked.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2013

Great school!. Relatively small school with a great sense of community. Every student matters and the kids feel it as do the parents. Teachers are responsive. Kids are happy in school which says a lot. There are many clubs and leadership opportunities for the students. Could not ask for a better school for my kids to go to. We chose this area because of the good school system and we selected Sunrise Valley in particular. Our kids are almost done with SVES and will be moving on to LHMS and I know they wwill be ready.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2013

We pulled our children out of SVES due to 1) the "teacher is first" instead of student first attitude, 2) the leadership loving her running of a bureaucracy and 3) the bias toward the GT (now AAP) teachers and kids. Woe to the parent whose child is in general education classes - the curriculum is "teach down to the SOL's". Very little critical thinking taught.
Submitted by parent on January 01, 2013

Sunrise Valley ES is hands down one of the finest elementary schools in FCPS. All members of its learning community including administrators, teachers, and parents strive to support the learning, social, and emotional needs of students. After a great deal of research when finding out that we were moving into the area, we specifically selected Sunrise Valley ES. We could not be more pleased.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2012

SVES is a real disappointment. Teaching is bureaucratic, as is the attitude of the principal. We pull our child out of the school. His math was going downhill, he had no projects, no homework, and he wasn't learning anything in depth. When I met with other parents, they reported that their older children had done more - and that the school was going downhill. The last straw was that a neighbor who teaches at Hughes Middle School reported that SVES students are not as well prepared as those from Forest Edge. I never once heard my son say he was excited about class.
Submitted by other on February 12, 2012

I am a junior at SLHS now and am grateful for the time I had at Sunrise Valley. SVES prepared me to participate in the IB program. I have a strong backgroound in the basics - reading, writing, math, but I also learned to think, create, and solve problems. These are all things I use in my IB classes. I also appreciate the close friendships I made at SVES. It was a close and caring community. The teachers were awesome too. SVES rocks!!!!!!
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2012

We simply couldn't be happier with our family's experience at Sunrise Valley! Both of our children have received a wonderful education and rewarding enrichment experiences. SVES is a truly remarkable, cooperative community consisting of the highest quality dedicated teachers, administrators and staff, active and caring parents, and terrific students. My oldest child left SVES more than well-prepared for the rigors and challenges of middle school and beyond. In middle school, she, herself, commented that SVES kids were better prepared than many students from other elementary schools. She is currently thriving in pre-IB classes at South Lakes HS. My youngest child is currently at SVES, and has enjoyed teachers every year who celebrate his uniqueness and encourage and foster his passion for learning and artistic expression. I encourage families to come see for themselves!
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2011

I give SVES the top rating. Both my kids came to SVES after attending another school. They were both gen ed kids and excelled. I thought their general ed teachers were excellent. In both cases, my kids' teachers recognized their strengths and weaknesses and worked with us. One child was pulled out for advanced math with the GT kids, and the other received speech therapy, within a month of starting at SVES. Our older child is now working on his IB diploma at SLHS, and our younger child is excelling in pre-IB classes at SLHS. I believe they received a good grounding at SVES. Please check out the test scores and come and visit the school yourself.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2011

It is without reservation that I give SVES the top rating. If you are thinking about sending your child(ren) to SVES, check out the test scores and come to the school and see it for youself. The teachers, parents, and principal have created a vibrant learning environment for all children. By way of reference, our youngest child just completed SVES and is at LHMS. Our older child is at SLHS. Like many other raters on this site, our children went to two elementary schools. I've been impressed with the ability of the teachers to provide individualized attention to our children. I also appreciate the way the principal will take on new and exciting opportunities for our kids (e.g., Show What You Know; Habit of Learning, among others). SVES is a gem in Fairfax County.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2011

SVES set my children up for success in middle school, high school, and college. SVES is a relatively small community where teachers, administrators, and parents ensure that all children are included, feel safe, supported and challenged. My kids are all very different with one in GT, one not, and one receiving special services. They all had amazing teachers whether in GT or not. The best teachers we had were ones who love their profession and the majority of the teachers at SVES love their profession. The principal feels that all kids are gifted in different ways and she knows these kids. If you ever stand in the lobby at dismissal, you will see how many children she knows by name, which is quite a lot. As to learning, SVES has prepared my kids to excel at LHMS in honors/GT classes, to participate in the IB program at SLHS, and for success in college. SVES earned the Governor's Excellance Award which few schools get and is based on test scores, so the kids in this school learn. If you ever sit through a SLHS graduation, you will hear a large number of kids from SVES receive the IB diploma. We are very grateful to SVES for building that strong foundation for our kids' futures.
Submitted by other on October 31, 2011

I attended Sunrise Valley and now I have gone on into middle school. I was in Sunrise Valley from kindergarten through sixth grade. I learned a LOT! :) I've learned about American History, Ancient civilizations, SO much about math, parts of speech, persuasive writing, poetry, how to read, and a lot more. I have learned so many things in Sunrise Valley. Also all of the students are really nice. I made a lot of friends there. The principals were great and really connected with the students. Almost everyday I saw the principals walking around checking up on classrooms and the students. Sunrise Valley is a GREAT Elementary School! It was a great experience!
Submitted by other on October 29, 2011

The excellent reputation of this school in the community got me interested in volunteering, even though my kids are grown. My own three kids went through six different Fairfax elementary schools, but none compared to the advanced learning in place at Sunrise Valley. The principal is a forward thinker, preparing students for the world they will actually live in. Too many principals are hanging on to the "old school" basics ,such as minimal-competency testing (SOLs), which are passe in light of the digital revolution. Her focus is always on the children. Her mantra is "this is not a happiness club for adults," which I imagine has prompted some of the "less than five star" reviews here. Rather than cater to adults who would rather get their way, she makes all decisions based on the long-term future of the students. The best way to rate an elementary school principal is to know her former students when they're in high school. And that's where Sunrise Valley kids really shine. SVES alumni who are now at South Lakes HS students rate their elementary education as FIRST RATE!