Thoreau Middle School

2505 Cedar Lane

School District

Fairfax County Public Schools
Grade

7-8
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 student on February 15, 2025

I am currently an 8th grader at TMS. I've seen the worse side of the school, and the better side. I'll start with the good things I've noticed. There isn't too much homework, most of the teachers are good, and administrations is alright (could be better, but honestly, not a huge problem).The problem with this school falls in the student population and organizing tendencies. To start off, the student in this school can be really mean. They start and spread rumors, and bully kids. Mostly kids get bullied/harassed by transphobic/homophobic kids, and I've seen a little racism by certain students. However, if your child chooses the right people to interact with they should be okay! I personally have really great friends that have always been by my side. As for the organization, a few changes have been made that I really disagree with. First, the schedule. While I don't mind having first period everyday, the 4 minute passing periods are really hard for a few specific transitions. Again, it's possible if you plan your route a little.The administration deal with serious problems that are noticed and reported well. If your kid doesn't report something, the chances are that they won't get it fixed. But if they do, someone is there to help them. Class variety is pretty good, and most elective choices are fun. Depends on your what your kid is interested in. The gym floors... are... interesting...The YONDR pouches, make it hard to dismiss, and also are a pain...and the lunches are honestly terrible..as with any school, CHECK ON YOUR CHILD'S MENTAL HEALTH. please.TO SUMMARIZE: plus points: music program, academic (if you work), administration, not a lot of homework (if you work), mostly good teachers (a few bad but that is a given for most schools), good disciplinary, good elective varietyminus points: a few awful teachers, gym floors..., student bullying (by students, not staff), transition period, YONDR pouches, lunchesoverall? pretty good school. make sure to choose the right people and work hard. you'll be fine in this school.
Submitted by student on February 13, 2025

teachers are nice.environment is good but i mean. the food is bad
Submitted by student on August 27, 2024

I love Thoreau. Yes, the kids (especially the boys) are in general a little racist, a little homophobic. The reason the school doesn't do anything about it is because they can never catch them! It's not the school's fault when the kids won't listen. You can give them everything they need - great teachers, good amounts of homework, community, acceptance, after school programs that cater to everyone, stricter rules around phones, consequences for their actions, support if they need it, the materials to do their work - but it's up to them to try. It's not the school's fault that some people don't give the effort. They have counselors and tutors and even designated times during the day to provide help, but the kids have to use that. The teachers and administrators and staff all the way to the custodians and cafeteria workers do their best to make sure the kids get support. The kids just don't listen. It's not the school's fault. It's the fault of things like systemic racism and homophobia. It's the fault of sexism and prejudice. The girls think they have to be "cute" and "easygoing", so they don't object, they perpetuate. The gender neutral and other LGBTQIA+ people feel scared of being shut down and bullied. The boys - they're victims too, of toxic masculinity and peer pressure. The cycle just keeps being perpetuated and no one with the power to stop it feels like they can. That's not the school's fault. That's something everyone has to fight with every fiber of their being for the rest of their lives.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2023

I feel compelled to write a review after seeing some of the recent comments. My son is now a 9th grader at Oakton but he absolutely loved his time at Thoreau. Did they have issues with vandalism? Absolutely! But so did every middle and high school thanks to a stupid TikTok challenge where kids broke soap dispensers and ceiling tiles and posted evidence on social media. This issue is not the school’s fault. I thought it was a good idea when they started locking bathrooms to ensure more adult supervision in less bathrooms. My son had wonderful teachers both years! My only complaint is that they don’t give enough homework. But he has no homework in 9th grade either so I guess this is the new educational trend. He was very well prepared for high school! Special shout out to Mr. Loht, Mr. Firestein and Ms. Shewmaker. My son talked about them in particular and loved being on their team! They made learning fun. I didn’t have the opportunity to interact with the principal, but her communications to parents were excellent and I always heard my son and his friends say they liked her. She did a lot to show the kids why it is important to celebrate cultural differences. She also met with kids to get their opinions on how to improve the school so I know kids appreciated that she cared. We never had any issues with bullying but again this is the most common complaint of any middle schooler in any school. My kid always knew that if he or his friends had issues, they could see their counselor at any time. They are really nice to the kids and my friend used to rave about Ms. Gallagher and she credited her with helping her daughter deal with anxiety and an eating disorder. I could not imagine working with 13 year olds all day, but it is obvious to me that the staff at Thoreau are skilled at working with this age group. We will always speak very highly of my son’s time at Thoreau. Hope this review gives another perspective
Submitted by other on September 08, 2023

Thoreau Middle School is below average at best. I recently completed my 2 years at Thoreau. The school has a few great teachers who are passionate about their subject. Then some teachers are there for an FCPS-sized paycheck. My experience in 8th grade civics was horrible. My teacher was gone for multiple weeks throughout the year. He refused to give decent feedback when grading assignments and rushed through the lessons when we had almost 90-minute class periods. Most of his classes were 30 minutes of work and the rest was free time. He even told us that he did not like teaching and it showed. He had zero classroom management skills and got into arguments with disruptive students. I believe it was also his fifth year teaching at Thoreau and the administration was letting him get away with it. Thoreau Middle did not offer any decent activities outside of school. The after-school program was not engaging and felt more like daycare. Thoreau never hosted events and the 8th grade dance was cancelled because of bad behavior. Nobody took the vice principal seriously. She got into loud arguments with students and could not handle the stress. The bathrooms were being constantly locked off due to vandalism. the principal was okay but she did not solve many of the issues happening at Thoreau. It is sad because there are truly some talented teachers at this school. Ms. Cain, Ms. Riva and Ms. Griffin are all great examples of teachers who care about what they do. Ms. Griffin created a welcoming environment and was passionate about 8th-grade English. In conclusion, I would not recommend this school for your child. The administrators refuse to do their job properly, certain teachers are awful, there is zero school spirit and bullying happens daily. I have heard much better things about Kilmer Middle School from former students. Sincerely, -A former student of Thoreau Middle School.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2022

Bullying is normal on daily basis in this school, assaults is ok too as long as no police involved. Make sure to report to police any assaults, not the SRO in the school. She’s hiding it with the staff . No safety, no emotional supports.
Submitted by other on September 25, 2022

I went to this school for 7th grade and immediately wanted to leave. Most of the teachers were good, my favorite teachers were mrs. Galus, Mr. McNamara, and mrs. Edwards. Though the kids were terrible and the teachers and administrators didn’t know how to handle them. Kids were stealing, vandalizing, vaping, getting into fights daily. The kids were very homophobic and transphobic, and some of the teachers stayed that they were allies but then would get made at students (me) for not telling them your pronouns, when you did, and the consular emailed them, your gender was changed in SIS, and you have been wearing a pronouns pin for 3 months. Also many teachers didn’t allow accommodations that were on students 504 plans. None of the kids wanted to learn and so they would disrupt the class every minute, and they teaching pace was very slow, and there was very little homework. I have had bad experinces with school but this has been the absolute worst.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2022

This school is very racist, and everyday there's always kids vaping and doing other drugs in the boys bathroom. I don't think this is a safe environment for your kids this school is very homophobic. And all of the boys bathrooms are usually closed off because of kids vandalizing and having fights in the bathroom. the last time my child was at school he walked into two other kids having a sexuel inner course in the stalls, my child was traumatized. There's always fights and some kids even get jumped. I have already excused my kids from this school a few months ago.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2019

Best experience my daughter has had the two years flew by way too fast, the AP program was great for my daughter, well prepared for freshman for James Madison High coming up. We will miss you Thoreau, thank you staff, teachers and amazing principal and assistant principals, school is great for ALL students across the board.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2017

We have one child that is going to this school and I really have to say that the school is very refreshing. We just moved over from Cooper Middle School in Mclean and the kids are excelling here at a greater pace than Cooper Middle School. The teachers are much more involved individually and the curriculum is quite rigorous. Being a Asian parent it is very important that my kids are being prepared for college and not distracted and this school does a great job in focusing for academic future. There are a lot of extracurricular options especially in the music department since my kids play the Piano and the Violin.Overall I really have to give my hat to the staff for building such a nurturing environment.
Submitted by other on March 06, 2015

From being a slacker and falling through the cracks in elementary school, I've become an overachiever with many awards, straight B+'s and A's, taking multiple honors courses, and participating in clubs and sports four days a week. I'm in Madison now, but I would like to appreciate Thoreau for shaping me into this girl with worldly and scholarly aims. The teachers are loving and always believe in you, and the society is amazing. The teachers and counselors who inspired me are Ms. Albert, Mrs. Galus. Mrs. Leonard, and Ms. Carrington. This school is wonderful and amazing!