Freedom Hill Elementary School

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Kinder teacher is not fit to be working with young children. I can’t put her name here, or else they’ll take my post down

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

Posted: March 10, 2025

This school is probably the worst in the area. Many teachers seem disengaged and uninspired, which directly impacts the students' learning experiences. There have been instances where lessons lack depth, leaving students with a superficial understanding of the material. There is also a lack of discipline and class room management. Maybe at one point it was a good school but it has been downhill for awhile.

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

Posted: July 1, 2024

The Great Schools rating is incorrect and Freedom Hill is a good school. I have 2 children that enrolled Fall of 2021 in 2nd and 3rd grade just finished their 4th and 5th grade year. Each child is different, and both are doing well. Not every teacher is good, but this is the case at every single school, whether its a public school or a $30,000 tuition private school.
The low-income test scores is not a fair judgement of the school. It is not the responsibility of the school to repair the children's home life. The teachers do the best they can to help the children, and the county provides the budget for free or low cost meals. If the low-income students are not doing well, this is the responsibility of the local, state, and federal government to help families with things such as free or reduced cost child care, and parental guidance services.
The general test scores and academic progress are also incorrect. Each child is different, including my own where 1 is ahead of the peers and 1 is behind. If the school happens to have more children that are behind, its not the school's fault, its just life. If there is a trouble maker in the class who is slowing the pace of learning, the school cannot remove them and group them with other trouble makers. This will worsen the trouble making students and also create a perfect bubble for the others who will not learn how the real world is.
Bottom line, this school deserves at minimum a score of 5 and at best a score of 7.

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

Posted: November 9, 2023

We've had wonderful experiences with both children at Freedom Hill. I would highly recommend this diverse and smaller school in Vienna. I am disappointed that Great Schools only goes off test data and doesn't factor in the more holistic picture and gives this school a lower rating than it deserves. It deserves a higher rating for the excellent education a child receives here.

Posted: May 11, 2020

Of my three children, one went through FH with an IEP from grades 3-6. The special education teachers were wonderful (though some were better than others) and I felt that they did a great job of ensuring his IEP was met.

Posted: May 11, 2020

We only had one small issue with this, which was quickly addressed by a school counselor and had no lasting impact on my daughter.

Posted: May 11, 2020

This school is the real deal! My children have thrived and this school clearly represents the "growth mindset" that they espouse. They are better every year and seem to always be improving and communicating to the community how they are doing it. It is tough to see a low score for our school on the website as someone who sees the powerful teaching and learning each year.

Posted: May 11, 2020

Posted: May 11, 2020

I have had three children at FHES so we have experienced many different teaching styles. While some obviously connect better with different children, on the whole the FH teachers have held themselves to a high standard. They look at assessment data all the time and I know my son with an IEP received special small group instruction to address his deficits. We have been so happy with our relationships with teachers.

Posted: May 11, 2020

The weekly Positivity Project traits, articles, and student discussions have been wonderful in the last 2 years. Hearing my 4th grading coming home and talking about things like tolerance, compassion, and empathy has warmed my heart and allowed us to continue these conversations at the dinner table. It has also been really helpful that the principal includes the weekly trait in the newsletter so we know what to expect.

Posted: May 11, 2020

We have been so, so pleased with our administrative transition this year. Our previous administrations were great, but our new team of Dr. Z/Mr. K. has brought a new kind of energy, enthusiasm, and visibility to our school. They appear to hold very high standards for teaching, communicate each week with all families (including lots of instructional updates), and my students absolutely love them. They both just took part in our school fundraisers and were taped to the wall/pied in the face, respectively. We have definitely seen an uptake in the general climate due to their enthusiasm and passion.

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

My children have had a great experience at Freedom Hill over multiple teachers. One of my children entered Level IV this year. Greatschools has totally dropped the ball on their ratings, now effectively double penalizing schools with economically disadvantaged or international kids. For example, there are a couple of middle eastern kids whose parents are diplomats. The kids came here not speaking English at ALL in 1st grade. Now two years later they are proficient in English, but you can imagine their test scores are terrible. They aren't even in my childrens' classes, so the existence of these kids in the school has zero impact on my children except to increase their exposure to diversity. However, Greatschools penalizes the school both because these international kids naturally get bad test scores, and then double penalizes them because the school has disparities between students. Get outta here...

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: April 12, 2018

They definitely acknowledge when there is a detriment in a student's learning and address it head on.

Posted: April 12, 2018

My son was physically assaulted by a boy whose family was going through a very difficult time. The school addressed this head on and removed the young man from school immediately, and recommended some mental health counseling.

Posted: April 12, 2018

Not too much, not too little. In 4th grade there is a definite increase, but this is to begin to effectively prepare for higher grades.

Posted: April 12, 2018

I believe the teachers at FHES put the students best interests at the top of their priorities.

Posted: April 12, 2018

Posted: April 12, 2018

I have experienced several leadership changes at FHES. Although each has a different style, they were all exceptional.

Posted: April 12, 2018

Excellent. My children thrived at FHES and continued to do so at their Middle School and High School as well.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Posted: April 6, 2018

It started really well, a great school that had a real community feel and proved that the rating meant little.

Over the past 18 months things have gone rapidly downhill and I feel the school has developed a very unsafe and unhealthy culture of disrespect and lack of student support in favor of trying to up their ratings to the detriment of good kids who are having an awful time.

I can no longer recommend this school under the current principal.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Homework is excessive in 4th grade, at the expense of a child’s time to be a child.

Posted: April 6, 2018

There are some great teachers, but there are also teachers that are so focused on getting the best on paper results that they stop seeing the children as individuals and the pressure has a detrimental affect on their mental health and well being.

Posted: April 6, 2018

This school actively allows disrespect between peers, and also between students and authority figures.

Posted: April 6, 2018

The focus is on statistical points and no longer the children.

There is a culture of victim shaming and blame, especially if the guilty party is a good financial donor to the school.

A real lack of respect for the principal can be felt from both parents and students.

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

Posted: February 19, 2018

I have two children at FHES. They are both academically thriving and happily go to school every day. They have caring teachers and great friends. I can't ask for anything more!

Posted: January 18, 2018

Posted: January 18, 2018

Posted: January 18, 2018

Posted: January 18, 2018

Posted: January 18, 2018

This was huge for our son. He needed differentiation early and they found ways to accommodate him before the AAP program was available in 3rd grade.

Posted: January 18, 2018

I’m blown away by the numbers that seem to get a lower rating here. They have gone above and beyond at every turn to take care of my child as an individual and to ensure that he gets the time and attention needed to succeed. The staff went out of their way to ensure that our son got the challenging work and stimulating environment he needed while making him feel a part of a family.

The principal is outstanding! He takes the time to get to know the students, respects and values the parents and their input, and goes above and beyond to ensure that the school is a safe and happy place for our children. He has taken personal time to spend with children when they need extra support and guidance. He truly cares about the importance of his role and taking care of his community at school.

We had a choice to send our son to the AAP center or keep him at Freedom Hill. We chose to keep him at his home school in the AAP classroom at this school and we are continually reminded about what a great decision that was for our son who is now in 5th grade and has been at Freedom Hill since 1st grade.

From the principal, to his teachers, to the SACC program, I wouldn’t want our son anyplace else! We highly recommend this school.

Posted: January 18, 2018

Posted: October 20, 2013

My two children have been attending this school for the past 5 years combined. My youngest is currently attending K and is receiving special ed assistance, while my oldest is a fourth grader and is in the AAP program. All I can say - kudos to the wonderful teaching staff. The communication between the teachers and the parents is top notch. They are always willing to go an extra mile in case a child needs help or attention. They are quick to address any concerns they see. If only my husband and I had teachers like that in elementary school, maybe we would've had better memories about our experience:) I would like to give a shout out to my kids' favorite teachers: Ms. Ruttenberg, Ms. Weise, Ms. Harris and Ms. Roque. Special thank you to the extremely patient special ed staff! P.S. Both my children are very different, yet they both leap in the morning when it's time to go to school.

Posted: April 18, 2013

Freedom Hill provides an excellent caring staff and a very culturally diverse experience. Parents are very involved. The newly completed renovation is beautiful!

Posted: April 17, 2013

We have been at Freedom Hill for a year. I have 2 kids going here. I have nothing but good things to say about this school. From administration to teachers they are all very involved with the students. Diversity is great. We recently went through some medical issues and the teachers have done everything in their hand to support us without even being asked for. This involved in home parent teacher meetings, personal phone calls from lead school nurse, mentors being assigned to my kids and school counselors &psychologist being involved to ensure my children's educational and emotional stability. Everybody at this school know the students' names and care about each one of them. When the time comes I will have a hard time leaving this school.

Posted: May 31, 2012

I am very surprised that greatschools.org gave a 6 out of 10 rating for Freedom Hill. This school is one of the best any parent can ask for, for their child. Highly multi-cultural, the Principal is always seen with the children or walking around the school, at the carpool line or in the hallways. He is a tremendous support to the entire school and is not one of those that sit in their office with the door shut. The teachers are the cream of the crop so to say. Freedom Hill has a wonderful Choir and strings program. The Choir won first place and the highest overall score at the Kings Dominion Choral Festival 2012. My Son has been at Freedom Hill since Kindergarten and has never had an issue with bullying or any such as the zero tolerance rule is strictly enforced. The children are all very well behaved and that can be seen when you walk in to the school. The PTA is heavily involved in fund raising and activities to support the school. The office staff is very courteous and always there to help. They academics are top-notch with what the children are learning and how the teachers find individualized approach to help each child excel. I wish this school gets the rating it deserves.

Posted: February 13, 2012

Great, multicultural school, kind teachers, inclusive environment-- I love Freedom Hill! Your child will meet kids from all over the world! You will find everyone here-- various socioeconomic, religious, linguistic and cultural experiences all learning together! It's pretty neat. Make sure to come to International Day: They annually have a day where students from over 7 countries have a parade, taste food from different places, and see cultural assemblies! It's great!

Posted: February 8, 2012

Fantastic school. The principal appears to know every child's name and siblings - I know that is unbelievable, but I have witnessed him greeting packs of kids individually, even early in the school year. He greeted my kindergartner by name at an early parent teacher student event and asked her if (big sister's name) was helping her. He notices things too. One of our neighbor's has a child who needs to wear a special device for health purposes. He noticed one day that she was not wearing it and he called the parents to remind them that she needs to wear it every day. Good teachers and curriculum.

Posted: January 16, 2012

My son attended pre-k at Freedom Hill for approximately one year. He is developmentally and speech delayed. I found the teacher and teacher's assistants to be excellent. They are caring, approachable and really go "above and beyond." Although my contact with the principal was limited, I found him to be very friendly and caring with the children. If we move back to the area, i would gladly send my child there once again.

Posted: June 19, 2011

We have been at this school for few years. The school is wonderful and I can't say enough about the principal. He has made a huge difference in the school. All the kids love him and respect him. I would not move because I want all my kids to go to this school. I've been around the area for many years and have heard enough to know that this is the best school in the area!