Mclean High School used to be tops in nation. Then about 2010, they brought in barely educated…read morecounselors , who told parents " the child is 18, I cannot release any information to you". Same counselors may have told student to tell parent "if he touches you he goes to jail". Case in point. Do not recall details, but I was admonishing step daughter for her behavior. This had been going on for months, Low grades, claimed no need to study, it was easy. She was on top of stairs and I was at bottom. "you touch me you go to jail". Had no laid hand on her ever, never threatened such. She was. new to U.S. some culture shock perhaps, wanted to fit in, high school cliques being what they are she may have suffered, but no more than many other students in similar situation who graduated with honors. She may have complained to counselors, which is good to have someone outside the home to speak with re any perceived "home issues". In my view, the counselor, did no look at the record and grades, and even though the advise may have been correct, I am certain, it did not go beyond that, in that eg. you should not miss classes, grades need to go up, and ask specific questions re any perceived fears. There was a reason that there was a banner in front of the high school, "number 19 (as I recall ) in the nation" and within 1-2 years such banner was gone and may not have stayed tops. Two three discussions with school staff clearly indicated that they lacked training and had no real interest in the students other, than go through the motions .Hope things have changed. I cannot imagine in my day, if I went to a counselor with a problem,and the counselor spoke with my parents the counselor would say "he is an adult".

Eww, eww, EWWWW!! Keep your kids away from this place! It's quite diverse, socio-economically,…read morebut in an undesirable way. The teachers and administrators are miserable and horrible. None of the kids from this school end up doing much with their lives. In my U.S. History class at this school, I was informed that "some people treated their slaves well !"... !!! Despite that you may have heard that Fairfax County Public Schools are (relatively) very good, unless you can get your kid into McLean High School (and whatever middle school feeds into it), your best option is private school.

Better than elementary school. Some teachers were nice, but some were moody af. I attended Thoreau…read morewhen the school's buildings were old and dirty. There was drama with bullying and gossip around but not as bad like it used to. The counselors can be somewhat helpful to straighten that out. However, the student population was so small it was hard to make really good friends.

This program is a complete SCAM. Do not register or pay for your child to attend. If you need to…read morecancel, it is not a "fee." They stole close to $3,000 from us without a single service rendered. Save your time, money, and a severe headache by googling their reviews (multiple different names, NYLF Pathways, Envision, etc.). Speaking with their customer service department made it extremely clear that they do this often. Complete scam.

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to express my deep…read moredisappointment and concern regarding my daughter's recent experience at the Envision by WorldStrides Engineering Conference held at Georgia Tech University. Given the program's reputation and the high cost--over $5,000 including airfare--our expectations were for a well-organized, enriching, and professional event. Unfortunately, what my daughter experienced was profoundly lacking in planning, structure, and value. Day One: Students were instructed to arrive early in the day. My daughter, along with a few others, arrived during the designated window and was transported to Georgia Tech, where they sat in a gym for six hours playing Uno. There was no structured activity or lunch provided. Though she had packed snacks, her suitcase was taken and stored in a location she was not allowed to access. Upon being allowed into their rooms, students found there was no hand soap provided. By day three, a college student staff member went to a store to purchase some for the group--completely unacceptable for a program of this scale and cost. Day Two and Beyond: Workshops were disorganized and lacked basic resources. Materials and handbooks that Envision promised would be provided did not arrive until day four. College-aged counselors repeatedly apologized to students for the poor quality of the programming and the missing supplies. The educational content presented was superficial at best--featuring tools like Canva more typical of a basic high school STEAM class than a college-level engineering experience. Shockingly, the speakers lacked relevant qualifications. One had never been an engineer, and the other shared that he had worked in the field for only one year before leaving because he found it boring. No professional engineers were present to guide or mentor the students. When students began work on their capstone projects, many of the necessary materials were missing or unavailable. Technical equipment like computers and projectors often failed, and students faced ongoing technical issues. Evenings were largely spent on social "get to know you" games for 3 hours rather than educational activities. Mid-week, approximately 600 additional students arrived, bringing the total to around 800. All of them were required to eat meals simultaneously in a facility clearly not equipped to handle that volume. During one lunch period, a fire drill occurred, and staff had no clear evacuation plan in place, creating unnecessary confusion and concern for safety. The so-called "free day" was equally disappointing. Promotional materials had advertised sightseeing around Atlanta. Instead, students were taken to view planes in a field for one hour and then spent five hours at a shopping mall. To make matters worse, staff members told my daughter that the original lead coordinator quit just days before the conference began, and the replacement quit midway through the week. Leadership instability of this kind explains, but does not excuse, the lack of professionalism and planning. Families make significant sacrifices for their children to attend programs like these. My daughter, like many others, was excited about the opportunity to learn and grow in her interest in engineering. Instead, she endured a chaotic and unfulfilling week. We ultimately chose to fly her home on day six--two days before the scheduled end of the program--because the experience had deteriorated so severely. We were not alone. Many parents had already withdrawn their children by days four and five. The bright spot was that the Envision liaison I spoke with Victor was helpful and quick to accommodate getting my daughter to the airport. While I understand that our payment is non-refundable, I am writing this to make my voice heard and to warn other families: Do not send your child to an Envision Conference. This program does not deliver what it promises and fails to meet even the most basic standards of organization and care.

They dont care about anyone st the dchool, they are unfair, the staff is mean, the kids are always…read moresmoking in the bathroom and they just want us out. Overall my child is much happier at thouro now. I am just very disappointed in kilmers actions and i hope they reflect on this review. Also they always would put indoor recces and lunches. They took away the basketball hoops for lunches so its not the same, hence why we transferd. Go Eagles

I like how much the kids get to socialize even in times of this pandemic. My child has made really…read moregood friends and there is limited drama. The counselors there are very involved and will help a student out with any problems. Kilmer is an overall amazing school to put your children in and I 100% recommend it.

This school is not good for the wellbeing of your child. Firstly, the lunchtime is 25 minutes…read more They only are able to go outside twice a week, for 25 minutes each day. My child's classmate reported a peer being punched in the face and the teachers doing nothing about it. The curriculum is very rigorous, which is great, however, 1 unit in almost every class usually lasts around 3-4 days: they cover too much in such a short period of time to try to cram everything in, and make the students learn the material through constant assessments. This is fine as they get a wide berth of knowledge, but don't learn the "in-depth" material and reasons behind the concepts unless they stay for another few years (this is because of their "spiraling" curriculum where they revisit concepts to add more depth). Every week, they have at least 1 quiz/test, (because of their math studies), but most weeks, it's 2 or 3. In addition to this, if your child stops for 30 seconds to tie their shoe 2 minutes after dismissal times due to a bathroom stop, they will immediately be asked to attend "Late Bird" for ~$45 because they are "delaying". There is no PE for middle/high school unless you take it as an elective. Lastly, the culture there is very toxic. There is hardly any sense of community as everyone is competing with each other and children often learn, from their peers, to believe that receiving a 99% on their test is "poor performance". The teachers do little to combat this, and this is the same attitude they have towards kids calling out derogatory comments in the midst of lessons.

Been at the school for a few years. Staff retention is an issue with teachers frequently and…read moresuddenly leaving (usually less than 1 week notice). Have experienced this 4 times in just a handful of years. Leadership turnover is also near constant. COVID response has been insufficient with a refusal to innovate, use outdoor spaces, invest in classroom cameras or communicate an objective decision matrix for return to class. Plus unqualified tuition increases occur every year. Curriculum remains excellent. Teachers are wonderful too.

As a parent who sent their child to this academy, I could say it's one of the best! The teachers…read moreare very nice and my kids learns a lot and always are eager to go her. Further on, when the class has finished, they sent you very detailed feedback on your child. REALLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!

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