Our son started at CIS in August 2024 after our VERY beloved in-home daycare closed. He was 3 at…read morethe time and we knew the adjustment would be tricky. We visited several full-time preschools in the area, with location/convenience of drop-off/pick-up being a top priority for us. CIS was the only one we visited without a personal reference, and we were referred to it through friends who checked it out but didn't ultimately attend CIS because they moved out of the country. On our initial visit, we were immediately impressed with the diversity and warmth the school provided. Many of the teachers (great ones!) have been there for decades. The materials also referenced a "conscious discipline" approach to managing behavior, which my husband and I wholly support. We also loved the way the rooms were arranged, with photos to show where everything belongs. And although there isn't much green space, CIS has on-site two small playgrounds. The preschool also coordinates with a local organization to provide spring and fall soccer lessons once a week, at an additional cost. For music, CIS arranges for a talented, local musician to come on-site once a week to get the kids singing and dancing. Once we made our choice, our son had a bit of a rough transition, which is to be expected at 3 years old. One of the veteran teachers, with a perfect balance of compassion and no-nonsense, spent at least three weeks personally helping our son say goodbye in the morning with as few tears as possible. After that initial transition period, our son has really loved CIS, and has thrived there. He loves his teachers, has made some great friends, and generally enjoys going each day. The school communicates coursework and activities, and shares the lunch/snack menus monthly. Although it's not a big fancy center, CIS is warm and the staff clearly care about the kids. They take medicine administration seriously and the space is clean and welcoming. There has been some turnover in directors during our time there, but the current director seems great so far! Our son will head to kindergarten this fall and we will genuinely miss our connection to CIS (for now). We highly recommend CIS as an affordable, full-time preschool option in Alexandria.

We love CIS! My first kid started during the pandemic, and we toured all the nearby schools. This…read moreone was a no-brainer: teachers who'd been there for years, dedicated playground, dedicated parking lot, fun and welcoming space. Now, our second kid just started there this year and it's just as good as I remember. There is one teacher who wasn't even her main teacher at the time who just had the magic touch getting her to calm down after drop-off. The teachers are all so loving and caring towards the kids. I'm really grateful we found a place like this for our kiddos.

My youngest daughter went here from 6-8 grades. It was a wonderful experience that she owes so much…read moreto. The administration is wonderful and it really put her on the path to success. Her classmates and she are off to college this year and this reunion brings them all together one last time before matriculation. They're all wearing T-shirts and other paraphernalia from their new schools. Timber Pizza is catering the event and it's a really nice family environment Weather is beautiful.

I went to Burgundy over 60 years ago. I was a brand new student, only 4 1/2 and a harpist was to…read moregive a concert. I happened to put my sweater on inside out and as we all left the classroom to go to the concert, the teacher noticed my sweater and sent me back inside to put it on correctly. When I came back outside everyone was gone and I didn't know where to go. I just sat in the playground, alone and scared and waited and waited and waited. No one ever came for me. That memory has stuck with me all these years. The reason I bring it up here is the hope that teachers realize what they do can stick with their students for the rest of their lives. And at the very least, it can mean 60 years of zero donations to the school. And a poor Yelp review. If I were a parent and that happened to my child, I would sue the heck out of that school.

I would love to give this a five star review, however another child at this school taught my…read morekindergartener FOUL words which were countlessly repeated by my daughter. The IRRESPONSIBILITY of these teachers to allow my child to be taught these DISGUSTING words is DISRESPECTFUL and TOXIC for my daughters future. Caraleigh will NOT be attending this school furthermore and was FORCED into public school. I hope your happy burgundy!

It's a school for little people. The neighborhood looks nice as does the school .. Nuff said!read more

The principal needs help she's doesn't help all she does is yell (when she's happy or mad).read more

Serious delay in security deposit refund. My daughter graduated from Guideposts West Alex, VA…read morelocation in July 2025. Nine months later, we still have not received her refund despite countless phone calls and email follow-ups. At one point they claimed a refund check had been issued and mailed, but they could not provide any documentation when asked. After that, they stopped responding entirely. We never received the check. Now it appears they are switching ownership and are using that as an excuse not to issue the refund. This level of unprofessionalism and stonewalling is infuriating -- we trusted this company and they have betrayed that trust. What a shady, irresponsible company.

We've had an incredibly positive experience with Guidepost West Alex…read more Our daughter has thrived in both the Toddler cohort, and now since turning 3, in Children's House. The guides foster an environment of curiosity and learning, and I love hearing our daughter talk about the activities and conversations she has throughout the day. Interactions are positive and numerous. This ranges from warm greetings in the morning to getting updates via Smart Classroom to weekly email updates to 1:1 meetings with the guides. We always feel included and in-the-loop on what's going on in the school broadly and how our daughter is doing specifically. From a leadership and administrative perspective, there has been a positive shift since Ms. Mary started in the Summer of 2022. There is a strong sense of community throughout the school, including after-school and outside-of-school events and meetups. She and her leadership team are always accessible and open. If you notice all the sub-par reviews are old and are from prospective parents. I want to recognize that we experienced some of those same challenges too, however the caveat is that this was with the prior leadership team and during COVID when admissions had a modified onboarding process. As a current parent I have full trust for the guides and administrative team to do what's best for our daughter's physical, emotional, and cognitive safety and development.

The saff is really nice All the teachers are good at…read moreexplaining things The environment is really peaceful

This school needs a new Principal cause I've seen enough of the principal here at Patrick Henry I'm…read moreAlexandria City she is selfish and rude and my kids even told me no one likes her that she is so mean everyone prefer the vice principal instead of her I seen the principal yank a child's arm just because he didn't have the proper uniform on and made the child cry and on the second day of school she wouldn't let us parents walk with our children to class and now I had it with her I was waiting for my kids after school and apparently I was parked is her spot and I told her if she could wait till I got my kids since it was windy and cold and I didn't want to have my 3 month old baby waiting in the cold so she kept honking for me to move which I did but I see this lady is selfish rude and like the kids say about her she is Mean

My review is for the SummerTimes summer camp program held at the Fontaine campus. My 9 year old…read moredaughter attended a 1 week Filmworx camp that instructed her on basic principles of movie-making, where she spent the week creating movies using iMovie and Final Cut Pro software. The school was 1 week long but my daughter really enjoyed the time spent and picked up quite a few techniques that she continues to use at home. This school is really situated in a neighborhood with tight streets so I can't imagine this being an ideal situation for residents, especially during the busy school year. The campus is very nice and the facilities served the purpose, but it was really the instructor that made all the difference in this class.

The academic programs are both smart and useful. The teachers are kind and caring and don't put…read morestress on students to earn the best grades, but the caring shoulder automatically brings the students' grades up. A far cry from Westminster School in Annandale where my daughter started school in kindergarten a couple years ago. Discipline was rule one two and three I found it to be a little much. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School hands down is the place to be!

This review is for the time period my children attended between 2010-2013. This the base school for…read morewhere we live. The teachers and most of admin folks were nice and caring and some were just beyond excellent. We gladly left when my children moved on to another school for level 4 advanced academic curriculum. They were being exposed to unruly rude children which I should have known stemmed from their rude unruly parents. Attending assemblies or school functions were an absolute nightmare. Many parents didn't respect the teachers or students and their children by talking on their cell phones or holding conversations and even let their younger children run around during performances. I felt sorry for the teachers especially when I didn't see the principal say or do anything about it during these events. In short, she participated in the insolent behavior.

We have been with Browne since JK, now in 5th grade and love every ounce of the school! It is the…read moremost loving and educationally enriching environment! My daughter continues to come home every day filled with excitement to go back to school so I couldn't be happier!

I have 2 kids enrolled here and they have been doing well. Pre K program is excellent with Ms …read more Janet . She has been there for over 25 years . My son has been there since 1st grade he is now in 5th grade . We love the the diversity,the curriculum, the teachers are wonderful and compassionate. Excellent school !

recently had a terrible experience trying to voice a concern about my child's school. Despite…read morerepeated attempts to speak with the school board and the Department of Education, no one seemed to be willing to listen to my complaints. I found that the school administration was unresponsive and unwilling to address my concerns. They seemed more focused on protecting their own interests than on providing a quality education for my child. I ultimately decided to find another school for my child, as it became clear that the current school was not a good fit for him. However, it was frustrating and disheartening to feel like my concerns were completely ignored by the school board and the Department of Education. Overall, I would not recommend this school to anyone. The lack of responsiveness and willingness to address concerns is unacceptable and does not provide a safe and effective learning environment for students. Parents should be aware that if they have any concerns, they will likely not be heard or addressed by the school or the governing authorities.

Reviews for the Sake of Reviews: Can't speak about the quality of the teachers but John Adams has a…read moregreat gym facility for basketball.