Frequently Asked Questions
Below, please find some of the more frequent questions we receive from prospective parents. If you don't find the answer you're looking for here, please give us a call at (703) 533-9711.
Is your program accelerated?
What is your average class size?
Are your teachers certified?
What foreign languages are available at
Congressional?
Are you required to participate in the Virginia
Standard of Learning (SOL) program?
Do you have an after school sports program?
Are students required to wear uniforms?
Do you offer transportation?
Does Congressional offer before
and after school care?
What are your hours?
What is the tuition? What are the transportation
and extended hour fees?
Is your program accredited?
Does Congressional offer financial aid?
Q: Is your program accelerated?
A. Congressional offers an accelerated broad based
education, strengthened by creative teaching techniques
and exceptional resources. All students use challenging,
above grade-level texts supplemented by hands-on activities.
For example, first grade students not only learn about
oceanography, they also learn fish biology through dissection.
This year both 7th and 8th grade students will be taking
Algebra I, and in the fall of 2008 eighth graders will
be taking Geometry, a high school level course. All
Middle Schoolers pursue
an equally
accelerated
science curriculum consisting of year-long laboratory
courses in earth science, biology, chemistry and physics.
Q. What is your average class size?
A. In grades 1 through 8 we have a maximum of
18 children in a classroom. There are two sections per
grade. Our Preschool( 3 -year olds) has 16 children in
a classroom, Junior Kindergarten (4- year olds) has 18,
and Senior Kindergarten (5 -year olds) has 19 in a classroom.
All classes in Preschool through Senior Kindergarten
have a teacher and a teaching assistant.
Children in all grades have specialized teachers for physical
education, music, art, and foreign language.
Q. Are your teachers certified?
A. Unlike many independent schools, Congressional requires
that all teachers from Early Childhood onward be fully certified
in their field and pursue continuing professional development. In
addition, teachers are required to meet the national technology
standards as part of their certification.
Q. What foreign languages are available at Congressional?
A. All children in Senior Kindergarten through
grade eight are required to study either French or Spanish.
Prior to entering Senior Kindergarten students make their
language choice and they will study this language through
fourth grade. At the end of fourth grade, as our students
prepare to move up to Middle School (which begins in
fifth grade), our students may either continue with the
same language or switch. Students in eighth grade have
the option of studying Latin in lieu of French or Spanish.
Q. Are you required to participate in the Virginia
Standard of Learning (SOL) program?
A. No. Congressional's belief in the importance
of innovative, dynamic teaching is one reason the school
does not participatate in the SOL program. Our SOL-independence
empowers teachers to introduce new resources and explore
challenging new material. Teachers can tailor their teaching
to their students.
Congressional's own benchmarks of achievement are fully
articulated. For each school, a concise Scope and Sequence outlines
goals by grade and subject area. Assessment of student performance
includes a teacher's direct observation of a child's understanding.
The external indicator we use is the Educational Records Bureau
(ERB) testing. Our performance on this national test is above the
85th percentile or higher.
Q. Do you have an after school sports program?
A. Congressional offers an extensive after school sports program. We also have Junior Varsity and Varsity teams that play other local schools. Please visit our Athletics section for further information.
Q. Are student required to wear uniforms?
A. All students in Senior Kindergarten through grade eight are required to wear uniforms. They are optional for the younger children.
Q. Do you offer transportation?
A. Congressional offers door to door transportation to many areas of Northern Virginia. Please contact the transportation office for further information.
Q. Does Congressional offer before and after school care?
A. Congressional's Extended Hours Program (EHP) is available in the morning from 7:00-8:00 and in the afternoon from 3:10 to 6:00. We do not provide transportation for children who are in EHP.
A. The school hours are from 8:15 a.m. to 3:10 p.m.
Q. What is the tuition? What are the transportation and extended hour fees?
A. Please call or e-mail the Admissions Office for further information.
Q. Is your program accredited?
A. Congressional is accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools.
Q. Does Congressional offer financial aid?
A. The Congressional Schools of Virginia is committed to accepting and enrolling a well qualified and diverse student body. To that end, we make every effort to ensure that motivated, talented, well-rounded students have the opportunity to receive an education at Congressional regardless of cost.
Financial aid decisions are made independently from admissions decisions. Financial aid is based solely on demonstrated need as determined by our Financial Aid Committee which relies on the analysis provided by the School and Student Services for Financial Aid (www.nais.org/financialaid/sss) as well as the availability of funds and the number of applicants for financial aid. Financial aid is available beginning with Senior Kindergarten (five-year old class).
We know that financing an independent school education can be a difficult process, and we would like to help any way we can. For any questions concerning financial aid, tuition or payment plans, please do not hesitate to call our Business Office at 703- 533-971, ext. 112.