3 N Brookside Dr
Arlington, VA 22204

My daughter attended Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School during the year 2025. In general, we believe Arlington Public Schools are good, and we wanted this school to be a positive experience for our child. Unfortunately, we had a serious incident that changed our trust in the school.One day, our daughter came home with a large bruise on her face. We immediately reached out to the school to understand what happened. We asked teachers, staff, and even met with the principal. The only answer we received was that they “didn’t know what happened.”We understand that accidents can happen and that sometimes kids might accidentally hit each other. If the school had given us a clear explanation or at least some information, we would have understood. What concerned us most was the lack of communication and the fact that no one could tell us how a child was injured so noticeably while in their care.Because we weren’t able to get a clear answer, we made the decision to move our daughter to another school. We still believe Arlington Public Schools overall are good, but our personal experience at Drew left us feeling unsure about the supervision and communication regarding student safety.

This school has been on a steady decline, getting worse every year. Every parent we interact with seems to all agree that the school is nothing special. None of the kids we have to our house seem to like the school. The office staff is rude to parents and the principal seems to be there just there for the paycheck since she never interacts with kids. We regret sending our son to TJ.

I loved my time at this school. I graduated in 2015 and I learned so much here. My teachers taught me more than just classes, they prepared me for college and beyond. They were great all-around people and role models. I felt like even when taking AP classes my mental health was still a priority here, and work/ life balance was important. My coaches knew how important sports were to mental and physical health and encouraged us to work thorugh our school challenges on the turf field or on the track etc. Overall, a great school, incredibly diverse, taught me a lot, teachers that care, and a community of warriors.