13609 Sir Thomas Way #1-C-11
Silver Spring, MD 20904

My daughter got into a fight and none of the teachers, principal or counselors did anything about it. So i do not recommend bringing your child to this school because the adults dont do anything.

This school has been the scene of many violent altercations on school property-bathrooms, classrooms, hallways, bus stop and more- that require security to intervene. Classrooms built for teaching are disrupted due to violence that requires teachers to act like bouncers instead of educators. The administration at all levels is aware of the level of violence but will not acknowledge it with formal reports to MCPS. Multiple videos are readily available for review that document the violence that endangers students. PBHS has great potential with its relatively new facilities ,however ,the special education services do not meet the needs of the students and the iEP meetings fail to offer action plans that result in increased academic performance, graduation rates or college readiness.Before sending your child to this school, ask to see the security logs regarding violent incidents on school property and compare them to other schools. These should be available from MCPS ,however ,this is not likely. . The safety and education of your child is at stake. Bullying is not taken seriously a when brought to the attention of the administration.Some students are targeted repeatedly with violent confrontations which makes learning an unrealistic option.

I would not rate this school the best.

Blake is a great school if you like art like dance and stuff. While i at blake i took tap class and it was wonderful to learn the school has many classes to choose form but one downfall is that they have bad kids and it can be distracting in class and they always have fights in school but overall it a good school for arts and stuff.

This is a good and caring elementary school. I have two children attending school here and I have seen first-hand the extra effort that is being given by the Principal, teachers and staff to help the children succeed. We receive regular telephone/voicemail and email updates from the Principal. There is also a gazette/newsletter that does a roundup of important information. Enough and relevant homework is given. The Principal is genuinely engaged and accessible. The classrooms are clean and have big projector screens/Promethean boards that make it easy to see what is being taught.During the pandemic, there was quick transition to online learning and as a by-product children became very computer savvy and able to easily navigate zoom platform. There is emphasis on listening to feedback from Parents on how the school can improve. Extra-curricular activities are also available including music and basketball. I especially like the emphasis on parent-teacher conferences where more than one teacher who teach your child give you respectful feedback on your child’s performance and areas for improvement with an aim to helping the child to succeed. The diversity of students is good, it feels like an international school. A few downsides however, Chromebook/laptops tech support could be better. It would be great if the road outside the school can be resurfaced and if the crosswalk lines can be repainted to make them more visible. Additionally, it would be helpful to install flashing speed signs on either side of the road to help slow traffic down. The signs that say speed limit is “x” and your speed is “y”. I asked my children what they like about Greencastle Elementary School and they said, they like their friends and teachers, plus they like math, reading, writing, art, recess, PE, social studies, thrilling Thursday, fun Friday, counselors, office staff, nurse, cafeteria staff and janitor (he works so hard and is very nice).