Center City PCS - Capitol Hill

The strong community at Miner is exactly what we are looking for in a neighborhood school, and I am thrilled that my daughter will be going there for the next 7 years - from Pre-K and up. Boiling down a schools' performance to standardized test metrics does not in any way reflect the learning, the support and the experience-based learning going on at this school. If you pass on this school experience because of what some website says about test numbers, you will really be missing out.

My son attended pk3 and prek4 with an iep and he excel sooo much although he had a spec. Ed. Teacher Ms burns sit in a Hour a day in general class to make sure he kept up with other students, he exceeded

Tyler is absolutely exceptional! Led by Dr Jasmine Brann, one of the best principals the district has to offer, and a talented and dedicated staff and teachers who really invest in our children. We couldn’t be happier to be here.

Our experience at Peabody was frustrating and disappointing, particularly at the height of the pandemic but also in the months that followed. Teachers, staff, and even many of the high-income parents that drive discussion around school policies were dismissive (and often openly rude) about concerns from parents like me (I am a single mother) about how the inconsistent and confusing Covid restrictions were harming those families that couldn't afford nannies and tutors to get them through the constant school closures. Even once the children had returned to in-person learning, school staff had seemingly lost interest in teaching the kids, and staff refused to provide insight into what was going on in the classroom or how my child was progressing once he was back in school. I felt that essentially this was a school community catering to privileged families, pretending to care deeply about doing social good, but utterly failing those of us who didn't have the luxury of seeing things the way they did. Once I moved my child to a different school, his new teachers immediately identified that he had fallen behind his peers significantly and got him the help he needed, even though Peabody teachers never mentioned nor answered questions about how he was struggling academically. That was a lower priority for them than scolding him about pulling his mask down on the playground outside.

I am a parent of a PK3 student. My husband and I could not be more pleased with Payne Elementary. The teachers are warm, engaging and professional. We are so impressed with the curriculum - my son's class has specialized weekly instruction in science and Spanish. Even at the early childhood education level, the students have access to enrichment activities in the after school program - this fall, the activities were soccer and "Joy of Motion" (yoga and dance). We are excited for our younger son to start at this school in a few years if he is able to get a space through the lottery!

With a child in Pre-K and 5th grade, my kids have both had amazing experiences. Teachers are passionate about the Reggio Emelia approach and are serious about applying it, especially in the younger classes before DC standards and testing come into it. In 4th grade my son said his teacher made him love math. My Pre-k daughter is learning so much in what is clearly a creative and self-led manner.