Rivers Elementary School

I live in GH neighborhood and have sent 3 kids here and we are very pleased with the school overall. Many of the teachers are long tenured and happy to be at the school. The new principal is very engaged and we are high on him and the overall outlook is positive, as we see it.

My child attended this school, and unfortunately our experience was marked by poor communication, limited transparency, and disappointing academic rigor.Communication was inconsistent throughout our time there. It wasn’t until our second year at AIS that the school began sending biweekly newsletters, and even then, parents had very limited visibility into what students were learning. Aside from occasional portfolio samples, there was little opportunity to review student work, understand academic expectations, or meaningfully track academic progress throughout the year.They place a heavy emphasis on play-based learning and the use of manipulatives. While these methods have their place, I found they were often used to justify a lack of academic accountability. Too often, concerns about academic progress were met with explanations about philosophy rather than evidence of results. Many families ultimately sought outside tutoring because their children were not receiving the academic foundation they expected.Another concern was the amount of instructional time devoted to the second-language immersion program. Students spend years learning in a second language, yet many are not conversational by the end of primary school (5th grade). Given the significant time commitment, the results did not appear to justify the tradeoff in foundational academic instruction.Some of the faculty and administration was difficult to work with. Parents frequently had to follow up repeatedly to receive answers or action. Concerns were often met with committees and extended periods of “brainstorming” that produced little meaningful change. The school regularly cited research and educational theories to defend its approach, but our experience did not reflect the academic outcomes those theories were intended to produce.The school deserves credit for its cultural diversity, which is its strongest attributes. Students are exposed to a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, and that is valuable. However, diversity cannot compensate for weak communication, limited transparency, and significant academic shortcomings.Ultimately, I would not choose this school again, especially for the primary grades. Families considering enrollment should look beyond the marketing and ask detailed questions.

We have been at The Children’s School for the last five years and it has been a wonderful experience. We joined TCS in the Early Learning Program when our youngest daughter was 3. We originally heard about TCS through a family friend and as we went through the admissions process we really fell in love with the school and the other parents we met. Since being at TCS we have loved the community – it’s a wonderfully diverse, down-to-earth, caring community. The teachers at TCS also really make TCS special – they are compassionate, caring, and really focus on knowing and helping your child learn and grow as an individual. As we have moved into early elementary grades we have been very pleased with the curriculum – TCS uses Math in Focus (Singapore math) like most of the other top schools in the area, they have really increased their focus on phonics and follow the Orton-Gillingham approach. It has also been great our youngest daughter has been able to get support for speech right on campus through their Learning Support Services. We are so thankful to have found TCS and believe it is truly a hidden gem in our community!