Washington Elementary School

My daughter has been at Washington for the last 3,5 years. It is a school with amazing admin, great teachers and a wonderful and racially diverse community. It also implements sustainable practices in the lunchroom and in the classrooms, of which students play a key role by composting and recycling. Social justice and equity are an important part of the curriculum. Overall, students are exposed and educated about issues that go beyond math, reading and writing. BTW, it is a TWI school, meaning that half of the student body (2 strands per grade) is taught in Spanish and English.

My grandson was in Kindergarten at Washington Elementary when his mother died last year. The school was very supportive and helpful during this horrible time. I have seen his confidence grow, his reading and math skills improve, and his joy in learning take off, largely due to the wonderful teachers and staff at Washington. The school really emphasizes the community of people. They give priority to including parents and grandparents in the child's learning and social development.

We love Washington. We moved into the neighborhood hoping to get into the Two-Way Immersion Spanish program and were disappointed when the lottery didn't work in our favor. But we have been pleasantly surprised by the more conventional "Gen Ed" path. The teachers are phenomenal, and the principal is a rock star. In an age of testing and metrics, they find time to develop the total child, and to engage as many parents as possible. Washington produces really nice kids who seem to be able to get along with anybody. After two years, our son has a diverse group of friends across several grade levels, and he is reading above his current grade level. We have him in after-school care, and there are a number of optional programs offered like Mudlark Theater, Tae Kwon Do, and the Actor's Gymnasium. We are excited for our second child to start in another year.

We were new to the area and to Washington this year with a kindergartner. We had heard nothing but positive things about Washington, but I was a little concerned about the school relative to a few other District 65 schools with higher test scores. However, I took comfort with Washington's reputation for being such a warm, diverse and fun community. Our family could not agree more! It has been a very smooth and pleasant transition for us and we are very happy to be in this school's attendance boundary. Our child is learning a lot from a very caring, intelligent teacher with a knack for teaching and reaching out to children. We haven't had to contact the principal but we have met her on several occasions and she has been kind and she seems very available and involved with students and parents. Of course we are new-ish, but we highly recommend this school to date.