Van Ness Elementary: tell me your experiences
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Anonymous
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We are in boundary for Van Ness Elementary. I would love to hear experiences-- good, bad, everything-- with K-5 at Van Ness.
Thank you! |
Anonymous
| Are you sure there's a school by that name? Have never heard of it, and we live in Van Ness! |
Anonymous
Are you serious? https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/360 |
Anonymous
Ward 3 obliviousness exemplified. If I don't know it, probably doesn't exist. |
Anonymous
In fairness, while I live on the Hill and so am familiar with Van Ness, I do think it's slightly confusing that Van Ness ES has nothing to do with the neighborhood VN. |
Anonymous
| Our family has been at VN since they reopened in 2015 with multiple siblings attending. We couldn't be happier with the community. My kids have had great teachers, we love that their friends all live in the neighborhood and the parent community is strong. My oldest child is at Jefferson now for MS and they're very happy there as well. The Jefferson IB participation has been increasing and that will only help the school get stronger (if you're already thinking about a MS path). Happy to answer specific questions. |
Anonymous
| Post above is misleading, PP. Jefferson IB participation by UMC families has flatlined in the last couple years, with most of the families still running off to high SES-friendly charters after 4th grade, or Stuart Hobson or DCI after 5th. The truth is that enrollment at Jefferson from Brent families is way down from 3 or 4 years ago. Don't enroll at Van Ness naively, buying the line about how Jefferson is a bright star to move in the direction of. Do it for other reasons if you jump. |
Anonymous
| The principal is amazing! |
Anonymous
PP here, I disagree. There were 20 students who finished 5th grade at VN and went to JA with my kid. More than one got into SH and turned it down. These kids are routinely on the Principal's honor roll, in National Jr Honor Society, the top monthly readers, etc. And most of them are not high SES. A majority of families are getting shut out of charters like Latin I and II and Basis and need to know that their IB is a good choice as well, regardless of SES. |
Anonymous
Alright - this site is so negative. Thank you for following up on that post. It sounds like the post before you is neither a parent at Brent, Van Ness, or Jefferson - so PP I would suggest you listen to somebody who is actually there. And preferably in person, not on this forum ... Whether it is because of the quality of the school programs, because they don't get into 'popular' middle schools, or because the idea of commuting is becoming less appealing, there are increasing numbers of families enrolling in their in bounds/feeder middle schools. So any of you younger parents reading this need to push past the generalizing comments like the post a few above mine. I am not at Jefferson, we are in bounds for EH so that is where my child attends- but I have heard amazing things about the principal and the programs there, and would have sent my child there if we were in bounds. |
Anonymous
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I'm a Brent parent who looked seriously at Jefferson Academy for our 5th grader last year (middle child). There were around 75 kids in her 4th grade and less than 30 in 5th in 2023. Almost all the 4th graders were high SES and more than two-thirds were white and IB. A handful, literally, of the high SES 5th graders went on to Jefferson, down from 17 or 18 in 2021. Jefferson just isn't attracting more high and white SES families from Brent each year. The harsh truth is that Jefferson has been losing ground in attracting Brent families in the last couple years. Am I negative? No. Can I count kids going to Jefferson, yes.
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Anonymous
| The OP asked about Van Ness not middle school — presumably for an incoming kindergartner. The OP stated that they live inbounds. I am personally a very big proponent of a short commute for elementary school. Van Ness has a high percentage of inbound families (you can look that up) which means a lot of classmates that you will run into around the Navy Yard and can easily do playdates/meetups with. |
Anonymous
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My experience is a little dated since we left Van Ness before the new principal started, but hopefully it's helpful, since there may not be that many VN families on this board. I had two kids attend Van Ness for a total of 5 years. Overall I think the school has built a caring and engaged community and I would absolutely recommend for pre-K/early elementary. I really can't say enough good things about our pre-K experience and my younger child had a fantastic kindergarten teacher as well. Based on my own and some friends' experience, I'd be a little more cautious about upper elementary, though I know other families who plan to have their kids stay through 5th and are happy with their experience.
Speaking from my own experience, my oldest really started to coast in second grade. We did a lot of supplementing at home during Covid because virtual school did not work well for my kids and by the time they were back in the classroom, my oldest kid was ahead of what the class was doing and found school to be completely boring (other than seeing his friends). We ended up moving out of DC after second grade and found a school that was a much better fit for upper elementary. Absolutely zero regrets about leaving in terms of academics though I do miss being at a neighborhood school. There did seem to be a large group of families who moved away or left around the same time that we did--though again, Covid may have had an impact here as well so I can't assume it was only about the school. I know someone else who pulled their kid (also a second grader, if I remember correctly) out within the past year because of academics, however, so my experience isn't unique. Overall I still consider my experience with the school to have been a positive and I'm glad my kids were able to attend. I would just go in eyes open and recognize that you might encounter more challenges as you get into the upper elementary grades in terms of either academics or behavior issues. |
Anonymous
It's not true that most IB Van Ness 4th and 5th grade families are being shut out of desirable MS charters - it's not v. difficult to get into Inspired Teaching's middle school, or Cap Hill Montessori or DCI and at least half the families crack one of the Latins or BASIS. Also not the case that IB participation by UMC families is increasing steadily at Jefferson. As pointed out above, Brent participation at Jefferson has been dropping. What is true is that many of the IB UMC families still leave Van Ness before, or during, the upper grades. If they stay, they tend to supplement academically, like many of the Brent families. Our Brenties started going to Mathnasium in 3rd grade, when they became bored in math. DCPS just isn't that great. |
Anonymous
Disagree. I’ve found her to be unresponsive and lack follow through. I hoped it would improve after her first year… still hoping I echo what some others have said. Prek and K are great at Van Ness, it’s wonderful being in a neighborhood school, the specials team (art, music, yoga, Spanish) are great and have been at the school a long time. I hear good things about the new librarian. We’ve had an inconsistent experience as my kids have gotten older. Lots of staff changes (I chalk some of that up to the pandemic). YMMV |