What’s up with Bancroft?

[Anonymous]

We are considering a move to Mt Pleasant but have heard wildly mixed reviews about Bancroft. We know several families whose kids are in the earlier years there. Some seem to love it and others have had a terrible experience. We are not sure what to make of such varied perspectives. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

It's normal for schools to have a variety of opinions. Part of that is due to each kid having a different set of teachers. It's also due to families having different priorities and expectations. I think Bancroft is good, personally.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Bancroft parent with a kid in K. We have been very happy with the school in general. The community is cohesive and very supportive of the school. We like the Spanish immersion. My son is truly learning to speak, read and write Spanish. However, the class sizes are large and the school has lost Title 1 funding, which will have an impact on the school but we aren't sure of the exact impact. I have some complaints like there are no fewer than 5 places we get information, but that is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.

I only have a kid in K so I can't speak to the upper grades but I'm happy to answer any other specific questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's normal for schools to have a variety of opinions. Part of that is due to each kid having a different set of teachers. It's also due to families having different priorities and expectations. I think Bancroft is good, personally.

+1. We're not a Bancroft family, but have close ties to the neighborhood and know a lot of families there. Bancroft is in a unique position. It would be seen as an upgrade compared to almost all other DCP(C)S schools, but is seen as a downgrade to many of the other schools it feeds to Deal with (i.e., JKLM schools). Families that live in Mount Pleasant are usually of a slightly different social bent than upper Ward 3 families and, from my personal experience only, tend to profess to appreciate the bit of grittiness that comes with a Title 1 school. As long as that grittiness doesn't get too gritty and start negatively impacting THEIR child's experience. It's also terribly overcrowded, which speaks to the neighborhood buy-in, but also means the resources are spread thin and crowding stresses the environment a bit. Like any school, different kids can have vastly different experiences depending on cohort dynamics, teachers, educational needs, etc. And different families react to those experiences differently, hence the different perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's normal for schools to have a variety of opinions. Part of that is due to each kid having a different set of teachers. It's also due to families having different priorities and expectations. I think Bancroft is good, personally.

+1. We're not a Bancroft family, but have close ties to the neighborhood and know a lot of families there. Bancroft is in a unique position. It would be seen as an upgrade compared to almost all other DCP(C)S schools, but is seen as a downgrade to many of the other schools it feeds to Deal with (i.e., JKLM schools). Families that live in Mount Pleasant are usually of a slightly different social bent than upper Ward 3 families and, from my personal experience only, tend to profess to appreciate the bit of grittiness that comes with a Title 1 school. As long as that grittiness doesn't get too gritty and start negatively impacting THEIR child's experience. It's also terribly overcrowded, which speaks to the neighborhood buy-in, but also means the resources are spread thin and crowding stresses the environment a bit. Like any school, different kids can have vastly different experiences depending on cohort dynamics, teachers, educational needs, etc. And different families react to those experiences differently, hence the different perspectives.

This. Look, in DC there aren't enough good schools. So when a school seems good (enough), people want to go there. Hence the crowding. It's unfortunate but it is a sign of the attractiveness of the school.

[Anonymous]

If the Deal/JR track is something that's important to you, I would try to get into Bancroft before the boundary review process is complete (it just started and will take awhile). There are lots of whispers -- including fom the Bancroft staff -- that Bancroft is going to get pulled out of the Deal/JR feed when all is said and done. But if you get in before the boundary review is complete, you'll almost certainly be grandfathered in.

[Anonymous]

New poster here, Mt Pleasant resident with a toddler-- thanks, this is helpful. Wondering if current parents can add anything on the overcrowding, since this is something we hear on a lot of DCPS elementary schools? How big are the actual homeroom classes in early grades? (Or to second another conversation, is there a DCPS equivalent to this class size tool from Mont County? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1134469.page)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here, Mt Pleasant resident with a toddler-- thanks, this is helpful. Wondering if current parents can add anything on the overcrowding, since this is something we hear on a lot of DCPS elementary schools? How big are the actual homeroom classes in early grades? (Or to second another conversation, is there a DCPS equivalent to this class size tool from Mont County? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1134469.page)

There isn't a tool like that in DC. That's a question you could ask the school directly, but if I remember from an open house, I think they said mid 20s for elementary grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here, Mt Pleasant resident with a toddler-- thanks, this is helpful. Wondering if current parents can add anything on the overcrowding, since this is something we hear on a lot of DCPS elementary schools? How big are the actual homeroom classes in early grades? (Or to second another conversation, is there a DCPS equivalent to this class size tool from Mont County? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1134469.page)

There isn't a tool like that in DC. That's a question you could ask the school directly, but if I remember from an open house, I think they said mid 20s for elementary grades.

The target for elementary grades is low-to-mid-20s, and that's what's in the teacher's union contract (with a list of reasons to go above the target). But there's no reporting of class size and remember, class size can vary over the course of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here, Mt Pleasant resident with a toddler-- thanks, this is helpful. Wondering if current parents can add anything on the overcrowding, since this is something we hear on a lot of DCPS elementary schools? How big are the actual homeroom classes in early grades? (Or to second another conversation, is there a DCPS equivalent to this class size tool from Mont County? https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1134469.page)

There isn't a tool like that in DC. That's a question you could ask the school directly, but if I remember from an open house, I think they said mid 20s for elementary grades.

The target for elementary grades is low-to-mid-20s, and that's what's in the teacher's union contract (with a list of reasons to go above the target). But there's no reporting of class size and remember, class size can vary over the course of the year.

Got it-- very helpful, thank you!