University Park Elementary School: Brutally honest opinions from current parents?

[Anonymous]

I know that people love the school (evident on this forum as well as the listserv) but anybody willing to give really honest and anonymous feedback about things you don't like? Or what do you love about it, that surprised you?

Any predictions on the direction of the school within the next five to ten years?

Do you know of any parents who decided to pull their kid out and go the private route?

And not to cause any big debates about race and socio-economic status, but is difference in income very evident among the children and does this cause any social problems? (I'm sorry, I'm such an ignorant new parent.) I ask because the town of UP has a high average household income level, but UPES has 55% of students on free/reduced lunch. So given that the town of UP is over 70% white but UPES students are less than 30% white, you can connect the dots that perhaps income is correlated with race at the school and therefore children might pick up on that as well. Does this create a lot of divide? What about among the parents? FYI, our family is non-white.

Thanks, I appreciate any insight! (We do plan on sending our child to UPES in a few years, but are not financially limited to public school. I always thought UPES would be a given, but now as a paranoid parent, I just want to do the best for my child.)

[Anonymous]

I have two DCs at UPES and we have been very happy. It's in no way perfect, but it's a great school with a great school community. We are a mixed race family and have never had any problems. As far as I know, SES has not been a problem. We live in UP but both my children have friends that live in the surrounding lower income apartments. We don't necessarily have play dates with them - this being more a cultural thing rather than a SES or race thing (there was a recent thread about why Hispanic families don't do play dates). But DCs have been invited to and attended birthday parties for these kids.

Things I don't like: worksheets and testing.
BUT DCs LOVE school and LOVE their teachers. They are happy and that's the main thing I am concerned about at this age. Both DCs are grade levels above in reading and I also know of students who are ahead in math. Both types of students get pulled out for more advanced work. So as a whole, I feel like the school is doing a good job on keeping students challenged.

The people in UP who I personally know that send their kids to private school do so starting in Kindergarten - usually for religious reasons. I don't know anyone who had a kid at UPES and them pulled them later.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you so much for your reply! (We're also a mixed race couple, yay.) Your insight is so much more useful than the typically "we love it!" responses.

[Anonymous]

Glad it was helpful! One thing I really love about the school is how diverse it is, in both SES and race/culture. There are mixed race families, families with internationally adopted children, families with two moms or two dads, families where one or both parents are from another country, etc. It's pretty great in that regard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Glad it was helpful! One thing I really love about the school is how diverse it is, in both SES and race/culture. There are mixed race families, families with internationally adopted children, families with two moms or two dads, families where one or both parents are from another country, etc. It's pretty great in that regard.

My kids are young now, but I plan to put them in UPES over private school for just this reason. I want them to be prepared for life (not just academically, but socially). In my opinion, they will be well-served to learn to communicate across difference and build friendships.

[Anonymous]

I have a kiddo at St. Jerome Academy for pre-school and I'm excited for him to start at UPES. I've heard mostly great things, so I'm interested in this thread. One drawback is that I've heard the after care fills quickly and sometimes parents have to find alternate programs.

[Anonymous]

Do elementary school kids really know enough about SES for it to be a problem? If they express those kind of opinions it's bc it starts at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do elementary school kids really know enough about SES for it to be a problem? If they express those kind of opinions it's bc it starts at home.

Yes, they definitely pick up on SES differences but in our experience it has been a good thing rather than a negative experience. It allows us to have a dialog with our kids about race, SES and immigrants that we wouldn't have at an all white school.

My kids play with their classmates at school but tend to ask for playdates with kids who live in our part of the neighborhood. The informal parent networks, like carpooling, is also largely divided by SES.

[Anonymous]

Even though UP is 70% white, most of those people are past child rearing years. The younger residence are more diverse. Most people in UP send their kids to UP, not to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even though UP is 70% white, most of those people are past child rearing years. The younger residence are more diverse. Most people in UP send their kids to UP, not to private.

A lot of people in UP and other neighborhoods with higher SES send their kids to specialty schools like French Immersion, Montessori and Performing Arts. It is a shame that the neighborhood schools are losing these families since they could really contribute. Many choose specialty programs because they are K-8 so they don't have to worry about middle school.
I know that they are popular but the specialty programs are really a detriment to local neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even though UP is 70% white, most of those people are past child rearing years. The younger residence are more diverse. Most people in UP send their kids to UP, not to private.

A lot of people in UP and other neighborhoods with higher SES send their kids to specialty schools like French Immersion, Montessori and Performing Arts. It is a shame that the neighborhood schools are losing these families since they could really contribute. Many choose specialty programs because they are K-8 so they don't have to worry about middle school.
I know that they are popular but the specialty programs are really a detriment to local neighborhood schools.

OP here. Interesting insight, thanks to all! I didn't think about that point about specialty programs being K-8. Is Hyattsville Middle that bad? Even with the many young families moving into that area as well? And are the specialty programs that great?

I always assumed the draw for young families to live in UP (which is pricey for PG) is the ability to send children to the neighborhood elementary school. So I guess I'm just trying to understand why parents decide against UPES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even though UP is 70% white, most of those people are past child rearing years. The younger residence are more diverse. Most people in UP send their kids to UP, not to private.

A lot of people in UP and other neighborhoods with higher SES send their kids to specialty schools like French Immersion, Montessori and Performing Arts. It is a shame that the neighborhood schools are losing these families since they could really contribute. Many choose specialty programs because they are K-8 so they don't have to worry about middle school.
I know that they are popular but the specialty programs are really a detriment to local neighborhood schools.

OP here. Interesting insight, thanks to all! I didn't think about that point about specialty programs being K-8. Is Hyattsville Middle that bad? Even with the many young families moving into that area as well? And are the specialty programs that great?

I always assumed the draw for young families to live in UP (which is pricey for PG) is the ability to send children to the neighborhood elementary school. So I guess I'm just trying to understand why parents decide against UPES.

I have to say we just made this calculation ourselves. Our oldest is 3, and we decided not to enter him into the lottery for Montessori, which would have been PK3-8. We loved the idea of having middle school covered--not to mention PK3 and PK4--but we ultimately decided to stick with UPES because it's the reason we moved here, and we like the idea of a neighborhood elementary with the sense of community it implies. Right now, we are banking on the College Park Academy continuing to improve and our kids getting spots there for middle school (and then either CPA or ER magnet for high school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't think about that point about specialty programs being K-8. Is Hyattsville Middle that bad? - I don't think that it is "bad".....I think that people want what they perceive to be a better option. Specialty program middle school programs are smaller and they have the advantage that they move to 6th or 7th grade with their cohort so there are social benefits.
Even with the many young families moving into that area as well? And are the specialty programs that great? Probably not any better that UPES but there is a perception that if they are specialty they must be better. I think that some of the specialty programs are really well run but you need to deal with issues that you don't with neighborhood schools (eg transportation, lack of a parent network, school friends outside the neighborhood).

[Anonymous]

From what I've noticed, parents decide against UPES because they're uncomfortable with diversity, despite their lawn signs noting otherwise. It's a do as I say, not as I do scenario. This is disappointing and their views on the school are terribly misguided and usually based on anecdotes from parents whose kids didn't even attend the school. UPES is a good, solid school. Does it have all the latest gadgets and an awesome gym? No. But our children are doing well and building genuine relationships with children from all over the world.

And the note about parents with higher SES sending their kids to private is not accurate or fair. As with the students, the level of parents' education is similarly mixed. As with me, many of the parents I know have postdoctorate degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I've noticed, parents decide against UPES because they're uncomfortable with diversity, despite their lawn signs noting otherwise. It's a do as I say, not as I do scenario. This is disappointing and their views on the school are terribly misguided and usually based on anecdotes from parents whose kids didn't even attend the school. UPES is a good, solid school. Does it have all the latest gadgets and an awesome gym? No. But our children are doing well and building genuine relationships with children from all over the world.

And the note about parents with higher SES sending their kids to private is not accurate or fair. As with the students, the level of parents' education is similarly mixed. As with me, many of the parents I know have postdoctorate degrees.

I think this poster nailed it.