Reply to Van Ness Elementary: tell me your experiences

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[quote=Anonymous]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. 
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