Like an urban public school that it is, people have different experiences. Some people speak of violence, fights, kids not using the bathroom. Other people have kids who are very involved and have a great experience

My son is fairly involved and has had a decent experience, but yes, the bathroom situation is pretty terrible. Lots of kids vaping and smoking pot.

Anonymous wrote:GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

ACPS parent. Depending on where you live in Del Ray, you may be zoned from Mount Vernon Community School, Jefferson Houston or Cora Kelly. Naomi Brooks is in Rosemont. The dividing line is Braddock Road (side where Yates corner is located) and Brooks is Rosemont, some of North Old Town and Parker Gray (Braddock Road metro, up through the Charles Houston rec).

We have several friends who attend Mount Vernon. It is overcrowded but has an active PTA. It is a dual language immersion program (Spanish). People speak poorly about Cora Kelly and Jefferson Houston so talk to parents whose kids actually attend those schools or work there as teachers.

George Washington Middle School or Jefferson Houston (K-8) is the middle school, depending on where you live. For example, Potomac Yards/Greens is zoned for Jefferson Houston. Jefferson Houston has an IB curriculum. Our friends love the curriculum at George Washington. It is a very large, overcrowded school with various groups economically. Like an urban public school that it is, people have different experiences. Some people speak of violence, fights, kids not using the bathroom. Other people have kids who are very involved and have a great experience. I like the different languages they offer like Latin and Mandarin as well as accelerated math (can take Algebra I). 8th graders can play JV sports at the high school, ACHS.

Right now, they have an interim principal.

My son attends GW - it feels safe to him. However, the building, while art deco on the outside, is definitely not beautiful on the inside. The bathrooms are old and gross.


I guess your son has not experience fights breaking out in the cafeteria at the next lunch table. I am happy that he has not had that experience like many others.

No, he has definitely not experienced that. However, last year, he mostly ate in a classroom with a friend whose parent is immunocompromised. So he has only eaten in the cafeteria this year and part of 6th.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.


Some students do fine at GW but you can search the board for all of the safety issues there.

My son attends GW - it feels safe to him. However, the building, while art deco on the outside, is definitely not beautiful on the inside. The bathrooms are old and gross.

I guess your son has not experience fights breaking out in the cafeteria at the next lunch table. I am happy that he has not had that experience like many others.

Or been threatened with a knife and thrown across a hallway.

Your son is very lucky.

Anonymous wrote:

GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.


Some students do fine at GW but you can search the board for all of the safety issues there.

My son attends GW - it feels safe to him. However, the building, while art deco on the outside, is definitely not beautiful on the inside. The bathrooms are old and gross.

I guess your son has not experience fights breaking out in the cafeteria at the next lunch table. I am happy that he has not had that experience like many others.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

What an awesomely optimistic description. No mention of mold of broken HVAC systems.

Maury (aka Brooks) is not really the zoned school, but it's where the white folks generally send their kids to keep them out of either Mt. Vernon or Jeff Houston elementary schools.

This should be a fun thread...

Didn't MVCC have a significant mold problem a few years ago?

Maury/Brooks has higher proficiency scores but very low for economically disadvantaged students.

The real measure of how an ACPS school is doing is how they are educating economically disadvantaged student. The UMC parents just hire tutors to fill in the gaps left by ACPS. I saw it a lot - those parents don't complain when their kid can't read or doesn't know basic math facts or a learning disability goes undetected for years - they just hire tutors, sing the praises of ACPS and pretend that everything is great. Or just go private. It's too bad they keep quiet, it could help the economically disadvantaged kids to get a proper education.

Anonymous wrote:GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

What an awesomely optimistic description. No mention of mold of broken HVAC systems.

Maury (aka Brooks) is not really the zoned school, but it's where the white folks generally send their kids to keep them out of either Mt. Vernon or Jeff Houston elementary schools.

This should be a fun thread...

Anonymous wrote:Where is my popcorn?

Saw this thread and just went to fill my coffee cup.

Mount Vernon's proficiency in reading, math and science is well below the state proficiency levels.

In reading MV is 53%, state is 73%
In math MV is 46%, state is 66%
In science MV is 50%, state is 65%

GW is also below state levels.

GW reading is 67%, state is 73%
GW math is 57%, state is 66%
GW science is 54%, state is 65%.

You should keep in mind that Virginia standards are some of lowest in the nation as evidence by the national reports US DOE released a few months ago.

Agree with the above poster that you should search the forums for Mount Vernon or MVCC. Same with GW.

GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.


Some students do fine at GW but you can search the board for all of the safety issues there.

My son attends GW - it feels safe to him. However, the building, while art deco on the outside, is definitely not beautiful on the inside. The bathrooms are old and gross.

Anonymous wrote:GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

Some students do fine at GW but you can search the board for all of the safety issues there.

Anonymous wrote:GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

No, Maury/Brooks is in Rosemont. MVCS is in Del Ray.

Where is my popcorn?

GW (George Washington) is decent for middle school. It’s a nice walkable school to the Del Ray neighborhood, and popular with the community. The school is in a beautiful historic, art deco high school building constructed in the 1930s. I think Naomi Brooks is the ES. Another walkable and popular school. You should check both out.

We are looking at moving to Del Ray. What are the public schools like? Where would you all recommend we try and get our elementary and middle school kids into school?