Re Hearst v. Eaton, you can't go wrong -- they're both great schools. What we find is special about Hearst (parents with two kids there, in our 6th year at the school) is the small size that really enables you to get to know the families. It's very hard to get lost in the shuffle at Hearst because it's such a small community compared to a lot of other area elementary schools.

Anonymous wrote:There are some absolutely superb teachers and some so-so ones. Not a fan of the admin team and the new principal is underwhelming. Almost the entire (excellent) special ed team left last year, but their replacements are been great. The greatest benefit is that it is a lovely family community and special for kids to grow up within walking distance from many of their friends’ homes - and there are many wonderful out of bounds families too.

Not a Hearst parent, but can confirm that every single family we have met from that school has been wonderful. And we know quite a few. It's a great community of people.

There are some absolutely superb teachers and some so-so ones. Not a fan of the admin team and the new principal is underwhelming. Almost the entire (excellent) special ed team left last year, but their replacements are been great. The greatest benefit is that it is a lovely family community and special for kids to grow up within walking distance from many of their friends’ homes - and there are many wonderful out of bounds families too.

We're back at Hearst again this year. Another year of not being satisfied with the principal (did not care for Chen either) but the staff and community are always what make the school special. Nothing glaringly bad about the principal, just not a great communicator or strong presence at school-wide events.

We love Hearst, have 2 kids there for the last 4 years. Agree with pp re: new principal but things seem to be improving in that regard recently. It’s a wonderful, warm community of families and teachers.

Any thoughts hearst vs eaton?

Super helpful, thank you. We are doing public school lottery and private will never be an option. This is our shot to get the best schools we can.

Current Hearst parent here, whose elder kid was in a class with major (like... major) behavior issues. School staff put in a ton of behind-the-scenes work with the more problematic kids. By the second half of fifth grade there was a noticeable vibe shift in the grade - kinder, more relaxed, less cliquish. Two of the kids most unkind to mine apologized (separately and outside of school) for their past behavior, so whatever Hearst was doing was working. They're all in middle school now and even the toughest kids from the grade are apparently friendly.

Staff are fantastic - not a lot of turnover from last year to this year, and what turnover there was seemed normal, teaching-profession-related rather than about Hearst itself (burnout with teaching and a new baby at home; moving up to a bigger job at a middle school, etc.). Some of the "new" staff were long term subs and supplementary staff who joined the school permanently.

Younger kid is still at Hearst and the experience is overall fantastic. My kid is academically gifted and is still engaged and learning. We have a really great community - 30ish people got together the morning of Valentine's Day to clear our playground of snow and ice so kids could have outdoor recess again. None of the current grades have a reputation for problem behavior.

Only downside is the current principal, who is new this year (replacing the absolutely wonderful Dr. Chen) - she is very set on doing everything her way and is not receptive to feedback from families or staff. This hasn't directly affected kids, as far as I can tell, but it has put a damper on staff and parent experience. PTA is actively working on this.

That said, I would still enroll my kid at Hearst over private, no brainer, and I say this as someone who went to top DC private schools. Save your money for middle school, and in the meantime your kid will make neighborhood friends and learn from some truly stellar teachers.

Looking back at threads from a few years ago, looks like there was concern about teacher turnover, some behavior issues in upper grades, and the new principal.

Can anyone share recent experiences at Hearst? In-bounds family deciding whether to enroll at Hearst or go private.