We are incoming IB parents with SN kids, and so far the school has been absolutely fantastic in addressing my kids' issues, much more so than our current school. I'll report back once we are into the new school year.

Anonymous wrote:Why do people rely on great schools when assessing a school? The site might be good for homogenous suburbans, but in no way reflect all urban school. For special needs, I can see.

Why is assessing urban schools different from assessing other schools? They seem the same to me. Also, why would special needs make a large difference? Needs of all students are important. Could this be a weakness in Maury's curriculum?

Anonymous wrote:Why do people rely on great schools when assessing a school? The site might be good for homogenous suburbans, but in no way reflect all urban school. For special needs, I can see.

Pp again. For example, Great Schools has Haynes and Stokes as 7/10, 2R 9/10, IT 6/10 (with no test data and 4 star reviews), Lamb 10/10 with same test score as the 7/10 above, 3 KIPs 10/10, Mann 8/10 but other JKLMOs 9 or 10s. It just seems to inconsistent to use scores on great schools IMHO

Why do people rely on great schools when assessing a school? The site might be good for homogenous suburbans, but in no way reflect all urban school. For special needs, I can see.

[quote=Anonymous]meh http://www.greatschools.org/washington-dc/washington/28-Maury-Elementary-School/[/quote]

I'm IB for Maury but take my kids to a DCPS in NW. I looked at the link and went straight to the test scores. Maury just can't meet the requirements for a SN kid or one with strong math skills. Its math program never impressed me, even though I tour the school every spring. I'd rather make the drive.

Which grades will get Spanish instruction next year?

Anonymous wrote:We are at Brent, and have close friends at Maury.

From our experience and theirs, I think the community at Maury is a little crunchier and down-to-earth (and probably more my style), but the teachers at Brent have the edge. One of my kids has special needs, and the special ed team now in place at Brent is very strong.

Other that SWS and Brent, Maury is the best on the Hill. I wouldn't hesitate to send my kids there. I even have faith that Maury community might be able to held lift up and diversify Eliot-Hine.

Are you me? I could have posted most of this. Also at Brent, also 1 kid with SN, also have friends who love Maury. Maury is a great school, very strong principal, super strong PTA. Wonderful community, great kids, a little rough around the edges with a few of the teachers still embracing an older style of teaching than a lot of us would like to see (a little more stern than I would prefer). I would not hesitate to put a child at Maury. Middle school feeds are tough all around and even Deal isn't for everyone (great school, but bigger than some kids need). I had the philosophy of waiting to worry about middle school when we got closer to middle school and it has worked out well. I wouldn't even begin to worry about middle school for a 2-y-o because you just don't know what's going to be out there 9 years down the road.

We are at Brent, and have close friends at Maury.

From our experience and theirs, I think the community at Maury is a little crunchier and down-to-earth (and probably more my style), but the teachers at Brent have the edge. One of my kids has special needs, and the special ed team now in place at Brent is very strong.

Other that SWS and Brent, Maury is the best on the Hill. I wouldn't hesitate to send my kids there. I even have faith that Maury community might be able to held lift up and diversify Eliot-Hine.

Anonymous wrote:Maury is wonderful. Just have to consider middle school because the current feed is not yet considered viable by many families.

Well, for many families that consideration applies to just about all elementary schools in DC, where - mind you - a child can spend up to 8 (eight) years before middle school. So OP don't let the rhetoric on this send topic you into a loop of self-doubt regardless of what public or charter school you're about to head into.

meh http://www.greatschools.org/washington-dc/washington/28-Maury-Elementary-School/

Maury is wonderful. Just have to consider middle school because the current feed is not yet considered viable by many families.

Friend of mine has her two young children there, she is really well informed and active. The is a group of involved parents, some of the Moms on the Hill, sending their kids there. I can't speak to the indefinite future but she loves it and was really relieved when her younger kid got into the preschool as an out-of-boundary sibling because there was a wait list.

Great elementary school! Great teachers (of all ages, men and women, race, experience, background), very competently led. It's a regular DCPS (classroom teachers, aids, specials including PE/health, art, music, library, and now Spanish) but has a few things that stand out as different because Maury enjoys some autonomy: There is an extra specials teacher, who does science/think tank; it goes by Singapore Math rather than Everyday Math, Creative Curriculum is its early childhood program. The school is involved in many recurring partnerships that particular grade levels engage in, some taking them as far away s Detroit but mostly in the DC area. Within the classroom and throughout the school, there is a lot of differentiation going on, whereby those who are ahead get added challenges and those who need it get intervention, which is very well organized and woven into the classroom.

Note that the answer to your question about "the program they offer" really depends on the grade level. Preschool does not have the same "program" as upper grades but it all meshes very well and abides by what I described above. I'd say if you're looking for an PS3-5th option and are committed to staying through all the years, there is possibly no better "pick". But the early childhood classes are very hard to get in, hard now even from within its boundaries.

tons of threads, do a search

Does anyone have any experience with Maury? What are your thoughts about the program they offer