Ross Elementary School

Posted: February 16, 2023

As a parent, in-class parent volunteer, parent chaperone (had to clear an FBI background check and get finger printed), PTA representative, I was very excited about Ross. But what I saw over 4 years, was deliberate withholding of FAPE from dozens of students especially those with any kind of dyslexia or learning disability. Why would the smallest school in DCPS, in Ward 2, always under enrolled, withhold reading supports to students eligible for an IEP? Ross leadership would not hear that 1 in 5 people have dyslexia. That people with dyslexia are super bright thinkers, and are more able to adapt because that is what they always have to do. Ross refused to offer supports to its teachers and supports that would not have come out of the Ross school budget. Ross leadership is focused on raising money from the the parents of the lower grades to pay for everything in the school. Dyslexia is usually recognized and or diagnosed btwn 2-5 grades when the work gets harder, and yet it can be detected as early as pre-k. Ross refused phonics and to give teacher training in Child Find- a federal and state law. Why would Ross NOT even support its own teachers in academic expertise? People want to teach as a small school, so why is there an intense turnover rate of teachers at Ross? For 10 years, Ross leadership refused to place a parent representative on the Personnel Committee so that the parents could have input on teacher hirings. Why? Parents, PTA, and LSAT signed a petition and sent it around to OSSE and others for Ross leadership in order to force a placement of a parent on this committee. This letter also demanded that Ross leadership hire non-white teachers, to hire racially diverse, teachers, representative of DCPS. Why did this have to happen? Ross could be a vanguard of change. It could be an incredible school for reading and writing, and why not? With this focus, students from 2-5th grades would stay rather than leave in a mass exodus in 3rd and 4th grades and/or leaving the DCPS system altogether. DC Council passed The Decoding Dyslexia bill- Ross Leadership should take everything in that bill and run with it!! It should become the top example for how the measures in that bill can turn around an entire school especially after 3 yrs of COVID school shutdown, Canvas, Teams, etc...(spring 2020, SY 2020-2021, fall 2021).

Posted: February 16, 2023

Posted: February 2, 2023

Worst school ever. A violation in the school. A lot of bullies, and administration close their eyes on that.

Posted: February 2, 2023

Posted: February 2, 2023

Posted: February 2, 2023

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Posted: February 2, 2023

Posted: March 4, 2022

Ross Elementary School is an exemplary school in every way. As a PK4 parent I especially appreciate the emphasis on social-emotional skills, which are the most important to our family. I wish every child in our city and country could go to a school that is as good a fit for their family and child's needs as Ross is for ours!

Principal Searl, our son's PK4 teacher Ms. Chelak, and the teachers and staff do a remarkable job, truly extraordinary. I don't know how they do it, but our family is glad every day that they do. I hope they know how appreciated they are!

Posted: March 4, 2022

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Posted: March 4, 2022

Posted: August 12, 2020

Our experience here was dreadful. Our daughter was ridiculed by teachers and the principal. She was bullied by students who parroted the horrible things they heard teachers say to her. Additionally, the PTA collects thousands of dollars from each family every year, effectively running an exclusive private school disguising as a public school. All the “community” here cares about is protecting its little rich-kid Haven by any means necessary - so they encourage families with students who need additional support for any reason to transfer. They want to keep Ross at the top of the list for student achievement on standardized tests and matriculation.

Posted: August 12, 2020

Posted: August 12, 2020

Our daughter’s third grade teacher at Ross refused to accommodate her ADHD in the classroom, instead choosing to bully her in front of other students. She went as far as to tell our daughter that she is just “bad at math,” and that she “should be left back.” Meanwhile, in her next two consecutive grades (after we transferred her out) she’s earned an A in math.

Posted: August 12, 2020

Posted: August 12, 2020

The leadership and staff here do not have any interest in supporting or advocating for students with any type of disability.

Posted: August 12, 2020

Staff and leadership here are often the main perpetrators of bullying behavior against students.

Posted: November 23, 2015

Posted: November 23, 2015

Posted: November 23, 2015

Posted: November 23, 2015

My daughter has been a student at Ross since Pre-K4 - before there was a Pre-K3. It is a great learning environment where children feel safe. The learning environment is fun and allows for creativity. I look forward to the rest of this year - continuing to work with a great principal and a very dedicated staff. I will miss this school once my daughter moves on to middle school.

Posted: October 22, 2014

It's my daughter's second year at Ross and she is growing so much. The environement and staff are excellent. We are truly happy that she is a Ross student and that we are also part of the Ross family.

Posted: October 21, 2014

Ross is warm, supportive, and academically challenging. We could not ask for a better place for our daughter. We feel like we're getting a small private school experience. We also volunteer a lot, but so do most other families.

Posted: April 24, 2014

My daughter is finishing second grade, and she has attended Ross since Pre-K. I have been very happy for the most part and so has she. It is a small and welcoming community. Principal Searl is a strong leader who has pulled off some great feats of scrappy entrepreneurialism. The parental engagement is of off-the-charts and makes a big difference. My primary complaint about Ross is its lack of modern languages. I hope that can be addressed someday. Otherwise, my daughter and I consider ourselves lucky to have found Ross.

Posted: October 23, 2013

Ross is a high performing warm, welcoming school that is giving our child the gift of a great academic experience coupled with strong social and ethical values through both instruction and example. Bravo, Ross!

Posted: September 26, 2013

I love the diversity at Ross and the fact that classes engage their students in many different ways including technology and the arts (Fillmore)! Teachers are very interactive with parents and provide a very supportive learning environment.

Posted: September 22, 2013

I am going on my 5th year as a Ross parent and really love the school and community. It is a very small and friendly community where all the kids know each other, despite the grade, as do most of the parents. Parents are very involved -- I think you have to be in such a small school, as there just aren't the economies of scale you find in larger schools. It is very diverse socio-economically and racially, and we have lots of families from other countries. The principal is fantastic -- creative, committed, and energetic -- and our staff is overall excellent. We have seen steady improvement in test scores since our family has been there -- it honestly just gets better each year.

Posted: September 22, 2013

I have two kids who attend Ross Elementary School in Dupont Circle. Our school rocks!! Thanks to our outstanding principal and teaching staff, we just achieved REWARD status. Our test scores went through the roof! I feel so fortunate to be at this small school where the teachers are smart, dedicated and focused on our children's academic growth.

Posted: September 21, 2013

Our children have been at Ross since PK and we cannot praise it enough. There is a very close community of parents, children and teachers and we have found them to be extremely supportive every step of the way. It is a friendly, challenging, inspiring environment for children.

Posted: September 18, 2013

Ross provideds quality education and is a PTA driven school. The Principal works well with the PTA and teachers to ensure the needs of the children and parents are met.

Posted: September 18, 2013

I have been a parent at Ross for about 3 years now. I was raised in DC Public schools and knew what to expect of them. However, Ross is not your typical DC school. There is so much parent involvement. The Ross community is so tight nit and very welcoming. Both my daughters attend this school and love it! The staff and faculty are very helpful and both of my daughters have shown significant academic growth throughout the year. I am very satisfied with both my daughters academic growth throughout the years at Ross. Every year the school get better and better. I am definitely a proud Ross parent!

Posted: September 18, 2013

My 4 year old daughter is new to Ross Elementary School and is enrolled in Pre-K there. To date, we are pleased with the pace of classroom instruction, the quality of the teacher-student interaction, and the involvement of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The school makes appropriate use of external community resources to meet the needs of its students, including music, drama, and art.

Posted: September 17, 2013

Ross is an amazing little school. High quality teachers, an atmosphere of calm learning and caring, and a tight community that has pulled together to create and do some pretty amazing things. Our daughter has been there for three years and we couldn't be happier.

Posted: September 17, 2013

This School feels like a family. I am new to Ross Elementary as my child just entered Pre School. Thus far the environment has been very welcoming and the teachers and other staff of the school have all been open to discussion, questions and have offered assistance at all levels. It feel like I have entered a family at Ross. I also like the many initiatives that the school has and appreciate the use of technology. I much prefer to receive information and updates via email so this really works for me. The only reason I have not given 5 stars is because I am so new to the school. If things continue how they are going however, Ross will be getting 5 Stars for certain.

Posted: September 17, 2013

We love Ross! This is my son's first year at Ross Elementary, he is in the first grade. We absolutely love the school. The staff is super friendly and welcoming as well as the other families. We feel at home at Ross and hope to be there until he graduates.

Posted: September 17, 2013

The school is very welcoming and informative. I am adequately informed of my child's daily activities and school activities. My questions are answered and follow up information is provided. I am always invited to share in the learning process and what efforts/initiatives the staff is working on to improve the teaching and learning process. My children had a good school opening.

Posted: September 16, 2013

My child started at Ross last year after transferring from another DC public school. We were welcomed by the amazing Ross community: a warm, engaged principal whose accessibilty and professionalism never cease to amaze me; teachers who go all out for their students and who work tirelessly to educate our kids; professional staff who work to keep our kids safe and happy; and an involved parent group that works collaboratively to support our principal and teachers. Ross is a hidden gem - a tiny school that serves a diverse community well. Our last school was well-regarded but rested on its reputation - I never felt we were part of a cohesive community and communication was not the best. At Ross, we will never have a fancy gym, art room or a million dollars of parent contributions. But we have a wonderful community that works hard to put our children's education and well-being first. My only wish is for a better middle school option but even there, parents are working tirelessly to try and change things for the better (all good in my humble opinion).

Posted: September 16, 2013

I love that in downtown DC our school feels like a family. We moved here last year and everybody welcomed us with love and support. The teachers here are amazing and really go above and beyond for the students. The worldwide diversity offers my children an experience that wouldn't be available in many places. We love Ross and are so fortunate to be part of the Ross family.

Posted: September 16, 2013

We love our school! It's just around the corner, fantastic dynamic principal who gets stuff done in record time, committed teachers and staff, and a wonderful community of parents who are very involved in all aspects of the school. I wish it would go through 12 grade so that we don't have to move out of this great neighborhood for our kids to have quality public ed.

Posted: September 9, 2013

In the last few years Ross has turned into a great neighborhood school. It's a place where children grow their love of learning and build lasting friendships. The parent community is fun and inviting too.

Posted: July 31, 2013

We are entering our third year at Ross. Our two children have thrived there and loved their respective teachers. The PTA makes it really easy for parents to be super involved with the school. We love there is only one class per grade which enhances the wonderful community feel. We love that local businesses and neighbors support the school. We love Ross!!

Posted: December 25, 2012

Small school size has its pluses and minuses but overall we are happy. Newly upgraded facilities are a great improvement. Could easily imagine our children staying through to the end of ES, but feeder options for middle school are an issue.

Posted: September 5, 2012

I have lived in the neighborhood a very long time and even volunteered at Ross many years ago when it was a different kind of school environment. Now my son is in Kindergarten and we couldn't be more thrilled. The brand-new renovation is fantastic and combines the best elements of the older 1888 building (original floors, big windows, large rooms) with bright, happy and modern upgrades that make it a comfortable and happy place to be (yay - new HVAC system!). Parents and the local community are involved with Ross and it shows. But the most exciting parts about Ross are the staff and teachers and the kids themselves. It's a friendly and diverse place and it's small size means that everyone gets to know one another and feel like they are involved in something special. I still will never love the evolution towards testing, testing, testing in all public schools but I think that Ross is a creative and interesting place to learn and that is what most parents are asking for ...

Posted: August 30, 2012

The teachers are warm and open. The children run to school and beg to stay and play at 3:15. I never saw anything like it!! Ms. Lee PS is wonderful as is her assistant Ms. Maria. Ms. Zuriga in PK looks to be just as intelligent and loving and dedicated. The community is international. Today in addition to US citizens from throughout the USA I met a new mother from Romania, parents from Armenia, parents from Kazachtistan, parents from Italy, Germany, Ethiopia, Pakistan, China, Viet Nam, El Salvador the Dominican Republic etc. Kids are adorable and very well behaved. A great atmosphere for social learning and academic success. We love you Ross School!!!!