Achievement Preparatory Academy PCS

Posted: November 27, 2015

1st yr parent getting the feel of the place but I am vocal parent and it is understood what I expect for mine

Posted: November 27, 2015

My child is in his 1st year at the middle school the teachers my child has dealings with understand that I expect just as much from them as they expect from me as a parent I have spoken on issues with the the Principal as well as support staff and all concerns have been addressed and corrected I came into the situation with an overstanding that children will get out of hand my child had a bullying incident that was handled right away I like what I see for the most part but I remember what most forget I am the employer and the staff are the employees

Posted: October 24, 2015

Posted: October 24, 2015

My grandson has homework every night and it can be challenging. Therefore, I feel it just enough to keep him thinking. More thinking and less tv.

Posted: October 24, 2015

Posted: October 24, 2015

My grandson have attended this school for the last 2 years (kindergarten and 1st grade). He is learning and can read better than other children older than him. I was especially impressed when I picked him up one day and asked him what did he learn today and he said " I have 206 bones". Most adults do not know this. Keep up the good work achievement prep. In addition, I would like to add that the children do have gym and a play ground. Moreover, they are in the process of building a new campus. This new campus with have a state of the art playground.

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

Posted: June 2, 2015

I taught at the Mississippi Avenue Elementary campus during the 2014-2015 school year. I would not recommend Achievement Prep to any parents seeking a school for their children or to any teachers seeking employment. The teaching/learning environment at this school is deplorable. Parents, beware, this is a place that is physically and emotionally unsafe for your child. Teachers, beware, students can hit you, kick you, scratch you, bite you, and curse you out on Monday morning then turn around and do it again on Tuesday. The level of physically dangerous and even violent behavior here is frightening, to say the least. The scholars with a desire to learn often complain of feeling sad, frustrated, and even angry because the outrageously unruly and disruptive behaviors of their classmates impede their learning. The teachers here work extremely hard and try their best, but they receive very little support from the administration. Morale and school spirit are low, yet stress and frustrations are high. The school leaders are young and inexperienced and lack the knowledge and ability to successfully operate a school east of the Anacostia River. The people that run this place should be ashamed of themselves for doing such a disservice to the scholars and their families. As an educator and a parent, I was absolutely disgusted with what I observed and experienced at this school. Our children deserve to be educated in a safe and friendly environment that is conducive to learning. Achievement Prep is not that.

Posted: November 4, 2014

I will never understand how a school that does not have GYM, ART, MUSIC, FOREIGN LANGUAGE or a SUITABLE PLAYGROUND is considered a Tier 1 school. Bullying is accepted and there is a revolving door for staff to come and go. The school also advertised diversity when I originally applied, however it is 100% Black. One of my child's teachers gave my child a Thank You note with Misspelled words...WTHeck!!! My goodness, they don't even teach the students how to write in cursive to prepare for high school. This school is a nightmare that is even infested with ROACHES!!! WARNING: During state wide testing, the students get a whole week and a half of HALF-DAYS...they gave parents a WEEK notice! The expectations of the students are higher than STAFF expectations! I could go on and on...Just beware!!!

Posted: July 3, 2014

APA is working to make a difference in a tough community. As a teacher there I am honored to be part of this school. Our goal is to close the achievement gap for our scholars. I have worked at 2 other charter schools before coming to APA and APA is by far setting the bar much, much higher. This is my second year there and this past year has been a rough year as the school grew and we had new leadership, but the school has responded and it does not take ways from the great things we do each day. APA is the real deal - we do what we say. That isn't always popular but it changes lives of our scholars. Our graduates attend some of the best schools in the city and a few are in boarding schools across the country. That is what great schools do. Is it always perfect - no. But no place is. I love the work we do and appreciate that a school like APA exists for our families.

Posted: July 1, 2014

My child was there for two years and in the first year it was okay. I figured it was an adjustment period. SO the second year she went to sixth grade and it was the worst year ever. That zero tolerance policy for BULLYING is NULL AND VOID... My daughter was bullied and nothing was really done. Then because she had to defend herself she got suspended, but when the problem started the school did nothing to stop it. I will say the teachers that left I do miss them because they cared about my daughter. Some where let go because of nonsense. You can't hire people and think they are going to do a great job in the beginning. But that doesn't mean get rid of your staff that has already done a great job. The teachers don't communicate well with parents or each other, there is no real discipline, and since the principal moved from one school to the other the middle school kids are so disrespectful. I think they should try it again and this time bring in someone that knows how to discipline the kids in a respectful way but letting them know school is no joke at the same time. It can be done. It was done the first year my daughter was there.

Posted: May 18, 2014

What they will try and say is that teachers that have left or are leaving don't care about the children. That could not be farther from the truth. After two years you see through all the smoke screens and start to realize that this place has a shiny exterior with stats and scores to make any teacher think it's better. Then you watch your colleagues suffer physically and emotionally- the resignations a regular activity and then those who are still there take the backlash. Turnover is "explained" away but the truth is that it's unhealthy, unstable and those in leadership have stated that they can make anyone a teacher in their model. If that's the case, find someone that doesn't mind low morale and lower pay with much longer hours. It's a shame for the students. They're missing those relationships that are critical at this age.

Posted: April 7, 2014

This school is awesome! The teachers and staff are amazing. i wouldn't want to send my scholar anywhere else.

Posted: April 7, 2014

I LOVE APA!!! Highly recommend this school! The teachers are great the kids are awesome!

Posted: April 7, 2014

Great school... great teachers... great overall kindergarten! UMASS rocks. i love Ms. Humphries and Ms Griffen

Posted: April 7, 2014

Achievement Preparatory Academy is an excellent school, which invests in children without excuse. They offer multiple means of supporting your child to reach their full potential when they are not quite on grade level. They hold parents accountable which fosters a safer learning environment. I appreciate the consistency of the teachers and staff. They expect respect and are seen giving respect regularly to our children.

Posted: April 7, 2014

I am writing about this school because I want to know what my kids are doing and how they are doing,this school informs the parent on everything. I love that. We moved to this area this year I was nervous my kids would not fit in but the teachers get ever child on the same page with the week preparation before school starts. The teachers r real dedicated and focused on the children.

Posted: April 6, 2014

AP is a great school that continually strives to be better and better. The teaching staff is very dedicated and committed to seeing the scholars do well and succeed in life. At times I forget I am talking to my daughter s teacher, if feels like I am talking to a family friend. My only real complaint is that there is no AP high school.

Posted: April 6, 2014

This ia a Great school. My son has been enrolled here for 2 yrs now. He has learned so much. Some things that should improve within the school are after school activities. I don't feel as though they have enough. Other then that I feel that APA is a wonderful school

Posted: April 6, 2014

Acheivement prep is by far the best school experience I've had as a parent in DC! My 6year old is now reading on a second grade level with help from acheivement prep! The family atmosphere is conducive to the learning experience. I wouldn't take my child from APA for any reason!

Posted: April 6, 2014

I am a parent of a 5th grader at Achievement Preparatory Academy. I have been extremely happy with my daughter's progress at the school. She has improved in leaps and bounds in both Reading and Math. This school sets high academic standards for all of its scholars. It provides extra supports for the scholars such as an academic support specialist (normally known as the Special Education Coordinator), a tutoring class known as "Results" for scholars who may require a little extra support in a subject matter, and Saturday Academy for scholars who may be struggling in a subject matter. The school works to prepare each scholar for success in the real world by providing a very structured program to minimize behavioral issues and to provide an environment that will allow each scholar to focus on learning. There is a 0% tolerance for BULLYING! Uniforms are required. Please do not judge this school by its outward appearance or you may miss a diamond in disguise. Judge it by the substance of its program and you will be setting the stage for a bright future for your scholar. Parents are involved at the school but there is not a strong parents group.

Posted: December 3, 2013

I LOVE this school. My son struggled in DC schools. I was starting to think all hope was lost until he started Achievement Prep .

Posted: August 21, 2013

This is My Sons First year with this School, and its only been 4 days and His Teachers are soo focused on the students , I love it, My Son comes home singing about how hes on the way to college and thats no Doubt..No Doubt! I Hope this school continues to lead out children in the right direction it does take a village to raise a child, Glad to see his Teachers have joined in !

Posted: February 18, 2013

I have a son that attends this school. Academically, he is being taught really well and is being pushed, because he gets bored pretty easily. However, there are some major issues, in my humble opinion. Until this year, the building co-housed a high school and there were some violence issues. Also, the school day is extremely long for such young students. My son complains about the school lunch and the quality of food. There are no organized sports for students in the lower grades. Achievement Prep is given a rating of 10 in the area of diversity. However the student population is 100% African American. That is NOT diversity and this website should not measure it as such. That is a very homogenous student population that cannot teach the students how to deal with the world's population, a population this school says that their students will be ready for.

Posted: May 20, 2012

I am a parent of a 5th grader at Achievement Preparatory Academy. I have been extremely happy with my daughter's progress at the school. She has improved in leaps and bounds in both Reading and Math. This school sets high academic standards for all of its scholars. It provides extra supports for the scholars such as an academic support specialist (normally known as the Special Education Coordinator), a tutoring class known as "Results" for scholars who may require a little extra support in a subject matter, and Saturday Academy for scholars who may be struggling in a subject matter. The school works to prepare each scholar for success in the real world by providing a very structured program to minimize behavioral issues and to provide an environment that will allow each scholar to focus on learning. There is a 0% tolerance for BULLYING! Uniforms are required. Please do not judge this school by its outward appearance or you may miss a diamond in disguise. Judge it by the substance of its program and you will be setting the stage for a bright future for your scholar. Parents are involved at the school but there is not a strong parents group.