Truesdell Education Campus

Posted: February 19, 2026

We are Truesdell parents of two kiddos and have been at Truesdell for 8 years. As someone who has spent 20 years as an educator in DC public, private, and charter schools (and who also teaches at the university level) I feel I have a uniquely informed perspective on what makes a school truly exceptional.
Both of our children have been happy, engaged learners every single year they’ve attended Truesdell. Their teachers, year after year, have made a genuine difference. Both kids are top performers in their grades, testing well above grade level, and I credit the school environment for nurturing that love of learning and drive to excel.
Like any school, Truesdell has areas to grow. I’d love to see continued investment in family communication, and I know that’s something the school is working on. Responding to students who need additional support is also an area of growth and that’s consistent throughout the city. I have also raised teacher retention with leadership, as one of the best indicators of teacher quality is teacher experience, and I hope that continues to be a priority. But in my two decades in K-12 education, I have never encountered a school without imperfections. What matters is the culture, the care, and the outcomes, and on all three counts, Truesdell delivers.
My partner and I both run small businesses in this neighborhood. We’ve lived here for 17 years and feel deeply rooted in this community. Truesdell is a big part of why. We aim to give back as much as we receive, and this school has given our family so much. Our kids are more than prepared to excel in whatever comes next for them.
If you’re looking for a school with a strong community, dedicated teachers, and an environment where high-performing kids can thrive…Truesdell is it. We are so grateful

Posted: February 19, 2026

Posted: February 19, 2026

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Posted: January 9, 2026

My experience in this school as a parent has been terrible. My daughter is a high-performing student, came to the school in third grade (she is now in 5th). I sought to work with teachers and the administration to try to extend her learning - she is testing far ahead of every student in her grade level, especially in English Language Arts. The school administration last year gave me lip-service when I expressed concerns that my daughter was becoming bored and not wanting to attend school. The principal arranged a meeting ostensibly to discuss how we might work with teachers to extend her learning, but at the actual meeting the principal simply presented data and insisted all needs were being met (which is not the case for my kid). I have tried to work with her teachers and they are doing what they can but they seem to not have the resources to address her specific needs. I deeply regret sending her to this school and I advise anyone with a high-performing child to not send them to Truesdell. I am a professor and former teacher and am trying to do some instruction on my own, but it is not the same, to be honest, as having a strong, supportive school environment. At the same time, the school is in a gentrifying environment and it appears the administration is trying to cater to the newer residents of higher socio-economic background and not address the needs of the students who have historically populated the school. As such, the school seems to have both abandoned its focus on equity, but is also not serving high-performing students. I am not sure what the identity of the school is now, but I am happy my daughter is leaving and I would not recommend this school to anyone without some serious changes in administration and school culture. The new fancy remodeling it got can't ameliorate these problems, and the remodeling itself is shabbily done - for example there are classrooms that can't be used if the temperature drops below a certain level as the heating is not strong enough to keep corner classrooms warm - students are literally farmed out into other classes on cold days.

Posted: January 9, 2026

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Posted: April 2, 2024

We love Truesdell! Our daughter enrolled last fall in the PK3 program and we’ve noticed an amazing change in her counting and learning sight words! She absolutely LOVES checking out books every week from the library cart that the librarian brings to the classroom for the little kids - the highlight of her week! She is completely enamored with her teacher and the teachers aide and has made several best friends! We’re very happy with her academic progress (even at this young age) and her love of learning!

Posted: April 2, 2024

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Posted: November 28, 2023

As a parent of a student at Truesdell Elementary School, I can confidently say that I am in love with this school. The teachers are incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and they go above and beyond to ensure their students receive a quality education. The administration is also top-notch, ensuring parents are informed and involved in their child's academic journey. The school's clean and safe facilities provide a great learning environment for our children. Truesdell Elementary School is an exceptional educational institution, and I highly recommend it to any parent seeking a nurturing and supportive school for their child.

Posted: November 28, 2023

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Posted: April 5, 2023

As the spouse of a former employee I wanted to make others aware of how leadership treated her. My wife, with over 20 years in education teaching Spanish wanted to change careers to become a bilingual school counselor. she was hired in 10/2016 to fill one of two openings. Upon joining the staff and in the coming weeks it became evident that the school was not going to or able to hire for the other opening for that school year. Furthermore it became obvious that she was going to receive minimal mentoring on her new role and only received feedback when she failed to do something. Additionally she was asked to teach academic classes and use her personal vehicle to transport students to interviews for high school. I've been in the workforce 25+ years and the lack of leadership, guidance and mere human decency was absent from leadership here. Ask yourself why is there such a turnover in staff. Simply not good people in leadership.

Posted: April 5, 2023

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Posted: April 3, 2023

Our kids (second grade, kindergarten) have had eight teachers at Truesdell Elementary and all have been amazing. Our son's teacher offers specialized instruction to his needs and tailored enrichment at his singular reading level that challenge him. Never been disappointed in teacher passion and expertise. The school resources for field trips, clubs and extracurricular, and classroom activities. Our son joined the STEM Robot Club this year (with mBots the students are programming).

The diversity of the school is a huge strength. It's motto is "Excellence through Equity." Staff utilize tools like socioemotional learning and 'restorative justice circles' to teach inter-personal skills, on top of the great experiences our kids get seeing the world through others' eyes. The school has remarkable resources (funding, ELL teachers, social workers) that address needs of all students, as teachers teach academics. GreatSchools.org has the school at 9/10 for Student Progress in test scores, and it shows.

Being in-bound, we love this 'early action' school because it connects us to our neighbors. Our son and daughter have made numerous sweet friendships -- the community of families has been the best part of our time there!

The curriculum has begun piloting project-based learning for some lower-grade classes, I believe, which led to really fun class presentations for us parents: "Our Community Workers" from our kindergartner and "Symbols of Our Nation" social studies-style presentation for our second grader's class.

The administration could do a better job updating and reaching out to parents. But it's sufficient for us; our kids' experience has been what matters.

Truesdell is getting a renovation/modernization in 2023-2025, and the new plans have cool elements: lots of outdoor space with orchard and nature walk and outdoor classroom space, expanded library, Maker Space, in-school daycare, etc.

Posted: April 3, 2023

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Posted: March 19, 2021

Our son came home his first day of school and said, "Dad, I want to go every day. My teacher loves me!" Teachers and the school community itself make Truesdell a wonderful place for our kids to learn. Our kindergartner learned to read at "H Level" by mid-year...during virtual COVID school, even. The teachers work very hard and include many young professionals with graduate degrees as well as experienced teaching staff drawn to the school from around the city for its supportive environment.

Test scores are excellent and rising even more last year. Teachers are very dedicated, texting parents all the time and visiting each family at the start of the year (I think it's a particular policy of the school) which really gives it a community-centered feel. The new principal in 2020 is highly experienced and takes an innovative approach to educating the whole child, so we're looking forward to even more rich curriculum and extracurriculars.

New playground is the best in the area, now, which we heard was a $1.5 million investment by the city, and one of the teachers told us garden beds are going in to help the kids learn science, natural projects, and botany.

Posted: March 19, 2021

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Posted: January 14, 2020

really bad teaching for a school like this

Posted: January 14, 2020

its really hard to understand and more of the question than normal homework

Posted: January 14, 2020

boring teaching for children in the school

Posted: January 14, 2020

bad for a kid to understand what the struggle is

Posted: January 14, 2020

badly disagree with the teaching here really bad

Posted: January 14, 2020

never cares about anybody i have seen

Posted: January 31, 2019

Posted: January 31, 2019

Posted: January 31, 2019

Posted: January 31, 2019

This school is AMAZING with dedicated and passionate teachers and staff!

Posted: January 31, 2019

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Posted: January 31, 2019

Posted: July 5, 2016

My children attend summer school (optional) at Truesdell EC. The school's appears to be well kept, good test scores and staff seems nice enough but parents aren't allowed pass the front desk. I understand teaching a child independence but what's the problem with walking a child to their classroom?? As a parent it feels so unwelcoming. So glad my children attend West EC during the normal school. year.

Posted: September 21, 2013

Truesdell is truly a rising DCPS school! I have never seen such a dedicated group of adults who work endlessly to ensure that students are achieving academically and excelling in all that they do. Truesdell strives to make connections with their families. Teachers routinely give parents their cell phone numbers so they can contact them for support with homework or other questions. Teachers visit students at their homes and take students places outside of school hours to build connections with them. I feel very connected to the school, love the administration, and can't wait to see Truesdell continue to make progress each year that passes!

Posted: September 2, 2013

Truesdell is a family school where the staff cares about the children and the children care about each other. It is a wonderful place to work. The teaching team is phenomenal and will go above and beyond to ensure students are achieving at high levels; including tutoring after school and on Saturdays. Many staff members are bilingual and most teachers even make home visits! 8th graders are being accepted to School Without Walls, Banneker and McKinley Tech due to high academic standards. Extra activities include Choir, DC Scores, Girls on the Run and Intramural Sports. Many brothers and sisters walk to school together as this is an education campus. PreK3, 4 and Kindergarten are Tools of the Mind classes - students are engaged in interesting themes, and work independently. The school is demonstrating gains every year on the DC CAS. Truesdell is a great place for families and learning.

Posted: July 30, 2012

My son attended the school 2011-2012. I was not pleased with the firing of the whole fourth grade team mid year (February). There was no explanation or plan in place for the fourth grade. My son did not come home with homework for the rest of the year & it was not clear to me what he was actually learning from the multiple substitutes thereafter. The administrative staff lacks organization. They don't seem to really want to incorporate parental involvement. The teachers seem afraid of the administrative staff and lack motivation for the students to learn. Teaching is based solely on testing and not for knowledge building or learning. The aftercare program is a mess. No one can ever tell me where my son is.