Thomson Elementary School

Posted: April 22, 2025

DCPS's hidden gem! Thomson has fantastic instructional leadership, including one of the best and longest serving principals in the district, who greets every child by name. She's been able to attract - and retain! - a group of high-flying teachers. The diversity is a huge plus. The parent community is warm and friendly. My child is reading and doing math well above grade level and has been continually pushed and challenged academically. The school offers great social-and-emotional education too...my son will do "rainbow breathing" to calm himself down in tough moments. The IB curriculum is rich and deep and encourages kids to ask questions and be curious. Also feeds one of the stronger middle schools in DC. (Feeder high school is another story). Would definitely recommend Thomson to anyone!

Posted: April 22, 2025

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Posted: April 3, 2025

Diamond in the rough. This is a title I school-so many parents avoid it due to the high at-risk population. But it has a small classes, great teachers (Title I equals a bigger bonus in DCPS), and an excellent Principal that knows every student by name. My kids love it.

Also-they have done a great job finding advanced coursework for my eldest.

Posted: April 3, 2025

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Posted: February 28, 2025

In the four years my daughter has been at Thomson she has thrived academically and socially. She comes home excited about her lessons and full of confidence and energy. Her teachers have been wonderful every year - their lesson plans are thoughtful, engaging, and creative. I frequently send screenshots to family and friends bragging about what my daughter is up to in school — I just can’t believe how incredible some of these lesson plans are! I don’t remember school being this interesting and challenging when I was a child! The leadership at Thomson is off the charts. The administrators know the children by name and show with their actions and attentiveness that they are invested in them. My daughter feels loved and supported at Thomson. I don’t remember ever hearing her say “I don’t want to go to school.” That’s saying a lot!

Posted: February 28, 2025

Posted: February 28, 2025

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Posted: February 28, 2025

Posted: February 28, 2025

My little one is in pk-4, and has had such a good experience! Her teacher this year is so warm and enthusiastic, but also has established clear structures and routines in her classroom, so kids feel comfortable and safe. My little one is learning a ton, and the teacher has done such a good job of differentiating instruction to meet kids where they are - she's done a really good job of helping my little one feels challenged and is making a ton of progress, but learning clearly never feels like a chore - little one is so excited about school every morning, and happy at the end of every day. They also get to engage in the community - my little one's class has taken several field trips this year to local DC places, and had such a good time.

The school administration is clearly very engaged - my little one is on the shy side, and yet not only knows who the principal is, but will go up and say hi to her - which is a sign that she's very familiar w/ the principal. The principal and AP have monthly "coffee" meetings to keep families informed, there's school events throughout the year, a small but growing PTO that has not only provided $ for supplies to teachers but also helped fund activities like the book fair. The school always feels welcoming - even the security guard knows every parent and is always friendly, while keeping all the kids safe.

No school is perfect, but my family has been really happy with Thomson, and with how much my little one has learned and grown, academically and socially.

Posted: February 28, 2025

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Posted: February 19, 2025

This has been the WORST school my child has ever attended. The principal conceals ALL aspects of the schools policies, procedures, and academic performance. The PTO only provides funding directly to the teachers. The school website is all LIES!! There is only a garden club, dc scores and a reading club. The test scores are atrocious. The teachers celebrate not EXCELLENCE but MEDIOCRITY. The majority of the students leaving this school are not and will not be ready to excel to the next grade on grade level. They pass the students on, they do not inform parents of ANYTHING. Police have been called to this campus several times because of the lack of procedure for bullying. Teachers or staff offer NO additional help for students who may be struggling. The school seems only be concerned with social development and identity concerning homosexual interaction. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO ACHEIVE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.

Posted: February 19, 2025

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Posted: March 24, 2023

My daughter is in prek3 at Thomson elementary and we absolutely love it. The school is amazing. The staff are all so nurturing and there is very low teacher turnover. The principal knows all the students by name. There is a strong sense of community and the student body is very diverse. The level of education is so strong. My daughter just turned 4 and is already reading and able to do simple addition and subtraction. She came home last week explaining how she learned about the magic e at the end of words. It’s so awesome to see. Class sizes are small and so teachers are able to do a lot of one on one. We also get daily updates and pictures, which we’ve loved. We have so appreciated how the teachers get to know the families, offering home visits and having regular communication through the school app. Most importantly, the kids are so happy. My daughter absolutely loves the centers in the classroom (dramatic play for example is one of them) and the specials. She gets to have Spanish, art, social emotional learning, music and library every week. At home, she likes to “play school” regularly and set up centers like she has in her classroom even. I wanted to share this review because a lot of parents don't consider Thomson solely because of the lack of outdoor space. But please do not let that deter you. I cannot stress enough how happy I am with our choice because of the level of attention and education my daughter is getting. I’ve talked to parents who have their kids at other schools in dc as well as Arlington, and I can say with certainty Thomson is special.

Posted: March 24, 2023

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Posted: March 20, 2020

Other than the Principal, the school is average. I love that on average there are 20 kids to a class with two teachers

Posted: March 20, 2020

Posted: March 20, 2020

Posted: March 20, 2020

Posted: March 20, 2020

The principle of the school is a bully herself. She does not follow DCPS protocols and procedures. She doesn’t report serious issues within the school. If you try to report her or bring awareness to issues, she retaliate by marking you child absent and reporting the absence to Child Protective Services.

Posted: March 20, 2020

Posted: March 20, 2020

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

I'm blown away by how proactive, engaged and enthusiastic my daughter's teacher is. Definitely not a tired career hack that's waiting around for retirement. SHe's demonstrated real commitment to helping my kid learn and flourish, both on academics but more impressively by modelling emotional literacy skills. I'm thrilled.

Posted: August 23, 2018

Our experience has been exceptional. There is great leadership in the school and I truly feel the staff is committed to the success of every student.

Posted: August 23, 2018

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Posted: August 23, 2018

Posted: August 23, 2018

Posted: August 23, 2018

My son is adopted and had a difficult time adjusting in his first year in the States. Thomson did an excellent job (above and beyond) accommodating his needs. He has made tremendous progress. I have the staff to thank for this.

Posted: August 23, 2018

Posted: May 20, 2018

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Posted: May 20, 2018

We've been incredibly happy with Thomson. The principal, teachers, and staff are all fantastic. It's an incredibly warm, nurturing environment in which kids love learning and going to school every day.

Posted: April 6, 2018

Posted: April 6, 2018

Posted: April 6, 2018

Exceptional. Our daughter is in PK and her academic, social and emotional progress is incredible. Teachers are phenomenal and school does feel like second home. Principal and staff are very enthusiastic, supportive and manage school with great energy and professionalism. Great diverse community, serious about the core human values and studying. We visited most of prominent schools in DC and came back from Thomson among our top two. Only drawback is lack of true outdoor space, although they do have playgrounds on semi-open terraces and have huge gym. Overall, we could not be happier with teachers assistants, teachers, staff and the entire school!

Posted: April 6, 2018

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Posted: June 21, 2017

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Posted: June 21, 2017

Posted: June 21, 2017

Posted: June 21, 2017

Posted: June 21, 2017

I love Thomson. The diversity is unique. The size is small enough that it almost has a home feel to it where everyone knows everyone. The AALEAD after school program is exceptional. Just love it!

Posted: June 21, 2017

Posted: February 22, 2017

I have not had experience with bullying so I'm not sure of the policy.

Posted: February 22, 2017

My child needed extra help, which was why I transferred her out of the school she had been attending, and where it was difficult to convince the principal to provide the help to which she was entitled. At Thomson, she was targeted immediately and given the help, and she reflected the improvement immediately.

Posted: February 22, 2017

I see the principal almost every day I go in to the school. Her presence shows in the orderly nature of the school, the progress my child has made, and the general atmosphere.

Posted: February 22, 2017

The staff at this school, from the principal down, show respect to each and every student, parent, teacher and staff. They seem to care about every student, and reflect honesty and integrity.

Posted: February 22, 2017

My child's teacher goes out 110% and my child's progress shows it.

Posted: February 22, 2017

The homework is "just right," not too much and not too little. It's targeted to what they are learning and you get good feedback on where the student is progressing or failing.

Posted: February 22, 2017

I love Thomson. I moved my daughter to this school from a highly sought-after PS in DC and couldn't be happier. In fewer than 6 months her reading skyrocketed and her math significantly improved. Thomson is serious about learning. The teachers and staff immediately focused in on my daughter's needs and provided her with tools to improve. I am so pleased with her progress. I wish they had some outdoor space, but this school is well worth it.

Posted: October 16, 2015

Posted: October 16, 2015

We have two children at Thomson currently and are very happy with the teachers, facilities, and curriculum. Thomson feels like a big family where everyone knows each other. The Principal is excellent and teachers seem to come back year after year.

Posted: May 19, 2014

We came to Thomson when our son was in kindergarten and he's now about to graduate from 5th grade. The first thing I want to acknowledge is teacher performance, which is wonderful. This year our child read Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Women, and To Kill a Mockingbird. The class is about to start Animal Farm! This accelerate list was all the doing of his fantastic, always thinking outside the box, teacher. Not every teacher has been this invested, but many of them are. There have been three principals during our time here (the strongest gone as a result of Rhee) and the current is young and in only her second year, but working hard. The kids (a veritable U.N.) are so lovely and kind. There is a center inside the school just for parents and a real emphasis on celebrating the different cultures that make up the unique school. We will miss being here.

Posted: August 9, 2010

Hopefully the new principal at Thomson ES will be strong, firm, and a good leader. You have a few parents at the school who wants to take control and dont value others opinion. At times I also felt that some of the parents and teachers were racist. Even some of the parents was racist. I just feel that the african american parents need to step up and stand up for their kids. if you look at great school catalof this year, Thomson students are on the cover. There is no african american kid in the picture selected. Who selected and submitted the picture? Did the parents get to vote on the picture? There is always the same kids publicized. It's bad when your 5 year old child tells you that certain teachers are racist . I decided to leave the school this year because of these issues. I

Posted: July 6, 2010

Thomson under Dr. Camp's leadership has been a wonderful experience for my family. My children have loved the Mandarin instruction, guitar lessons and the warm caring environment. I appreciate the IB program and the diversity of the teachers and students.

Posted: March 3, 2010

We have been apart of Thomson since 2005 and there is a big change. 5 years ago I was very satisfied with the principal, curricalum, environment, and staff. Now that has changed. The principal isn't firm enough. I feel that the principal doesn't handle situations in a good way. She seems timid all the time. Last year 3rd and 4th grade children were unable to have recess. They could not talk during lunch. Ms. Greaves and Ms. Yamin are two of the best teachers that the school has. They prepare your kids for Jr. High. During the mornings, there is no where to park. There is no escort to make sure that kids are entering the building safe. The person who use to ensure that kids eneterd the building safe was terminated by Rhee for no reason. There is a parking lot but certain parents get to use it.

Posted: September 25, 2009

Posted: November 13, 2008