The Wilkes School At Grace & St Peter's

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Posted: March 10, 2020

Very disappointing - especially the academics! They only have one child in the entire third grade and only 4 children in the fourth grade! We have so many private schools in the area - choose a better one!

Posted: June 4, 2019

Posted: June 4, 2019

The teachers are really caring and committed.

Posted: June 4, 2019

The students do service projects and help children younger than themselves.

Posted: June 4, 2019

Administration is approachable by parents and is responsive.

Posted: June 4, 2019

They have a resource teacher to help these students, and the other teachers will work with families too.

Posted: June 4, 2019

Because the classes are small, there really isn't much bullying. The kids are encouraged to talk out differences.

Posted: June 4, 2019

We love Wilkes! Our child and his peers were well-prepared to go on to middle school. And the friendships he developed are strong and will last. The teachers at Wilkes really care about the children they teach.

Posted: June 3, 2019

This one makes me laugh. No, here is an example where small class sizes are actually a bad thing. The instructors will shine a spotlight on anyone who is struggling—maybe only one or two kids in a grade—without doing anything to actually help that child.

Posted: June 3, 2019

See above—there’s very hands-off approach to bullying.

Posted: June 3, 2019

For the early grades, our experience was just ok, with the exception of homework, which was awful. The upper grades... if your child colors in the lines and is extremely sequential in their thinking, is not a target for bullies, and doesn’t need much instruction (ie just a naturally motivated learner or has very involved parents to support learning), he or she may do well here. But for the money the school is charging....do yourself a favor and look into the instructors’ training, experience, and philosophy before making any decisions.

Posted: June 3, 2019

The amount of homework is absolutely over the top—two hours worth in second grade? There is no communication between teachers and they will independently assign impossible, detrimental, amounts of work for such young kids.

Posted: June 3, 2019

Most of the longtime faculty, some of whom were great, have left. Most of the new teachers have very little experience or training.

Posted: June 3, 2019

No. Despite being very rigid in how kids sit, what they wear, how they complete assignments, the school is completely laissez-faire when it comes to social interaction, which with kids this young can and does devolve into Lord of the Flies.

Posted: June 3, 2019

The former head of school was wonderful and had many years experience.

Posted: January 18, 2019

No where else can you find this small class size or the free before and aftercare. At The Wilkes you can clearly see the value in the education your child is receiving.

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

The teachers are passionate about what they teach.

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 18, 2019

The head of school is approachable, kind and caring. The school is in good hands.

Posted: January 18, 2019

On staff resource teacher helps in and out of the classroom.

Posted: January 18, 2019

Posted: January 17, 2019

The amount of homework is reasonable - minimal in the lower grades. Teachers are really understanding if you email them because of family events.

Posted: January 17, 2019

The teachers at Wilkes are wonderful! Because it is a small school, they really develop close relationships with students. They truly care about each child. I'm pleased with the variety of projects and types of learning that they present to my child.

Posted: January 17, 2019

This is really a strength at Wilkes. The children are generally kind to one another. I've seen older kids helping the younger ones, and they have a number of service projects each year, so the students learn the importance of helping others.

Posted: January 17, 2019

People in leadership take the time to get to know each family. They make themselves available if you have questions or concerns.

Posted: January 17, 2019

They have a resource teacher for children who need extra help. And teachers make accommodations for some students. The classes are small so that no child gets lost in the shuffle.

Posted: January 17, 2019

I haven't heard or seen anything about bullying. The kids all know each other and seem pretty accepting. I know that teachers take the time to discuss solving conflicts with students.

Posted: January 17, 2019

We love Wilkes! The quaint old buildings; the small size; the way they use the resources of the neighborhood, like the library, the Walters, the Meyerhoff, and the Historical Society; the small class sizes; and the wonderful community of families all add up to a wonderful preschool and grade school experience. The students end up getting into prestigious middle schools, so the academic foundation is solid.

Posted: December 31, 2018

Our experience with this school was uneven, mostly we think due to the school being in a large state of transition (teachers retiring, other teachers coming and going, leadership and administrative changes, etc). Positive aspects were 1. the small size of the community (students form close friendships and teachers know the students in all classes); 2. variety of subject matter taught (content of studies were good--we felt our child was learning; 3. urban environment (interesting experience for students to experience the symphony, downtown library, local museums, etc.), 4. some of the teachers were/are very effective (although several of these have retired or moved on); 5. Science fairs, after-school clubs, and other supplemental learning projects/opportunities. Negatives were: 1. unevenness of pedagogical approach teacher-to-teacher (lack of unified school-wide teaching standard, including processes/procedures for compassionately accommodating mild/reasonable learning differences); 2. too many, at one point, inexperienced teachers (some of whom were able to deftly compensate for their lack of experience and some less so); 3. uneven and contradictory communication (about student status or progress); 4. a tendency toward favoritism (toward students who fit the "model mold") and a tendency to give up on (or indirectly, and we assume inadvertently, even ostracize) students who deviate slightly from the typical learning style, even when these non-typical students are nevertheless intelligent, motivated, and progressing steadily but due to learning differences are lagging slightly in some areas relative to others; 5. The discipline style could be very harsh (many teachers/staff would shout at students;) 6. too much homework, especially in younger grades and homework also too "worksheety" and repetitive; 7. expectations were at times not developmentally appropriate.

Posted: December 31, 2018

There is too much homework and the work is often busy-work (worksheets.)

Posted: December 31, 2018

The teaching staff has undergone a big transition over the past few years so this is hard to gauge school-wide--several of the older teachers have retired. Some of the new teachers coming through were/are very effective, some less so. The school's hiring standards for teachers appears to be uneven with some teachers having no teaching experience at all, or no prior teaching experience in the subject area being taught.

Posted: December 31, 2018

In general the students treat one another well. The school is small in size which fosters a community spirit. The students tend to form close relationships and most teachers know most (or even all) students.

Posted: December 31, 2018

The leadership at the school has changed in the past couple of years.

Posted: December 31, 2018

I would likely not recommend this school for a student with learning differences. This school does at least have a learning support person on staff, which is more than some schools do--this is a very positive aspect--but over the years we were there the quality of this support was in transition (and not headed in a good direction). They do have a new person on staff for 2018/19, so maybe things have improved. But our experience and observation over the years was that students with learning differences are singled out and even ostracized by some teachers. The school claims on its website that "small classes mean that instruction can be differentiated" but there is in reality scant (or no) differentiation of instruction to accommodate different learning styles. Students with learning issues are flagged and pulled out by the learning support person for supplemental learning here and there, but the teachers themselves are unevenly able to accommodate even minor learning differences and there didn't appear to be a consensus of approach for dealing with special learning situations, school-wide. Instruction content is rich but teaching style is largely direct-instruction and even though Wilkes provides more opportunity for independent projects, outside play and movement than many other schools, it still largely follows a traditionally stringent model, including the tendency to expect every student to learn mostly the same way and at the same pace in all areas, without the school as a whole having the knowledge-base and policy structure in place to deftly anticipate and flexibly accommodate reasonable developmental variations. So, yes, Wilkes does make an effort to support students with learning differences (through learning resource support) but in our opinion this isn't a strong suit of the school.

Posted: December 31, 2018

In general, the school does not do emotion or mindfulness coaching around student behavior and feelings. However, our child did not experience a bullying situation while a student there so I can't say how the school would have handled this or other strong student-to-student conflict situation.

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: June 4, 2018

Over the 2.5 years that we were there, the school changed for the worse, for us. It's sad. I hope the school finds its way.

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: June 4, 2018

Posted: December 26, 2015

The Wilkes school is a wonderful school in the heart of Baltimore. They provide the most caring and thoughtful education. I am very happy that my son is going there. It is the best school I could have dreamed of for my children. It is a true privilege to be part of the school community. Thank you to all the teachers and staff for making it such a special place.

Posted: December 26, 2015

Posted: December 26, 2015

The homework for the pre-K is perfect. The children just need to draw or write about a different word or concept each week. It is creative, low pressure, high reward and high learning experience.

Posted: December 26, 2015

Posted: August 8, 2013

My child will enter 3rd grade this fall. She's been there since K. We LOVE this school. The academics are rigorous and the standards are high, but the teachers really, really care about the children. One day last year my child told me that she cried at lunch b/c she missed me. When I asked what did her teacher do, she said that her teacher hugged her and let her sit near her. It made me love the school even more! She received the best language arts instruction, bar none! She is an excited and passionate (if distracted) student and it has been a pleasure to watch her develop leadership skills and true thinking and problem solving skills. And, having the many Mt. Vernon institutions as her classroom is amazing. When they learned about and celebrated the War of 1812 last year they walked across the street for personalized instruction at the MD Historical Society. They attend the various festivals at the Washington Monument and how can you beat having the main branch of the Enoch Pratt as your school library?

Posted: March 29, 2013

I went there for 4th and 5th grade. It is a great school. The teachers care about each student. I really loved social studies, science, and arts there. It was so cool to make movies in social studies. It was great to have Mt. Vernon be my classroom. Enoch Pratt was my library, and the Walters was my art room. The teachers taught me how to love learning. It was like a second home to me. I wish it went beyond 5th grade.

Posted: March 10, 2013

I transferred to this school last year in 4th grade. The Wilkes School is a wonderful place to go to school because the teachers care about us learning, they have amazing after-school clubs like Film Club and chorus, and the students are well-behaved and ready to learn. Send your kid here!

Posted: December 15, 2010

This is a wonderful school that provides children with an excellent academic foundation. The children are enthusiastic learners from diverse backgrounds.The teachers nurture their students intellectual curiosity, while at the same time respecting individual learning differences.