Charles E Smith Jewish Day School

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

Posted: March 24, 2025

What a sham. Subpar education, all the good teachers/staff left, JDS can’t keep them. How your child is treated depends on how involved/connected you are. If you aren’t volunteering, working, donating etc to the school your child will be a second class citizen. Forget about trying to get the school to help you if you want to move classes or make changes, the automatic go-to response for any concerns is gaslighting parents by saying everything is great no problems. If your kid gets bullied ( which is a MASSIVE problem) they don’t do anything. Again go-to gaslight routine.
Absolutely worst school ever. Nothing good there. We only went because of discount and I can’t wait to get my kids out.

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

Posted: November 29, 2022

I wish I could say great things about the school. It looks very good on paper. They say all the right things. But they are not a partner to the parents. They are not a support to the students. I’m in the process of removing my child from the school. From an educational perspective, I’ve got no complaints. But having a child that struggles with mental health and anxiety, the school has totally totally failed us. I’m not sure what our other options are, but I’m not going to keep spending $40,000 a year For a school that is totally unhelpful to my child who is struggling. That said there are many positives, and if you have a child who is not struggling with stress and anxiety, then I wish you the best. If you have a child who struggles, then I cannot recommend the school for you. They’ve only cause my own child additional stress and mental pain. And what I’ve gone into ask for help, it’s fallen on deaf ears and I’ve been dismissed without any consideration of my feedback and recommendations.

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

Posted: October 24, 2022

I LOVE THIS SCHOOL! It is a really good balance of high standards with love and care. The options for the students are really vast - lots of sports and STEM, arts, academics and more. As schools go, this school has all of the systems in place to care for your kids. I have my 3 kids there and love it. It's not perfect every day, and when I have a problem, they are responsive, they hear me, and are not defensive. The staff are so professional, and when you walk through the halls, the kids are just... HAPPY. What more could you want?

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

Posted: October 21, 2022

CESJDS is such a special place. The academic classes and curriculum are thoughtfully developed in a way that really help my kids gain both content knowledge and deep thinking skills. They're in a warm, Jewish community where they learn about their own history, culture, language, and traditions. There is a confidence that I see in my kids from this aspect of the school. And, I couldn't ask for a more engaged and caring faculty.

Each of my children has had different academic interests and challenges. It is incredible how the faculty respond to the needs and interests of each child, offering them additional challenge to explore passion projects and offering support when they find an area that needs further attention.

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

Posted: July 15, 2020

JDS boasts about their amazing education and curriculum, but after going for many years I was very confused. It seemed they really only cared about a few students, and left most students behind. It was very unfortunate, and I wish I went to one of the very many great public schools in the area.

Posted: January 2, 2020

Posted: January 2, 2020

We have two kids there and couldn't be happier. My kids love going to school and get upset when there's a snow day - enough said! We switched from public school and found this to be a much more nurturing environment where our kids receive individual attention and are able to excel.

Posted: June 25, 2018

Posted: June 25, 2018

Posted: June 25, 2018

Posted: June 25, 2018

The current lower school administrators are absolutely clueless about situations that goes in school. They live in 17 century.

Posted: June 25, 2018

Posted: June 25, 2018

I used to have a positive opinion about JDS until just recently. A situation happened at lower school that involved bullying. There were a group of 6 and 7th graders that were involved in this matter but school did not directly address the issue. It was brought to parents attention by someone who created a web site to inform parents. I have to say, after doing my own research and talking to other parents, they all confirmed bullying is an issue at lower school and school does not want to make them look bad. I'm thinking of switching to public school. The web site that brought this to my attention was StopCyberbullying.info.

Posted: June 25, 2018

Do not signup your children. This school is overrated by all measures.

Posted: May 15, 2017

The school's curriculum design and teaching philosophy/approach/faculty need a thorough review/updating to address the needs of the many children (too many in our opinion), who are struggling with their dual-curriculum model.

Posted: May 15, 2017

Posted: May 15, 2017

Posted: May 15, 2017

Posted: September 14, 2016

In a classroom with two teachers and an aide, there was no control over the classroom.

Posted: September 14, 2016

There wasn't any in kindergarten, So I really do not have enough experience to answer this question.

Posted: September 14, 2016

If they do not demand it from administration, then how can they expect the students to exhibit these traits?

Posted: September 14, 2016

CESJDS is an adequate school if your child is not too brilliant and/or does not need too much support in the classroom. The school really needs to reexamine how they approach education. Too much sitting, not enough experiential learning. Additionally, we were misled during our interview process. Their teachers are not as adept at providing differentiated education as they might like you to believe.

Posted: June 17, 2016

Posted: January 27, 2016

JDS has been a wonderful experience for our child, from lower school through the Upper School. We've loved the strong academics (secular and Jewish), caring teachers and warm community. Highly recommend!

Posted: January 27, 2016

Posted: January 27, 2016

Posted: January 27, 2016

Posted: December 25, 2015

Please don't send your child to this school. They will benefit so much more from attending one of the schools in Montgomery County's pretty extraordinary public school system.The poor education that students receive at JDS for such an astoundingly high tuition is despicable. Students need to be in a diverse environment, they need to be challenged, they need to not have things handed to them. There's only a very specific type of kid that can fit the mold of JDS; when that's the case, you know there's a problem with the school.

Posted: January 5, 2014

I have had three very different children go through the School with different personalities and needs. They have all graduated as very successful and confident kids and the school has supported their diverse strengths and individual needs. On a couple of occasions, we needed particular help and went to see the Headmaster who could not have been more accommodating and worked with the team to help us through. This has been true for the Upper School leaders and teachers as well (I am sure it is true of the lower school too but has been years since I was there.) There will always be people with individual issues with the School or who didn't like a decision of the Headmaster, Principal or teacher and they will use these forums to try and get back. Also, there are people who have had a genuinely bad experience. However, as you can see from the majority of these posts, great school, great teachers and community, great leadership.

Posted: September 16, 2013

I love my school! Not only is the curriculum outstanding and the teachers passionate, committed and caring, the school promotes and encourages good citizenship in every area of its curriculum. For example, last week the school asked its 4th-6th graders to raise money for Save a Child's Heart, an organization that brings indigent children suffering from heart disease to Israel for life-saving surgeries. My 9-yd-old son was so inspired, he woke up early Sunday morning to make fresh apple juice, homemade yogurt pops and cookies to sell in our neighborhood and raised more than $80. And, all of the credit goes to our phenomenal school which instills amazing values in our children. Each year, I have felt like the teachers are a 3rd parent in my boys' lives, partnering with us to raise kind and caring citizens! Thank you CESJDS!! And, the academics are fantastic. If your child craves a challenging curriculum, there are teachers who are rigorous and demanding. And, if your child needs a little more encouragement, there are nurturing, motivating teachers. It's truly a very special place!

Posted: July 21, 2013

We have three kids, of various ages, at CESJDS in the lower school, and overall are very pleased with the school. The Lower School is very focused on the quality of its secular academics, with a particular emphasis on the mathematics program. We have found the school to be very receptive to working with parents to tailor the experience for a given child, and very open to placing children in a classroom with a teacher suited to that kid. The school is not proactive but it is responsive and a lot of genuine warmth and love has been directed to our kids from the teachers and administrators. On the Jewish side of things, it is very important to understand that CESJDS is focused on teaching Judaics in Hebrew ("ivrit beivrit"). The quality of the Judaics teaching, however, is much higher if your child is in the advanced Hebrew classes (Hebrew is tracked after 2nd grade). If your child is in the lower Hebrew track, the Judaics curriculum can be very weak. A major upgrade to the "Judaics in English" teaching and curriculum is essential if the school is to hold onto observant kids. The school does instill a sense of love of Israel and the more sentimental aspects of Judaism.

Posted: July 16, 2013

As a product of Montgomery County Public Schools myself, I was somewhat skeptical about the value of a private education and the dual curriculum at JDS. After two years at the school, I have to say that I have done a complete 180 and cannot imagine a better education and community for my children and our family. I have two children at the school and have another entering this fall, and we have always had positive interactions with faculty, administrators and staff. The small class size and favorable teacher to student ratio has meant that my children have constant attention and support. My kids are not just learning secular and Judaic lessons, but values that are shaping them into caring, responsible people. When I see the upper school students- their maturity, accomplishments and kindness- I know we've made the right choice for our children's education.

Posted: July 16, 2013

We have been so impressed with and thrilled by the education and community at CESJDS. Our daughter is going into third grade and is having the most fantastic educational experience. The school is very developmentally appropriate; in Kindergarten they learn so much but in a fun way that they don't even realize that they are learning. There is no "busy work" and attention is paid to their social-emotional development as well as their academic skills. Each year builds on the last. Our daughter has been given support in areas where she struggled and has been pulled out for enrichment in areas where she was above grade level. The families are warm and welcoming and we have found a new community for our whole family which was unexpected but wonderful. We have another child coming into Kindergarten and cannot wait for her to experience the school.

Posted: July 13, 2013

I have been a JDS parent for a few years now. I moved my kids from another private school to JDS and it could not have been a better decision. I have 2 children. One has various learning needs and the other does not. We were welcomed to the community by parents, teachers and administrators and have felt supported throughout. I have found the administrators open and responsive to feedback and my children feel happy and more importantly loved by all their teachers. We are quite pleased with the academics as well as many of the specialty areas--my daughter loves her art teacher. We are glad we brought are kids to JDS.

Posted: July 7, 2013

JDS Lower School is totally disorganized and our older child wasted two of his four years. The teacher in third grade missed more than three months of class; the teacher in fourth grade missed more than four months of class. The administration did nothing. Basically our older child received very expensive child care for two years but little effective instruction.

Posted: May 10, 2013

I have 2 children at the lower school. They do not have the support - but they mislead my family into thinking they do - for learning disorders and learning disabilities. If I knew then what I know now, we would not be at Jds. We have speech and language therapy as well as nightly tutoring after the school day finishes in addition to the monthly exorbitant tuition which has increased every single year. There is no visible support or understanding from administrators. As with many other schools, teachers are excellent, midline and a few horrible experiences. But we were lucky to have a few sensational teachers! The school encourages a community feeling and provides many opportunities to give back and be involved in the classroom. Is it worth the money - no.

Posted: May 3, 2012

I have three children at the School and am thrilled with the education, responsiveness, teacher quality and leadership. My kids are all on different parts of the learning spectrum and they have benefited from the learning needs professionals and they have been challenged in many curricular areas.The School is unusual in that it listens to feedback, reviews and improves on curriculum quality. Lower School Math and Science and High School Hebrew have been revised in response to feedback and evaluation. As a family who receives financial assistance, I take issue with people who say that it is a school for the wealthy. From the Headmaster onward, we have been treated with dignity & respect and our needs and requests have been heard and well-handled. This is the experience of the hundreds of other families that I know. Of course not everything is perfect and some families use these websites to get back at a school if they don't like a decision or a person.However, most families who are part of JDS's warm community feel cared for and the kids are well educated. The teachers, leadership and even the facilities staff know our kids and look out for them. Thank you JDS!!

Posted: January 15, 2012

The school is generally good, but is clearly not all it could (and should) be. The school is excellent for kids in the middle 80%. However, for kids who need extra help or with learning or social issues, they will not find it a JDS. Also, the truly gifted kid will not be pushed to excell at JDS. The teachers are generally very good (some truly superb), but they are not supported by the administration (and there are too many adminstrators). The dual curriculum is challenging, but the administration is generally not open to innovative ideas from faculuty and parents regarding changes to the program. Parent input is not welcome unless you are a signifcant donor. The student body is wonderful and much more supportive of each other than you find at most schools. The 3 month program in Israel at the end of the senior year is wonderful, a magical time in which seniors grow closer and experience living on their own (great preparation for college), while learning all about the history, geography and people of Israel.

Posted: October 9, 2011

I would consider JDS to be a mediocre school. It is not very well run -- teachers do not feel supported and there appears to be a large number of new staff year to year which is a sign of instability. Parental input is not welcome unless you are one of the biggest donors. Unlike public school where parents can have input into their child's placement, JDS will not consider parents or the students input. There is no real community except for a privileged few. The education itself is only ok. When you get a good teacher, you notice because typically your kid's other teachers are only ok. I will not be sending my child to HS there -- we live in an area with excellent public schools. Why would I pay for mediocrity? The stakes are too high for college admissions.